Part 12

Learn about the essential special buildings in The Settlers: Rise of an Empire, including the Castle, Cathedral, Storehouse, and Outpost, and their upgrade benefits.

Special Buildings:

These buildings are essential for your city's survival. If any are destroyed, you lose the map. Each requires significant gold and stone to upgrade and provides valuable services.

1. CASTLE
   Gold | Stone | Troops
   Level 1 - - | - | 25
   Level 2 - 150 | 25 | 43
   Level 3 - 250 | 50 | 61
   Level 4 - 500 | 75 | 91>
   The castle controls troops and taxes. You can set troop pay (0, 2, or 3 gold/month) and retailer taxes (0%, 50%, or 100%). Changing these affects city reputation and troop performance. A castle upgrade is required for your first knight promotion. You can also hire a thief; troop numbers are designed so that subtracting one leaves a number divisible by six (the number of troops in a new barracks unit), allowing for a full contingent plus one thief. No one lives in the castle, and it requires no maintenance.
2. CATHEDRAL
   Gold | Stone | Sermon Seats | Population
   Level 1 - - | - | 10 | 50
   Level 2 - 150 | 20 | 15 | 100
   Level 3 - 250 | 40 | 30 | 150
   Level 4 - 500 | 60 | 60 | 200>
   The cathedral determines your city's maximum population, limiting the number of buildings and upgrades. It should be the second building upgraded after the castle. The cathedral can hold sermons, during which settlers donate money to your treasury. Sermon donations are 20% higher if Alandra is your knight. Retailers do not produce goods during a sermon. Sermons temporarily increase city reputation. One priest lives in the cathedral and counts towards population but has no desires.
3. STOREHOUSE
   Gold | Stone | Capacity | Water
   Level 1 - - | - | 250 | 15
   Level 2 - 150 | 20 | 500 | 30
   Level 3 - 250 | 40 | 1000 | 70
   Level 4 - 500 | 60 | 2000 | 120>
   The storehouse holds all your resources and is where retailers fetch raw materials. Upgrading increases capacity. It's recommended to upgrade the storehouse after the castle and cathedral.
4. OUTPOST
   Level 1 - variable gold and 10 wood
   Level 2 - 100 gold and 10 stone>
   The outpost is a military building used to claim new territory. Move your knight into an unclaimed area and use the 'Build Outpost' button. The initial cost varies from 200 to 1000 gold, depending on the territory's resources. After claiming territory, you can build other structures. Upgrading costs a fixed 100 gold and 10 stone. Outposts do not increase settler count. You can station a unit to guard it; archers are more effective than swordmen. Any damage to a guarded outpost is repaired at no cost. If an outpost is captured, you lose control of the territory and all buildings within it. Upgrading increases the outpost's health, making it more resistant to enemy capture.

Siege Engine Workshop:

This building is where siege engines are constructed. Engineers gather iron from the storehouse to create parts. Each siege engine costs 150 gold and 15 parts. Upgrading the workshop increases part capacity and worker efficiency.