Catherine II Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Catherine II Evony Guide 2026

Catherine II is a specialist Subordinate City Mayor in Evony: The King's Return.

She is best suited to:

• Subordinate City development

• faster Subordinate City troop training

• faster Subordinate City construction

• increased Subordinate City Gold production

• increased Subordinate City troop capacity

• anti-Ranged debuffing after Ascension

• anti-Siege debuffing after Ascension

• F2P and low-spend accounts

Her biggest strengths are:

• Subordinate City Troop Training Speed +35%

• additional Training Speed through Specialties

• Gold Production

• Construction Speed

• Troop Capacity

• Enemy Ranged Attack reduction

• Enemy Ranged Defense reduction

• Enemy Ranged HP reduction

• Enemy Siege Attack reduction

• Enemy Siege Defense reduction

• Enemy Siege HP reduction

• Tavern accessibility

Catherine II should not be developed as a normal PvP march General.

Her correct role is Subordinate City Mayor.

Is Catherine II Good in Evony?

Yes, but mainly for Subordinate Cities.

Catherine II is one of the older specialist development Mayors.

Her Special Skill provides:

• Subordinate City Troop Training Speed +35%

while she is Mayor.

This allows the Subordinate City to replace troops much faster.

That matters because Subordinate City troops can be lost rapidly during PvP.

Her Ascension later adds a valuable anti-Ranged and anti-Siege debuff package.

Catherine II Best Role

Best Role: Subordinate City Mayor

Primary Use:

• Sub City development

• troop replacement

• economy

• anti-Ranged and anti-Siege debuffing after Ascension

Avoid Using For:

• Ranged PvP Main

• Ground PvP

• Mounted PvP

• Siege PvP Main

• Monster Hunting

• Main City Defense

Although Catherine II has a Ranged-focused first Specialty, she is not a serious Ranged combat General.

Catherine II Special Skill

Catherine II's Special Skill is:

Domination

When Catherine II is the Mayor of a Subordinate City:

• Troop Training Speed +35%

This is always active while she remains Mayor.

The skill is designed to help the Subordinate City recover troops faster after combat.

Why Subordinate City Training Speed Matters

Subordinate City troops participate in battle when the Sub City joins your Main City combat.

Those troops can suffer large losses.

Faster Training Speed means:

• faster troop replacement

• quicker Sub City recovery

• more consistent PvP support

• less downtime after heavy fighting

For active PvP players, this can make Subordinate Cities much easier to maintain.

Catherine II Ascension

Ascending Catherine II changes her from a pure development General into a useful anti-Ranged and anti-Siege debuffer.

1 Star

• Enemy Ranged Troop Defense -10%

• Enemy Siege Machine Defense -10%

This improves damage against those troop types.

2 Stars

• Enemy Ranged Troop Defense -15%

• Enemy Siege Machine Defense -15%

• Enemy Ranged Troop HP -15%

• Enemy Siege Machine HP -15%

This is a substantial anti-Ranged and anti-Siege upgrade.

3 Stars

• Enemy Ranged Troop Attack -10%

• Enemy Siege Machine Attack -10%

• Death into Survival Rate in this Subordinate City +10%

This adds both combat debuffing and Sub City troop survival.

4 Stars

• Enemy Ranged Troop Defense -20%

• Enemy Siege Machine Defense -20%

• Enemy Ranged Troop HP -20%

• Enemy Siege Machine HP -20%

This further strengthens her anti-Ranged and anti-Siege role.

5 Stars

• Enemy Ranged Troop Attack -25%

• Enemy Siege Machine Attack -25%

The fifth star gives a large Attack reduction against both troop types.

Catherine II's Total Anti-Ranged Debuffs

From Ascension, Catherine II can reach:

Enemy Ranged Defense:

• -10% at 1-Star

• -15% at 2-Star

• -20% at 4-Star

Total:

• Enemy Ranged Defense -45%

Enemy Ranged HP:

• -15% at 2-Star

• -20% at 4-Star

Total:

• Enemy Ranged HP -35%

Enemy Ranged Attack:

• -10% at 3-Star

• -25% at 5-Star

Total:

• Enemy Ranged Attack -35%

This is a surprisingly useful anti-Ranged package for an older development General.

Catherine II's Total Anti-Siege Debuffs

Catherine II receives the same Ascension debuffs against Siege Machines.

