Basic Buildings
Watch Tower
- Requirements: None
- Cost: 100
- Time to Build: 1 year
Watch towers are a basic, cheap building which should be placed in every province. They give your population an increased sense of security and increases happiness (+20 boost). Watch towers let you see into neighboring provinces, letting you examine in detail the troops and buildings located there.
Border Fort
- Requirements: Watch Tower (replaces Watch Tower)
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 1 year
Border Forts have the same ability to see into neighboring provinces as Watch Towers do. They also act like you have a spy in your province; enemy spies and assassins can be caught while they are in a province with border forts. Border Forts give your population an even greater sense of security and thus a larger boost to happiness (+30 boost).
Port
- Requirements: Province must be on sea coast
- Cost: 750
- Time to Build: 4 years
Ports have many functions. Agents can jump from a province with a port to any other province with a port. Your armies can move from one port to another, provided you have a string of ships between the two ports, and there are no hostile ships in the way. Ports allow you to construct shipyards. If there are trade goods in the province ports are needed for those goods to be sold abroad. Ports will generate a small amount of income if a foreign power is selling goods to your province, however this income is tiny; normally 5-15 florin.
Mines
Mine income is very stable and is not affected by any other factor. Acumen, droughts, corrupt governors, taxation levels all have no effect on mine income. You can only build mines in provinces which have deposits of these natural resources in them. Mines all produce a fairly small, but steady trickle of income.
Salt Mine
- Requirements: Salt in province
- Cost: 250
- Time to Build: 2 years
The salt mine is the smallest and cheapest of all the mines. It produces a very small amount of income (50 florins) but is very cheap to build. A salt mine will pay for itself in 7 years.
Salt Mine Complex
- Requirements: Salt Mine (replaces Salt Mine)
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The salt mine complex is an upgrade of the basic salt mine and produces double the income (100 florins). A salt mine complex upgrade will pay for itself in 12 years.
Copper Mine
- Requirements: Copper in province
- Cost: 500
- Time to Build: 2 years
The copper mine is the second smallest and second cheapest of all the mines. It produces a modest amount of income (100 florins) but is rather inexpensive to build. A copper mine will pay for itself in 7 years.
Copper Mine Complex
- Requirements: Copper Mine (replaces Copper Mine)
- Cost: 900
- Time to Build: 4 years
The copper mine complex is an upgrade of the basic copper mine and produces double the income (200 florins). At 900 florins, this mine represents requires a substantial investment. A copper mine complex upgrade will pay for itself in 12 years.
Silver Mine
- Requirements: Silver in province
- Cost: 750
- Time to Build: 2 years
The silver mine is a fairly expensive but lucrative mine to build. It produces a decent amount of income (150 florins) for a fairly moderate sized investment. A silver mine will pay for itself in 7 years.
Silver Mine Complex
- Requirements: Silver Mine (replaces Silver Mine)
- Cost: 1400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The silver mine complex is an upgrade of the basic silver mine and produces double the income (300 florins). The 1400 florin investment to build this mine is quite substantial and this complex should be built only if there is money to spare. A silver mine complex upgrade will pay for itself in 12 years.
Gold Mine
- Requirements: Gold in province
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 2 years
The gold mine a large and expensive mines. It produces a very respectable amount of income (200 florins) but it takes a substantial investment to build. A gold mine will pay for itself in 7 years.
Gold Mine Complex
- Requirements: Gold Mine (replaces Gold Mine)
- Cost: 1800
- Time to Build: 4 years
The gold mine complex is the most expensive and richest of all the mines. It produces double the income of a basic gold mine (400 florins) but its high price means it should only be built by rich and large empires. A gold mine complex upgrade will pay for itself in 12 years.
Farmland
Farming is the most basic of all provincial income. Every province has at least some farm income, no matter what buildings are available. This income is affected by the acumen of the provincial governor and of the faction leader. The amount of income produced is also a function of the tax level of the province.
