How building works
Every building is upgraded one level at a time. Before you confirm, the screen shows the wood, stone, iron and food it costs, the workers it needs and how long it takes. Most buildings go up to level 20. A city can run two upgrades at once, or three under VIP. Every first level takes six seconds, so the opening hour goes quickly.
Keep
The Keep is the heart of the city and the building to raise early. It produces your workers, and it shortens the time of every building upgrade and every Academy study in that city. Training is not affected.
| Keep level | Time removed |
|---|---|
| 2 | 4% |
| 5 | 14% |
| 10 | 28% |
| 15 | 40% |
| 20 | 50% |
Storehouse and hidden cellar
The storehouse sets how much of each resource you can keep, and anything beyond it is lost. The hidden cellar hides a share of each resource from raiders. Both are covered in Resources and upkeep.
Lumber camp, quarry, iron pit and farmland
These four are the fields that produce wood, stone, iron and food. The city has four of each, and each field is upgraded on its own. The last five levels, 16 to 20, also cost coins: 10 at level 16, rising to 90 at level 20.
Barracks
Troops are trained here. Each barracks level takes 4% of the base time off every batch, and the time shown on the training screen already includes it. Two kinds of troops can train side by side, three under VIP. Stats and costs are in Combat basics.
Market
The market lets you list resources and treasures for other players to buy while you are away. You can have five listings open at a time. The market keeps 10% of each sale, resources are listed in steps of 100, and every 160 units you list need one worker to carry them. Listings stay up until they sell or you cancel them. You cannot buy your own listing.
Academy
The Academy runs eleven lines of research, each up to level 10, and each study costs gold and time.
- Forestry, Masonry, Smelting and Agriculture raise resource output.
- Marksmanship lets Bowmen and Catapults strike from farther away.
- Logistics speeds up marching troops.
- Weaponry and Armouring add to the attack and defence of all your troops.
- Scouting sharpens scout reports.
- Tower Craft and Trap Craft raise the highest level of turret or trap you can build.
Two studies can run at once, or three under VIP.
Ramparts
The ramparts hold fifteen places in three rows of five. You fill them with traps and turrets, which defend the city when it is attacked. Traps strike raiders first and slow their advance, and turrets shoot from range. Each piece is raised one level at a time, and wall work uses your builders. Traps go up to level 10 and turrets to level 10, but only as high as your Tower Craft or Trap Craft research allows, one level for each level studied.