Evony Keep Upgrade Guide: Level 1 to 35
Your Keep is the most important building in Evony: The King’s Return. Its level determines what every other building can reach, which troop tiers you can train, and how many marches you can send. Every experienced player will tell you the same thing: prioritise your Keep above everything else.
This guide covers every Keep level from 1 to 35 the key milestones, the building prerequisites, what you unlock at each stage, and how to push through the slowest parts as efficiently as possible.
Why Your Keep Level Is Everything
In Evony, every building in your city is capped at your current Keep level. You cannot upgrade your Academy to Level 20 if your Keep is only Level 18. You cannot unlock T4 troops until Keep 20. You cannot access your fifth march without Keep 25.
This creates a hard ceiling that governs your entire progression. Every hour you spend upgrading anything other than your Keep when your Keep is upgradeable is wasted potential. Think of your Keep level as a river dam. Everything flows from it.
How Keep Upgrades Work
Each Keep level requires two things:
- Resources -Food, Lumber, Stone, and Ore in increasing quantities. Food and lumber dominate Keep 1–20. Stone and ore become the primary bottleneck from Keep 25 onwards.
- Building prerequisites -Specific buildings must be at a certain level before your Keep can advance. Plan these in advance, not at the last minute.
Construction time is the third constraint. Early upgrades take minutes. By Keep 25 you’re looking at days per upgrade. At Keep 33–35, each upgrade can take weeks of real time without speed-ups.
Keep Level Milestones: Quick Reference
| Keep | Key Unlock | Prerequisites (Key) | Troop Tier |
| K1–5 | Tutorial, core buildings | No requirements | T1 |
| K6–10 | Tavern, Rally Spot | Walls, resource buildings | T1–T2 |
| K11 | First Sub-City | Military buildings ~Lv10 | T2 |
| K15 | T2 troops, Forge unlocked | All buildings ~Lv14 | T2 |
| K16 | T3 troops | All buildings Lv15 | T3 |
| K20 | T4 troops, Spiritual Beast | All buildings Lv19, Walls Lv19 | T4 ★ |
| K22 | 5th March slot | All buildings ~Lv21 | T4 |
| K25 | 5th Sub-City, T5 troops | All buildings Lv24 | T5 ★ |
| K30 | T6 troops, Tavern Lv30 | All buildings Lv29 | T6 ★ |
| K31 | T7 troops | All buildings Lv30 | T7 |
| K35 | T8–T10, 6th March, Full city | All buildings Lv34, Academy Lv34 | T8–T10 ★ |
★ = Major milestone
Keep 1–10: Foundation Phase
Keep 1–5: Tutorial Phase
The first five Keep levels teach you how construction works. Requirements are minimal and upgrades take seconds to minutes. Complete these as fast as possible use your starting speed-ups freely here.
Key buildings unlocked: Embassy (K2), Barracks (K3), Hospital (K4), Academy (K5). All are essential build them the moment they unlock.
Keep 6–10: Core Infrastructure
From Keep 6 to 10 your city’s core infrastructure takes shape. Upgrades run from 30 minutes to a few hours each. Key unlocks include the Rally Spot (K7) and Tavern (K10).
- Build four Barracks as soon as they’re available multiple Barracks train troops simultaneously
- Keep your Walls upgrading in your second construction queue at all times
- Goal: Keep 10 by Day 2–3 of consistent play
Keep 11–20: The Crucial Growth Phase
Keep 11: First Sub-City – A Game Changer
Keep 11 is your first major milestone. Your Subordinate City provides passive resources and additional troop training capacity automatically. Claim it immediately and prioritise sub-cities that match your troop type: Japan for food (ground/mounted), Korea for lumber (ranged).
Keep 15: Forge Unlocked
At Keep 15 the Forge unlocks where you craft equipment for your generals using materials dropped by world map monsters. Even basic green-tier equipment adds meaningful combat bonuses. Start hunting Level 4–7 monsters on the world map daily from this point.
Keep 16: T3 Troops
Keep 16 unlocks Tier 3 troops your first real army. Before this point, only build enough troops to gather resources. From Keep 16, start training T3 in your specialised troop type.
Keep 20: The Most Important Milestone
Keep 20 unlocks T4 troops and the Spiritual Beast system. T4 troops are dramatically stronger than T3 players with T4 consistently beat T3 armies of the same size. Getting here as fast as possible is your main goal in the first three weeks.
Prerequisites for Keep 20: Walls 19, Academy 19, all military buildings (Barracks, Stables, Archer Camp, Workshop) 19, Hospital 19, all resource buildings approaching 19.
From Keep 16 onwards, upgrade everything in parallel not just your Keep. Start stockpiling stone and ore at Keep 18 as costs tip sharply toward these at Keep 20+.
Keep 21–25: Mid-Game Grind
Keep 21–25 is where many players slow significantly. Construction times extend to 1–3 days per building upgrade and resource costs become genuinely demanding.
Key Unlocks K21–25
- Keep 21: Third Sub-City slot
- Keep 22: Fifth march slot (five armies simultaneously)
- Keep 24: Fourth Sub-City slot
- Keep 25: Fifth Sub-City, T5 troops, expanded rally capacity
Keep 25 is where you become a meaningful contributor in Server vs Server events. Most alliances consider it the minimum for serious war participation.
