The Twelve Empires
Every Empire Is the Best at One Thing
Each empire is the best in the world at exactly one thing, and clearly weaker at another. There's no single best pick — only the right empire for how you like to play, and the right match against your enemies. Select any empire to see its full profile.
One firm rule:
Bought or mercenary troops can never make up more than 40% of any army — so gold can never buy a player out of a military weakness.
The Tech Tree
From Tribe to Empire — the full path
Every building, unit, and system, and the age it opens. One nation's whole climb, laid out like the strategy tech trees you grew up with — no building ever passes Level 10.
Highlighted = the building or system first opens here· Each column is an age; read a row left-to-right to follow a line's whole progression.
How Balance Works
What Each Empire Leads
Every empire is the best in the world at exactly one thing — and no empire is the best at two.
| Empire | What it leads |
|---|
Natural Rivalries
The Classic Matchups
The most natural rivalries — where neither side can do the other's thing.
| Matchup | Dynamic |
|---|