Understanding Second Wind
In Infinity Kingdom, defeat can sting, especially when your Prosperity drops to zero and you’re forced to relocate. However, the game provides a critical mechanic to help soften the blow: Second Wind. This system rewards you with a significant stash of resources once you’ve been zeroed, helping you get back on your feet faster. But how exactly does Second Wind work? Is it random? Can it be optimized? In this guide, we dive deep into the mechanics behind Second Wind, using in-game testing, community observations, and real player experiences.
What is Second Wind?
Second Wind is a compensation system triggered when your Prosperity hits zero and you are forcibly relocated. Once you’re zeroed, a 15-minute timer begins, and when it ends, you will automatically “fly” to a new random location on the map. At this point, you’ll receive an in-game mail offering a one-time resource compensation package.
This compensation is not random—it is based on how many troops have died since the last time you were zeroed. You can see this in the resources returned. Look at the image above, I get around double food – that is troop production costs!
Second Wind serves two purposes:
- It helps you recover from being zeroed by refunding some of the resources lost in training your troops.
- It encourages active PvP participation without punishing players into total economic ruin.
How Resource Compensation is Calculated
Through in-depth testing and analysis, it has become clear that Second Wind bases its compensation on the resource cost of the troops you’ve lost since your last zeroing.
A few key points:
- The amount of food is double that of the other resources. This directly reflects the training cost structure for troops (e.g. training T5 Bowmen costs 2.1M food and 1.1M of each other resource).
- The compensation doesn’t appear to factor in losses from garrison alone—it includes all troop deaths, particularly those in Training Grounds and Hospital.
This proves that Second Wind is highly correlated with troop losses. It’s not based on your power, troop tiers alone, or a fixed value. That being said, there is also a minimum amount or a default base reward in Second Wind, which you get regardless of troop losses. This seems dependent on your Walls level. The vast majority of the resources from Second Wind comes from Troop Losses.
Important Mechanics to Know
- Triggering Second Wind: Only when your Prosperity reaches zero and you are relocated by force (“fly”) will Second Wind be activated.
- Cooldown or Accumulation?: Troop losses seem to accumulate over time until you are zeroed. There does not appear to be a daily reset or clear cap, though older losses seems to decay somewhat in Second-Wind-RSS-Value.
How to Optimize Second Wind
If you’re planning to fight a lot or participate in honor-farming, Second Wind can be a powerful part of your economy.
Here are some strategies:
- Farm Yourself: As seen in tests, an alt that’s been attacked frequently (e.g. for honor farming) accumulates massive troop losses. Zeroing such an account results in a large Second Wind compensation.
- Time It During Events: If you’re competing in a high-resource-demand event (like City Expansion), getting zeroed at the right time can supply you with tens of millions in resources for upgrades.
- Avoid Small Zeroings: A single minor defeat won’t provide much value. Let troop losses build over time if you can absorb the risk, then get zeroed for a much more rewarding Second Wind.
Tip: When I need resources on my main, I make sure I sit the night over in the snow in Legion of Frostborne. That takes my Prosperity to 1 meaning I will be zeroed in a single attack. Then I kill myself with an alt. I then gain the Second Wind Resource boost based on the troops I have lost fighting over the course of the last few days or even weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Second Wind return 100% of lost resources? No. The exact amount is unclear, but from player testing, it appears to refund 10–20% of the total value of lost troops, though this may vary slightly depending on how full your TG was and what troop tiers you lost.
Do resources from Second Wind go into protected storage? Yes, they are granted as protected resources. They cannot be stolen by an attacker after you’ve been zeroed.
What if I haven’t been zeroed in a long time? You may have a very large compensation stored up. Second Wind remembers troop deaths across days or even weeks if you haven’t flown, which means your compensation can become massive if you’ve been fighting hard. Note that there does seem to be some diminishing / decay factor on this. If you are idle for a year dont expect a big Second Wind… but hey, who is.
Conclusion
Second Wind is not just a backup plan—it’s a smart part of your economy in Infinity Kingdom. Once seen as a mysterious or random system, it’s now understood as a strategic tool for resource management and recovery. By keeping track of your troop losses and understanding the mechanics behind Prosperity, troop deaths, and defeat, you can time your zeroing to extract maximum value.
So next time you’re about to be zeroed, don’t panic. Smile, hit that timer, and look forward to your Second Wind.
Published: 30-06-2025