---
title: "Early Development: Return on Investment (ROI)"
description: "Early Development: Return on Investment (ROI)"
url: https://support.travian.com/en/articles/176-early-development-return-on-investment-roi
collection: "Economy & Infrastructure"
updated: 2026-10-27
language: en
alternates: [de, pl, cs, es, it, fr, ar, pt, ru, tr]
---

# Early Development: Return on Investment (ROI)

Early Development: Return on Investment (ROI)

Understanding **Return on Investment (ROI)** is one of the key skills that separates top Travian: Legends players from casual ones. ROI helps you decide how to **spend resources efficiently** — ensuring every investment pays off as soon as possible.

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### What Is ROI?

In Travian: Legends, ROI measures **how long it takes for your investment to pay for itself**.

In simple terms:

> ROI = Resources Spent ÷ Resources Gained per Hour

The smaller the ROI time (in hours or days), the better the investment.

You use ROI every time you decide:

-   Which fields to upgrade next,
    
-   Whether to train troops early,
    
-   Or whether to expand to a new village or upgrade an existing one.
    

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### Example 1: Upgrading the Hero’s Mansion vs. Founding a New Village

A player on a **x2 speed gameworld** wonders if they should conquer three crop oases (+25% each) for a non-capital 15-cropper village.

#### Option 1: Upgrade the Hero’s Mansion

-   **Upgrade cost (Lv. 15 → Lv. 20):** 1,595,070 resources
    
-   **Bonus crop gain:** +2,100/hour (without gold bonus) or +2,625/hour (with gold bonus)
    

Using ROI:

> 1,595,070 ÷ 2,625 = **607 hours** (~25 days)

That means it takes about **25 days** just to recover the resources spent — only after that does the upgrade start generating a net gain.

#### Option 2: Found a New Village

-   **Cost:** ~1,350,000 resources
    
-   **Production gain:** 16,800/hour (x2 world, all fields Lv. 10, resource buildings Lv. 5)
    

Using ROI:

> 1,350,000 ÷ 16,800 = **80 hours**

That’s just **3–4 days** to recover the investment — and it also gives new culture points and population.

**Conclusion:**  
Expanding to a new village has a far better ROI than upgrading the Hero’s Mansion for extra oases in this example.

> Tip: If your world situation is unstable, you could also use those same resources (~1.6 million) to train ~5,000 Phalanxes instead — another strategic ROI consideration.

* * *

### Example 2: Optimizing Field Development in Your Capital

Many experienced players use ROI principles to plan which crop fields to upgrade first in their capitals.  
The idea is simple: always upgrade the field that gives the **highest increase in hourly production for the lowest total cost**.

For example:

-   Upgrading a crop field from level 5 to 6 might cost fewer resources but add less production than upgrading one from level 8 to 9.
    
-   By comparing the extra production gained to the upgrade cost, you can see which action pays back faster — that’s your **best ROI choice**.
    

Following this logic ensures your crop production grows steadily without wasting resources on inefficient upgrades.

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### Example 3: When to Start Training Troops

Training an army too early can slow down your economic progress. Use ROI thinking here too:

-   **If you farm:**  
    Use your farming income to sustain troop training.  
    A good split is **60% of income into army**, **40% into economy**.
    
-   **If you don’t farm:**  
    Only start troop training once you have **at least two fully developed villages** (all resource fields level 10, buildings maxed).  
    This ensures your economy can handle troop upkeep and rebuilds after losses without collapsing.
    

* * *

### ROI in Practice

Use ROI whenever you face these questions:

-   “Is this upgrade worth it right now?”
    
-   “Will this army investment pay off soon enough?”
    
-   “Should I focus on expansion or upgrades first?”
    

If an investment returns resources faster than alternatives, it’s almost always the smarter move.

* * *

### Summary

**ROI helps you make smarter, faster progress.**

-   Always compare how long an upgrade takes to pay off.
    
-   Prioritize investments that boost production early.
    
-   Train troops only when your economy can support it sustainably.
    
-   Use tools like the _Cropper Developer Calculator_ to plan your upgrades efficiently.
    

Mastering ROI ensures every decision moves your account toward faster growth and long-term success.