Egyptians: the complete tribe guide
The economy tribe - Waterworks, the hero's production bonus, every Egyptian troop against its opposite numbers, and exactly what a Khopesh hammer gives up.
Updated 21 September 2026
Egyptians arrived alongside Huns. Their defining advantage is not aggressive farming but an economy capable of becoming enormous while supporting sustained defence - a tribe for a player who would rather build the best capital on the server than the biggest farm list.
Every unit below links to its page in the unit database, and every comparison opens in the Unit comparison with both sides already chosen. The whole roster is on the Egyptians page.
The hero
The Egyptian hero's resource-production bonus is one of the best early economic advantages in the game. It accelerates the starting village and can later be moved to a newly settled village to speed its development.
Its relative value falls later, once Waterworks-enhanced oasis production is much larger than anything the hero adds. That is worth planning for: the hero is an opening investment that quietly stops being the main engine. What his attributes and equipment are worth is in the hero database.
Waterworks
The Waterworks is the centrepiece of Egyptian economic planning. It increases the bonus from captured oases and can turn a strong cropper into an exceptional capital.
It is not a building to max everywhere. The right level depends on the oasis percentages actually attached to the village, the field production, the upgrade cost, how much of the server is left and whether the village is strategically important at all. A level that pays for itself in nine days in the capital may never pay for itself in a support village. Oases: bonuses, animals and annexing has the production figures the calculation starts from.
Troops, and what they are up against
Slave Militia
The cheapest troop in the game, and an early-defence answer precisely because resources are scarcer than crop in week one. Its weakness is the reverse: once armies are enormous, defence per crop is what matters and the Slave Militia is poor at it.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slave MilitiaEgyptians | 30 | 20 | 16.7 | 1 | 150 | 7 | this troop |
| Ash WardenEgyptians | 55 | 40 | 11.3 | 1 | 420 | 6 | Compare |
| PhalanxGauls | 40 | 50 | 14.3 | 1 | 315 | 7 | Compare |
| SpearmanTeutons | 35 | 60 | 14.0 | 1 | 340 | 7 | Compare |
| Shield MaidenVikings | 50 | 30 | 12.5 | 1 | 320 | 7 | Compare |
Ash Warden
The sustainable infantry defender, and what a developed Egyptian account actually produces.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash WardenEgyptians | 55 | 40 | 11.3 | 1 | 420 | 6 | this troop |
| PhalanxGauls | 40 | 50 | 14.3 | 1 | 315 | 7 | Compare |
| SpearmanTeutons | 35 | 60 | 14.0 | 1 | 340 | 7 | Compare |
| PraetorianRomans | 65 | 35 | 10.9 | 1 | 460 | 5 | Compare |
| ShieldsmanSpartans | 85 | 45 | 12.3 | 1 | 530 | 8 | Compare |
Khopesh Warrior
Useful offence, but not enough to make Egypt a premier hammer tribe - compare it with the Imperian and the gap is the point.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khopesh WarriorEgyptians | 50 | 20 | 5.4 | 1 | 650 | 7 | this troop |
| ImperianRomans | 40 | 25 | 5.4 | 1 | 600 | 7 | Compare |
| AxemanTeutons | 30 | 30 | 6.1 | 1 | 490 | 6 | Compare |
| SwordsmanGauls | 35 | 20 | 5.1 | 1 | 535 | 6 | Compare |
| Twinsteel TherionSpartans | 55 | 40 | 6.0 | 1 | 795 | 6 | Compare |
Sopdu Explorer
A cavalry scout: fast, and two crop rather than one. Scouting explains what a scouting battle actually resolves.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Speed | Crop | Cost | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sopdu ExplorerEgyptians | 20 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 380 | this troop |
| PathfinderGauls | 20 | 10 | 17 | 2 | 380 | Compare |
