You know that feeling. You’ve spent weeks grinding XP, upgrading your units, and feeling like a god, only to get absolutely smacked by a giant, floating red head. That’s the Red Sky at Morning experience. If you’re playing The Battle Cats, this stage—the climax of the "Red Sky at Morning" event—is usually your first real "wall." It’s where the game stops being cute and starts demanding actual strategy. Honestly, most players fail here because they treat it like a standard stage. You can't just spam Cow Cats and hope for the best.
Red Sky at Morning features the dreaded Red Face, known technically as The Face. While he looks intimidating, he’s actually a lesson in game mechanics. This stage is less about raw power and more about understanding how "meatshielding" and "backliners" work together. If you're stuck, don't sweat it. Most of us were.
Why Red Sky at Morning is a Massive Difficulty Spike
The sudden jump in enemy HP is what catches people off guard. Up until this point, most enemies die in a few hits. The Face? He has 99,999 HP and deals 3,000 damage per hit. In the early game, that’s enough to one-shot almost anything you throw at him except for your tankiest units. He also has a massive range of 370. This means he hits your cats before they even get close enough to swing.
The stage layout is deceptively simple. It’s just a flat plain. No base gimmicks. No weird waves. Just a giant red head and some supporting mooks like Snache and Those Guys. But those small enemies are actually the real danger. They act as "peons" that push your front line back, allowing The Face to move closer to your base. If he reaches your base, it's game over in about three bites.
Successful players realize that Red Sky at Morning isn't a race; it's a tug-of-war. You need to control the flow of the battlefield. If you push too fast, you'll run out of money. If you're too slow, you'll get overwhelmed by the sheer bulk of the boss.
The Secret to Handling The Face
Let's talk about the boss. The Face is a "Floating" and "Red" type enemy. This is huge. Because he has these two traits, you have a massive library of counters even in the early game. Many players forget that Catman or even the humble Bishop Cat (who eventually becomes Sanzo) can completely trivialize this fight.
But you probably don't have Sanzo yet. You're likely working with basic or rare cats.
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The strategy is simple: Meatshields. Lots of them. You need to be cycling Macho Cat and Wall Cat constantly. I’m talking about tapping your screen until your fingers ache. The goal isn't for these cats to deal damage. Their only job is to die. They exist to occupy The Face's attack animation so your long-range attackers—like Dragon Cat or Valkyrie—can stay safe in the back.
The Meatshield Rhythm
If you have a gap in your meatshielding for even two seconds, The Face moves forward. Every pixel he moves forward is a pixel closer to your base. You need at least two meatshields, preferably three.
- Macho Cat (Level 10+)
- Wall Cat (Level 10+)
- Brave Cat (Only if you have the cash, he's expensive for a meatshield)
Essential Units for Your Loadout
You need range. Since The Face has 370 range, any cat with less range than that is basically a sacrifice. This is why Dragon Cat is your MVP. Dragon Cat has 400 range. That 30-pixel difference is the entire reason you win the stage. It allows Dragon to sit comfortably outside the "danger zone" and chip away at that 100k HP pool.
Don't overlook Gross Cat either. While Gross Cat has less range (350), if you time your meatshields perfectly, he can occasionally get a shot off. However, if you're struggling, swap Gross for something with more utility.
Rare Cats that Break the Stage
If you’ve been lucky with the Rare Cat Capsule, look for these:
- Shaman Cat: He has a 20% chance to freeze Floating enemies. Since The Face is slow, freezing him even once or twice gives your attackers massive breathing room.
- Fortune Teller Cat: He knocks back Floating enemies. This is a double-edged sword. Knocking him back is great for safety, but it can make your units walk forward into his range. Use with caution.
- Witch Cat: Slows Red enemies. Since The Face is both Red and Floating, Witch Cat is a hard counter. Keeping him slowed makes meatshielding much more forgiving.
The "No-Gacha" Strategy
What if you have terrible luck and only have the basic cats? It's still doable. It just takes patience.
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First, don't spawn anything immediately. Let the first few Snaches walk toward your base. Use this time to upgrade your Worker Cat level to at least 3 or 4. You need a high cash flow for the mid-game. Once the Snaches are close to your base, drop a Wall Cat and a few Macho Cats. This creates a "clump" near your base.
Now, start summoning Dragon Cats. Only summon Valkyrie Cat once you have a solid wall of at least 10 meatshields in front of her. Valkyrie is fast and will run ahead of your defense if you aren't careful. If she gets hit by The Face, she’s gone, and so is a huge chunk of your DPS.
Once the fight stabilizes in the middle of the map, just keep the meatshield spam going. Don't look at the boss. Look at your recharge icons. As soon as a cat is available, tap it.
Common Mistakes That Lead to Defeat
The biggest mistake is overspending on high-cost units too early. It’s tempting to save up for that shiny Uber Super Rare you just pulled. But if that Uber has a long recharge time and low health, The Face will munch it in seconds.
Another error? Forgetting the "Peons." The Snaches and Those Guys that spawn during the fight are there to absorb your hits. If your Dragon Cats are busy hitting a 100-HP Snache, they aren't hitting the 99,000-HP boss. This is why having a few "area attack" units like Whale Cat or even a well-timed UFO Cat (despite his short range) can help clear the trash so your single-target heavy hitters can focus on the big guy.
Advanced Tactics: Using Treasures
If you’ve tried five times and still can’t crack Red Sky at Morning, stop. Go back to previous chapters. Are your treasures at 100%?
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The Battle Cats is a game of math. If you don't have the "Blood-Red Fruit" treasures from Empire of Cats Chapter 1, your cats are doing significantly less damage to Red enemies. If you don't have the "giant" health and attack power treasures, you're fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Grind out those gold treasures. It’s boring, I know. But the difference between a Silver treasure and a Gold treasure is often the difference between your Wall Cat taking two hits or three. In a stage like this, that extra hit is everything.
What Comes After Red Sky at Morning?
Once you beat this stage, you’ll unlock "The Red Menace" and start seeing more specialized Red enemies. You'll also likely get your hands on some Cat Food rewards which you should save for a "Guaranteed Uber" event.
Beating Red Sky at Morning is a rite of passage. It proves you understand the fundamentals of the game. You aren't just a casual player anymore; you're a strategist. The Face will return in later stages (like the "CyberFace" or "Great Gory" variations), but the lesson remains the same: keep your distance, shield your hitters, and watch the attack animations.
Actionable Next Steps for Success
To ensure you clear Red Sky at Morning on your next attempt, follow these specific technical steps:
- Audit your treasures: Ensure all "Attack Power" and "Health" treasures from the current chapter are Gold.
- Level your Meatshields: Get Macho Cat and Wall Cat to level 10 minimum. If you can use XP to get them to 20, do it.
- Equip the Cat Cannon: Don't fire it randomly. Use the Cat Cannon specifically when The Face is about to attack. The "knockback" from the cannon can interrupt his animation, effectively saving your front line for another few seconds.
- Manage your wallet: Don't max out your Worker Cat. Stop at level 5 so you have plenty of liquid cash to spam units when the boss reaches the halfway point.
- Check unit range: Double-check that your main attackers have a range higher than 370. If you’re using units with 350 range, they will die. Stick to Dragon Cat and any long-range Rares you've pulled.
The Red Sky at Morning stage isn't a wall—it's a teacher. Once you learn the rhythm of the meatshield, the rest of the game begins to open up in ways you didn't think possible. Keep tapping, keep your shields up, and that red floating menace will go down eventually.