Building improved farmland will increase the income from the province up to +80%, this can bring in a quite substantial amount of money to richer provinces.
Whenever improved farmlands are built, there is a chance that your faction leader, princes, or provincial governors could acquire the steward trait. The steward trait is perhaps one of the best economic virtue a leader or governor could have since it boosts farm income even further.
Improved Farmland I
- Requirements: None
- Cost: 600
- Time to Build: 2 years
This is the most basic of all farm upgrades, boosting farm income to 20% above the basic level. Most provinces, even the ones with very little farm income, should have this level of improvement done, if nothing else to for the chance your faction leader could get a stewart trait.
Improved Farmland II
- Requirements: Improved Farmland I (replaces Improved Farmland I)
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 4 years
The second level of farm improvements, boosting farm income from 20% above the basic level to 40% above. Most average provinces should eventually get this improvement but because of the expense it is not normally considered worthwhile to upgrade the poorer provinces.
Improved Farmland III
- Requirements: Improved Farmland II (replaces Improved Farmland II)
- Cost: 1500
- Time to Build: 6 years
The third level of farm improvements, boosting farm income from 40% above the basic level to 60% above. This upgrade really turns your richer provinces into cash cows. A province which started generating 500 florins now will generate 800. Naturally, because of the great expense this upgrade should only be given to provinces with rich farmland.
Improved Farmland IV
- Requirements: Improved Farmland III (replaces Improved Farmland III)
- Cost: 2500
- Time to Build: 8 years
The last and most expensive level of farm improvements, boosting farm income from 60% above the basic level to 80% above. A province which started off producing 500 florins per year will now produce 900. The cost of this upgrade is quite substantial, so it should only be given to the richest of provinces and only when the treasury can afford it.
Inn
- Requirements: None
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 2 years
The Inn is where mercenaries can be hired. Mercenaries will become available at random when and can be built instantly for a cost. Inns are most effective in provinces with few other buildings; forts and large castles scare mercenaries away.
Fort Level Buildings
Fort
- Requirements: None
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
A fort is the most basic of all castles. Having a fort in a province is a requirement to be able to build any military units, ships or agents. The only units you can acquire without a fort are mercenaries. The fort itself can only train peasants, but it does allow for the building of the most basic of unit producing buildings. Forts also serve as the last line of defense for the province, if the garrison in the province is defeated in battle or is compelled to retreat they will fall back into the fort and a second battle is required to storm the fort and kill anyone inside. Forts consist of a central wooden keep surrounded by one ring of wooden walls. The keep which will shoot arrows at the enemy during sieges. Wooden walls are easy to breech, even without siege weapons, since most any unit can quickly knock down the walls with their melee weapons. Forts can hold up to 120 men or 60 cavalry.
Motte
- Requirements: Fort
- Cost: 100
- Time to Build: 1 year
A motte is a large hill built in the center of the fort, giving the keep added height. This gives the keep added range when shooting arrows at the enemy. Having a motte reduces attrition losses for the defenders during a siege.
Bailey
- Requirements: Fort + Motte
- Cost: 100
- Time to Build: 1 year
Adding a bailey gives the fort an extra layer of wooden walls around the gate of the fort. This forces the attacker to breech two gates in order to reach the inner circle. The defensive value of a bailey is questionable since it does not completely encircle the first layer of walls, so an attacker can simply ignore the bailey entirely and attack a part of the wall it does not protect. Having a bailey also further reduces attrition losses during a siege.
Royal Palace
- Requirements: Fort
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 2 years
A Royal Palace is a center for administration in a kingdom. It allows the training of emissaries and gives the monarch a government office to bestow on one of his generals. Every kingdom should have at least one Royal Palace.
Trading Post
- Requirements: Fort, at least one trade good in the province
- Cost: 800
- Time to Build: 2 years
A trading post lets your monarch collect taxes on goods sold in your province. The amount collected depends on your taxation level, the types of goods sold in the province, the acumen of the governor and monarch, and the size of your trading network. If there is no trading network taxes will only be collected on goods which have been sold locally.
