Your Dominion’s military is comprised of 7 unique troop unit types. Each race has its own completely unique set of military units. These units can be broken down into 3 groups: specialist troops, elite troops, and operations troops.
Draftees
Your military all begins with Draftees. Each Draftee is drafted directly from your Peasant population and provide 1 defense point each. It is vitally important that you set your Dominion’s draft rate when you start a new game. The draft rate is initially set to 10% for all new Dominions but 10% is not nearly enough for all of the progress your Dominion will make between your first hour and when you leave Protection.
Draft Rate
Draftees are gained at a rate of 1% of your Peasant population each hour (as long as your Draft Rate has not been met). So if you have 1,000 Peasants and your Military percentage is currently less than your Draft Rate, you will gain 10 new Draftees in the next hour. This means over time, your military will grow and your Peasant population will decrease thus moving the ratio of Military to Peasants closer to your set Draft Rate.
Specialist Units
Each race has 2 unique specialist units: 1 offensive specialist and 1 defensive specialist. Most of these specialists have either 3 offensive points or 3 defensive points. Some races, such as Kobold have weaker individual specialists while others, such as Wood Elves have more powerful defensive specialists.
The cost to train specialist units is lower than that of elite units and it only takes 9 hours to train specialists compared to the 12 hour training time of elite units. The exact cost in Resources to train each unit changes frequently between rounds. Please check out the official Scribes pages for the exact cost for the current round.
Good Alignment Specialist Units Table:
| Race | Unit | OP | DP | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | Solider | 3 | 0 | |
| Dwarf | Miner | 0 | 3 | Produced 0.5 Ore per hour |
| Firewalker | Fire Sprite | 3 | 0 | |
| Firewalker | Flamewolf | 0 | 3 | |
| Gnome | Suicide Squad | 4 | 0 | Always suffers 50% casualties |
| Gnome | Tinker | 0 | 3 | |
| Halfling | Slinger | 3 | 0 | |
| Halfling | Defender | 0 | 3 | |
| Human | Spearman | 3 | 0 | |
| Human | Archer | 0 | 3 | |
| Kobold | Grunt | 2 | 0 | |
| Kobold | Underling | 0 | 2 | |
| Merfolk | Merman | 3 | 0 | No boats needed |
| Merfolk | Siren | 0 | 3 | |
| Spirit | Phantom | 2.5 | 0 | Almost never dies No boats needed |
| Spirit | Banshee | 0 | 2.5 | Almost never dies No boats needed |
| Sylvan | Satyr | 3 | 0 | |
| Sylvan | Sprite | 0 | 3 | |
| Wood Elf | Ranger | 3 | 0 | |
| Wood Elf | Longbowman | 0 | 4 |
Evil Alignment Specialist Units Table:
| Race | Unit | OP | DP | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Elf | Swordsman | 4 | 0 | |
| Dark Elf | Gargoyle | 0 | 3 | |
| Goblin | Raider | 3 | 0 | |
| Goblin | Shaman | 0 | 3 | Reduces casualties |
| Icekin | Icebeast | 3 | 0 | |
| Icekin | Snow Witch | 0 | 3 | Reduces casualties |
| Lizardfolk | Reptile | 3 | 0 | No boats needed |
| Lizardfolk | Serpent | 0 | 3 | |
| Lycanthrope | Scavenger | 3 | 0 | |
| Lycanthrope | Ratman | 0 | 3 | |
| Nomad | Fighter | 3 | 0 | |
| Nomad | Crossbowman | 0 | 3 | |
| Nox | Imp | 3 | 0 | |
| Nox | Fiend | 0 | 3 | |
| Orc | Savage | 4 | 0 | |
| Orc | Guard | 0 | 3 | |
| Troll | Brute | 4 | 0 | |
| Troll | Ogre | 0 | 3 | |
| Undead | Skeleton | 2.5 | 0 | Almost never dies No boats needed |
| Undead | Ghoul | 0 | 2.5 | Almost never dies No boats needed |
Elite Units
Each race has 2 unique elite unites and these units are among the most powerful in the game. They differ from specialist units in that they can have both offense and defense power along with incredible abilities. These powerful units do come at an elevated price compared to specialists. While it may seem inefficient at first to spend so much on training these elite units but considering they provide greater benefits for the cost of only 1 Draftee, they can save your economy from crashing due to a shrinking Peasant population. Considering this difference and setting your own goals for efficiency vs economy is an integral part of playing Dominion style games. Furthermore, if you are attacking it can be beneficial to weigh your Dominion’s total defensive power when your elite units are home or out on an invasion. This technique is called “turtling” and can allow you to maximize your defense in tough situations.
Training elite units also takes considerable foresight since they require 12 hours to train. Although elite units are expensive and time consuming to train, they provide unbeatable efficiency and power over the course of an entire 50 day round. The exact cost in resources to train each unit changes frequently between rounds. Please check out the official Scribes pages for the exact cost for the current round.
