What are territories? Are they players?

Conqora FAQ · updated 2026-10-16

What territories are

Every map has more land than players. The land that no player or nation starts on is held by territories: small passive holders that keep the map full and make expansion a real choice instead of free real estate.

How they behave

• Passive toward players. Territories don't raid you; they only skirmish with each other.
• No starting gold. When a game gives players a big starting purse, territories don't get it.
• A troop limit. They can't grow into monsters late in the game.
• No alarms. Their fights never set off your incoming-attack warnings or the red war line.
• Labelled "Territory" when you hover them, so you always know what you are attacking.

Taking them efficiently

• Territories are your expansion fuel in the first minutes. Click outward through them with 20–30% waves.
• The ones touching the coast give you ports; the ones on mountain passes give you a wall.
• Leave a few between you and a dangerous neighbour as a buffer while you build.

Can I turn them off?

Private lobbies let the host set how many territories the map has, including none ("No territories" in the quick game tags means the same).

Nations vs territories

Nations are AI countries on the map's real locations: they build, defend and attack weak neighbours. Territories are passive filler. Both are worth land; only nations fight back seriously.

Territories, nations and players side by side

The map holds three kinds of owners, and they behave very differently. Here's how to tell them apart at a glance:

Hover any land to see its label. "Territory" means passive filler; anything else is someone who can fight back.

Worked example: the first two minutes

You spawn on a quiet stretch of World, which has 61 nations and plenty of territory between them. Your troops regrow fastest at about 40% of your maximum, so the goal is to spend troops on territory without falling far below that line.

• Send a 20–30% wave into the territory next to you (Z/X adjusts the ratio).
• When the wave finishes, let your troops regrow, then send the next one.
• Head toward the coast first: a coastal tile gives you a place for a port, and ports are your best income.
• Next, grab the territory toward a mountain pass or a strait. One Defense Post there later holds a whole flank.

Within two minutes you can triple your starting land without a single real fight, because territories never counter-attack you.

Why territories don't get starting gold

In games with 1M, 5M or 25M starting gold, every player starts rich. Territories don't. That means you can build a city or a defense post on minute one while the land around you is still held by owners with no buildings and a troop cap. It's a race: the faster you turn territory into your land, the sooner that gold starts compounding.

Scenario: the buffer strategy

You are at 8% next to a 15% player who keeps eyeing you. Instead of clearing every territory between you, leave a strip of territory in place as a buffer. While it's there:

• Their attacks on you have to go through it first, which costs them troops.
• Territory fights never trigger your alarms or a war line, so the noise stays on their side.
• You use the time to build a Defense Post (50K) and a city behind the buffer.

When you are ready, take the buffer yourself in one wave.

Common mistakes

• Attacking territories with 80% of your army. You drop far below the 40% sweet spot and your growth stalls. Small waves are faster overall.
• Mistaking a nation for a territory. Nations build, defend and attack weak neighbours. Hover before you commit.
• Ignoring the coast. Taking inland territory first leaves you without ports when the rest of the map starts trading.
• Clearing every territory next to a strong player. You turn a quiet border into a war front.

Beginner vs advanced

Beginners: treat territories as free growth in the opening and keep your attacks small and steady.

Advanced players: use them for routing. Take the territory that connects you to the coast, a hotspot or a chokepoint first, and leave the rest as buffers until it's useful.

Map notes

• World: about two minutes of open territory before borders meet.
• Europe: 49 nations in a small space, so there's much less territory and the fighting starts almost immediately.
• Asia: the largest land mass, with a lot of interior territory; whoever reaches the centre first holds the game.
• Ranked maps have no nations, so the land is shared between the players and the territories.

More questions

Are territories real players?

No. Territories are passive land holders run by the game. They only skirmish with other territories and never attack you.

Can I play without territories?

Yes. Private lobbies let the host set how much territory there is, including none, and some quick games run the "No territories" modifier.

Do territories get stronger later in the game?

No. They have a troop limit, so they never grow into a threat.

Should I take territories or attack a player first?

Territories first in almost every game. They are cheaper land, and the player next to you is doing the same.

Why don't I get an alarm when territories fight next to me?

Territory fights never trigger incoming-attack warnings or the red war line. When an alarm does go off, it's a player or a nation, so look at it straight away.

Do territories get bigger starting armies in 25M gold games?

No. Territories never get starting gold, and they keep their troop limit whatever the modifier. That's what makes rich-start games so fast: every player can build on minute one while the land around them can't. See the beginner guide and best spawn location.

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More answers in the Conqora FAQ and the guides. Updated 2026-10-16.