Town Watch
- Requirements: Fort
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
A town watch is the first of the militia producing buildings. It both allows the training of Urban Militia units and allows the building of more advanced unit producing buildings. Having a town watch in a province boosts the happiness of the population slightly (+10).
Spearmaker
- Requirements: Fort, Town Watch
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
The spearmaker allows for the training of the most basic spear-armed infantry. The type of infantry trained depends on the faction which owns the province. Having a spearmaker is a requirement to build a swordsmith or an armorer (Keep level buildings).
Bowyer
- Requirements: Fort, Town Watch
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
Archers and other basic bow-armed infantry are able to be trained once a bowyer has been built. All factions are able to train archers, and some have other kinds available to them. Having a bowyer is a requirement to build a siege engineer.
Siege Engineer
- Requirements: Fort, Bower
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
A siege engineer allows for the construction of the most basic of all siege engines: the ballista. Some factions have explosive-armed units which require this building as well.
Horse Farmer
- Requirements: Fort, Improved Farmland I
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
The most basic of cavalry producing building. The horse farmer is unique in that higher level castles are not required in order to build the upgrades. All the buildings up to Master Horse Breeder can be built with just a fort. All mounted units, with the exception of camels and royal bodyguard type units, need a horse farmer or one of its upgrades. Not all factions will be able to train units with a simple horse farmer, some will require a higher level building.
Horse Breeder
- Requirements: Horse Farmer (replaces Horse Farmer)
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
A horse farmer allows for more advanced cavalry units to be produced than a horse farmer. The actual type of unit it allows to produce depends on the faction and the time period.
Horse Breeder's Guild
- Requirements: Horse Breeder (replaces Horse Breeder)
- Cost: 600
- Time to Build: 6 years
The horse breeder's guild allows for even more advanced cavalry units than the horse breeder does. The actual type of unit it allows depends on the faction and the time period.
Master Horse Breeder
- Requirements: Horse Breeder's Guild (replaces Horse Breeder's Guild)
- Cost: 800
- Time to Build: 8 years
This is the most advanced cavalry producing building. This building gives all cavalry units produced in the province a bonus of +1 valor. A master horse breeder allows for the most advanced horse based units the faction has available. The actual type of unit it allows depends on the faction and the time period. Most factions do not have any units which actually require a master horse breeder, but it is worth building for the valour bonus.
Keep Level Buildings
Keep
- Requirements: Fort (replaces Fort)
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 8 years
A Keep is the second level of castle which can be built. While the keep itself does not train any additional units, it does allow for the building of more advanced unit training structures. A Keep can hold up to 420 soldiers (or 210 cavalry). The layout of the walls is similar to a fort with a motte and bailey, except that the inner ring is now made from stone. Stone walls are much more difficult to knock down and generally require artillery of some kind to attack. The Inner ring now has 8 arrow towers built into it, which will fire on the enemy. There is also a bailey (wooden enclosure) around the gate, forcing attacking soldiers to break into the bailey if they wish to attack the gate.
Curtain Walls
- Requirements: Keep
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
With a normal Keep there is one ring of walls surrounding the central keep, with a gate leading to a second area which is also surrounded by wooden walls and a gate. With a curtain wall, the second wall is upgraded to stone, and 4 arrow towers are built into it. This gives a Keep + Curtain Walls a total of 12 arrow towers, and it forces the attacker to break through 2 gates if they do not have artillery. The extra defenses also reduce attrition losses by the defenders during a siege.
Ballista Towers
- Requirements: Keep + Curtain Wall
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 2 years
This upgrade replaces 4 arrow towers in the inner wall with ballista towers. This gives the Keep a total of 8 arrow towers and 4 ballista towers. Ballista are large crossbow-like artillery pieces that fire huge spear-like projectiles. Each shot only can kill one man, but ballista do have a much greater range than arrow towers do, and the enemy suffers a greater moral loss from being attacked by ballista as compared to arrows. Defenders also suffer fewer casualties due to attrition during a siege. Ballista towers do not make a keep invincible, but they are well worth the small expense in time and money if there are no plans to upgrade the Keep. Having Ballista Towers also reduces attrition losses by the defenders during a siege.