| SpotterHuns | 20 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 380 | Compare |
| Equites LegatiRomans | 20 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 360 | Compare |
| SentinelSpartans | 40 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 445 | Compare |
Anhur Guard
Mobile infantry defence, and the direct rival of the Gaul Druidrider and the Spartan Elpida Rider.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anhur GuardEgyptians | 110 | 50 | 7.3 | 2 | 1,090 | 15 | this troop |
| DruidriderGauls | 115 | 55 | 7.8 | 2 | 1,090 | 16 | Compare |
| Elpida RiderSpartans | 120 | 90 | 7.3 | 2 | 1,440 | 16 | Compare |
| PaladinTeutons | 100 | 40 | 7.0 | 2 | 1,005 | 10 | Compare |
| Huskarl RiderVikings | 95 | 100 | 9.2 | 2 | 1,055 | 12 | Compare |
Resheph Chariot
A strong all-round mobile defender rather than simply the best cavalry defender in the game - the Haeduan holds more cavalry defence per crop, and the Resheph earns its place by being good at both halves at once.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def inf / crop | Def cav / crop | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resheph ChariotEgyptians | 120 | 150 | 40.0 | 50.0 | 7.5 | 3 | 1,800 | 10 | this troop |
| HaeduanGauls | 60 | 165 | 20.0 | 55.0 | 5.7 | 3 | 1,965 | 13 | Compare |
| Elpida RiderSpartans | 120 | 90 | 60.0 | 45.0 | 7.3 | 2 | 1,440 | 16 | Compare |
| Huskarl RiderVikings | 95 | 100 | 47.5 | 50.0 | 9.2 | 2 | 1,055 | 12 | Compare |
| MarksmanHuns | 80 | 70 | 40.0 | 35.0 | 7.1 | 2 | 1,050 | 15 | Compare |
Ram and Stone Catapult
Functional but expensive. Compare cost and Workshop throughput rather than raw attack: Rams and walls and Catapults: targets, durability and how many to send.
| Unit | Attack | Attack / 100 res | Def cav | Cost | Crop | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RamEgyptians | 55 | 2.8 | 95 | 1,990 | 3 | this troop |
| RamTeutons | 65 | 3.8 | 80 | 1,720 | 3 | Compare |
| Battering ramRomans | 60 | 3.3 | 75 | 1,830 | 3 | Compare |
| RamGauls | 50 | 2.6 | 105 | 1,910 | 3 | Compare |
| Unit | Attack | Attack / 100 res | Def cav | Cost | Crop | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone CatapultEgyptians | 65 | 2.0 | 10 | 3,250 | 6 | this troop |
| Fire CatapultRomans | 75 | 2.5 | 10 | 2,990 | 6 | Compare |
| TrebuchetGauls | 70 | 2.2 | 10 | 3,130 | 6 | Compare |
| CatapultTeutons | 50 | 1.8 | 10 | 2,760 | 6 | Compare |
Nomarch
20-25% loyalty per hit, the standard reliable range. Administrators: loyalty and conquering villages has the wave arithmetic.
| Unit | Loyalty per hit | Cost | Crop | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NomarchEgyptians | 20-25% | 160,000 | 4 | 4 | this troop |
| ChiefTeutons | 20-25% | 114,300 | 4 | 4 | Compare |
| SenatorRomans | 20-30% | 140,450 | 5 | 4 | Compare |
| LogadesHuns | 15-30% | 117,600 | 4 | 5 | Compare |
Settler
The most expensive settler in the game. Egypt's expansion advantage comes from economy rather than from cheap settlers - the resources arrive sooner, not for less. Settlers and founding villages covers the rest.
| Unit | Cost | Carry | Crop | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SettlerEgyptians | 21,000 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | this troop |
| SettlerGauls | 18,100 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | Compare |
| SettlerRomans | 19,000 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | Compare |
| SettlerHuns | 20,900 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | Compare |
Economy and farming
Egypt can compete economically without constant oasis or player raiding, which makes the tribe attractive to players who want a powerful capital and a defensive network rather than a farm-list race. A strong raider will still outproduce a passive Egyptian early; what Egypt has is a much higher non-raiding ceiling than anyone else.
