Total Battle Mobile Game is a Total Financial Predator.

My wife introduced me to Total Battle in October 2025. She  isn’t a gamer and has criticized me for gaming too much at times, so when she found a mobile game that she found fun playing, I had to jump in and see what the hype was about.

Total Battle is a free-to-play mobile strategy MMO with heavy social and progression mechanics. You build and upgrade a medieval kingdom, train armies, research tech, and send heroes and troops to fight AI enemies or other players. Progress happens in real time, so buildings, research, and troop training take hours or days unless you speed them up.

I remember when I started out on the game it didn’t take long for me to have to buy certain packs to help me level up and feel contributory to the clan. I ended up leveling up faster than my wife, but that’s not necessarily due to skill–I was spending more real money in the game than her.

In December I added up all the money I spent on weekly premium bonuses, battle passes, packs, and “limited time packs”–it added up to over $1,000. That’s right, in three months I spent over $1,000 on a mobile game. 

In a fair free-to-play game like Fortnite, purchases are largely cosmetic or offer minor boosts that don’t overshadow player skill. Progression in Total Battle is designed to be punishingly slow without consistent financial investment. 

I’m at a level where building a medieval kingdom, researching technology, and training armies in real-time takes days. The game creates artificial “time gates” that pressure players into purchasing speed-ups and resources.

By late 2025, players reported that reaching a competitive level—specifically unlocking Guard Level 5 (G5)—requires “Blueprints” that are nearly impossible to acquire for free. This “Blueprint Wall” essentially forces a purchase for anyone wishing to remain relevant in major kingdom events.

Total Battle employs several psychological hooks to encourage recurring micro-spending. The game displays high-value packs costing up to $250 so that a $5 weekly boost feels like a “bargain”. This makes players feel they are exercising self-control while they are actually being groomed for a “subscription-style” spending habit. It reminds me of people who gamble $5 and $10 on sports betting and feel like they’re miles away from a gambling addiction. Just because you’re not an addict doesn’t mean you’re not wasting money.

While most games I play on console have a one time purchase for a battle pass, Total Battle has a layered battle pass. The costs are split across multiple channels, including:

• Weekly Premium Passes: $5 every seven days ($20/month).
• Monthly Gold Passes: $20.
• Monthly Elite Passes: $50.
• Triumph Bundles: $80.

Limited-time offers often feature countdown timers of just a few hours to trigger a “fear of missing out” (FOMO). Curiously, these “exclusive” deals often reappear immediately after the timer expires, revealing the scarcity as a manufactured pressure tactic.

When these small, seemingly harmless $5 purchases are added up over several months, the total can easily exceed $1,000, catching even experienced gamers by surprise.

The social mechanics of Total Battle—clans and cooperative rewards—are also monetized. While being in an active clan provides some resources, the top-tier clans are not defined by teamwork or skill, but by “whalers” (players who spend massive amounts of money).

When a clan member makes a purchase, other members receive a reward, making it publicly visible who is spending money. This creates a social obligation to “contribute” financially to remain competitive within the group. While open clans often consist of inactive players, providing few benefits. To join a high-level, active clan, players must meet “Might” or hero level requirements that are difficult to achieve without spending.

So when it comes to spending money, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

Unlike skill-based games, the “whalers” in Total Battle almost always come out on top during clan and kingdom wars, leaving free-to-play or budget players with zero recourse when their armies are wiped.

On top of all the spending you feel is required to progress, it inevitable leaves you feeling progressionless due to Total Battle’s lack of a “win state.” There is no main storyline or mode to finish; the game consists of the same events repeated indefinitely. To stay competitive even at a modest $25/month budget, a player would need to grind for years to match those who spend freely.

For many, the realization of this predatory structure leads to a difficult exit. The “sunk cost fallacy” makes it hard to quit after investing significant time and money. Even in highly active clans that provide resources, the game is designed so that the need to spend real money is never truly eliminated.

Total Battle is a meticulously designed financial trap that uses medieval strategy as a veneer for aggressive monetization. For those seeking a game rewarded by skill rather than the size of their wallet, the consensus from the player community in 2026 is clear: look elsewhere.