Gunsmith
- Requirements: Keep, Gunpowder technology event.
- Who Gets it: Egyptians only
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The Gunsmith lets Egyptians build their Mamluk handgun units. The advantage is that it only requires a keep, while other cultures have to build a Gunsmith's Workshop at a Castle. If the keep has already been upgraded to a Castle the Egyptians can simply build the Gunsmith's Workshop directly and bypass the Gunsmith entirely.
Church
- Requirements: Keep
- Who Gets it: Catholics and Orthodox Christians
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 4 years
The Church is the most basic religious building for Christian factions. It allows the training of Catholic Bishops or Orthodox Priests and boosts happiness in the province (+20). Units trained in a province with a church will be braver and get +1 morale bonus. This bonus is cumulative with other religious buildings. Having a church will also slowly increase the percentage of the population which follow the religion of the faction holding the province. Churches are always destroyed when a non-Christian faction occupies a province.
Chapter House
- Requirements: Church
- Who Gets it: English, French, Germans, Italians, Spanish, Argonese and Sicilians.
- Cost: 500
- Time to Build: 4 years
Having a chapter house allows for the creation of a crusade in that province. Not all Catholic factions are able to crusade, the Polish, Hungarians and Danes never crusaded historically and thus are not able to build chapter houses. Chapter Houses do not give a morale bonus nor do they increase the amount of Catholics in the population.
Mosque
- Requirements: Keep
- Who Gets it: Muslims
- Cost: 200
- Time to Build: 4 years
A Mosque is the most basic religious building for Muslim factions. It allows the training of Alims and boosts happiness in the province (+20). Units trained in a province with a Mosque will be braver and get a +1 morale bonus. This bonus is cumulative with bonuses from other religious buildings. Having a mosque will slowly increase the percent of the population which follow Islam. Mosques are always destroyed when a non-Muslim faction occupies the province.
Ribat
- Requirements: Mosque
- Who Gets it: Muslims
- Cost: 300
- Time to Build: 4 years
A Ribat allows for the creation of a Jihad in the province. It also makes units trained in the province braver, giving them a morale bonus of +2 on top of the bonus given by the Mosque.
Royal Court
- Requirements: Keep, Royal Palace
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 4 years
The Royal Court is a center of government for a faction. It allows for the training of additional royal bodyguard units. For Catholics these are Royal Knights, and for Muslims they are Ghulam Guards. These bodyguard units always contain 20 men, regardless of size settings. Note that while Orthodox factions may build a Royal Court they have no separate bodyguard units to train; and thus there is little reason to construct this building.
Shipwright
- Requirements: Keep, Dock
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
Having a shipyard allows for the smallest and most basic of ships to be constructed. The actual type of ship that is created depends on the faction.
Merchant
- Requirements: Keep, Trading Post (replaces Trading Post)
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 4 years
A Merchant is an upgraded Trading Post, and collects even more money in taxes. The additional amount collected is not very significant, except for very profitable provinces and factions with extensive trading networks.
Town Guard
- Requirements: Keep, Town Watch (replaces Town Watch)
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
With a Town Guard, more advanced forms of Militia units can be trained. While every faction gets the basic urban militia, not everyone gets more advanced units and there is no advantage to building a Town Guard other than to train units. Having a Town Guard does make the population more happy (+10) but this is identical to (not cumulative with) the bonus provided by a Town Watch.
Swordsmith
- Requirements: Keep, Spearmaker
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The swordsmith is where most basic sword-based infantry units are trained. The actual units produced depends on the faction controlling the province. While everyone can build a swordsmith, Russians and the People of Novgorod do not get any units which require a swordsmith and thus do not need to build one.
