Taxes and Population

Population is the number of citizens in all your castles and forward settlements — and citizens mean taxes, thus a steady influx of coins. However, each additional resident decreases public order, and thus also resource production. This page explains how the whole cycle of housing, taxes, and order works and how to maximize it.

How Population Works

Population is the total number of residents in all castles and forward settlements. It is determined by the number and level of dwellings (Dwellings) and town houses (Town houses) — military units are not counted towards the population.

The more residents, the more coins from taxes.
Town houses for rubies have a better population to public order ratio than regular dwellings, but due to their high cost, they are not used much.
Population also has a defensive side effect — see the section on armed citizens.

Tax Collection

Taxes are collected from the population and paid out in coins. You can collect them in two ways: by clicking on the keep (Keep) after the collection period has elapsed, or through the pouch in the bottom right corner above the castle name.

At the beginning of the game, you will have 3 quests requiring tax collection, and tax collection also appears among daily tasks.
From VIP level 6, you have a free 12-hour tax collection, and from VIP level 10, even a 24-hour one — taxes then accumulate automatically without clicking.

Population vs. Public Order

The catch of the whole mechanic: population lowers public order, and low order means slower resource production. The larger the population, the stronger the effect. This is why many players do not build dwellings and town houses at all.

The penalty can primarily be compensated by decorations that increase public order.
Researching Bunk Beds (Bunk Beds) increases population without burdening public order — a rare exception to the rule.
Always calculate whether the coins from taxes are worth the lost production of wood, stone, and food. For the main castle, usually not, but for secondary locations, it might be.

Armed Citizens and Militia

Population is not just about money: for every 5 residents, one armed citizen (Armed Citizen) will defend during an attack, and at higher levels of the game, militia (Militia). These are free defenders that do not count towards the army and do not consume food — they can save a castle from minor raids for newly established players.

Where to Place Dwellings

A classic trick of experienced players: if you are not actively playing Storm Islands, build level 2 dwellings there. The kingdom resets regularly, so you won't lose anything, the public order of the main castle remains unaffected, and the coins from taxes keep flowing. If you don't want to rebuild every month, you can concentrate dwellings in a forward settlement — it does not reset and serves the same purpose.

Pro player tipRaise your VIP to level 6 (ideally 10) and set a long tax collection — 12 or 24 hours for free means you collect taxes with one click daily without micromanagement. And build dwellings significantly away from the main castle: Storm Islands or a sacrificed forward settlement will yield the same coins without production penalties where it hurts.

Common mistakeCluttering the main castle with dwellings for tax quests. Each dwelling decreases public order, so you pay with coins earned from slower resource production — and resources are almost always more valuable than coins in this game. When you need taxes, complete quests from dwellings built in Storm Islands and then feel free to demolish them.