Guide
Dark War: Survival hive layout and setup
A hive is not a cluster of shelters, it is a defensive shape. The tighter your alliance sits around its capital, the faster reinforcements land and the less time an attacker has between a rally arriving and your help reaching the target. Four decisions cover most of it.
1. Start from the centre
Place the capital or Alliance Hall first, then put your highest-power fighters in the first ring around it. Those accounts can survive being hit first, and their position shortens the reinforcement distance to everyone behind them.
2. Push farms outward
Low-power and farm accounts belong on the outer edge, where losing one costs the alliance least. Do not scatter them between main accounts — a gap in the core is exactly where an enemy will teleport in.
3. Leave landing lanes
Keep a clear path into the hive so new members can teleport in without hunting for a free tile. A layout nobody can join stays half-empty, and half-empty is the same problem as a gap.
4. Size it to your active roster
Build for the members who log in, not the member count on the roster screen. It is easier to grow a tight hive than to close holes in a loose one.
Copy something that already works
You do not have to start from an empty grid. Alliances publish their layouts to the community gallery, so you can open a hive built for a roster the size of yours and adapt it. If you are moving states, plan the layout alongside the migration guide so the hive is ready the day people land.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a hive in Dark War: Survival?
- A hive is a tight formation of alliance shelters built around the Alliance Hall or a capital building. Packing members together shortens rally and reinforcement travel time, keeps healing and shielding in range, and makes the alliance harder to pick apart during wars.
- How do I set up a hive layout?
- Place the capital or Alliance Hall first, ring your strongest fighters immediately around it, push farm and low-power accounts to the outer edge, and leave clear lanes so members can teleport in without hunting for a free tile.
- How many shelters should a hive hold?
- Size it to your active roster rather than your total member count. Empty slots inside a hive are gaps an opponent can teleport into, so a smaller fully occupied hive beats a large half-empty one.
- Can I share a hive layout with my alliance?
- Yes. A layout can be saved and shared by link, exported as a PNG for chat, or published to the community gallery where other alliances can view and copy it.
- Is the Hive Planner free?
- Yes. You can start planning without signing in. An account only adds saved layouts, live co-editing with officers and publishing to the community gallery.