Spearmaker's Workshop
- Requirements: Keep, Spearmaker (replaces Spearmaker)
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The Spearmaker's Workshop allows for more advanced spear units than the Spearmaker.
Bowyer's Workshop
- Requirements: Keep, Bowyer (replaces Bowyer)
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The Bowyer's Workshop is a more advanced Bowyer and allows for the training of more advanced bow-armed infantry. The first crossbow-armed infantry also require a Bowyer's Workshop.
Siege Engineer's Workshop
- Requirements: Keep, Siege Engineer (replaces Siege Engineer)
- Cost: 400
- Time to Build: 4 years
The siege engineer produces a more advanced form of siege engine: a catapult. This upgrade is highly recommended if any assaults on castles are planned. Siege engine crews take several turns to be trained so it is recommended that a province be set aside to specialize in siege engines.
Tavern
- Requirements: Keep
- Cost: 500
- Time to Build: 4 years
Taverns are where cutthroats and other ruffians hang out and building a tavern lets a faction train assassins in that province. Taverns in higher level provinces give valour bonuses to newly trained units, and the valour bonus is reflective of the level of the province. Thus, assassins produced in a province with a Keep have no valour bonus, those produced in a Castle-level province have a +1 valour bonus, a Citadel-level province produces a +2, etc.
Castle Level Buildings
Castle
- Requirements: Keep (replaces Keep)
- Cost: 2000
- Time to Build: 12 years
The next upgrade from a Keep is to a Castle. Up to 600 soldiers (or 300 cavalry) can be garrisoned in a Castle. Castles allow for more advanced buildings to be built in the province than a Keep does. Having one or more Castles is highly recommended for any faction in the High Period, since most new High Era units require buildings only available from a this level of buildings. The basic castle is similar to a fully upgraded Keep in layout, with 4 arrow towers and 4 ballista towers in the inner ring, and a stone enclosure around the main gate with an additional 4 arrow towers. This gives the castle a total of 8 arrow towers and 4 ballista towers. The gates and walls of the inner ring are much thicker, stronger and taller than a Keep.
Ringwall
- Requirements: Castle
- Cost: 300
- Time to Build: 3 years
With a Ringwall, the second enclosure around the castle gate becomes an entire ring; giving the castle 2 full rings of stone walls encircling it. The second ring has 10 arrow towers which fire upon the enemy, giving the whole castle 14 arrow towers and 4 ballista towers. Now any enemy assaulting the castle, even with artillery, will have to break down 2 walls in order to reach the center of the castle. Having a ringwall further reduces attrition damage by the defenders during a siege.
Catapult Towers
- Requirements: Castle + Ringwall
- Cost: 300
- Time to Build: 3 years
With this upgrade 4 of the arrow towers in the outer ring of the castle are converted to catapult towers. This gives the tower 4 arrow towers and 4 ballista towers in the inner ring, and 4 catapult towers and 6 arrow towers in the outer ring. The total is 10 arrow towers, 4 catapult towers and 4 ballista towers. Catapults have a longer range and more destructive power than even ballista towers. This makes assaulting the castle even more difficult and costly. Having catapult towers further reduces attrition losses during a siege.
Bell Foundry
- Requirements: Castle, Gunpowder technology
- Cost: 800
- Time to Build: 4 years
With the invention of gunpowder it is now possible to build rudimentary cannons for help in sieges. Either bombards or mortars can be built. While these weapons can be useful it is recommended to upgrade to at least a cannon foundry before making gunpowder-based siege weapons.
Gunsmith's Workshop
- Requirements: Castle, gunpowder technology (replaces Gunsmith, if already in province)
- Cost: 600
- Time to Build: 6 years
The Egyptians were the first to have gunpowder units and are able to build a gunsmith, a keep-level building. For all the other factions the Gunsmith's Workshop is the first gunsmith building that can be built. Having a Gunsmith's Workshop allows the training of basic gunpowder-based infantry. For all factions, the unit which is trained is the handgunner.
