Don't bother grinding through Aztecs?

[jsc29]

I just finished Vikings (15 settlements, max Yggdrasil). I did it about as fast as a player can do it. I play everyday, met every single Viking time deadline, so I got the maximum number of greater runestones. Altogether that took me about 15 x 10 days = about 5 months. I started playing at the very end of April 2020, so that means it took May, June, July, August, September, October and 2 weeks in November. I took a month off to play one level of Egyptians. So, if you consider I had to play every day and be constantly attentive to 4 hour cycles, getting up in the middle of the night to alarms, etc., I think that pretty much defines the word "grind".

So, I am considering whether I should play Aztecs, but so far I have heard that Aztecs is MORE of a grind than Vikings. So, what does that mean? Getting up at 3am in the morning every day for the next year? I already tried Egyptians and it took me almost one month just to do one level of Egyptians, so I said screw that. Is Aztecs more of the same?

 

[Bolderbrain]

I also bagged the Egyptian settlement. One of my biggest issues was just making out where one thing began and another ended, I found it extremely difficult to make out what was what since there is very little contrast or coloring to the whole thing. God help you if you're color blind.

I also found that at some points I could not defeat the enemy troops, not even the weakest, and then there's these rocks all over which make almost the entire game board a broken jumble . I just found it very tiresome, and an excessively long process. I can't imagine repeatedly going through that.

Over all, probably my greatest complaint involved with all of the settlements is the difficulty in seeing where one thing ends and and another begins.
I don't know why the Viking Settlement has to be vision blinding glaring white snow entirely, but it is, and it's annoying and unnecessary. Yes, even Norway has a summer with birds and flowers like other parts of the world. It's not the North Pole year round.

 

[Emberguard]

I've been enjoying Egypt far more then I ever did Vikings. If you do either 2 x Nubian Archers or 2 x Camel Archers [buildings] you can do the majority of battles and potentially have more space left over for goods production then you'll get loot to make the goods. Especially if you're doing manual fights for the tougher combinations. Never tried the War Chariots to see how those would do as you can get Nubian and Camels set up immediately.

Once you unlock the Multistory Clay House (3x2 residential) you can eliminate all your deban production and rely solely on the residentials for deban

Would Aztecs be worth doing? No idea. Haven't tried it yet

 

[Agent327]

You can do it without getting up at night.

 

[CommanderCool1234]

So, if you consider I had to play every day and be constantly attentive to 4 hour cycles, getting up in the middle of the night to alarms, etc., I think that pretty much defines the word "grind".

Why are you getting up at 4 am for a settlement? You can easily complete them within the time reward withought doing this.

 

[jsc29]

Why are you getting up at 4 am for a settlement? You can easily complete them within the time reward withought doing this.

Not in my experience. By the last couple of levels I was not only getting up in the middle of the night, I was also buying an additional expansion at the beginning and even so only finishing on the last day. Yeah, maybe you can beat the clock easily on the first 4 or 5 settlements, but then it gets harder and harder.

I checked around on my server and I could not find anybody with 3 Greater Runestones. Nobody else in my guild has 3 Greater Runestones and we are one of the top guilds.

 

[CommanderCool1234]

Okay, but It is just a game, you dont need to wake up at 3 am. You are addicted to lights in your computer.

 

[Agent327]

Not in my experience. By the last couple of levels I was not only getting up in the middle of the night, I was also buying an additional expansion at the beginning and even so only finishing on the last day. Yeah, maybe you can beat the clock easily on the first 4 or 5 settlements, but then it gets harder and harder.

It gets harder, but it is still possible to do without getting up at night and using diamonds.

 

[MeowKat]

So, I am considering whether I should play Aztecs, but so far I have heard that Aztecs is MORE of a grind than Vikings.

I am going through Aztecs on my main city now. Yes, it is slower than both Vikings and Egypt. I've basically given up getting time rewards, and just play it for the main settlement reward. Of course, IRL comes first. My boss wouldn't understand if I'm exhausted because I stayed up to harvest imaginary chili peppers.

 

[jsc29]

It gets harder, but it is still possible to do without getting up at night and using diamonds.

Sounds like something someone who has never done it would say. Do you have THREE Greater Runestones all level 5? I bet you don't.

I checked out the top 10 players in the top guild on our server (Uceria/Seditious Bastards) and 9 of them had maxed Yggdrasils and none of them had even 1 maxed runestone, much less three of them. So, if it is so easy, how come nobody has level 5 runestones? Note that one guy had a single level 3 LOL and all of the players had empty space to put the runestone, so it is not like they deleted it.)

