Castellans – Passive Bonuses of the Castle

The Castellan is one of those quiet helpers that many players overlook, yet he works completely for free without ever leaving the castle. Unlike the Commander, whom you send on attacks and support missions, or the Baron, who leads his own troops and deals with desertion, the Castellan simply stays at home as a manager and continuously provides passive bonuses to the castle, camp, or outpost to which you assign him. No cooldowns, no risk of him falling on the battlefield. Once you deploy him and equip him, he keeps working indefinitely. We will go through what Castellans are good for, how to obtain them, where it makes sense to place them, and how to maximize their potential with equipment, sets, and gems.

What the Castellan does and how he differs from the Commander and Baron

Think of the Castellan as a permanent manager of the castle. You take the Commander on expeditions and the Baron serves you with his own troops and against desertion, but the Castellan doesn't go anywhere. His value lies purely in the passive bonuses that apply as long as he is deployed. And note, the Castellan can do two things depending on his equipment. He either boosts the castle's defense (reducing damage, strengthening defenders on the walls and in the courtyard, increasing unit limits on the walls), or he boosts your economy through relic equipment, mainly hero, affecting public order, resource production, construction speed, research speed, and so on. The key point is that these bonuses are not one-time but permanent. Therefore, it is worthwhile to have a Castellan deployed at all times and never leave a manager slot empty, as an empty slot is literally a bonus you are wasting. When you have multiple Castellans, each castle and outpost deserves its own, as the bonus relates to the specific location to which the manager is assigned.

How to obtain Castellans

Castellans drop through similar means as Commanders and Barons, namely from events, event leaderboards, rewards from seasonal events, or from packages and special offers. Keep an eye on ongoing and seasonal events, as this is often where they drop as rewards for points. When you get one, don't discard him just because his focus doesn't suit you at the moment, as even a weaker manager in an empty slot is better than none. Over time, you will acquire stronger and relic Castellans, and you can then move the basic ones to secondary castles and outposts, where they will still do a good job. Just like with Commanders, it holds true that rarer pieces have stronger base values and more room for upgrades. A relic Castellan, especially a hero, is particularly valuable because, in addition to defense, he can also add economic bonuses like public order or production.

Where to deploy the Castellan, strategies by castle

Here you decide based on what you want from the specific location. For the main castle, which is the center of your economy, it makes sense to have a Castellan focused on economic bonuses through relic equipment, namely public order, production, or construction and research speed, essentially what keeps your granaries and treasury filled in the long run. Conversely, for castles, camps, and outposts that are often under attack or located in exposed areas, deploy a Castellan with defensive equipment to help withstand raids through stronger defenders on the walls and in the courtyard. By the way, outposts are often forgotten, yet a defensive Castellan can save your gathered resources there. The general rule is simple: pair the Castellan's strong point with the role of the location. Keep a more versatile manager where you don't have a specific need.

Strengthening the Castellan with equipment, sets, and gems

Here lies the greatest hidden potential. The Castellan has equipment slots just like the Commander, and only with equipment can you turn him into a truly strong manager. Look for pieces that enhance the specific attribute for which you are deploying him, namely defensive equipment for a defensive Castellan and relic economic for the economic one. The rarity of the equipment plays a significant role, as the rarer the piece, the higher the values, and especially the sets. When you assemble multiple pieces from the same set on one Castellan, you will receive an additional set bonus, which can be quite beneficial on its own, sometimes with extra effects beyond the usual limits. You can also slot one gem into each piece of equipment. For the Castellan, defensive gems like Fire Protection to reduce damage, Hoarder for secured storage capacity, Rampart for unit limits on the walls, or Rebellion to strengthen defenders in the courtyard are suitable. Gems can be upgraded to higher levels, so keep an eye on not only individual pieces but also entire sets and the gems for them to maximize the Castellan's potential.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake is leaving the manager slot empty, as this causes you to miss out on free bonuses. The second is deploying a Castellan regardless of focus, so you might have a defensive manager in an economic main castle or vice versa an economic one in an exposed border camp. The third mistake is neglecting equipment, as a bare Castellan only provides basic values, but with a well-assembled set and inserted gems, his contribution is significantly higher. And finally, do not unnecessarily move Castellans back and forth based on whims. It pays off to have a stable arrangement where each castle and outpost has its manager fine-tuned for its role, and only change it when you acquire a significantly better piece or the purpose of the location changes.

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