That gives:

• Enemy Siege Defense -45%

• Enemy Siege HP -35%

• Enemy Siege Attack -35%

when fully Ascended.

This gives her real PvP value beyond simple Sub City development.

Catherine II Specialties

Catherine II has four Specialties.

Ranged Troop Defense

• Ranged Troop HP +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

This is a small combat bonus.

It is not the main reason to use Catherine II.

Pacify

Applied to Subordinate City Mayor:

• Subordinate City Gold Production Speed +36%

• Subordinate City Construction Speed +36%

This directly supports Sub City development.

Ruler

Applied to Subordinate City Mayor:

• Subordinate City Troop Capacity +36%

This allows the Subordinate City to maintain a larger troop force.

Territory Expansion

Applied to Subordinate City Mayor:

• Subordinate City Gold Production Speed +40%

• Subordinate City Training Speed +20%

Territory Expansion is Catherine II's strongest development Specialty.

How Much Sub City Training Speed Can Catherine II Add?

Catherine II gains:

• Training Speed +35% from Domination

• Training Speed +20% from Territory Expansion

That gives:

55% Subordinate City Troop Training Speed

from her own developed kit.

This is before any additional Sub City effects from other systems.

How Much Sub City Gold Production Can Catherine II Add?

Catherine II gains:

• Gold Production +36% from Pacify

• Gold Production +40% from Territory Expansion

That gives:

76% Subordinate City Gold Production Speed

from her Specialties.

This improves the passive Gold generated by the Sub City.

How Much Sub City Construction Speed Can Catherine II Add?

Pacify gives:

• Subordinate City Construction Speed +36%

This helps the Sub City develop buildings faster.

That is especially useful on newly captured or lower-quality Subordinate Cities.

How Much Sub City Troop Capacity Can Catherine II Add?

Ruler gives:

• Subordinate City Troop Capacity +36%

This increases the number of troops the Sub City can maintain.

That improves its long-term combat contribution.

Best Skill Books for Catherine II

For pure Sub City development, use:

• Lv4 Training Capacity

• Lv4 Construction

• Lv4 Gold Production

These improve:

• troop capacity

• building development

• Gold production

Do not use a Training Speed Skill Book.

Catherine II already has Training Speed from her Special Skill, so the standard Training Skill Book conflicts with that effect.

Does Catherine II Need Combat Skill Books?

No.

Her combat value comes from:

• Ascension debuffs

• Sub City equipment

• Mayor effects

not from trying to turn her into a field combat General.

Development Skill Books are more useful.

Best Equipment for Catherine II

If Catherine II is being used primarily for development, economy-focused Sub City gear can be useful.

If you intend to use her in PvP after Ascension, switch toward debuff-focused equipment.

Prioritise gear that reduces:

• Enemy Troop Attack

• Enemy Troop Defense

• Enemy Troop HP

Achaemenidae and other debuff-oriented sets can dramatically increase her PvP contribution.

Catherine II as a Development Mayor

This is her strongest early-game role.

She can improve:

• Training Speed

• Gold Production

• Construction Speed

• Troop Capacity

That makes her excellent for building up newly acquired Subordinate Cities.

Catherine II as a PvP Mayor

Once Ascended, Catherine II becomes much more interesting.

She can reduce Enemy Ranged and Siege:

• Attack

• Defense

• HP

while still providing Sub City development benefits.

This gives her a useful transition from:

• development Mayor

into:

• specialist PvP debuffer

Catherine II Against Ranged Troops

Fully Ascended, Catherine II can heavily weaken Ranged Troops.

She can reduce:

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

This makes her useful against Ranged-heavy enemy keeps.

Catherine II Against Siege Machines

She provides the same debuff profile against Siege.

That makes her useful against:

• Siege-heavy defenses

• Siege PvP marches

• large high-tier Siege stacks

Catherine II Against Ground Troops

Catherine II does not have major Ground-specific debuffs.

Her kit is much more focused on:

• Ranged

• Siege

Use other Sub City Generals if Ground is the main enemy threat.

Catherine II Against Mounted Troops

She also lacks strong Mounted-specific debuffs.

Again, Catherine II should be seen as a specialist anti-Ranged and anti-Siege Mayor rather than a universal debuffer.

Catherine II vs Pure Debuff Generals

Dedicated debuff Generals can offer stronger immediate PvP value.

