HEROES GUIDE • F2P STRATEGY

Vlad al III Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Vlad al III – “A leader of the Undead army.”

Vlad al III Evony Guide 2026

Vlad al III is a specialist Subordinate City General in Evony: The King's Return.

He is best suited to:

• offensive Subordinate City support

• PvP attacks where permanent enemy losses matter

• anti-Ground and anti-Mounted debuffing

• aggressive battlefield and Server War attacks

• niche high-risk PvP setups

His biggest strengths are:

• Enemy Wounded into Death

• anti-Ground Attack debuffs

• anti-Mounted Attack debuffs

• additional anti-Ranged and anti-Siege debuffs through Ascension

• unique offensive pressure against enemy healing capacity

• accessibility compared with many premium debuff Generals

His biggest weakness is also obvious:

Deadly Curse increases your own permanent troop losses.

Vlad al III should therefore be used carefully.

Is Vlad al III Good in Evony?

Yes, but only in a very specific role.

Vlad al III is not a normal combat General.

His value comes from making enemy casualties more permanent.

Deadly Curse:

• turns 20% of the defending enemy's wounded troops into dead troops

but when Vlad is leading an attacking army it also:

• turns 20% of your own wounded troops into dead troops

This makes Vlad one of the most aggressive and risky Sub City Generals in Evony.

Vlad al III Best Role

Best Role: Offensive Subordinate City General

Also Good For: Aggressive PvP debuff support

Avoid Using For: routine low-risk PvP, Monster Hunting or Main City Defense

Vlad al III is most useful when you deliberately want to inflict permanent losses.

That may include:

• Server War

• Battlefield attacks

• hitting heavily reinforced enemy Keeps

• punishing expensive enemy troop layers

He is much less attractive when troop preservation is your priority.

Vlad al III Special Skill

Vlad al III's Special Skill is:

Deadly Curse

When Vlad al III is leading the army to attack:

• 20% of the defending enemy's wounded troops are turned into dead troops

• 20% of your own wounded troops are also turned into dead troops

This is not a normal Attack, Defense or HP buff.

It directly changes the outcome of wounded troops after combat.

Why Deadly Curse Is So Dangerous

In normal combat, wounded troops can often be healed.

Deadly Curse converts part of those wounded troops into dead troops instead.

That means the enemy may suffer:

• more permanent losses

• larger rebuilding costs

• greater resource losses

• more training time

However, exactly the same risk applies to your own wounded troops.

That makes Vlad al III powerful but costly.

Vlad al III Ascension

Current sources list a full Ascension tree for Vlad al III.

1 Star

• Marching Mounted Troop Attack +20%

This adds direct Mounted offensive value.

2 Stars

• Marching Troop Death into Wounded Rate +8%

This partially helps offset the extra losses created by Deadly Curse.

3 Stars

• Marching Ground Troop Defense +10%

• Marching Ground Troop HP +10%

• Marching Mounted Troop Defense +10%

• Marching Mounted Troop HP +10%

This improves frontline survivability.

4 Stars

• Marching Mounted Troop Defense +25%

• Marching Mounted Troop HP +25%

This gives Vlad much stronger Mounted survivability.

5 Stars

• Enemy Ranged Troop Attack -5%

• Enemy Siege Machine Attack -5%

• Enemy Ranged Troop Defense -10%

• Enemy Siege Machine Defense -10%

• Enemy Ranged Troop HP -10%

• Enemy Siege Machine HP -10%

The 5-Star Ascension broadens Vlad's debuff coverage significantly.

Vlad al III Specialties

Vlad al III has four Specialties.

Mounted Troop Assault

• Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Mounted Troop HP +10%

Formation

• Ground Troop Attack +10%

• Mounted Troop Attack +10%

Unparalleled Leader

• Troop Death into Wounded Rate +10% when attacking

This is particularly relevant because Deadly Curse increases your own permanent losses.

Battle of Targoviste

• Enemy Ground Troop Attack -20%

• Enemy Mounted Troop Attack -20%

• Enemy Wounded into Death +6% when attacking

Battle of Targoviste is the standout Specialty.

It strengthens both sides of Vlad's identity:

• enemy frontline debuffing

• permanent enemy troop losses

How Much Enemy Wounded into Death Can Vlad al III Add?

Vlad gains:

• 20% Enemy Wounded into Death from Deadly Curse

• 6% Enemy Wounded into Death from Battle of Targoviste

That gives:

26% Enemy Wounded into Death

from his own developed kit.

This is the main reason to use him.

How Much Self-Damage Does Vlad al III Cause?

Deadly Curse also turns:

• 20% of your own wounded troops into dead troops

when attacking.

This means Vlad is not suitable for every PvP situation.

If you expect heavy wounded losses, Deadly Curse can become extremely expensive.

Vlad al III Against Ground Troops

Ground Troops are one of Vlad's natural targets.

Battle of Targoviste reduces:

• Enemy Ground Troop Attack -20%

His 5-Star Ascension does not add Ground-specific debuffs, but reducing Ground Attack is still useful because Ground troops can form a large part of defensive frontline layers.

Vlad al III Against Mounted Troops

Mounted Troops receive:

• Enemy Mounted Troop Attack -20%

from Battle of Targoviste.

