There is no universal “best” defensive unit or strategy in Travian: Legends. The right choice depends on your account’s development, available resources, tribe, gameworld conditions, and your role in the alliance. This guide outlines common factors that influence which defensive units work best for different situations.
Choosing the Best Defense for Your Situation
1. High Production, Plenty of Gold, and Located Far Away?
Choose fast cavalry defense.
Fast-moving defensive cavalry helps you reach distant allies quickly and react to emergencies across the map.
2. Low on Gold and Resources?
Choose cheap infantry.
Infantry generally offers the highest defense per resource cost, making it ideal for players who want to contribute without heavy spending.
3. Expecting Intense Battles Soon?
Choose units with the best defense/time efficiency.
In heavy combat situations, troop speed and how quickly you can produce defense matter more than crop consumption.
4. Preparing for World Wonder Defense or Low Crop Production?
Choose units with strong crop efficiency.
Long-term defense—especially for World Wonder stages—often depends on low crop consumption to sustain large troop numbers.
5. Prefer Building Fewer Defense Villages?
Choose a tribe whose units allow infantry + cavalry production in the same village.
This allows you to maintain flexibility without spreading production across many villages.
Overview of Defensive Units
Below is a summary of the main defensive units and their performance.
The table reflects production on a x1 server, assuming level 20 barracks and/or stables, no bonuses, and training for one full week (~168 hours). It includes:
Number of units produced
Defensive strength vs. infantry
Defensive strength vs. cavalry
Total defense output
Speed and upkeep
Hourly cost
Defense/time efficiency
Defense/cost efficiency
This helps you compare units based on what you value most: speed, cost, output, or sustainability.
Examples from the table:
Phalanxes offer an excellent balance of cost and total defense with strong efficiency.
Spearmen have great defense per training time and strong cavalry protection.
Praetorians are the strongest infantry defense per unit.
Slave Militia provide the best defense per resource cost, but at the expense of crop and flexibility.
Druidriders and Elpida Riders offer fast reaction speed but lower cost-efficiency.
Haeduans deliver high cavalry defense but are expensive to maintain.
Each unit excels for different reasons, and the best choice depends on your goals and your account’s economy.
Summary
The “best” defensive units are those that match your account’s strengths and your alliance’s needs. Consider:
Your crop production
Resource availability
Distance to allies
Expected battle intensity
Your tribe’s unique strengths
Use the defense/time and defense/cost metrics to determine whether you should prioritize fast reinforcements, cheap mass defense, or high-quality defensive power.