City costs and effects
City costs progress from 125k to 250k, 500k, and then 1M Gold, with subsequent costs capped at 1M.
Each City level adds 250,000 troop capacity and takes about 20 ticks to build. Cities can stack and upgrade, require no Port first, and also act as train stations.
Timing and safe placement
- When is a City worth building?
- Build one when the troop bar repeatedly reaches its ceiling on a quiet border. A City is not a recovery button immediately after you empty the army, because missing troops—not capacity—are then the problem.
- Where should I place the City?
- Place it on safe plains behind the active front so a raid does not remove the capacity you bought. Inland placement is acceptable, and after three or four levels, upgrading an existing City is usually preferable to scattering another footprint that needs protection.
- What should I do on a disputed coast?
- Delay an exposed Port and spend the Gold on another City level or a 50,000 Defense Post at the land neck. Place a Port on water you intend to hold, because a Port is required there before warships can spawn.