Well, where have I been, lots of GE5 discussion. GE5, is a challenge, no doubt. GE5 has costs, let me list them, These costs will probably be for the greater majority, the ones that have advanced units (ie hovers in PME) or a city already set with defending stats (the ones hard to beat in PvP) are special cases, not the norm
1) Time - Yes there will be time, about 30-45 min per week for the encounters. It is 16 encounters. Week 1, I did 15 negos with tavern boost still active when done. There is also time adjusting your city but that was week 1, the plan is to make certain easy changes when I get buildings. I still do GE1-4 every week, so let's say 1hr, high spot number per week additional. I may spend the most time helping and explaining things to guildmates and friends, from my strategy (for me) to tricks I am learning. There is no cookie cutter design, some things will apply to all then there are age specific things like units and player city specific items. Also, you don't get anything at all until at LEAST 4, time is the thing.
2) Goods - This is the big cost. The more negos the more goods, the 4 checkpoints having spikes (someone used that term earlier, like it, ty).
3) Diamonds - It will cost diamonds based on how many negos you do, impossible to be perfect. I use a value of 50%, so 16 negos, 80 diamonds. Hmm, where did I see that number 80 before, specifically 81, the theoretical diamonds I would get doing GE 4.
4) 62000 FPs and 25 tiles - SBC would be the 75% A/D backbone, 25 tiles for all GE5 focused cities. This would mean L99, cost, about 62K FPs. I calculated leveling Zeus/CoA/CDM, all 3, L91-101, is about the same, so there is 15% RED A/D for 75% BLUE A/D, this is a specific, one time cost but I think it is necessary for anyone doing GE5.
THERE IS SIGNIFICANT COST, there is no other way to phrase it.
What I not doing
1) I am still keeping about 95% of my attacking A/D as a goal and I believe I will get the 5% back (very possible more) when buildings mature, like L3 Feathered Serpent. I may lose out on 5 attrition at the most. After 1000 FP in a day farming, the 10-50 more from the 5% loss is a loss of reward, wouldn't say cost (these are guesses but usually it is from the attrition burn prior to reset). My SBC replaced a Crows Nest. This is an example of city specific, mine has it, yours may not.
2) I tell people hold off on Deal Castle for now. Not sure that space, 7x7, is worth the BLUE 75% A/D (yes could be more than 75%)
I see GE5 like Cultural Settlements a bit. If a player chooses not to do it, hey, I respect it 100%. In some ways I do not blame them, it isn't cheap. Players that are doing it, great, I hope we can share tips. So, why a cultural settlements comparison? I got Yggy, like the Sun Temple, doing it casually. I don't really want to spend the time for the Bath House, and other 2 Temples, nice buildings and Emissaries too. Not sure why, just not for me right now. I could always dabble in it, now that I get nutcrackers, I wouldn't feel I have to get the secondary 2x2 reward buildings.
Red Team Rewards (the attacking army)
That L3 Feathered Serpent (FS) is the best building in the game, 3x2, 15% A/D for attacking army, 10 FP. 2 of them, 30% A/D, 20 FP, 12 tiles versus Yggy and Sun Temple, 30% A/D, 18 FP, 60 goods, 21 tiles. I could even sneak in a 3rd one, 45% A/D for less space, 30 FP. But why choose when you could have all of them....lol. Why isn't Forgotten Temple (FT) the best? the timer. It is better, the numbers, but you would have to have it 100% of the time which means all 16 encounters every week so there is the commitment. FS no, once you get it, it is yours to use.
The Forgotten Temple is really good, 40% A/D, 12 tiles, can't be beat for pure stats, but high maintenance (think local baker trying to date a Rockefeller...lol)
The Serpent fins (2x2 chain, 5% A/D Attacking, no road) is a nice add on to the FS, nice option, can be beat but can assist at times, depends on your city.
The Divine Sky Watch, 3x2, 4% A/D and 5 FP, do the first encounter 5 fragments but you don't get the 10 more until encounter 10 (very sneaky on Inno's part). So just a completely casual, 1 encounter approach, it takes 24 weeks minimum (unless you get those stupid portraits) it is done. For lower level, it beats Artemis, Royal Marble, great for lower ages as a replacement. Cheap, 10 goods if nego E1, but time.
The above 4 items, taking the costs into consideration, is what would benefit the Red team. That is the decision. Now, you don't need to complete GE5, more completed, faster rewards with the larger fragment % in the last 4 encounters (where you can still get the lame portraits, a real hit if it happens in the last 4). I can't tell you how much I hate those portraits. This one ranks 2nd worst, 1st, of course, is the L1-4 diamond heist.
