Prince

Offensive Melee Special

The Prince is an event curiosity, not a combat unit. An attack of 3, defense of 5 against melee and 6 against archers make him the weakest soldier you'll meet in the game, and a cost of 30 with food 2 doesn't save him because for the same coins you get a many times stronger Spearman. He's only good as cheap and fast filler where there's no fighting. If you get him from an event, keep him for fun, but never build an attack or defense around him.

3Attack

5Melee defense

6Ranged defense

35Speed

2Food upkeep

Quick overview

Type	Offensive, Melee
Source	Special
Game stage	Special
Cost	30
Recommendation	No

rating

Attack

Defensive

Cost

Speed

The Prince is a special unit from events and the game has a description next to it that says it all. An attack of 3 is laughably low for an offensive melee unit—a regular Spearman from level 1 Barracks has an attack of 26. A defense of 5 against melee and 6 against archers is also almost nothing. The only thing the Prince stands out for is a cost of 30, food consumption of 2, and speed of 35, which is more than regular infantry. Take him as a curiosity you get from an event, not as a soldier you'll plan battles around.

How to use it

If you already have the Prince, the most sensible place for him is as filler in numbers where you don't care about the outcome, like finishing off an almost empty target or as an escort to an expedition where there's no fighting anyway. A speed of 35 means he won't slow down your army, so you can attach him to anyone without making the march longer. But a loot of 1 per unit is so low that he doesn't help much as a resource carrier from a plundered castle either. On his own he won't win any battles and won't bring anything back—count on that.

What to combine it with

With an attack of 3 there's no point looking for a partner for the Prince to complement him, because he brings only numbers and nothing else to any combination. If you want to use him at all, slot him into an attack alongside a proper melee striker, like a Veteran Footman (attack 118), and let him play the role of cheap filler that fills empty spots in the wave. Don't waste siege tools like ladders and battering rams on him—save those for units whose attack will actually do something after the wall breaks. The Prince alone won't contribute to any decision after the wall falls.

Weaknesses and what to avoid

Don't recruit the Prince for coins even though at 30 he's the cheapest unit you'll see. For the same 30 coins you get a Spearman with an attack of 26 and defense of 26 against melee—a unit many times stronger in everything that matters in battle. Don't put him in a castle garrison either; a defense of 5 and 6 means the first attacker will sweep him away without losses. And most importantly, don't count him toward your army strength when planning an attack on a defended target. A thousand Princes looks like an army in the overview, but when they clash with defenders, none of them come back.

Pro player tipThe only thing the Prince is objectively good at is low food consumption of 2 and speed of 35. If you have a few Princes left over from an event and don't want to disband them, leave them in a castle where they'll eat almost nothing and use them as quick escort where you just need to move troops to a location, not fight. For anything else, reach for regular Barracks units or Veterans from the Research Tower—they'll do many times more work for the same food.

Common mistakeRookies like to take the Prince at his word and think the name means strength. Then they send him in a group at a castle or bandit camp and wonder why the whole wave disappears without hurting the defenders. An attack of 3 never shows up in battle, not even in huge numbers. The second common mistake is filling a garrison with him to make the castle not look empty, but a defense of 5 against melee and 6 against archers won't stop even a weak attack and it just costs you a garrison slot.

Related units

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