---
title: "Settling and Securing village in a Grey Area"
description: "Settling and Securing village in a Grey Area"
url: https://support.travian.com/en/articles/154-settling-and-securing-village-in-a-grey-area
collection: "All tips From Beginner to Legend"
updated: 2026-10-27
language: en
alternates: [it, es, cs, tr, pl, ar, fr, de, pt, ru]
---

# Settling and Securing village in a Grey Area

Settling and Securing village in a Grey Area

## What is the grey area?

On World Wonder gameworlds, the **grey area** is the central zone around the Volcano. It has special pros/cons and unique risks right after you settle. 

* * *

## Why settle there (and why not)?

**Advantages**

-   **All oases give +50%** bonus (wood, clay, iron, crop).
    
-   **Many croppers**, and higher chance to find a good cropper with strong oases.
    
-   **Closer to WWs** and often **near unique artefacts**, making logistics and reaction times easier for endgame play.
    
-   Great location for **active attackers** to reach all directions quickly. 
    

**Disadvantages**

-   **No culture points** are produced there (theoretical CP still counts for parties/artworks).
    
-   After settling, **Natars launch 14 waves** at your new village (timing depends on server speed; see table below).
    
-   Expect **heavy player activity**; higher online time is usually required.
    
-   If you must live inside the grey, consider **capital inside (cropper)** and **resource villages just outside** to reduce CP loss on the account. 
    

**Natar attack delay after settling**

-   x1: **24:00** · x2: **12:00** · x3: **08:00** · x5: **04:48** · x10: **02:24**. 
    

* * *

## Before you send settlers

-   Plan to be **online immediately after settling** and again when the **Natar waves** are due.
    
-   **Stock resources** in your hero inventory to bootstrap builds (farm oases or finish quests as needed).
    
-   Be ready to **spend some Gold** on instant finishes if you have it.
    
-   **Do not defend** the 14 Natar waves—troop losses aren’t worth it here. 
    

* * *

## How villages get deleted (what you must prevent)

Your new village disappears if:

1.  **All buildings/fields are destroyed**, or
    
2.  **Population drops to zero** even if some non-pop buildings remain.  
    The 14 Natar waves each hit **two random targets** → up to **28 targets** can be destroyed. To survive with certainty, create **≥29 population-giving targets** before the waves land. 
    

* * *

## Secure setup A: Non-capital cropper (100% method)

**Goal:** reach **29 population targets** (and extra total targets) before the waves.

**Inside builds (21 pop targets):**

-   Main Building 5 · Warehouse 5 · Granary 3 · Rally Point 1 · Residence 1
    
-   Hero Mansion 1 · Marketplace 1 · Embassy 1
    
-   Barracks 3 · Academy 5 · Smithy 3 · Stable 1
    
-   **1× Cranny 10 + 8× Cranny 6** (all give pop at those levels) 
    

**Resource fields:**

-   **9c:** upgrade **all 18 fields to level 1** (adds 9 pop targets via croplands).
    
-   **15c:** wood/clay/iron to **level 1** + **5 croplands to level 6** (others level 1).  
    With the inside builds above, both variants reach the **29 pop-target** threshold. 
    

> Want to cut costs? You can replace some pop targets with non-pop targets (e.g., more level-1 croplands or level-1 crannies). That’s cheaper but **not 100% safe**—it adds a (small) chance your village is fully destroyed by random hits. 

* * *

## Secure setup B: Make it your capital (cheaper, still 29 targets)

Because **Stonemason’s Lodge** is the **last** building to be demolished, a capital can be secured with lighter builds:

**Fields:** all **18 resource fields to level 1**.  
**Inside:** Main Building 5 · Warehouse 1 · Granary 1 · Rally Point 1 · Hero Mansion 1 · Marketplace 1 · Barracks 1 · Cranny 1 · Embassy 1 · **Palace 1 (set this village as capital)** · **Stonemason’s Lodge 1**.  
This also totals **29 targets**, with Stonemason’s as the final population anchor. 

* * *

## Practical tips

-   Start **queuing builds immediately** after the settle; watch the attack timer window for your speed.
    
-   Keep **fields and pop-giving buildings** ticking up until you cross the safe threshold.
    
-   After the waves pass, **optimize** (demolish crannies/temporary steps) and shape the village for its long-term role.