Strategy Guides/How Expensive Guide

This article will cover how expensive Empire Takeover is, as well as what role you can expect to fill based on your budget.

This same material is covered in video form here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LfFRF-0Zzg&t=1s

## Overview

### Disclaimer

1. I am not a financial advisor, do not take anything I say in this video as financial advice
2. I am not on expert on video game design / marketing / mobile games
3. I am most likely an idiot for continuing to play this game

### Pay-to-win

1. Pay-to-win system: players use real money to gain an advantage over other players
2. T5 troops cannot realistically be obtained for free
3. Stats that increase enemy wounded
4. Garbage troop recovery system (holy water)

### Predatory Monetary System

1. “Sales” that are false advertising / bait-and-switch
2. Upgrades broken down into numerous small purchases to obscure the true cost of the upgrade
3. Quantities of items and packs makes it almost impossible to tell what is a good vs. bad deal

### Insanely expensive

1. Full red Sir Aurums set (1 of the 4 available) costs over $10k+ to max
2. Basic mythical heroes cost $300-400 to max
3. Premium mythical heroes cost $800-$1.2k to max
4. Total cost to obtain full upgrades can reach over $50k-$100k+

### Not unique to this industry

Look up on YouTube:

1. Spent $100k on Clash of Clans / Diablo Immortal / etc.
2. Predatory monetization of video games
3. Monetization Madness

### Why play this game?

1. Simplistic gameplay: easy to learn, difficult to master.
2. The grind can be enjoyable.
3. Battles can be fun if you can find opportunities for close matchups.
4. The social system / community offers a good foundation for forming friendships.

## Available roles based on budget

1. Free: Tower player / 1 troop annoyer
2. Free / budget: T4 player
3. $2000 - T5 player
4. $20000 - T5 killer
5. $40000 - T5 rally leader

### Free: Tower player / 1 troop annoyer

1. Completely free, very low time investment
2. Option 1: Play tower games and ignore war content
3. Option 2: If you want to engage in war content, most effective role is to keep an empty castle and just drive people insane with 1 trooping
4. Build / stats: irrelevant, can 1 troop at C1.
5. Recommend unlocking C10 so you can at least chat.
6. If you can get to C20 you can participate in KVK event.

### Free / budget: T4 player

1. Completely free, moderate time investment
2. Can spend here and there for fun but none of it will make big impact
3. In KVK: Flag builder, low/mid temple fighter
4. Outside of KVK: fight other T4
5. War content option 1: C25 or C29 rally filler
	1. Fill rallies for C25 or C29 temple battles depending on your castle level
	2. Be comfortable with being locked at whichever castle bracket you pick.
	3. C29 is a little more fun because you can still run DN7s.
	4. Build: Cav
6. War content option 2: T4 C30
	1. Possible to get C30 but will still only have T4. Takes around 6 months of grinding to unlock lord 90.
	2. Lose the ability to join T4 temple battles. Can’t join T5 temple battles.
	3. Will be able to kill weaker T4 players, but won't be able to take on “twinks”
	4. Build: Cav
7. My advice? Do both!
	1. Play as C25 or C29 during at least one KVK
	2. Optimize DN7 performance to kill time
	3. Slowly work your way to lord 90, then decide if you want to upgrade.
	4. Once lord 90, consider the next role: T5 player

### $2000 - T5 player

1. Need a LOT of diamonds for WH/Prison level 30
2. Monthly passes only: 9 months
3. Dail free diamonds only: 1.5 years
4. Buying the diamonds you need (roughly $2000 worth) will allow you to unlock T5 troops in a more realistic time frame.
5. Stats will only be around 300-400%
6. Recommend having a DN build and a PVP build/gear set
7. Best build for DNs: Inf/Arch
8. Best build for PVP changes over time, but Inf/Arch is the standard choice
9. All builds have roles in PVP, but it’s best to focus on one.
10. Available war roles:
	1. T4 burner - even high stat T4 players will be no match for you.
	2. T5 rally filler - help reinforce the higher stat T5 players.
	3. DN8/DN9 grinder - get a lot of honor during KVK.
11. Optimal DN upgrades for $2000:
	1. 4 Sir Aurums archer pieces up to purple. Skip helm/chest. $500.
	2. Max Barbien, for DNs. $385.
	3. Max Severus, for DNs. $270.
	4. Max Azmodeus, for DNs. $875.
	5. Total: $2030

### $20k+ - T5 killer

1. 800-1000% ish stats depending on spending.
2. Anything less than 800% stats will have a rough time with T5 battles.
3. Having 800%+ will allow you to dominate in flag wars.
4. Can rally lead in low competition scenarios.

### $40k+ - T5 rally leader

1. Maximize stats so you can lead rallies in KVK
2. Plan to keep buying any new upgrades released
3. Plan to spend a lot recovering troops to keep running rallies
4. As of Winter 2023 need 1300%+ main attack stat, 800%+ second attack stat, and 1200% legion ATK AND HP

## My advice? Stick to a budget

1. Figure out what you are comfortable spending each month
2. Determine how many months it will take you to get to desired role
3. Are you comfortable with that role? If so, proceed. If not, either increase budget or quit.
4. Think of what else you might rather use the money for.