Season 1 of Raidstead is over. For four weeks, Hive communities teamed up on ecency.com to chase pests out of their towns. Here is how it went, what we learned, and how to do better in season 2.
Season 2 opens Monday, November 9 at 00:00 UTC.
Season 1 in numbers
59 alliances took part, with 191 players between them.
64,685 damage dealt in total.
More than 36,000 Points burned on rallies and war chests, by over 100 players.
37 pests chased off out of town.
4 alliances chased off all four pests: Shadow Hunters, Freewriters, Deutsch D-A-CH and Worldmappin.
The final standings
| Rank | Alliance | Players | Pests chased off | Damage | Season 2 league |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadow Hunters | 16 | 4 | 11,103 | Large |
| 2 | Freewriters | 3 | 4 | 2,400 | Small |
| 3 | Deutsch D-A-CH | 11 | 4 | 6,892 | Medium |
| 4 | Worldmappin | 5 | 4 | 2,614 | Small |
| 5 | Town Square | 22 | 3 | 6,080 | Large |
| 6 | GmbH | 3 | 3 | 2,358 | Small |
| 7 | Splinterlands | 14 | 3 | 3,496 | Medium |
| 8 | SlothBuzz | 8 | 3 | 5,605 | Medium |
| 9 | Scrobble.life | 12 | 3 | 5,395 | Medium |
| 10 | Snaps | 5 | 3 | 2,951 | Small |
Alliances are ranked by pests chased off first, then by score, which rewards a fast chase and a good turnout.
Congratulations to everyone on the list, and a few special mentions:
Shadow Hunters top the season with the most damage of any alliance, more than 11,000.
Freewriters cleared all four weeks with only three players. Proof that showing up every day matters more than size.
Town Square brought the biggest crowd, 22 players, and chased off their pests faster than anyone.
SlothBuzz gave us the best fan art of the season: the raid screen redrawn with sloths as townsfolk. We loved it and it gave us an idea for later seasons (see below).
What we learned
Pests were too easy on day one. On the very first day, one alliance chased off the Spam Beetle within hours. We fixed it during the season: a pest is now sized by the number of players who actually fight it, about 250 health each. Bigger alliances face bigger pests, and a solo player still faces at least 600.
Most alliances never chased off a pest. 46 of the 59 alliances didn't chase one off, and 45 had three players or fewer. A small alliance can win (Freewriters did), but only if everyone hits every day. If your community has a few players, bring friends before the season starts.
Scouting is personal. When you scout, only you see the weakness. The game won't share it for you, so the best thing one scout can do is tell everyone else.
What's new in season 2
We spent the last weeks building on your feedback. Here is what is waiting for you on November 9:
Leagues. Alliances now play in three leagues by size: Small (1 to 5 players), Medium (6 to 14) and Large (15 and up). The leaderboard has a tab for each, so a small alliance competes with alliances like it.
Daily streaks. Play every day to grow your streak. Your streak shows next to your energy.
Help other towns. Once your own pest is chased off, you can visit another alliance's town and hit their pest too. Helping counts for your streak.
Raid reports that tell a story. Your alliance's week, day by day: who arrived, when the pest weakened, which buildings went up, who landed the last hit. Each report comes with a share card and opens straight in the editor.
Alliance of the Week. Every Monday, the fastest pest chase in each league gets the title, with a badge on the leaderboard.
The festival. On the two quiet days at the end of season 2, one festival pest visits every town at once. Everyone who raided during the season can hit it, and every alliance's damage counts toward chasing it off.
Your season. At the end of the season, a card with your own numbers: attacks, damage, days played, best streak, last hits, buildings and badges, ready to share as a post.
Tips for season 2
Every day
Scout before you attack. The right attack type (Ink, Signal or Forge) does double damage. Each alliance has its own weakness, and it changes every day.
Scout again at 75% and 25% health. The pest changes its weakness at both points.
Do your daily Ecency quests. Check in, publish a post and leave 3 comments: each one gives +1 energy on top of the daily 5.
Don't let energy sit full. You can hold 15 at most, so anything above that is lost. Visit at least every two or three days.
As a team
Talk to each other. Post the day's weakness in your community chat or in the comments of your raid report.
Build the town early. Everything resets at the end of a season, so a building finished in week 1 helps for four weeks. The beacon gives everyone +1 energy a day, the watchtower an extra scout, the walls fewer gnats, and the workshop unlocks powers.
Rally when it counts. A rally costs 50 Points and gives 5 energy. Use your energy first, since you can't go over 15.
Fill the war chest together. Gifts of 50 Points add up to 1,000, and then the whole alliance hits harder for a full day. A chest filled while no pest is in town is kept for the next one.
Late help still helps. A player who joins the fight late in the week makes the pest only a little bigger, so it is never too late to bring a friend in.
Pest by pest
Week 1, Spam Beetle: it copies itself overnight if nobody attacks all day. Hit it every day.
Week 2, Doomscroll Slug: it heals if nobody keeps it busy. A little every day beats a lot once.
Week 3, Echo Twins: a hit only counts if the other twin is hit within 6 seconds. Agree on a time and attack together.
Week 4, Copycat Queen: she hides her weakness 20 seconds after you scout. Scout, then hit fast.
Clickbait Wasp: it dodges until you scout it, and scouting is free while it is in town.
What you keep, what resets
Your karma, badges and trophies stay with you forever. Towns, energy, materials and powers reset, so season 2 starts level for everyone, newcomers included.
You pick your alliance again when the season opens, from the communities you have joined. If you want to play for a different community this time, join it before November 9.
What's next
We are collecting your feedback and ideas for the next seasons. Some of the favourites so far:
Alliance mascots: your own townsfolk look, like SlothBuzz's sloths. Earned by playing, never bought.
Your whole alliance on screen: every player who fought today, not only four townsfolk.
A place to talk inside the game, so calling out the weakness is part of the fun.
Tell us what you'd like to see in the comments.
Get ready
Season 2 opens Monday, November 9 at 00:00 UTC. Until then the town is quiet. Use the time to read the field guide, join the community you want to play for, and tell your friends. Pests sized for a big alliance make the best stories.
See you in town at ecency.com/raidstead.
