Spartans: the complete tribe guide
Quality at a price - the hero's equipment scaling, the Asclepeion, every Spartan troop against its opposite numbers, and the hammer that beats every other tribe per crop.
Updated 21 September 2026
Spartans arrived after Egyptians and Huns. They are a high-quality, high-investment tribe whose units often look exceptional per troop but are held back by slow production and weak early farming. The opening rewards discipline rather than aggression.
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 Spartans page.
The hero
The Spartan hero has an equipment interaction worth understanding properly. The 50% fighting-power increase applies not only to weapon fighting power but also to qualifying fighting-power contributions from items such as shields and armour. It is easy to overlook, and easy for a calculator to get wrong - ours handles it in the hero database and in the Army calculator.
For troop weapons, though, the bonus often acts as an equaliser rather than a free advantage. Spartan production is slower, so another tribe may apply a smaller per-unit weapon bonus to a larger number of troops and end up ahead. On crafted-item special servers the personal fighting-power scaling becomes much more dramatic, and deserves to be treated as a separate case.
The Asclepeion
The Asclepeion sounds more powerful on paper than it usually feels. It recovers a larger share of the wounded and has useful culture-point characteristics, but an active player's healing queue is often full for much of the mid and late game. Once throughput is saturated, extra wounded capacity becomes backlog rather than usable army.
Treat it as supporting efficiency, not as the single reason to choose the tribe. The Hospital and wounded troops explains what "wounded" means and how recovery is actually calculated.
Troops, and what they are up against
Hoplite
A flexible stepping stone rather than the final core unit - decent attack, usable defence, cheap enough to mass while the account is still small.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HopliteSpartans | 35 | 30 | 7.4 | 1 | 440 | 6 | this troop |
| LegionnaireRomans | 35 | 50 | 10.6 | 1 | 400 | 6 | Compare |
| MercenaryHuns | 40 | 30 | 12.1 | 1 | 290 | 6 | Compare |
| PhalanxGauls | 40 | 50 | 14.3 | 1 | 315 | 7 | Compare |
| Ash WardenEgyptians | 55 | 40 | 11.3 | 1 | 420 | 6 | Compare |
Shieldsman
The highest infantry defence per crop in the game. This is the correction to the usual Roman claim: the Shieldsman beats the Praetorian outright on the figure the Praetorian is famous for. The two side by side.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShieldsmanSpartans | 85 | 45 | 12.3 | 1 | 530 | 8 | this troop |
| PraetorianRomans | 65 | 35 | 10.9 | 1 | 460 | 5 | Compare |
| 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 |
Twinsteel Therion
90 attack for one crop - higher attack per crop than the Imperian, and past the single-unit breakpoint that makes precision farming with one troop worthwhile. Hammer infantry and a farming tool at once.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twinsteel TherionSpartans | 55 | 40 | 6.0 | 1 | 795 | 6 | 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 |
| Khopesh WarriorEgyptians | 50 | 20 | 5.4 | 1 | 650 | 7 | Compare |
Sentinel
A one-crop infantry scout with real defensive stats, which makes it a strong candidate for dedicated anti-scout production and Wonder support - Scouting explains why that matters.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Speed | Crop | Cost | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SentinelSpartans | 40 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 445 | this troop |
| ScoutTeutons | 10 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 360 | Compare |
| Heimdalls EyeVikings | 10 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 350 | Compare |
| PathfinderGauls | 20 | 10 | 17 | 2 | 380 | Compare |
| Equites LegatiRomans | 20 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 360 | Compare |
Elpida Rider
Premium balanced mobile defence: the best of the two-crop defensive cavalry on infantry defence.
| Unit | Def inf | Def cav | Def / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elpida RiderSpartans | 120 | 90 | 7.3 | 2 | 1,440 | 16 | this troop |
| DruidriderGauls | 115 | 55 | 7.8 | 2 | 1,090 | 16 | Compare |
| Anhur GuardEgyptians | 110 | 50 | 7.3 | 2 | 1,090 | 15 | Compare |
| Huskarl RiderVikings | 95 | 100 | 9.2 | 2 | 1,055 | 12 | Compare |
| PaladinTeutons | 100 | 40 | 7.0 | 2 | 1,005 | 10 | Compare |
Corinthian Crusher
The highest single attack value in the game at 195. Extremely concentrated offensive cavalry - judge it on attack per day as well as per crop, because the Stable hours are what a Spartan account runs out of.
| Unit | Attack | Attack / crop | Attack / 100 res | Crop | Cost | Speed | Carry | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corinthian CrusherSpartans | 195 | 65.0 | 8.4 | 3 | 2,315 | 9 | 80 | this troop |
| Equites CaesarisRomans | 180 | 45.0 | 8.3 | 4 | 2,170 | 10 | 70 | Compare |
| MarauderHuns | 180 | 60.0 | 10.2 | 3 | 1,760 | 14 | 80 | Compare |
| Teutonic KnightTeutons | 150 | 50.0 | 9.8 | 3 | 1,525 | 9 | 80 | Compare |
| Valkyrie’s BlessingVikings | 160 | 80.0 | 9.8 | 2 | 1,625 | 9 | 80 | Compare |
Ram and Ballista
The Spartan ram is solid; the Ballista should be judged on cost and Workshop throughput rather than raw attack. Rams and walls and Catapults: targets, durability and how many to send compare every tribe's siege.
