The Palace is one of two buildings that allow you to expand beyond your starting village. Together with the Residence, it is central to growing your empire — but it plays a unique role that the Residence cannot fulfill. Understanding the difference between the two, and knowing when to use each, is key to planning your expansion effectively.
The Palace serves two core functions:
It provides expansion slots, allowing you to found new villages or conquer existing ones
It determines which village is your capital — building a Palace in a new village moves your capital there
These two functions make the Palace one of the most strategically significant buildings in the game. Where you place it, and when you move it, are decisions that shape your entire account.
Both buildings unlock expansion slots and allow you to train the units needed for expansion. The critical difference lies in how many of each you can have and what else they do:
| Palácio | Residência |
Limit per account | One only — across all villages | One per village (multiple allowed) |
Slots de expansão | More slots per upgrade level | Fewer slots per upgrade level |
Trains settlers | sim | sim |
Trains administrators | sim | sim |
Capital relocation | Building it in a new village moves your capital there | Cannot move your capital |
Best used for | Main expansion hub and capital management | Secondary villages needing their own slots |
The Palace provides more expansion slots per upgrade level than the Residence, making it your most efficient expansion building. However, because you can only have one Palace across your entire account, placement matters. The Residence, while less powerful, can be built in multiple villages — giving you flexibility as your empire grows.
Expansion slots are what allow you to add new villages to your account. Each slot represents the ability to either found a new village by sending settlers, or conquer an existing one by sending administrators.
The Palace unlocks slots progressively as you upgrade it — you do not need to build it to its maximum level all at once. Each upgrade tier unlocks an additional slot, so you can expand at the pace your economy allows.
Tip: If you need expansion slots in a village that does not have your Palace, build a Residence there instead. Slots from both buildings count toward your total expansion capacity simultaneously. |
Settlers are used to found a brand new village on an unoccupied tile. You train three settlers and send them to an empty valley on the map — once they arrive, a new village is established in your name. Each founding costs one expansion slot.
Administrators — known as Senators (Romans), Chiefs (Teutons and Gauls), Chieftains (Vikings), Logades (Spartans), and their equivalents for other tribes — are used to conquer existing villages. They reduce the loyalty of a target village over successive attacks until conquest becomes possible.
Like settlers, administrators are trained in the Palace or a Residence and consume one expansion slot per use. Conquering is a more involved process than founding — see the Conquering Villages article for a full explanation.
Your capital is your most protected and most powerful village. It has two key advantages:
Resource fields can be upgraded to higher levels than in any non-capital village
The capital cannot be conquered — it can be attacked and your buildings can be damaged, but ownership cannot change
Because of these advantages, your capital is typically where you develop your highest-level resource production and house your most critical infrastructure.
Your first village is your capital by default. You can move it at any point by building a Palace in a different village you own.
How Capital Relocation Works Build a Palace in the village you want to become your new capital. Once construction is complete, that village becomes your new capital — and your old capital loses both its capital status and its protection against conquest. |
Important: Relocating your capital is a major strategic decision and largely irreversible in practice. Your former capital immediately becomes conquerable once it loses its status. Before moving, ensure your alliance can defend the transition period, and consider whether the new capital's location, field layout, and existing buildings justify the move. |
The most common reason is to take advantage of a high-value village acquired later in the game. A 15-crop village conquered in a strong map position, for example, is often a far better long-term capital than a player's starting village. Relocating the Palace transfers all capital privileges — including higher field upgrade limits — to the new location.
In the early game, your Palace will typically remain in your starting village. As you grow, consider:
Which village do you want as your long-term capital? That village should eventually hold the Palace.
Do you need expansion slots where you currently are, or in a different village? The Palace can only be in one place.
Are you planning to conquer a high-value village soon? It may be worth waiting before committing to a permanent Palace location.
A common mid-game setup is to keep the Palace in your capital — where it provides the most expansion capacity — while building Residences in other active villages to unlock additional slots independently. This lets you pursue multiple expansion paths at the same time without needing to move the Palace.
Tip: You cannot have both a Palace and a Residence in the same village. Choose one per village based on what that village needs. |
The Palace provides expansion slots and designates the village it is in as your capital
Only one Palace can exist per account — placement is a strategic decision that should be planned carefully
The Palace offers more expansion slots per level than the Residence
Both settlers (for founding new villages) and administrators (for conquering) are trained in the Palace
To move your capital, build the Palace in a new village — your old capital immediately loses its protection
Use Residences in other villages to gain additional expansion slots without moving the Palace