Defensive strategy
Early defence can lean on Slave Militia, because resources are the constraint and crop is not. As the server develops, move to Ash Wardens and then to cavalry defenders. The late-game strength is sustainable defence supported by a Waterworks-powered economy: Egypt can feed a defensive stack that other tribes would starve.
Offensive strategy
Egypt can build a hammer, and it is usually a strategic surprise rather than the most efficient use of the tribe. Khopesh + Resheph is the natural conventional route. The surprise may work once; the production economics underneath it do not change.
The numbers: what an Egyptian hammer gives up
The Egyptian hammer against two tribes built for the job, all on 100,000 crop:
| Army | Troops | Attack | Resources | Days to train |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khopesh Warrior + Resheph Chariot | 50,000 + 16,666 | 5,083,260 | 62,498,800 | 112.6 |
| Imperian + Equites Caesaris | 50,000 + 12,500 | 5,750,000+13% | 57,125,000-8.6% | 150.1+33% |
| Axeman + Teutonic Knight | 50,000 + 16,666 | 5,499,900+8.2% | 49,915,650-20% | 93.8-17% |
The Roman hammer is about 13% stronger for about 8% fewer resources, and the Teuton one about 8% stronger for 20% fewer. That is the price of the Egyptian toolkit, and it is smaller than the tribe's reputation suggests.
What the attack column cannot show is why the Egyptian army is not simply worse: the same crop of it carries between a quarter and nearly twice as much defence as either of those hammers, depending on the column - the troop tables above have the figures. An Egyptian hammer caught standing still is an army; a Teuton one is a casualty list. If the plan is one enormous attack on a Wonder, build Roman or Teuton. If the plan is an army that has to survive being attacked between operations, the Egyptian numbers are not the sacrifice they look like.
The numbers: which Egyptian defence
| Army | Troops | Def inf | Def cav | Resources | Days to train |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash Warden | 100,000 | 5,500,000 | 4,000,000 | 42,000,000 | 215.8 |
| Slave Militia | 100,000 | 3,000,000-45% | 2,000,000-50% | 15,000,000-64% | 82.9-62% |
| Anhur Guard | 50,000 | 5,500,000 | 2,500,000-37% | 54,500,000+30% | 200.1-7.2% |
| Resheph Chariot | 33,333 | 3,999,960-27% | 4,999,950+25% | 59,999,400+43% | 168.9-22% |
| Ash Warden + Anhur Guard | 50,000 + 25,000 | 5,500,000 | 3,250,000-19% | 48,250,000+15% | 107.9-50% |
Slave Militia is the early answer and nothing more: 64% cheaper than the same crop of Ash Wardens, and worth roughly half the defence on both columns. In week two that trade is correct, because resources are what the account has not got. By month two it is the wrong way round.
Resheph Chariots hold the most cavalry defence of the five and cost 43% more than the Ash Warden wall. The Ash Warden and Anhur Guard mix is the practical middle: it trains in half the time of either alone, because the Barracks and the Stable work at once.
Strengths, weaknesses and common mistakes
- Strength. The highest economic ceiling in the game without raiding.
- Strength. Waterworks, on a capital with good oases.
- Strength. Defence that stays sustainable when crop gets tight.
- Weakness. Offence is competent, not exceptional.
- Weakness. The most expensive settlers in the game.
- Mistake. Maxing Waterworks in every village. It pays where the oases are, and nowhere else.
- Mistake. Staying on Slave Militia after the crop ceiling, not the resource income, has become the constraint.
Where to go next
- The seven tribes compared by the numbers - every tribe's best attacker and defender.
- Oases: bonuses, animals and annexing - what an oasis produces, and what Waterworks does to it.
- Village efficiency - plan the capital the economy rests on.
- Army calculator - price a whole army, buildings included.