Runestones, Blood of Ares, and ascension fragments are brutally scarce. Pour them into the wrong general, and you lose months. This Evony: The King’s Return tier list breaks down the latest meta by troop type and role. One overall ranking would tell you nothing. You will learn which generals lead marches, which belong in the assistant slot, and which no longer deserve resources.
Evony Generals Tier List 2026
| Tier | What It Means | Generals |
| S+ | Meta-defining, build first | Louis II, Vercingetorix, Akechi Mitsuhide, Artemis, Marcian, Olaf Skotkonung, Presley O’Bannon |
| S | Elite endgame picks | Lafayette, Francis I of France, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Tishtrya, Visconti, Irene d’Arneau, Kiso Yoshinaka, Hersilia |
| A | Strong and dependable | Alexander Hamilton, Niccolo Piccinino, Charles VI, Romulus, Francis Drake, Christina, Shapur I, Daniel Morgan |
| B | Mid-game and specialist use | Gao Changgong, Zhang Fei, Suchet, Stephen II, Theobald I, Maurice de Saxe, Gunther, Melisande |
| C | Situational or aging | Older specialists still useful for PvE, gathering, and defense |
| D | Outclassed for competitive play | Legacy generals passed over by newer releases |
Treat this as guidance, not gospel. Placement shifts with your troop type, your server age, and how far you can actually develop a general.
S+ Tier Generals: Who to Build First
Louis II
Louis II leads the ground PvP main-general rankings in the current 2026 data. His combined buffs sit near 600% once skill, ascension, and specialties stack together. If ground is your main march, he is the safest long-term investment on this list.
Vercingetorix
Vercingetorix arrived with the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day event and immediately reshaped ground rallies. He sits second overall among ground mains and first for pure ground attack.
His fourth specialty, Battle of Gergovia, grants +55% attacking ground attack and defense plus +5% rally capacity. The catch is severe. Reaching red star 5 has been estimated at over $10,000, so most players should treat him as an aspiration.
Akechi Mitsuhide
Akechi is the most flexible ground general in the game right now. He ranks near the top as a main and near the top as a ground assistant.
Better still, he barely loses power when reinforcing allies or holding your wall. That versatility makes him the single best ground pickup for players who cannot chase every new release.
Artemis
Artemis is the strongest modern mounted PvP option. She is built for aggressive mounted attack marches rather than defensive duty.
Marcian
Marcian tops the modern ranged main-general rankings, with especially strong ranged attack numbers. Ranged mains should build him before anyone else.
Olaf Skotkonung and Presley O’Bannon
These two currently tie at the top of siege PvP, each around 655% in total buffs. Olaf is the cleaner all-round pick. Presley leans harder into offensive siege output.
Best Ground Generals in Evony
Ground troops win through durability and sustained pressure. Prioritize HP and defense over raw attack when you sort your options.
| Tier | Ground Generals |
| S+ | Louis II, Vercingetorix, Akechi Mitsuhide |
| S | Lafayette, Lorenzo de’ Medici, Francis I of France, Alexander Hamilton, Niccolo Piccinino |
| A | Maria Carolina, Narcissus, Gao Changgong, Charles V, Lucilla, Zhang Fei |
| B | Totila, Suchet, Miltiades, Frigg, Qin Qiong |
A few notes on worthy generals:
- Lafayette blends solid combat output with useful march capacity, making him a strong rally setter.
- Niccolo Piccinino is excellent on paper but painful to red star. Run him as an assistant instead.
- Francis I of France is heavily attack-weighted. He hits hard on offense and contributes little on defense.
Best Mounted Generals in Evony
Mounted troops serve two very different jobs, and the best general changes depending on which one you mean.
For PvP, Artemis is the clear S+ pick. Tishtrya follows in S tier and is genuinely outstanding in the assistant slot. Henry IV, Shaybani, and Stephen I of Hungary round out the modern options worth developing.
Older mounted names that dominated past guides no longer hold up. Do not build one just because a 2022 list praised them.
Best Ranged Generals in Evony
Marcian sits alone at S+ for ranged PvP. Visconti lands in S tier and shines specifically as an assistant behind a strong main. Charles VI is the third high-end option and a fair alternative if Marcian is out of reach.
Free-to-play ranged players should be cautious here. A fully developed older ranged general beats a new one you can never ascend.
