▶ Play Goodgame Empire
Play Goodgame EmpireFree, right in your browser, no install needed. Build a castle, raise an army, and conquer.▶ Play Now
Dwelling – Goodgame Empire

Dwelling

The main source of your tax income - build and upgrade it, but always with regard to public order.

Quick overview

Max level12
Size5×5
PriorityBuild early

The Residence is your basic population driver. The more people in the castle, the more taxes you collect, so Residences are the engine of your gold income from tax collection. The catch is that each one reduces public order, so it's not a building you can mindlessly place everywhere. From a player's perspective, it's the bread and salt of the castle's economy, but you need to have enough decorations on hand to keep your satisfaction from falling into the negative.

When to build it

Build early, but wisely. You want to have a few Residences right from the start because without population, you have no taxes, and without taxes, you have no gold to get started. But don't overdo it with the number at once - each one will cut into your public order. As long as you keep satisfaction in the positive, both population and taxes will run at full capacity; the problem will only arise when satisfaction falls into the negative, as then your residents will start leaving the castle and tax revenue will drop with them. The ideal is to add Residences gradually, always alongside decorations or buildings that increase order.

Is it worth upgrading?

It's worth it, and quite nicely. A higher level Residence gives you more population on the same 5×5 area, which is crucial for a building that occupies a full 25 tiles - space in the castle is always limited. Instead of building another Residence in the area, it's often better to upgrade the existing one. Push the level up gradually as your castle grows and as you manage to balance the order. Aiming for the maximum level of 12 is especially worthwhile in an established castle where you already have public order fixed.

Pro player tipKeep your public order comfortably in the positive as a reserve before adding another Residence or upgrading it - this ensures that your satisfaction won't drop into the negative after construction and residents will stay. Watch the satisfaction number: when you have a green reserve, you have room to add population. Decorations around Residences and buildings that increase order are your tools to maximize the output from this building. And always prefer one higher-level Residence over two low-level ones in the same area.
Common mistakeThe most common mistake is to place a bunch of Residences at once and thereby reduce satisfaction into the negative. Once public order goes into the negative, residents will start to flee, and both population and taxes will drop - what those extra Residences were supposed to bring you will turn against you. Another classic is building new Residences in the area instead of upgrading - you're wasting precious space that could be better utilized with buildings that you can't replace with an upgrade.

Related buildings

Cargo shipCargo shipMarketplaceMarketplaceAuxiliaries' headquartersAuxiliaries' headquartersIron worksIron worksConstruction craneConstruction cranePalacePalace

Back to Buildings.