Examples include Generals that reduce:

• all troop Attack

• Ground Attack

• Mounted Attack

• broad Defense

• broad HP

Catherine II's advantage is flexibility.

She can help develop a Sub City first and later become a useful Ranged/Siege debuffer after Ascension.

Is Catherine II Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes.

Her base development role remains useful because Subordinate Cities still need:

• troops

• Gold

• buildings

• capacity

Her Ascension also gives her a second life as a specialised PvP debuffer.

That combination helps her survive power creep better than many old field Generals.

Is Catherine II F2P Friendly?

Yes.

Catherine II is available from the Tavern.

Current sources list her cost at:

• 27,000,000 Gold

That makes her very accessible to F2P and low-spend players.

It also makes obtaining duplicate copies for Ascension realistic.

How to Obtain Catherine II

Catherine II can be recruited from the Tavern.

Current sources list her cost at:

• 27,000,000 Gold

She is one of the more accessible specialist Sub City Generals in Evony.

Is Catherine II Worth Ascending?

Potentially yes.

Her Ascension adds substantial:

• Enemy Ranged Attack reduction

• Enemy Ranged Defense reduction

• Enemy Ranged HP reduction

• Enemy Siege Attack reduction

• Enemy Siege Defense reduction

• Enemy Siege HP reduction

• Sub City Death-to-Survival

This is a much stronger Ascension tree than her simple base skill suggests.

However, Blood of Ares is valuable.

Prioritise:

• primary PvP Generals

• Wall Generals

• major combat investments

before heavily Ascending Catherine II unless her debuff role is important to your setup.

Is Catherine II Worth Specialties?

Yes, if you actively develop Subordinate Cities.

Her Specialties add:

• Gold Production

• Construction Speed

• Troop Capacity

• Training Speed

These make her one of the better pure development Mayors.

However, Runestones remain expensive.

Do not max her before core combat Generals unless Sub City development is a major priority.

Is Catherine II Worth Investing In?

Catherine II is worth using if:

• you are F2P or low-spend

• you want faster Sub City troop replacement

• you are developing new Sub Cities

• you want more Sub City Gold

• you want larger Sub City troop capacity

• you need anti-Ranged debuffs

• you need anti-Siege debuffs

• you can realistically obtain Tavern duplicates

She is less urgent if:

• your Sub Cities are already highly developed

• you already have stronger specialist debuff Mayors

• your Blood of Ares is limited

• your Runestones are limited

TEBA 2026 Reality Check

Catherine II looks like a simple economy General at first.

Her base skill only gives:

• Subordinate City Training Speed +35%

But her Ascension completely changes her long-term value.

At full Ascension she can reduce:

• Enemy Ranged Defense -45%

• Enemy Ranged HP -35%

• Enemy Ranged Attack -35%

• Enemy Siege Defense -45%

• Enemy Siege HP -35%

• Enemy Siege Attack -35%

while also giving:

• Sub City Death-to-Survival +10%

That means she can begin as:

• a development Mayor

and later become:

• a specialist anti-Ranged and anti-Siege PvP Mayor

That dual-purpose progression is her real value.

TEBA Verdict

Catherine II is an accessible specialist Subordinate City Mayor.

Her base Special Skill provides:

• Subordinate City Troop Training Speed +35%

Her Specialties then add:

• Gold Production +76%

• Construction Speed +36%

• Troop Capacity +36%

• another Training Speed +20%

giving her:

• 55% Subordinate City Training Speed

from her own developed kit.

Her Ascension then adds powerful anti-Ranged and anti-Siege debuffs, including:

• Enemy Ranged Attack reduction

• Enemy Ranged Defense reduction

• Enemy Ranged HP reduction

• Enemy Siege Attack reduction

• Enemy Siege Defense reduction

• Enemy Siege HP reduction

Her biggest strengths are:

• excellent Sub City development

• very good Training Speed

• strong Gold Production

• useful Troop Capacity

• powerful anti-Ranged Ascension

• powerful anti-Siege Ascension

• Tavern accessibility

Her biggest limitation is specialization.

She does very little against Ground and Mounted troops compared with dedicated debuff Generals.

For F2P and low-spend players, Catherine II remains a very useful Subordinate City General in 2026.

Use her to develop the Sub City first, then let Ascension turn her into a serious anti-Ranged and anti-Siege support General later.