The Growth page is where you turn land into buildings. Buildings set how many people you can house and employ, and they give your province its gold, food, runes and military, thievery and science bonuses. This page explains how building works, what each building does, and where the numbers come from.
In short
- Type an amount next to a building on the Growth page and click construct. Buildings take time and gold.
- Barren land is unbuilt land. Built land holds more people and does more.
- Most buildings give a percentage bonus based on the share of your land they cover, with a maximum at 50% of your land.
- Buildings need workers. Low Building Efficiency weakens them.
- Use the Build Table for every number side by side.
How building works
The Growth page shows your total land and undeveloped land, then the construction time, your free building credits, the construction cost, the most you can build now, the raze cost and the most you can raze now. For each building it lists how many you own and how many are in progress.
Constructing buildings
Enter the amount you want in the construct box next to a building, then click construct buildings. You can also choose to accelerate construction and whether to use your available free building credits. See Construction Time and Construction Costs for the formulas.
Barren land and free credits
New acres arrive as barren land. Build on them to get the full benefit. See Barren Land. Free building credits are shown on the Growth page and you can choose whether to use them.
Accelerating construction
Accelerating (double speed) halves the construction time and doubles the construction cost. In Protection the time factor is 0.75 instead. See the modifier tables under the formulas.
Razing and cancelling
You can raze buildings you own, which costs gold (see Raze Costs), or cancel buildings that are still under construction.
Three kinds of building
Each building works in one of three ways. You will understand this quickly once you play.
- Capacity buildings create space. They are not affected by building efficiency. Homes, for example, give peasants extra room.
- Flat rate buildings provide a set amount of a resource, such as the runes a Tower makes each day. They need many employees to be fully effective and are affected by building efficiency.
- Percentage-based buildings are the majority. Their effect depends on the share of your land they cover: for example, 10% of your land as Banks raises your income by a percentage. They also need employees for full effect, and each extra building is less effective than the last. The numbers below are for the first building you construct. Your Internal Affairs Advisor helps you see the benefits of your land. Unless otherwise specified, the maximum effect is 25 times the number listed. With normal building efficiency, you reach it with 50% of your land in that building.
The buildings
Buildings are listed in this order: civil (Barren Land, Homes, Farms, Mills, Banks), military (Training Grounds, Armouries, Military Barracks, Forts, Castles, Hospitals, Stables, Dungeons), thievery and mystic (Guilds, Towers, Thieves Dens, Watch Towers) and science (Universities, Libraries). In the lists, "% * 4" means your percentage of land in that building, multiplied by 4.
Barren Land
Barren land is not a building. It is an unbuilt acre in your province, gained by exploration, the Paradise spell or attacks, that you can build on later. It still holds a few people and grows a little food.
- Increases your maximum population by 15 (built land has a base capacity of 25)
- Produces 2 Bushels per Day
Homes
Every built acre already houses people, so Homes are optional. They add living space, raise your birth rate and employ no peasants, which helps you fill the jobs in your province.
- Increases your maximum Population by 10 (on top of the 25 that a completed Building provides, for a total of 35)
- Generates 0.3 extra Peasants per Tick (30% stacking chance to gain a Peasant per Home)
- Affected by Chastity
- Employs no one
- Not affected by Building Efficiency
Farms
Farms feed your province. Each of your people eats 0,25 bushels a day, and each Farm produces 60 bushels a day. Watch your food closely: starvation can deplete your population fast.
- Produces 60 Bushels Per Day
Mills
Mills make exploring cheaper and make construction slightly less expensive.
- Decreases Building Costs by % * 4 (Max of 100%)
- Reduces exploration gold expenses by % * 3
- Reduces exploration soldier cost by % * 2
Banks
Banks are a major source of income, along with tax collection. Each Bank produces gold, and together they raise your tax income.
- Generates 25gc per day
- Increases Income by % * 1.5
Training Grounds
Training Grounds give your offensive troops better training, so they fight more efficiently and raise your attacking power.
- Increases Offensive Military Efficiency by % * 1.5
- Training Time reduced by % * 1
Armouries
Armouries make training soldiers to advanced levels cheaper. They also cut the cost of drafting peasants and of military upkeep.
- Decreases Draft Costs by % * 2
- Decreases Daily Wages by % * 2
- Decreases Military Training Costs by % * 1.5
Military Barracks
Military Barracks handle your military logistics. A well-equipped army reaches the enemy sooner, so your troops spend less time away from home.
- Lowers Attack Time by % * 1.5
- Reduced Mercenary costs by % * 2
Forts
Forts protect the troops at home and raise your defensive strength against attacks.