 

[Lord Pest]

I’ve finished Vikings, Japanese, and Egyptian Settlements.... Egypt was by far the easiest to do in the best reward time. Usually finished 4 to 5 days left for best reward. Never broke a sweat. I’m on my first Aztec settlement so I’ll with hold comment till I finish at least one. If you care about your fighting bonuses the Viking and Aztec give 30% attack and the other defense to your attacking army. The Egyptian has a really nice secondary reward building that gives a 6% bonus to your attacking army defensive bonus called the ancient obelisk. I was able to get 5 of them before the Aztecs came out. None of these settlements are hard. You don’t need diamonds. You don’t need to stay up all night. But you do need to stick to it and plan your time out.

 

[jsc29]

I’ve finished Vikings, Japanese, and Egyptian Settlements.... Egypt was by far the easiest to do in the best reward time. Usually finished 4 to 5 days left for best reward. Never broke a sweat. I’m on my first Aztec settlement so I’ll with hold comment till I finish at least one. If you care about your fighting bonuses the Viking and Aztec give 30% attack and the other defense to your attacking army. The Egyptian has a really nice secondary reward building that gives a 6% bonus to your attacking army defensive bonus called the ancient obelisk. I was able to get 5 of them before the Aztecs came out. None of these settlements are hard. You don’t need diamonds. You don’t need to stay up all night. But you do need to stick to it and plan your time out.

Uh, I went to your city Lord Pest and I saw a maxxed Yggdrasil, but only two Greater Runestones below your Statues of Honor in the lower center. Where is the third?

 

[MeowKat]

So, if it is so easy, how come nobody has level 5 runestones?

Because there are easier ways to get an extra 2fp than to collect 75 runestone fragments?

Congratulations on your runestones. I'm sure they look nice around your Ygggri-, Yrggis-, er, big tree.
Just remember, you don't HAVE to get all the rewards. If you need some time to recharge, let the settlements go for a bit. The Aztecs aren't going anywhere.

When you're ready, you may wish to reconsider the Egyptian settlement. The bathhouse gives you extra troops when leveled. Think of it as an Alcatraz without the huge footprint. I use the extra troops in my GE and GBG. Have fun, and please don't drive after staying up all night collecting maize.

 

[CaptainKirk1234]

It is my first time playing a settlement and I am doing egypt, I am not really trying for the time rewards as the main reward is worth it in itself.

 

[Agent327]

Sounds like something someone who has never done it would say. Do you have THREE Greater Runestones all level 5? I bet you don't.

Only have two. Isn't worth the effort to get a third. Does not mean I got up at night or used diamonds to get them.

I checked out the top 10 players in the top guild on our server (Uceria/Seditious Bastards) and 9 of them had maxed Yggdrasils and none of them had even 1 maxed runestone, much less three of them. So, if it is so easy, how come nobody has level 5 runestones? Note that one guy had a single level 3 LOL and all of the players had empty space to put the runestone, so it is not like they deleted it.)

How does that prove if they did or did not get up at night or used diamonds?

 

[jsc29]

Only have two. Isn't worth the effort to get a third. Does not mean I got up at night or used diamonds to get them.

How does that prove if they did or did not get up at night or used diamonds?

Uh, if you have a level 9 Ygg, then that means you did Vikings 15 times. Therefore if you did Vikings 15 times and it is "easy" to make the time limit each time, then you would have 3 greater runestones at level 5. If you only have 2, then it means you failed to make the time limit on at least 5 of the cycles, maybe more.

As far as Seditious Bastards is concerned. The fact that none of those guys have maxed runestones indicates how hard it is, because the mentality on our server is that anything that gives 1% attack or 1 FP per tile is worth getting. A lot of those guys have multiple Marble Gateways, which are crap compared to runestones. So, they would have 3 runestones if it were "easy" to get them.

 

[Agent327]

Uh, if you have a level 9 Ygg, then that means you did Vikings 15 times. Therefore if you did Vikings 15 times and it is "easy" to make the time limit each time, then you would have 3 greater runestones at level 5. If you only have 2, then it means you failed to make the time limit on at least 5 of the cycles, maybe more

It is easy once you get the hang of it. So you have a few slower runs. Does not mean you have to get up at night or use diamonds.

The fact that none of those guys have maxed runestones indicates how hard it is, because the mentality on our server is that anything that gives 1% attack or 1 FP per tile is worth getting. A lot of those guys have multiple Marble Gateways, which are crap compared to runestones. So, they would have 3 runestones if it were "easy" to get them.

If your source is "those guys" it does help to understand why they are doing it. Marble Gateways give a higher attack percentage and are easier to get. Japan came 6 months after Vikings. Another reason to move on and not continue to get runestones. Most finished Vikings in time before Japan. Yours "as fast as I can" would not have been fast enough, so you must be doing something wrong.

 

[1AngelT]

Hello, where is the Aztec Village located

 

[Agent327]

Same as the others, but you have to reach Colonial to be able to access.

 

[Meat Butcher]

After the Vikings everything else is much easier
.