Evony is a free-to-play, massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game (MMORTS) developed and published by Evony Inc. It was originally released in 2009 as Civony, but was later renamed to Evony due to trademark disputes.
The game is set in a medieval fantasy world where players start with a small city and are tasked with building and expanding their empire. This involves constructing buildings, training armies, conducting research, and declaring warfare with other players.
Evony at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Developer | Evony LLC |
| Release | May 6, 2009 |
| Genre | Action, Strategy (MMORTS) |
| Mode | Multiplayer |
| Platforms | Web-browser, Mobile |
| Monetization | Dual Currency (Gold and Gems/Cents) |
| Key Mechanic | Persistent World PvP |
Evony Gameplay Overview
The game is set in a persistent world, where players take on the role of a lord or lady governing a city or alliance. New players receive ‘beginner’s protection’ for 7 days or until they upgrade their town hall to level 5, safeguarding them from attacks. This grace period allows them to gather resources, train troops, and become familiar with the game mechanics.
Players have control over tax rates, production, and construction within their city. Resources include gold, food, lumber, stone, iron, and the city’s population.
Initially, players focus on increasing population and resource production rates, constructing essential buildings, and developing resource fields. Building armies – consisting of troops such as archers, warriors, and siege machines —is crucial for defense and conquest.
In Evony, items are acquired using gems, which can be purchased with real money or obtained in-game through various means. Some items enhance a player’s progress in the game. Winning items through battles is a primary method of acquiring resources and capturing cities.”
Your First Steps for Building a Sustainable Foundation
Evony begins with an introductory phase designed to integrate you into the long-term survival dynamic.
1. Account and Server Selection
The first step is to create an account on the official website. You’ll need to provide a valid email address and choose a username and password. Once your account is created, you’ll be able to log in and start playing. You can also use your Facebook account to log in to the game.
After logging in to your account, you choose a server, which dictates your community and competitive landscape. Servers are categorized into Age 1 World and Age 2 World. Choosing a newer, less populated server can sometimes provide a softer entry point into the game’s challenging economy.
2. Beginner’s Protection
This is your most valuable asset at the start. New players receive an automatic ‘beginner’s protection’ period – usually for 7 days or until you upgrade your Town Hall to Level 5. This shield prevents all attacks, giving you essential time to prepare.
3. City Development (Micro-Management)
As a lord or lady, you control tax rates, production, and construction. Initial focus must be on increasing the population and resource production rates (Food, Lumber, Stone, Iron, and Gold). This requires constructing various types of buildings within your city walls, each serving different purposes, which include resource-generating structures, military facilities, research centers, and more.
In my first city, I made the classic mistake of prioritizing fancy military buildings over resource production. I quickly found myself unable to train troops (on research) or heal my army after a simple skirmish. So my advice for you is always keep your lumber mills and farms at the maximum level your Town Hall allows. Without resources, you have no army.
The Gameplay Loop
Successful play in Evony requires the constant balancing of internal economy with external military aggression.
1. Resource Management
Food, Lumber, Stone, Iron, and Gold are the lifeblood of your empire. These are needed for building, research, and troop training. You must maintain a surplus, especially in Food, which is constantly consumed by your army.
2. Research and Technology
The Research Center is arguably your most important building. Investing time and resources here unlocks permanent, foundational bonuses that increase resource production, enhance military unit statistics, and open up advanced strategic options unavailable to newer players.
3. Training Troops & Heroes
An army is your offense and defense. Troops are varied (archers, warriors, siege machines), and the outcome of battles is often determined by the precise composition of your force. Crucially, you must recruit and train Heroes to lead your armies; these heroes provide powerful, unique bonuses to the troops they lead and the cities they govern.
4. Troop Composition
Armies must be trained with a balanced composition. Troop types (e.g., archers, cavalry, siege) function in a rock-paper-scissors dynamic. Battles are purely automated, making the pre-battle composition and Hero power the sole determinants of victory.
Aggression and Monetary Dynamics
Evony’s design drives players toward PvP conflict, which is directly linked to the game’s economic model.
Acquisition via PvP
Attacking other player cities is the primary method for high-volume resource acquisition, bypassing slow production rates. However, unsuccessful attacks result in severe troop losses.
My advice for you is to “Never initiate an attack without prior scouting. Scouting consumes resources but provides critical information on enemy troop count and defensive traps. I can confirm through multiple failed assaults that a few resources spent on scouting prevents the complete loss of an army, which can take weeks to recover.”
Expansion and Titles
Expanding influence requires controlling multiple cities (up to ten). This requires earning titles, which are unlocked by collecting Medals. Medals are a scarce resource, primarily acquired through events (like the Wheel of Fortune) or high-tier conquest targets (valleys).
Monetary System
There are two (Dual ) types of currency in the game:
- Gold (Soft currencies): These are used for basic functions like training and low-level upgrades. Earned through taxes and quests.
- Gems/Game Cents (Hard Currency): These are purchased with real currency. These acquire powerful items and instantaneous speed-ups, which drastically accelerate construction and research times. This system is the root cause of the game’s “pay-to-win” critique, as monetary investment directly translates to time savings and power accumulation.
Diplomacy and Long-Term Survival
The game’s persistent PvP environment necessitates alliance participation for defense and coordinated aggression.
Alliance Function
Alliances function as military shields and economic support networks. They provide members with shared research, defense against attacks, and the ability to coordinate rallies against large, high-value targets.
Treaty System
Formal diplomatic relations are managed through Non-Aggression Pacts, Mutual Protection Pacts, and Full Alliance Pacts.
“Effective alliance membership is not passive. The most successful players actively contribute resources and time to high-value alliance members. I have directly benefited from this culture, receiving unsolicited resource transfers from veteran players, which accelerated key Town Hall upgrades by days. Contribution builds necessary long-term trust and reciprocity.”
Editor’s Experience
Success in Evony is defined by disciplined infrastructure management, calculated military risk, and robust diplomatic ties. The game’s complexity and high resource demands ensure a challenging, long-term strategic commitment. The game is available on the Play Store and App Store for free download.
Related Game Titles
For players seeking similar persistent-world strategy titles, the following games share core mechanics:
- Rise of Kingdoms: City-building combined with real-time map strategy.
- Clash of Clans: Mobile strategy focusing on base defense and resource raids.
- Forge of Empires: Browser-based strategy covering historical eras.
- For another engaging browser-based MMORTS with a similar strategic focus, consider Goodgame Empire.