Best Siege Generals in Evony
Siege has shifted more than any other troop type this year. Older siege guides are effectively obsolete.
| Tier | Siege Generals |
| S+ | Olaf Skotkonung, Presley O’Bannon |
| S | Irene d’Arneau, Kiso Yoshinaka, Hersilia, Romulus, Francis Drake |
| A | Christina, Shapur I, Champlain, Daniel Morgan, Stephen II |
| B | Theobald I, Maurice de Saxe, Gunther, Melisande, John Hunyadi |
Irene d’Arneau deserves a special mention. She ranks first for siege march size and third for overall main-general buffs. That makes her a superb solo hitter.
Hersilia is the flexible choice. She performs well as a main and as an assistant, so she rarely goes to waste. Romulus lost his old crown but remains a strong siege lead.
Best Wall Defense Generals in Evony
Wall defense punishes lazy building. Attack-only buffs vanish here, so pick generals with always-on numbers.
Zhou Yu is the strongest wall defender in the 2026 meta. His in-city buffs cover all four troop types, with particular strength for ranged and siege. Takenaka Shigeharu ranks next. Both are locked behind heavy spending, and neither has appeared in standard exchange packages, so most players need alternatives.
Pick your wall general based on your dominant troop type:
- Siege defense: Francis Drake, Stephen II, Champlain, Leo III.
- Ranged defense: Visconti, Gonzalo, James Cook.
- Ranged and siege together: William Marshal, George Dewey.
- Balanced keeps: William Marshal, Richard the Lionheart.
Wall Assistant Pairings
Assistants matter just as much on defense. Strong options by troop type:
- Siege: Irene d’Arneau, Daniel Morgan, Hersilia.
- Ranged: Visconti, Ahmose I.
- Ground: Niccolo Piccinino, Akechi Mitsuhide, Francis I of France.
- Mounted: Babur, Rostam, Henry IV.
One warning before you pair. Some assistants cannot receive certain attack skill books. If your main defender already carries that book, the pairing breaks.
Best Economy and Duty Officer Generals
Combat generals will not grow your keep. These picks quietly decide how fast your account scales.
| Role | Best Pick | Why |
| Overall economy | Queen Boudica | Boosts resource production, research speed, and construction time |
| Resource gathering | Queen Jindeok | Highest gathering speed buffs in the game |
| Production defense | Shajar al-Durr | Protects output while defending |
| Stables | Oleg of Novgorod | Mounted training and buffs |
| Archer Camp | John I of Portugal | Ranged training |
| Barracks | Abd al-Rahman I | Ground training |
| Archer Tower | Ban Chao | In-city ranged defense |
| Trap Factory | Askia Muhammad I | Trap output |
| Hospital | Skanderbeg | Wounded capacity |
| Rally Spot | Toyotomi Hideyoshi | Rally size |
Subordinate City Mayors: Debuffs Over Buffs
New players waste enormous resources here. Buffs on a subordinate city general only affect troops inside that city. They do nothing for your main keep.
Debuffs are the exception. Those apply to enemies attacking your keep, so mayors should be chosen purely for debuff strength.
| Mayor | Debuff |
| Baldwin IV | Ranged attack -30%, siege attack -20% |
| Amr ibn al-As | Ground attack -25%, ranged and siege attack -15% |
| Cnut the Great | Ranged attack -25% |
| Constantine the Great | Ground and mounted attack -20% |
| Flavius Aetius | Siege attack -20% |
| Empress Dowager Cixi | All defense -15% |
| Nero | All troop HP -15% |
| Mansa Musa | All troop attack -10% |
Duplicates of the same general do not stack. Five copies of one mayor still apply the debuff once, so spread your mayors across different names.
Difference Between Main General and Assistant General
A general who dominates ground rallies can be useless on your wall. That is why every ranking below is split by troop type and job.
How We Rank Generals in This Evony: The King’s Return Tier List?
Picking generals from this tier list does not automatically mean leading a march. Some generals give more value from the assistant slot.
Akechi Mitsuhide proves the point perfectly, since he is elite in both roles. Tishtrya is a mounted assistant standout, and Visconti does the same job for ranged.
When choosing an assistant, check these five things:
- Whether their skills actually function in the assistant role.
- Their attack, defense, and HP contribution.
- March size bonuses, which solo hitters need most.
- Whether their skill books clash with your main general.
- Whether the pairing suits your real troop composition.
Never pair two generals simply because both sit in a high tier.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 meta rewards depth over breadth. Louis II, Vercingetorix, and Akechi Mitsuhide lead ground. Artemis owns mounted PvP, Marcian owns ranged, and Olaf Skotkonung shares the siege crown with Presley O’Bannon. Zhou Yu remains the wall benchmark, though most keeps will run William Marshal or Richard the Lionheart instead.
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