Good Alignment Elite Units Table:
| Race | Unit | OP | DP | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | Cleric | 4 | 4 | Reduces casualties |
| Dwarf | Warrior | 7 | 2 | |
| Firewalker | Phoenix | 0 | 4.5 | Almost never dies, except vs Icekin |
| Firewalker | Salamander | 5 | 3 | 50% less casualties on offense |
| Gnome | Rockapult | 2 | 4 | Defense increases by 1 for every 20% Mountains (+2 max) |
| Gnome | Juggernaut | 7 | 3 | |
| Halfling | Master Thief | 2 | 4 | Counts at 0.2 Spy on offense and 0.3 Spy on defense |
| Halfling | Staff Master | 5 | 3 | 40% less casualties |
| Human | Knight | 2 | 6 | 25% less casualties |
| Human | Cavalry | 6 | 3 | Returns 3 hours faster from battle |
| Kobold | Beast | 0 | 3 | Defense increases by 2 when paired with an Overlord at home |
| Kobold | Overlord | 3 | 2 | Offense increases by 2 when paired with 1 Grunt when invading |
| Merfolk | Leviathan | 0 | 7 | Sinks boats when defending |
| Merfolk | Kraken | 4 | 2 | No boats needed Sinks boats when attacking |
| Spirit | Ghost | 2 | 4 | Almost never dies No boats needed Converts enemy casualties into Phantoms & Banshees |
| Spirit | Spectre | 4 | 3 | Almost never dies No boats needed Converts enemy casualties into Phantoms, Banshees or Ghosts |
| Sylvan | Dryad | 0 | 3 | Defense increased by 1 for every 20% Forests (+4 max) Counts as 0.2 Wizard on offense and 0.5 Wizard on defense |
| Sylvan | Centaur | 5 | 2 | 25% less casualties Returns 3 hours faster from battle |
| Wood Elf | Mystic | 0 | 4 | Defense increases by 1 for every 20% Forest (+5 max) |
| Wood Elf | Druid | 3 | 1 | Offense and defense increases by 1 for every 20% Forests (+5 max) |
Evil Alignment Elite Units Table:
| Race | Unit | OP | DP | Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Elf | Adept | 2 | 4 | Counts as 0.2 Wizard on offense and 0.5 Wizard on defense Offense and defense increase by 1 for every 10% Wizard Guilds (+5 max) |
| Dark Elf | Spirit Warrior | 5.5 | 0 | Almost never dies when attacking No boats needed Offense increases by 0.5 or 1 depending on invaded Dominion's land size |
| Goblin | Hobgoblin | 5 | 3 | Steals resources when attacking |
| Goblin | Wolf Rider | 6 | 2 | Returns 3 hours faster from battle |
| Icekin | FrostMage | 3 | 3 | Defense increases by 1 for every 20% Mountains (+3 max) |
| Icekin | Ice Elemental | 4 | 2 | Offense increases by 0.85* Wizard ratio (+3 max) |
| Lizardfolk | Chameleon | 4 | 4 | No boats needed Counts as 0.2 Spy on offense and defense |
| Lizardfolk | Lizardman | 6 | 2 | No boats needed |
| Lycanthrope | Werewolf | 4 | 4 | 25% less casualties on offense and 50% less casualties on defense |
| Lycanthrope | Garou | 6 | 0 | Converts casualties into Werewolves on invasion |
| Nomad | Blademaster | 2 | 6 | 25% less casualties |
| Nomad | Valkyrie | 6 | 3 | Returns 3 hours faster from battle |
| Nox | Nightshade | 0 | 2 | Defense increases by 1 for every 10% Swamps (+4 max) |
| Nox | Lich | 5 | 2 | 50% less casualties |
| Orc | Voodoo Mage | 0 | 3 | Defense increases by 1 for every 600 Prestige (+2 max) |
| Orc | Bone Breaker | 7 | 2 | Offense decreases by 1 for every 10% Guard Towers of defender (-2 max) |
| Troll | Basher | 5 | 2 | Reduces casualties Offense and defense increased by 1 against Goblins, Wood Elves & Kobolds |
| Troll | Smasher | 7 | 7 | Offense increases by 1 against Kobolds & Goblins |
| Undead | Progeny | 2 | 4 | Almost never dies No boats needed Converts casualties into Skeletons or Ghouls |
| Undead | Vampire | 4 | 3 | Almost never dies No boats needed Converts casualties into Skeletons, Ghouls or Progeny |
Operations Units
Spies, Wizards and ArchMages are considered operations units. They do not provide offense or defense power, rather they provide Spy Power or Wizard Power to conduct operations on other Dominions as well as protect your own Dominion from other player’s operations. The more Spies you have, the less likely other Dominions will succeed on Espionage operations against your Dominion. The more Wizards and ArchMages you have, the less likely other Dominions will succeed at casting Spells against your Dominion.