This makes Vlad useful against Mounted-heavy defensive setups.

Vlad al III Against Ranged Troops

At 5-Star Ascension, Vlad gains:

• Enemy Ranged Attack -5%

• Enemy Ranged Defense -10%

• Enemy Ranged HP -10%

This gives him useful anti-Ranged support once fully Ascended.

Vlad al III Against Siege Machines

At 5-Star Ascension, Vlad also reduces:

• Enemy Siege Attack -5%

• Enemy Siege Defense -10%

• Enemy Siege HP -10%

This means a fully Ascended Vlad has much broader debuff coverage than his base skill suggests.

Does Vlad al III Need Skill Books?

Not for his main Sub City role.

Skill Books do not increase:

• Deadly Curse

• Enemy Wounded into Death

• his enemy debuffs

The older approach of building his Sub City troops around Mounted buffs is secondary at best.

If your goal is serious PvP, his debuffs and permanent-loss mechanics matter much more than the combat strength of the small troop force inside his Sub City.

Does Vlad al III Need Equipment?

Yes, if you want to maximise his Sub City value.

Debuff equipment is far more important than ordinary Mounted combat gear.

Prioritise equipment that reduces:

• Enemy Troop Attack

• Enemy Troop Defense

• Enemy Troop HP

Achaemenidae and other debuff-focused gear can make Vlad much more useful.

Try to complement the other Sub City Generals in your lineup rather than duplicating debuffs unnecessarily.

Vlad al III as a Subordinate City Mayor

Subordinate City Mayor is the best way to use Vlad.

His contribution is not based on:

• troop buffs

• march damage

• Monster Hunting

His real value is:

• converting enemy wounded into dead

• reducing Ground Attack

• reducing Mounted Attack

• adding anti-Ranged and anti-Siege debuffs when Ascended

This makes him an offensive debuff specialist.

Vlad al III and Troop Preservation

This is the most important downside.

Because Deadly Curse converts:

• 20% of your own wounded into dead

Vlad can dramatically increase your recovery costs after attacking.

That means he is a poor choice when:

• you are trying to minimise permanent losses

• you are attacking a stronger player

• your hospital capacity is limited

• your troop replacement cost is already high

Use him deliberately, not automatically.

Vlad al III in Server War

Vlad can be particularly interesting in Server War.

Permanent enemy losses matter more in high-stakes PvP.

Deadly Curse can make successful attacks significantly more punishing.

However, the same mechanic can also hurt your own score if you take large numbers of casualties.

Only use Vlad when you understand the likely battle outcome.

Vlad al III in Battlefield

Vlad can also be useful in Battlefield modes.

His enemy debuffs and Wounded-to-Death mechanics can create extra pressure.

However, Battlefield rules and recovery mechanics differ from normal city PvP.

Always judge his value in the context of the specific event.

Is Vlad al III Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes, but only as a niche specialist.

Vlad is not relevant because of high troop buffs.

His direct combat stats are now very low compared with modern Generals.

He remains relevant because Deadly Curse provides a mechanic that most Generals do not have.

That gives him a specialised role in aggressive PvP.

Is Vlad al III F2P Friendly?

Potentially, yes.

Current General databases list Vlad al III with a:

• 50,000,000 Gold value

and some currently list him under the Tavern.

However, other databases still describe him as pack-only.

Because acquisition information conflicts, check the current in-game Tavern and available General pools before relying on him as an easy F2P acquisition.

Is Vlad al III Worth Ascending?

Usually not before your main combat Generals.

His Ascension adds:

• Mounted Attack

• Ground and Mounted survivability

• anti-Ranged debuffs

• anti-Siege debuffs

These are useful.

However, his core value already exists at zero Ascension:

• Deadly Curse

Blood of Ares is extremely valuable.

For most players, stronger Main Generals should receive Ascension priority first.

Ascend Vlad only if he is an important part of your serious Sub City PvP setup.

Is Vlad al III Worth Specialties?

Battle of Targoviste is very useful.

It adds:

• Enemy Ground Attack -20%

• Enemy Mounted Attack -20%

• Enemy Wounded into Death +6%

Unparalleled Leader also provides:

• Troop Death into Wounded Rate +10%

which helps counter some of Deadly Curse's downside.

However, Runestones are expensive.

For most players, Vlad should not receive Runestone priority ahead of core PvP Generals.

Is Vlad al III Worth Investing In?

Vlad al III is worth using if:

• you actively use Subordinate Cities in PvP

• you want to inflict permanent enemy losses

• you understand Deadly Curse's downside

• you already have strong primary PvP Generals

• you want extra anti-Ground and anti-Mounted support

He is less attractive if:

• you are still developing your main combat Generals

• you cannot afford extra permanent troop losses

• you rarely attack enemy Keeps

• you want a broad, low-risk debuff Mayor

• your Blood of Ares and Runestones are limited

How to Obtain Vlad al III

Current sources disagree on Vlad al III's acquisition.

Some current databases list him under the Tavern with a value of:

• 50,000,000 Gold

while other references still describe him as premium or pack-based.

Because Evony changes General pools over time, verify his availability in the current in-game Tavern or event pools before spending specifically for him.