The Blue team Rewards (defending army)
Greater Ritual Flame - 2x1, 7% A/D. Why better the L2 Ritual? Blue attack which is lacking. Blue defense, there is plenty including potions. Yes, this is where city space will be taken for defensive stats, specifically, that is the price.
Serpent Spikes - 2x2, no road, chain to FS, 15% Blue A/D, for GE5, it would be important. 3.75A/D per tile, L147 SBC would give the same (think I did the math right). When you attach it to the FS L3, here is where the FS comes down from the clouds and can be compared to other buildings but it is essentially a BLUE boost for minimal, sometimes no loss on the RED side.
Let's say, for example (let's agree is it a good event building)
L3 Serpent + 2 spikes, 14 tiles, 15% red A/D and 30% blue A/D compared to SAJM Eagle Mountain, 26% A, 31%D
FS 1.07 A/tile EM 1.08 A/Tile - FS 1.07 D/tile EM 1.29 D/tile
So, slightly less red D, +30% blue A/D.
This is what I see sacrificing on the red A or D, depends on building. This is why I tell people don't go cuckoo removing things, just take it in steps. Also, the lower the age the better it is, I took the best EM stats, SAJM.
FT - 50% blue A/D, 12 tiles with the best red A/D. If you can maintain it, it is a great building.
There is actually a good amount of strategy with GE5, using forts, getting past the next encounter, temporary fixes like potions to maybe pass one of the checkpoints (E4/8/12/16) to save goods (diamonds too). This is what I like about it, got spreadsheets too, wifey not happy....lol
Also I read about golden buildings like Viceroy Villa, L10 Gov Villa and costs (
@honey55). My opinion, here is where the scam lies, the impulse to try and rush GE5 stats. Be careful folks, it really needs to help and be achievable. I am in beta, told them 1 thing. If you want $15, players want the Golden upgrade for Gov villa with normal event play, get L9 Trading Post, the Viceroy upgrade should be at that same last upgrade. Right now, it could cost 4200 diamonds too, my estimate, so we should not have to spend diamonds too, ie double dipping, real $ and D (which is $ since diamond heist; those few extra diamonds would be used for situations like this). This would include the upgrade to the event building too, to golden level, Buccaneers Bay. OR, give us a 1x1 statue for fragments of Viceroy villa (like the Panda Statue we had in wildlife event, beta), make it something we can get with time or money (Inno show you care and are serious about giving us the tools).
Now, event buildings are coming out with 2 or more attributes, red A/D and blue A in the
Summer event my Iron Age player, 4x5,
L9 Traders Post RED - 6% A/21%D BLUE - 16%A,
Gold (level 10) called Buccaneers Bay - RED 11%A/31%D BLUE - 26%A
Those numbers can change but I think you can see, extra will be given just the time element, event by event. So even waiting and doing nothing, cities will automatically have more BLUE stats, no GE5, no changes to cities, RED A/D in tact, possibly better, just swapping out current buildings (for this one, Olympic treasury, Gentiana Windmill (no chains) are direct drop ins, don't even need to think about adjusting city).
One last comment, current L2 rituals, L2 watchfires and L2 tacts. I am only looking at the L2 tacts to help with the lack of BLUE attack (temporary fix but 4%/tile is a decent amount). The other 2, defensive help, can be gotten by potions, easily. I didn't go potion cuckoo the first 3 weeks, rather, I established my baseline and now I can see what I want to do to keep increasing attack encounters to reduce nego goods costs (when I say nego goods cost, always think, 50% of the encounters, 10 diamond cost, do 8 negos, think 40 diamonds).
I am tracking diamond cost every week (and diamonds earned). I don't consider my spreadsheet time for other players but I like data, helps me see the cost of the effort clearly. I will probably report when I get about 10 weeks worth of information, think it would be helpful for others.
Lastly, the staggered FT is something I considered helpful for GE5, getting 5 GE seasons for a 28 day timed building. You should get 2 full GBG seasons with the RED 40% A/D but that could be staggered over 3 seasons, depending on placement time. The extra 50 fragments per 5 weeks, in 20 weeks free FT in inventory. I considered those fragments as a back up, week off, family vacation, who knows. But, I read placing 2 FTs comment by Johnny, didn't even think about that possibility. One would expect the RED/BLUE A/D to stack but a 40% FP boost?
So folks, hopefully some of this information helps you understand the impact of GE5, good and bad.
