ajqtrz
Chef - loquacious Old Dog
Because the squadsizes in the Spire can get so large so quickly and because there are only 4 encounters at a time I would recommend that everyone always start a manual fight to check the terrain. Sometimes I start a fight and see that either they or I are blocked behind a wall and that I need to switch to ranged troops rather than melee troops. Melee troops are a terrible choice when walls are involved. Better to spend the few extra seconds than to lose 5 huge squads in a disastrous battle. I think the designers really want to encourage people to manual fight in the Spire. It can save a lot of troops and make completing the Spire a lot more affordable.
Which is why we need a map preview. In a suggestion thread it's been discussed. If a forum reader hasn't done so already it might be good to review that thread and add some weight to the request.
As for manual fighting I find it too time consuming. I just cater the whole thing anyway. I may try to fight at some point when I have a surplus of the DA and other support buildings. Unfortunately they don't seem to be offering them as often in the crafting and I'm not winning the DA very often even though I complete the spire every week. How to get enough of the MMM, ELR, UUU and DA when they aren't offered in crafting often enough is a question.
One thing people might consider if you do fight in the spire is to look at all three rounds and pick the easiest first. You don't have to fight them in order. At least that's what I remember learning when I did attempt to fight the spire.
AJ