| Unit | Attack | Attack / 100 res | Def cav | Cost | Crop | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RamSpartans | 65 | 3.8 | 80 | 1,705 | 3 | this troop |
| RamTeutons | 65 | 3.8 | 80 | 1,720 | 3 | Compare |
| Battering ramRomans | 60 | 3.3 | 75 | 1,830 | 3 | Compare |
| RamVikings | 65 | 3.8 | 80 | 1,720 | 3 | Compare |
| Unit | Attack | Attack / 100 res | Def cav | Cost | Crop | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BallistaSpartans | 50 | 1.8 | 10 | 2,750 | 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 |
Ephor
20-25% loyalty per hit, the standard reliable range - see Administrators: loyalty and conquering villages.
| Unit | Loyalty per hit | Cost | Crop | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EphorSpartans | 20-25% | 114,290 | 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
Conventional expansion. The Spartan weakness is not the settler price but the lack of an early farming engine to pay for it. Settlers and founding villages covers the rest.
| Unit | Cost | Carry | Crop | Speed | Side by side |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SettlerSpartans | 19,995 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | this troop |
| SettlerGauls | 18,100 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | Compare |
| SettlerRomans | 19,000 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | Compare |
| SettlerTeutons | 20,000 | 3,000 | 1 | 5 | Compare |
The early game
Spartans generally have a weaker race to the second village, because they lack Teuton and Hun farming economics and the Egyptian hero's resource engine. The best approach is disciplined development: avoid overinvesting in troops and settle cleanly. A Spartan who tries to farm like a Teuton in week one arrives at week three with neither an economy nor an army.
Defensive strategy
Shieldsman + Elpida Rider is the natural structure. Shieldsmen provide the best one-crop infantry defence in the game; Elpidas add mobile, well-rounded cavalry defence. Sentinel villages can add high-quality anti-scout support - cheap, and almost nobody builds it.
Offensive strategy
Therion + Corinthian Crusher is the natural mature hammer. Therions provide excellent one-crop attack concentration and micro-farming utility; Crushers add the heaviest cavalry in the game. The Spartan hero should normally stay with the main force, because his equipment scaling helps offset the tribe's slower production.
The numbers: the strongest hammer per crop
The Spartan hammer against three other tribes' best, all on 100,000 crop:
| Army | Troops | Attack | Resources | Days to train |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twinsteel Therion + Corinthian Crusher | 50,000 + 16,666 | 7,749,870 | 78,331,790 | 165.1 |
| Imperian + Equites Caesaris | 50,000 + 12,500 | 5,750,000-26% | 57,125,000-27% | 150.1-9.1% |
| Axeman + Teutonic Knight | 50,000 + 16,666 | 5,499,900-29% | 49,915,650-36% | 93.8-43% |
| Thrall + Valkyrie’s Blessing | 50,000 + 25,000 | 6,250,000-19% | 53,875,000-31% | 119.6-28% |
No other tribe comes within 19% of it on the same crop. The Roman hammer is 26% weaker, the Teuton one 29% weaker, the Viking one 19% weaker.
And then the rest of the table explains why Spartans are not simply the best tribe. The Roman army is 27% cheaper and the Teuton one 36% cheaper, and the Spartan hammer takes longer to train than any of the three. Sparta wins the comparison a crop ceiling imposes and loses the one a server does: the Teuton hammer is in the field while the Spartan is still in the queue.
That is the whole tribe in two rows. If the account has a huge cropper, a long server and the resources to fill it, nothing beats a Spartan hammer. If it has a deadline, something else should be building it.
The numbers: which Spartan defence
| Army | Troops | Def inf | Def cav | Resources | Days to train |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shieldsman | 100,000 | 8,500,000 | 4,500,000 | 53,000,000 | 302.7 |
| Elpida Rider | 50,000 | 6,000,000-29% | 4,500,000 | 72,000,000+36% | 220.1-27% |
| Shieldsman + Elpida Rider | 50,000 + 25,000 | 7,250,000-15% | 4,500,000 | 62,500,000+18% | 151.3-50% |
| Praetorian | 100,000 | 6,500,000-24% | 3,500,000-22% | 46,000,000-13% | 275.2-9.1% |
The Praetorian wall that usually gets called the best in the game gives up 24% of the infantry defence and 22% of the cavalry defence to the same crop of Shieldsmen. It is 13% cheaper, which is the whole of its case.
Elpida Riders give up 29% of the infantry defence and match the cavalry defence exactly, for 36% more resources, buying mobility with the difference. The mix trains in half the time of either alone, which for a defensive account under pressure is often the figure that decides it.
Strengths, weaknesses and common mistakes
- Strength. The strongest hammer per crop in the game, and the best one-crop infantry defender.
- Strength. The hero's equipment scaling, which most calculators model badly.
- Weakness. Slow production and a weak early economy - both ends of the same problem.
- Weakness. Expensive. Every advantage above is bought.
- Mistake. Choosing Spartans for the unit stats without checking whether the account can pay for them.
- Mistake. Building the Asclepeion expecting a free army. It helps when the healing queue has room, and not otherwise.
Where to go next
- The seven tribes compared by the numbers - every tribe's best attacker and defender.
- The Hospital and wounded troops - what the Asclepeion is actually recovering.
- Army calculator - price the hammer, buildings and hero included.
- Smithy upgrades: what they do to your units - what upgrades do to units this expensive.