Kingshot Bear Trap (Bear Hunt) guide
Formations by generation, the joiner heroes that actually multiply, and how rally damage is really calculated — everything your alliance needs to push toward the 1.2B tier.
Quick answer
Run 1/10/89 (Infantry/Cavalry/Archers) at Gen 4 and above, or 10/10/80 at Gen 3 — archers get the damage, so trim the front line as far as your march tolerates. Join with a high-level flat Lethality first skill (Chenko, Amadeus or Yeonwoo) and mix skills across the rally instead of stacking four of the same hero.
Only four joiner hero skills count per rally. If four strong heroes are already inside, send troops with no hero — that beats adding a weak skill that displaces a better one.
Troop ratios
Best Bear Trap formation by generation
There is no single correct split. Archers take a damage bonus against the Bear, so the higher your generation, the more you can strip infantry and cavalry down to a survivable minimum.
Gen 1 — 10/30/60
Cavalry still carries part of the load
Gen 2 — 10/20/70
Shift weight toward archers
Gen 3 — 10/10/80
The classic 10/10/80 split
Gen 4+ — 1/10/89
Late-game baseline through Gen 5–6
Verify with the march preview. Hero gear, lethality research and server generation all move the optimum, and some accounts still peak at 5/5/90 or nearby variants. The damage figure in your own preview is the final word. Once your march is large enough, keep a floor of roughly 5,000 infantry so the front line does not evaporate.
Mechanics
How Bear Trap damage is calculated
Most alliances that stall are not short on power — they are losing multipliers they never knew were there. These are the rules that decide your total.
Lethality beats Attack, point for point
Both are multipliers in the damage formula, but Lethality starts far lower and is harder to raise. The smaller multiplier is the bottleneck, so lethality buffs convert into more Bear damage.
The host carries the rally
The rally leader contributes all of their stats, buffs and all three hero skills. Joiners contribute only the first skill of their first hero. Host on your strongest accounts, always.
Only four joiner skills count
A rally counts a maximum of four additional hero skills from joiners. Beyond that, an extra hero adds nothing — and can push out a stronger skill.
Different skills multiply, duplicates do not
Two Chenkos plus two Amanes deals roughly 12.5% more than four Chenkos. Spread skill types across the rally rather than stacking the same buff.
Chance-based skills are joiner poison
RNG heroes such as Jabel are fine as a rally leader but waste a limited joiner slot. Guaranteed flat buffs win.
Expedition and Exclusive skills behave differently
Expedition skills are additive. Exclusive skills from widgets can be additive or multiplicative, and multiplicative boosts scale with your stats — those are the strong ones.
Heroes
Best Bear Trap heroes for joiners
Slot 1 is the only hero slot that matters when you join, so bring the best-levelled first Expedition skill you own from this pool.
First string
- Chenko
- Amadeus
- Yeonwoo
- Amane
- Margot
Flat lethality and damage buffs. Mix a Chenko/Amadeus/Yeonwoo skill with an Amane/Margot skill in the same rally.
Second string
- Vivian
- Wee & Woo
- Ava
- Hilde
- Petra
- Marlin
- Rosa
Solid when your first-string captains are already spoken for elsewhere.
No good hero available? Send troops only. It is genuinely better than sending the wrong hero — a weak first skill can occupy one of the four counted slots and cost the whole rally damage.
Preparation
Upgrade the Pitfall every cycle
Bear Hunt can be activated every two days. Between spawns, members earn Hunting Arrows from Intel Missions and donate them. Every level is a flat Attack bonus for the whole alliance.
| Pitfall level | Hunting Arrows | Attack bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 200 | +5% |
| Level 2 | 300 | +10% |
| Level 3 | 400 | +15% |
| Level 4 | 500 | +20% |
| Level 5 | 500 | +25% |
A full upgrade costs 1,900 arrows. Each member can earn 24 a day from Intel Missions, so around 40 members donating daily keeps the Pitfall maxed for every spawn. Remind members in Discord — this is the cheapest damage increase in the event.
Playbook
If you are hosting
- 1Max the Pitfall before the spawn — it is a free +25% Attack for every member.
- 2Open fewer rallies and fill them completely. Four half-full rallies lose to two full ones.
- 3Host on your strongest accounts: the host supplies all stats, buffs and three hero skills.
- 4Announce rally slots in Discord before the window opens so joiners are not guessing.
- 5Run your best lethality captain and check the march preview damage before you launch.