- Increases Defensive Military Efficiency by % * 1.5
Castles
Unlike Forts, Castles do not make you harder to beat. They protect your land, resources and honor, so enemy attacks take less from you.
- Decreases Resource (Land, Gold, Food, Runes, Books) Losses when Attacked by % * 2.25
- Decreases Honor Losses when Attacked by % * 1.5
Hospitals
Hospitals lower the casualties your troops suffer in combat and help cure the Plague if your province catches it.
- Decreases Military Casualties by % * 3
- % * 3 Daily Chance of Curing the Plague
- % * 2 Increased Birth Rate
Guilds
Wizards are not trained with gold. They study in Guilds, which makes Guilds a necessity for Mages.
- Trains 0.02 Wizards per Tick (2% stacking chance to train a Wizard per Guild)
- Determines and Increases Spell Duration (capped at 20% Guilds)
- Increases Self Spell and Ritual success chance
- Increases the duration of your Self and Offensive Spells
- Unaffected by BE (Building Efficiency) for Spell Duration and Wizards trained
Towers
Towers channel mystic energy into runes, which your wizards spend when casting spells.
- Produces 12 Runes Per Day
Thieves Dens
Thieves Dens are where your thieves practise their skills. They raise the success of your thievery operations and lower your thief losses, so they are a must for Thieves.
- Lowers Losses in Thievery Operations by % * 3.6 (capped at 90%)
- Increases Thievery Effectiveness by % * 3
Watch Towers
Watch Towers add extra protection against enemy thieves. Their staff screen your borders and can catch thieves who try to operate in your province.
- % * 2.0 Chance of Catching Enemy Thieves
- Reduces damage caused by Enemy Thieves by % * 2.5
Universities
Universities raise your scientist generation rate and help scientists produce books.
- Increase spawn rate of new scientists by % * 1.5
- % * 1 Higher Generation of Science Books
- Not affected by Building Efficiency
Libraries
Libraries increase Science Efficiency.
- % * 1 Higher Science Efficiency
- Not affected by Building Efficiency
Stables
Stables breed war horses, which add offensive strength to the troops that ride them. Horses do not help defense, and you cannot send more horses than you have troops.
- Produces 2 Horses Per Day
- Holds 80 Horses
Dungeons
Prisoners caught in combat are held in your Dungeons, which hold a limited number. Prisoners work on province duties and give you some extra gold. See Economy for the income formula and Military for a definition of Prisoners. Deserting troops fill Dungeons first, if there is space, before they are lost.
- Houses 30 Prisoners of War
Retired buildings
These buildings no longer exist.
- Shipyards: 1.5% chance of creating a boat, holds 5 boats per shipyard. 1 boat was needed per 100 troops sent to attack someone on another island.
- Taverns: Lowered Draft costs and Mercenary costs.
- Plazas: Employed extra Peasants.
- Strongholds: Increased OME (now Training Grounds).
- Mines: Produced a certain number of gold per acre.
- Schools: Increase production of Science Books.
- Laboratories: Increase scientist spawn rate.
- Guard Stations: Decreases Land and Resource Losses when Attacked by % * 2
Build Table
All buildings side by side. Capacity is not affected by Building Efficiency (Homes, Stables and Dungeons hold the stated number regardless of BE). Where a cell shows several values, they match the effects listed in the Description column, in order.
