Battle Formations:
Using battle formations effectively is perhaps the most important strategy of a multiplayer Ironman game. This is what cooperation is all about each of the players doing what they do best and covering for other’s limitations, fighting TOGETHER.

There is no time to explain what a WALL formation is when the team is being swarmed, or what a Mage Shotgun is when being chased by King Leoric; make sure everyone knows his battle station/formation so a potent defense/offense can be setup quickly. Some battle formation you might want to be familiarized with:

Walking formation - Have the mage walk in the middle when Hidden type monsters are around. It gets very nasty if any Hiddens decide to appear and attack the mage after the warrior and rogue had passed by.

Shotgun - Rogue Shotgun, this makes a nice standard battle formation for the Churches and Catacombs, and any narrow choke points. The team only has to deal with one monster at a time with everyone getting equal share of experience points. Furthermore, the monsters will be targeting the warrior so the mage can safely whack the monsters with his staff without wasting precious mana. If the rogue lures, she can position herself right at the door, inline with her partners. This also gives the team 100% flood control even against those dancing goats and Blinks.

Mage Shotgun - Basically the same as Rogue Shotgun except the mage trades position with the rogue. This formation is good for tougher mix of monsters such as those in the Catacombs that requires the mage’s firepower. It is especially useful for clearing a new room; the mage opens the door and casts a Fire Wall. The monsters will bake while lining up to be kill easily by the warrior and rogue. If the rogue and warrior can handle the monster mix without too much damage, the mage should get inline with his partners at the door and whack with his stick. Also good for the “open door, cast Fire Wall and close door” routine. See Deathspit and Chaoshowler for more on the Mage Shotgun usage.

Slant - Another variation on the Rogue Shotgun. Use this when the door is located at the corner. When more than one monster manage to slip in the room, take care of the one directly in front of the warrior first. If you kill the one in front of the mage, another one will come in to fill the space forcing the warrior to deal with two monsters at the same time. Hopefully, the monster in front of the mage will block any more from coming in - not always the case with Bats and desync.

Wall and Corner Formation - Good against hidden type monsters and being swarmed. The major advantages of these formations are that the mage is completely protected against harm, and the number of monster that can attack the party at the same time is greatly reduced. A more detailed discussion of these formation can be found at the “Hiddens and getting Swarmed” inside the Tactics section.

Sniper formations
These formations are especially useful as the party ventures deeper in the dungeon where there are no doorways to defend. Use corners to your best advantage!

*A* Non-Fire Immune Warrior peaks around the corner to check and activate monsters, then the rogue steps up to position on the other side. Warrior steps back behind the corner and attack the monsters as they come close while the rogue open fire on anything in sight. The mage can stand next or behind the warrior and cast Fire Wall for support if enough non-fire immune monsters are lined up.

*B* An alternative is to have the rogue activate the monsters after the warrior positions (without peeking) himself behind the corner. She will activate fewer monsters at a time, it’s the preferred procedure when no range attackers are expected - otherwise, she will be the only target from range attacks until the monsters come close to the corner and see the warrior. In *A*, make sure there are at least 5 spaces between the rogue and the mage or else the rogue will get fried by the Fire Wall. The rogue can move up one tile north if space is tight between walls. The first setup *A* is the preferred formation over *B* because monsters usually advance and stay within the Fire Wall. Formation *B* is useful when there are not enough spaces for the rogue to clear the Fire Wall, and when it is a Fire immune, Lightning immune monster mix. For Fire/Lightning immune monster mixes, the mage can set a couple of Firewalls first then go to the rogue position as the formation below.

For Non-Lightning Immune
Warrior peaks around the corner to check and activate monsters then the rogue and mage step up to position on the other side. Warrior steps back behind the corner and attack the monsters as they come close. The mage can now release bolts of lightning at the monsters when at least a few of them are lined up for the shot. The advantage of the rogue on top of the mage is she will have a greater firing angle at monsters but a bit harder to get in position. The rogue-beside-warrior is much easier to form but scarifies the firing angles.

If the rogue plays “Shield”, she could switch positions with the warrior as shown in the picture on the right. With this setup, the warrior can also switch to using a more damaging axe if available

It is important to have the mage positioned directly inline with the first row of tiles of the opening. The mage should not be wasting his potions casting Lightning at an angle when he can hit multiple targets with just one strand.