Playbook
If you are joining
- 1Check who is leading before you tap join — a weak host wastes your troops.
- 2Bring a flat lethality first skill: Chenko, Amadeus or Yeonwoo, at the highest level you have.
- 3Mix skills instead of stacking duplicates — different skills multiply, identical ones do not.
- 4If four strong heroes are already in, send troops with no hero rather than displacing a better skill.
- 5Lock your troop ratio for your generation before you march, and send max-level troops only.
- 6March early. Big rallies fill their joiner slots fast.
Diagnosis
Stuck at 800–900 million damage?
The reward tier caps at 1.2 billion total damage inside the 30-minute window, and most alliances that plateau below it share the same two problems:
- Joiners bringing the wrong hero. Chance-based or low-level first skills burn the four counted slots. Post the approved joiner list where members will read it.
- The R4 opening too many rallies. Spreading joiners thin across many half-full rallies wastes host multipliers. Fewer, fuller rallies on stronger hosts win.
Fix those two and the jump toward 1.2B usually arrives faster than expected — before any spending.
Rewards
What Bear Trap pays out
Bear Trap is the single most important recurring alliance event for gear progression — effectively every Forgehammer you will ever need flows through it, alongside resources and Lucky Hero Gear Chests.
The reward mix shifts around kingdom day 70: newer servers see more Howard Shards, while older servers see more Forgehammers and gear chests. Missing cycles consistently puts your gear behind in a way that is genuinely hard to claw back, so treat it as a fixed appointment rather than an optional event.
Questions
Bear Trap frequently asked questions
›What is the best troop formation for the Kingshot Bear Trap?
It depends on your generation. Gen 1 runs 10/30/60, Gen 2 runs 10/20/70, Gen 3 runs 10/10/80, and Gen 4 and above run roughly 1/10/89 (Infantry/Cavalry/Archers). Archers do the damage, so the trend is to cut infantry and cavalry down to the minimum your march can survive with. Always confirm against the damage number in your own march preview, because hero gear and lethality research shift the ideal split.
›Should I join a Bear Trap rally with no hero at all?
Sometimes, yes. Only four joiner hero skills are counted in a rally. If four strong lethality heroes are already inside, adding a weak or chance-based hero can displace a better skill and lower total damage. In that case sending troops with no hero is the stronger play.
›Which heroes are best for Bear Trap as a joiner?
Flat lethality first-skill heroes lead: Chenko, Amadeus and Yeonwoo. Pair them with an Amane or Margot type skill rather than stacking duplicates — mixed skills multiply against each other, so two Chenkos plus two Amanes beats four Chenkos by roughly 12.5%. Avoid chance-based heroes such as Jabel as joiners.
›Why does Lethality matter more than Attack in Bear Trap?
Attack and Lethality are both multipliers in the damage formula, but Lethality starts much lower and is harder to raise. Because the smaller multiplier limits the product, each point of Lethality adds more Bear damage than an equivalent point of Attack.
›How much damage should an alliance do in Bear Trap?
The top reward tier caps at 1.2 billion total damage within the 30-minute window. Many alliances plateau at 800–900 million. The usual causes are joiners bringing weak or chance-based heroes and the R4 opening too many rallies at once instead of filling fewer, fuller ones.
›How often does the Bear Trap run and how do I upgrade the Pitfall?
Bear Hunt can be activated every two days. Between spawns, members collect Hunting Arrows from Intel Missions and donate them to the Pitfall. Each level gives every member +5% Attack, up to +25% at level 5, and a full upgrade costs 1,900 arrows. Members can earn 24 arrows a day, so around 40 active donors keeps it maxed every cycle.
›What rewards does Bear Trap give?
Forgehammers are the headline reward and the main source for gear progression, alongside resources and Lucky Hero Gear Chests. The exact mix shifts around kingdom day 70: newer servers see more Howard Shards, older servers see more Forgehammers and gear chests.
›Is Bear Trap damage about individual power or alliance coordination?
Coordination. The rally host contributes all of their stats, buffs and all three hero skills, while each joiner contributes only their first hero's first skill. A well-organised alliance that funnels joiners into strong hosts far outperforms one with higher raw power and messy rallies.
Next step
Bear Trap is won on coordination
Every mechanic above points the same way: the alliance that organises its rallies beats the one with more raw power. Publish your formations and joiner rules where members actually read them, so nobody marches guessing.