Monastery
- Requirements: Castle, Church
- Who Can Build it: Catholics, Orthodox Christians
- Cost: 300
- Time to Build: 3 years
The Monastery is the next level up of religious buildings for Christian factions. Having a Monastery boosts the happiness of the population (+10) and makes soldiers trained in the province braver (+1 morale). The religion of the faction that controls the province is also spread by having a monastery. Catholic factions can train an Inquisitor with the presence of a monastery. While Orthodox factions cannot build these units, this building is still useful to them for the other bonuses. The bonuses given by this unit are cumulative with the bonuses of other religious buildings. For example, with both a church and a monastery the total bonus is +30 happiness, +2 morale and double the speed of conversions to the faction's religion!
Metalsmith
- Requirements: Castle, iron in the province
- Cost: 600
- Time to Build: 6 years
Having iron in a province is very valuable since it allows a metalsmith to be built. Metalsmiths improve the weapons of any unit produced in the province, even ones created in crusades, jihads or given free with a prince. Units get a +1 bonus to attack, which is shown on the unit icon by a grey sword. Only unit melee attacks are improved, ranged attacks are not upgraded.
Royal Estate
- Requirements: Castle, Royal Court
- Who Can Build it: Catholic Factions
- Cost: 300
- Time to Build: 3 years
A Royal Estate is an impressive building which allows feudal knights to be trained in the province (other buildings are also required). There is no need to build it except to train knights.
Chancellery
- Requirements: Castle, Royal Palace
- Who can build it: Everyone except Pagans
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 6 years
The chancellery is, not surprisingly, the office of the chancellor. There can be only one chancellery in any given faction. The chancellor is an official who helps the monarch run the government, but in game terms this has no effect. The chancellery is an office which can be given to a general and gives a bonus of +1 loyalty, +1 acumen and +1 command. This office is best given to a good general who is also the governor of a rich province. Most large empires should have one province specialized to be the capital city and to build various offices.
Merchant's Guild
- Requirements: Castle, Merchant (replaces Merchant)
- Cost: 1200
- Time to Build: 6 years
A Merchant's Guild is an upgrade of the more primitive Merchant. It lets a ruler collect even more taxes from trade than even the Merchant did, though the difference is rather minor. Factions with extensive trading networks and provinces with valuable trade goods should upgrade to a Merchant's Guild in any coastal province which has a Castle. For provinces with few or poor trade goods it is not worth upgrading a Keep itself in order to upgrade the Merchant, but if the Castle is already upgraded it is often worth it. Superrich provinces such as Flanders, Venice or Constantinople should be upgraded even further to Master Merchant.
Swordsmith's Workshop
- Requirements: Castle, Swordsmith (replaces swordsmith)
- Cost: 600
- Time to Build: 6 years
The Swordsmith's workshop is the first upgrade of the basic swordsmith. It allows for the creation of more advanced sword-based units, such as chivalric men at arms or Swabian Swordsmen. Units produced by this building tend to be powerful but not every faction has such units available to them, but if they are available most large empires should have one or more provinces devoted to producing such units.
Spearmaker's Guild
- Requirements: Castle, Spearmaker's Workshop (replaces Spearmaker's Workshop)
- Cost: 600
- Time to Build: 6 years
The spearmaker's guild is the second upgrade of the basic spearmaker, and it allows for even more advanced spear-armed infantry than the spearmaker's workshop. Many powerful units need a spearmaker's guild, such as chivalric sergeants, Italian infantry and, oddly for axemen, Vangarian Guard. Not every faction in every era has such units available, but anyone who does should specialize at least one province to producing such units.
Armorer's Workshop
Bowyer's Guild
Engineer's Guild
Brothel
Citadel Level Buildings
Fortress Level Buildings
University
- Requirements: Fortress
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 8 years
College of Surgeons
- Requirements: Fortress, University
- Cost: 1000
- Time to Build: 10 years
The College of Surgeons reduces disease in all of your provinces and lowers the chances of your generals/royalty dying of illness. It also gives a +40 loyalty bonus in the province in which it is built.