Squads Explained: March Slots, Unit Capacity and Load

Each deployed squad occupies a march slot. A team gathering resources is still in use, so it is unavailable for another assignment. When the game says there are no idle squads, check where your teams are before changing their formations or training more units.

For example, if both of your available squads are gathering, you need to bring one home before using it for another task. More troops sitting in your base do not create a third march slot.

The queue unlock prompts for the 2nd Squad and 3rd Squad name Base levels 10 and 20 respectively, along with the corresponding squad queue. The Monthly Pass also offers an extra squad slot. Check the queue's unlock prompt to see which requirement applies to the slot you want to use.

Hero Squad Size is the capacity stat to look for when you want a formation to take more units. It is different from the number of squads you can deploy. Infantry, Tank and Aircraft heroes have their own Squad Size upgrades in research.

That capacity still needs units to fill it. Before sending a team out, check its assigned units as well as its heroes. The formation screen can warn you about unused capacity for your highest-level units, and the game warns that insufficient units reduce squad stats.

An empty place in a formation is therefore a reason to check your available troops. It does not necessarily mean you need another squad building. Units already outside your base are shown separately from those in base, which helps explain why the number you can assign may be lower than you expected.

Load describes how much a squad can carry. It matters when you send a team to bring back resources. The game links higher Hero Troop levels with greater load capacity, and squad research includes load upgrades separately from gathering speed.

Those two upgrades solve different problems. Gathering speed affects resource collection, while load affects carrying capacity. A higher-level resource tile contains more resources, but that does not itself increase the amount your team can carry.

When choosing a gathering team, look at its load as well as its combat power. A power number is not a resource-capacity readout. If gathering is a regular part of your routine, the load and gathering-speed entries in the squad research trees are useful places to compare what your next upgrade actually changes.

The 1st Squad and other squad buildings have march-speed effects. Travel speed is another separate stat: a faster trip does not add a deployment slot, increase Hero Squad Size or increase resource load by itself.

The Drill Grounds controls unit capacity at the base level. If you see a Drill Grounds limit warning when transferring units, that is a different issue from having no idle squad. The troop training and healing guide explains how that limit fits alongside Barracks and Hospital capacity.

Check the team's status first. A deployed squad cannot be edited, and a marching hero cannot be changed. Recall the squad and wait for it to return before trying to use it again.

Then inspect the unit count. The displayed Unit Power uses the units actually deployed, so a familiar hero lineup can leave with less strength if it is short of troops. Some research effects apply only in particular combat situations and are not directly reflected in the formation's Power calculation either. Use the formation details to understand the team you are sending, rather than treating one power number as the full picture.