Spies and Wizards cost 500 Platinum each, they are trained from Draftees, they require 12 hours to train and their Platinum cost is not affected by Smithies.
ArchMages are unique in that they are trained from Wizards instead of Draftees and cost 1,000 Platinum each. ArchMages provide twice as much Wizard Power as a single Wizard and they cannot be killed by enemy operations. You can think of ArchMages as the upgraded form of Wizards. Training an ArchMage from a Wizard takes 12 hours to complete and the in-training Wizard will not count towards your Dominion’s total Wizard Power again until it has completed training.
Spies
Developing a strong network of Spies within your Dominion can make gaining info or additional resources an easy task. Your Spies work together to accomplish goals for you across your entire Dominion. Having very few Spies with a large amount of land will make it difficult for your Spies to succeed. Without Spies, your Dominion is just waiting to be robbed blind of resources. Even worse, your Dominion will be an open book for anyone to consider as a potential target for invasion.
Espionage
There are a variety of Espionage operations your spies can accomplish. Info Operations are helpful in learning more about a potential Invasion target. Resource Theft Operations are great for supplementing your Dominion’s income. When your dominion is at War, there are more Espionage operations available such as assassinating enemy Spies and Wizards or even sinking enemy Boats.
You can view all of the espionage techniques available to Spies in the Complete Espionage Guide.
Spies Per Acre (SPA), Spy Strength & Refresh Rate
The density of Spies in your Dominion can have a huge impact on the success rate of your Espionage attempts. You can determine your “SPA” by dividing your total Spy count by your total land size. If your amount of Spies Per Acre is larger than your opponent, then you are more likely to succeed in your Espionage attempt.
To view the formula for Espionage success please consult the Formulas Guide.
Wizards & ArchMages
Ensuring your Dominion is sufficiently protected from Magic is integral to your defense. There are a multitude of Spells that can very negatively impact your Dominion. Earthquakes, Plages, Fireballs, and Lightning Bolts are just a few of the things you can utilize or be subjected to. The best way to leverage the power of Magic is to train Wizards and/or ArchMages. While it is not necessary to have Wizards in your Dominion to cast “Self Spells” they play a major roll in your ability to withstand or dish out Offensive Spells.
Magic
Using Magic is an integral part of every Dominion. There are spells that you will want to have up 24/7 for maximum efficiency. Aside from benefiting your Dominion, Magic can be used to gain valuable information on other Dominions or even cause damage to their economy. All spells have a duration and most last for 12 hours per casting.
Each race has their own unique spell that is only available to them. You can view all of the Racial Spells in the Playable Races Guides.
You can view all of the spells available to Wizards and ArchMages in the Complete Magic Guide.
Wizards Per Acre (WPA), Wizard Strength & Refresh Rate
The density of Wizards in your Dominion can have a huge impact on the success rate of the Spells you cast against other Dominions. You can determine your “WPA” by dividing your total Wizard count by your total land size (Don’t forget that ArchMages are worth 2 Wizards). If your amount of Wizards Per Acre is larger than your opponent, then you are more likely to succeed with Spells against another Dominions.
To view the formula for Magic success please consult the Formulas Guide.
Additional Game Mechanics & Features of your Military
There are many additional features and game mechanics you will want to familiarize yourself with aside from the Military units themselves. By utilizing the information below, you can maximize your Military might while saving time and money.
Morale affects your Military’s offensive and defensive power
When you Explore new land or Invade other Dominions, your Dominion’s Morale is lowered. Your population becomes weary and needs time to maximize their will to continue exploring or invading. As your Dominion’s Morale lowers, so too are your Dominion’s modifiers. Although your Morale may not seem important at first, to become a seasoned veteran you must understand how it can impact your ability to defend or expand your Dominion. To view the formula for Morale, please consult the Formulas Guide.
You cannot invade other Dominions if your Morale is below 70%.
Your Morale refreshes at 6% per hour while your Morale is below 70%. Your Morale refreshes at 3% per hour when your Morale is 70% or higher.
Most units require Boats to invade other Dominions
To Invade another Dominion, you must have Boats. There are exceptions to this as certain races can swim and there are many Military units who don’t need boats.
Each Boat is capable of carrying 30 Military units. Boats are created over time by the Docks in your Dominion. Each Dock produces 1 Boat every 20 hours. Kobolds are unique in that they are so small, they can fit 40 Military units on each Boat.
You can read more about Boats in the Complete Invasion Guide.
You can lower your Military costs with Smithies
The percentage of Smithies in your Dominion can affect the resource cost of your Military. By increasing your Dominion’s percentage of Smithies, you can reduce each Military unit’s training cost by a significant amount. Ensuring your Smithy modifier is high can be an important part of quickly growing your Military forces. Spies, Wizards and ArchMages are not affected by your Smithies.
You can view the formula for Smithies and how much they can reduce Military costs in the Formulas Guide.