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Phase One Curriculum

Source

Welcome

Welcome to Illyriad and the ITG/SMA/FDU-S family! We are glad to have you here to join us on your journey through the great lands of Illyriad.

Important Note: Illyriad is a perpetual game. The server does not end and restart. There is no Winner.

Illyriad is about choices and trade-offs. There are many paths in Illy and no one path is right for everyone. There are thousands of players with millions of ideas on how to proceed. This guide provides advice while acknowledging that experts may have different opinions. Read through this, and as always: Good luck and have fun!

Alliance Resources

Each of our alliances has important information on their Alliance home pages:

Important Early Game Notes

  • City Location: Always consult experienced members when looking for real estate for a new town:
  • ITG: Anyone in the role of Cookie or higher
  • SMA: Anyone in the role of Double 0 or higher

  • They will help ensure you're not on claimed land, too near another city, or in an unsustainable location

  • Daily Award: Choose prestige. Alliance members can send all the resources you need.

  • Early Buildings:

  • Walls and vaults are optional
  • You don't need to build every available building
  • Cottages can be used to fill spaces (after researching demolition)
  • Cottages enable harvesting of:
    • Animal hides
    • Grapes
    • Common minerals
    • Common herbs
    • Skysplinters

Harvesting Guide: https://shrapnelsguides.wordpress.com/harvesting/

Goals for 0-450 Population

Essential Settings

  • Taxes: Set between 0-5%
  • Click on your Castle
  • Click on the Taxes link
  • ⚠️ Be careful with the slider - changes are locked for 24 hours

Resource Management

  • Prioritize storage
  • Don't hesitate to ask for resources in Alliance Chat (AC)
  • If no one is in AC, find an older member nearby and request resources via IGM (in-game mail)
  • Members in Cookie role (ITG) or Double 0 role (SMA) are happy to help

Resource Production: Check your Inventory page at https://elgea.illyriad.co.uk/#/Town/Inventory

Key Buildings Priority

  1. Storehouse → Level 15

  2. Enables research of:

    • Pioneering
    • Inventory Management
    • Warehouse construction

  3. Resource Plots → Level 7 (minimum one of each)

  4. Farms
  5. Mines
  6. Quarries
  7. Claypits
  8. Lumberjacks

  9. Enables additional resource building research

  10. Essential Buildings

  11. Library: Generates research points
  12. Market: Enables van construction for resource gathering
  13. Cottages: For harvesting operations

City Growth Options

At 250-300 population, you have two main options:

  1. Build a Settler (4-day construction)

  2. Ask in AC for supplies if needed

  3. Siege for Growth

  4. See SillyBritches Guide

Optional Early Buildings

  • Tavern: For quests
  • Consulate: For scout orders
  • (Brewery not needed - alliance can provide beer)

Research Guide (0-450 pop)

City Branch

  • Essential:
  • Timekeeping (tutorial)
  • Bureaucracy
  • Pioneering (settler building)
  • Inventory Management (warehouse)
  • Exodus (city movement)
  • Safeguard
  • Demolition

  • Architecture (Architect's Office)

  • Combat-Related:

  • Craftsmanship (weapons prerequisite)
  • Spearmaker (spears)
  • Blacksmith (chain mail, swords)
  • Fletcher (bows, requires Carpentry)

Diplomacy Branch

  • Essential:
  • Negotiation (Consulate, alliance joining)
  • Scouting

  • Master Scouts

  • Optional:

  • Espionage
  • Spymastery
  • Finesse
  • Diplomacy
  • Theft
  • Thiefmastery

Quest Branch

  • Essential:
  • Bartending
  • Trade Contacts
  • Diplomatic Contacts (tavern building, quests)

Trade Branch

  • Essential:
  • Haggling (tutorial)
  • Cotters
  • Foraging
  • Scavenging
  • Bartering
  • Trading (additional caravans)

Note: Crafting, Magic, Military, and Sovereignty branches can be researched later

Building Levels Guide

Essential Buildings

  • Storehouse: Level 15
  • Resource Plots: Level 7 (3 plots each)
  • Library: Level 10 (basic research)
  • Architect's Office: Level 10 (build time reduction)
  • Marketplace: Level 5 (second van group)
  • Mage Tower: Level 3-7 (defense)
  • Barracks:
  • Level 9 (ranged weapons)
  • Level 12 (infantry)
  • Level 11 (t1 Cavalry)

Alternative Strategy: Focus on production rates vs. levels See Rill's Guide

Advanced Research Guide

City Branch

  • Agriculture → Milling (FlourMill)
  • Resource Production:
  • Carpentry
  • Pottery
  • Smelting
  • Stonemasonry (Requires Level 7+ resource buildings)

Quest Branch

  • Brewing (brewery construction)

Magic Branch

  • Arcana (Mage Tower, magic schools)
  • Identify Caster
  • Mark of Fear
  • Mark of Slaying
  • Mark of Seeking (recommended first spell)

Military Branch

  • Militia (Barracks)
  • Conscription, Infantry, Legion
  • Ranged Weapons, Ranged Weapons Mastery
  • Call to Arms, Cavalry

Trade Branch

  • Improved Loading
  • Chain Gang
  • Grape Picking

General Tips

Resource Management

  • Keep food production positive
  • Check food balance after each build
  • Use IGM and AC for resource requests
  • Ask before running out of resources

Early Game Strategy

  • Learn harvesting and gathering early
  • Research Cotters, Foraging, and Grape Picking ASAP
  • Walls are optional (Level 1 if built)
  • Vaults are optional (storage/protection)

City Relocation

  • Consult experienced players before leaving Newb-Ring
  • Senior players can help find suitable locations
  • Avoid alliance land claims
  • Consider your play style when choosing location

Advanced Early Building Tips

  • Upgrade Library regularly for research
  • Level 7+ for:
  • Consulate
  • Mage Tower
  • Barracks

  • Marketplace

  • Library Level 10-12 sufficient for early research

  • Consider Common Grounds for production/money (cows in high demand)