From Keep 21 onwards, always try to upgrade during Consuming Return events you get resources back for construction you were already planning to do. This is one of the most valuable recurring events in the game.
F2P Warning at K25
Don’t rush Keep 25 at the expense of your army. If your server’s first SVS arrives and you have Keep 25 but only T3 troops and no general equipment, you’ll be a liability. Balance Keep upgrades with T4 troop training and at least basic Forge equipment on your combat general.
Keep 26–30: Deep Mid-Game
Construction times at Keep 26–30 regularly exceed 3–7 days per building. Your Keep itself can take 5–14 days per level without significant speed-up investment.
- Keep 30 unlocks T6 troops – a massive power spike
- Tavern Level 30 lets you roll for top-tier generals: Baibars, Queen Jindeok
- Dragon Cliffs expand at Keep 30 – your Sacred Dragon becomes more powerful
Resource reality at K30: a single Keep upgrade can cost hundreds of millions of each resource type. Consuming Return events are not optional from here plan every major upgrade around them.
Prerequisites for Keep 30: Walls 29, Academy 29, all military buildings 29, Hospital 29, Forge 25+.
Keep 31–35: The Long Road
Every level in this range feels like a wall. Construction times reach 30–60+ days per building without significant speed-ups. Resource costs run into the billions.
What Keep 35 Unlocks
- T8, T9, T10 troops — the top troop tiers in standard play
- Sixth march slot — send six separate armies simultaneously
- Full city capability — all buildings can now reach their maximum levels
- Academy 34 is a specific requirement — don’t miss this prerequisite
Forge 33 May Matter More Than Your Keep Level
Many experienced players recommend staying near K30–32 while completing Forge 33 equipment before pushing to K35. The combat power gain from Forge 33 gear often exceeds the gain from the Keep level itself. If you’re F2P or a moderate spender, consider this before burning every speed-up on Keep progression alone.
Speed-Up Strategy
Speed-ups are one of your most valuable currencies. Use them wisely:
- Always use speed-ups on Keep upgrades
- Use on Academy upgrades — research reduction has permanent compounding value
- Use on military buildings that are blocking your next Keep upgrade
- Save them from resource buildings — complete these overnight
- Save them from Wall upgrades — use spare queues, not speed-ups
Event timing: whenever a Construction Event or Consuming Return is active, push as many building upgrades through it as possible. You’ll earn rewards for resources you were already spending.
The Fastest Path: Queue Priority After Every Keep Upgrade
Every time you upgrade your Keep, immediately follow this sequence:
- Check what the NEXT Keep level requires
- Identify which buildings aren’t at the required level yet
- Fill both construction queues with those buildings
- Start the highest-priority research in the Academy
- Send gathering generals to collect any resources you’re short on
Never let both construction queues sit empty not for an hour. Every idle minute is progress lost permanently.
5 Mistakes That Slow Your Keep Progress
- Building too many of the same resource type. Balance your resource buildings based on what you’re constantly running out of.
- Upgrading decorative buildings first. Victory Columns and Art Halls matter eventually but should never take a queue slot over military or resource buildings.
- Ignoring Faster Construction research. This directly reduces every build time in your city completing it is like earning free speed-ups permanently.
- Not using Alliance Help. Every building upgrade, tap Help and ask in alliance chat. Members reducing your construction time is completely free.
- Waiting for resources instead of gathering. If you’re stuck on stone or ore, send gathering generals to resource tiles on the map immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to reach Keep 35 in Evony?
It varies based on spending and playstyle. Heavy spenders: 2–3 months. Moderate spenders with an active alliance: 4–8 months. Free-to-play playing consistently: 8–14 months with smart resource management.
What is the hardest Keep level to upgrade?
Most players find Keep 30–33 the hardest stretch. Construction times extend to multiple weeks per building, resource costs run into hundreds of millions, and the temptation to train troops instead of staying disciplined on Keep progression is at its strongest.
Do I need every building maxed before upgrading my Keep?
No, you only need the specific buildings listed as prerequisites for the next Keep level. Check what the upgrade requires and focus on those. You don’t need everything at maximum, just the prerequisites.
What resources are hardest to get for Keep upgrades?
Stone and ore become the hardest from Keep 25 onwards. Food and lumber are relatively easy to gather. Focus your gathering generals on stone and ore tiles from mid-game, and upgrade your Quarries and Iron Mines first when you have spare construction capacity.
Is VIP level important for Keep upgrades?
Yes. Higher VIP levels provide construction speed bonuses. VIP 6 gives 10% construction speed buff, VIP 10 gives 25%. If you spend any money in Evony, VIP packages are one of the best long-term investments because the time savings compound across every upgrade.
What happens when I reach Keep 35?
Your city is fully unlocked. The focus then shifts to maxing research trees, building a massive high-tier army, upgrading the Forge to Level 35, and competing at full power in endgame war events. Keep 35 is the beginning of true endgame, not the end of progression.