| Building | Capacity | Flat Rate Base | Percent Base Effect | Percent Effect Max | Living Space | Jobs | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barren Land | 15 People | 2 Bushels | 15 | 0 | Houses 15 people and Produces 2 bushels per hour (Unaffected by BE) | ||
| Homes | 10 People | 0.3 Peasants† | 35 | 0 | Houses 10 additional people Generates Peasants per day (Unaffected by BE) | ||
| Farms | 60 Bushels | 25 | 25 | Produces 60 bushels per day | |||
| Mills | 4% 3% 2% | 100% 75% 50% | 25 | 25 | Decreases Build Costs Decreases Gold Exploration Costs Decreases Soldier Exploration Costs | ||
| Banks | 25gc | 1.5% | 37.5% | 25 | 25 | Produces 25gc per day Increase in Income | |
| Training Grounds | 1.5% 1% | 37.5% 25% | 25 | 25 | Increases Offensive Military Efficiency Reduces Training Time | ||
| Armouries | 2% 2% 1.5% | 50% 50% 37.5% | 25 | 25 | Decreases Draft Costs Reduction of Wages Decreases Training Costs | ||
| Military Barracks | 1.5% 2% | 37.5% 50% | 25 | 25 | Lowers Attack Time Reduced Mercenary Costs | ||
| Forts | 1.5% | 37.5% | 25 | 25 | Increases Defensive Military Efficiency | ||
| Castles | 2.25% 2% | 50% 50% | 25 | 25 | Decreases Resource (Land, Gold, Food, Runes, Books) Losses when Attacked Decreases Honor Losses when Attacked | ||
| Hospitals | 3% 3% 2% | 75% 75% 50% | 25 | 25 | Decreases Military Losses Daily Chance of Curing the Plague Increased Birth Rate | ||
| Guilds | 0.02 Wizards† | 25 | 25 | Wizards Trained per day (Unaffected by BE) Guilds also increase Spell duration (Unaffected by BE) | |||
| Towers | 12 Runes | 25 | 25 | Produces 12 runes per day | |||
| Thieves Dens | 3.6% 3% | 90% 75% | 25 | 25 | Lowers losses in Thievery Operations Bonus to TPA | ||
| Watch Towers | 2.0% 2.5% | 50.0% 62.5% | 25 | 25 | Chance of Catching Enemy Thieves Reduced damage caused by Enemy Thieves | ||
| Universities | 1.5% 1% | 37.5% 25% | 25 | 25 | Increase Scientist spawn rate (Unaffected by BE) Increases generation of Science Books (Unaffected by BE) | ||
| Libraries | 1% | 25% | 25 | 25 | Increase Science Efficiency (Unaffected by BE) | ||
| Stables | 80 Horses | 2 Horses | 25 | 25 | Houses War Horses and increases their production rate | ||
| Dungeons | 30 Prisoners | 25 | 25 | Houses Prisoners of War | |||
| Building | Capacity | Flat Rate Base | Percent Base Effect | Percent Effect Max | Living Space | Jobs | Description |
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026. Changed? Help keep it current.
† - this is a stacking chance per Tick, not Production
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026.
Construction formulas
Construction Time
Time in hours to finish a building. It starts at 16 and is multiplied by each modifier.
| Modifier Type | Active | Otherwise |
| Builder's Boon | 0.75 | 1 |
| Double Speed | 0.5 | 1 |
| Double Speed in Protection | 0.75 | 1 |
| Ritual: Haste | 0.75 (at 100% efficiency) | 1 |
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026. Changed? Help keep it current.
Construction time is rounded at .5. If the build time is 15.49, it is rounded down to 15. If it is 15.5, it is rounded up to 16. For a double speed build where normal construction is 15.49, the speed build time is 15.49/2 = 7.745, rounded up to 8 hours. For 14.9 it is 14.9/2 = 7.45, rounded down to 7 hours.
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026.
Construction Costs
Gold cost per building. It grows with your land and is reduced by Mills.
| Modifier Type | Active | Otherwise |
| Double Speed | 2 | 1 |
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026.
Raze Costs
Gold cost per building razed.
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026.
Efficiency and effect formulas
Building Efficiency
Building Efficiency (BE) measures how well your buildings are staffed. Prisoners count as half a worker each.
Available Workers = Peasants + ROUNDDOWN ( Prisoners / 2 ) Optimal Workers = ROUNDDOWN ( Total Jobs * 0.67 ) % Jobs Performed = MIN ( Available Workers / Optimal Workers , 1 ) Building Efficiency = (0.5 * (1 + % Jobs Performed)) * Race * Personality * Tools Science * Dragon * Blizzard
- The "Current Available Workers" value, provided by the Internal Affairs Adviser page, already takes prisoners into account.
- Building Efficiency affects ALL Flat Rate and Percentage-Based buildings.
- Building Efficiency has NO effect on Capacity component of Capacity Buildings.
- Changes in Building Efficiency take effect gradually.
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026. Changed? Help keep it current.
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026.
Building Effects
How much a building gives you, by kind of building.
Percentage Based Buildings = Base Effect * BE * MIN(50%, % of building * (1 + Race)* (1 + Personality)) * (100% - MIN(50%, % of building * (1 + Race)*(1 + Personality))) Flat Rate Buildings = Base Effect * Number of Buildings * (1 + Race) * (1 + Personality) * BE
- In general, the Max Effect of a %-Based Building is 25 x Base Effect (exceptions apply, refer to table)
- If your BE is less than 100%, the effect you would have with 50% of that building is the maximum.
- If you have less than 100% BE, additional buildings past 50% will have no effect.
Numbers last updated 27 Sep 2026.
Changelog
- Age 107: Updated Building Effects formulas to include personalities.