Cyrus the Great Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Cyrus the Great Evony Guide 2026

Cyrus the Great is a Mounted Troop General in Evony: The King's Return.

He is best suited to:

• Monster Hunting

• Mounted PvP

• secondary Mounted marches

• attacking enemy Keeps

• accounts that need an accessible cavalry backup

His biggest strengths are:

• useful Mounted Troop Attack

• excellent native March Size

• clean Monster Hunting Skill Book options

• secondary Ranged and Siege Attack support

• straightforward development

Cyrus the Great should primarily be built around Mounted Troops.

Is Cyrus the Great Good in Evony?

Yes, but he is better viewed as a backup or transitional Mounted General in 2026.

His Special Skill provides:

• Mounted Troop Attack +25%

• Ranged Troop Attack +15%

• Siege Machine Attack +15%

when he is leading the army to attack.

This gives him useful offensive flexibility.

However, his base Special Skill does not provide:

• Mounted Troop Defense

• Mounted Troop HP

which leaves him less balanced than newer Mounted Generals.

Cyrus the Great Best Role

Best Role: Monster Hunting / Mounted PvP

Also Good For: Secondary Mounted Marches

Avoid Using For: Passive Main City Defense

Cyrus works particularly well as an accessible Monster Hunting General because Mounted Troops are the standard troop type for boss damage.

He can also be used for Mounted PvP.

However, stronger modern Generals should normally receive priority for major long-term investment.

Cyrus the Great Special Skill

Cyrus the Great's Special Skill is:

King of Kings

When Cyrus the Great is leading the army to attack:

• Ranged Troop Attack +15%

• Siege Machine Attack +15%

• Mounted Troop Attack +25%

The Mounted Attack bonus is the main reason to build him around cavalry.

The Ranged and Siege buffs are useful secondary support but do not make him a true Ranged or Siege General.

Cyrus the Great Ascension

Ascending Cyrus the Great improves his Mounted Attack, March Size and mixed troop support.

1 Star

• Marching Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +10%

• Marching Siege Machine Defense +10%

This gives Cyrus more Mounted damage while adding some secondary Ranged and Siege survivability.

2 Stars

• Enemy In-City Troop Wounded into Death Rate +10%

This adds extra offensive pressure when attacking enemy cities.

3 Stars

• March Size Capacity +14%

This is one of Cyrus the Great's strongest upgrades.

A 14% March Size increase benefits both Monster Hunting and Mounted PvP.

4 Stars

• Marching Mounted Troop Attack +15%

• Marching Ranged Troop HP +15%

• Marching Siege Machine HP +15%

This provides another useful Mounted Attack increase.

5 Stars

• Marching Ranged Troop Attack +15%

• Marching Siege Machine Attack +15%

• Marching Mounted Troop Defense +10%

• Marching Mounted Troop HP +10%

The fifth star finally adds meaningful Mounted survivability.

Cyrus the Great Specialties

Cyrus the Great has four Specialties.

Mounted Troop Assault

• Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Mounted Troop HP +10%

Annihilation

• March Size Capacity +6%

• Attacking Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Attacking Ground Troop Attack +10%

War God

• All Troops Attack +6%

Media Conquest

• Mounted Troop Attack +20%

• Ranged Troop Attack +20%

Media Conquest is the standout Specialty for Cyrus.

It provides another useful Mounted Attack increase while also strengthening his secondary Ranged support.

Best Skill Books for Cyrus the Great

For Monster Hunting, a strong build is:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack Against Monster

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack

• Lv4 March Size

This provides:

• more Mounted damage against Monsters

• more general Mounted Attack

• more troops in the march

This is also the same core Monster Hunting setup used in TEBA's existing Cyrus build.

Best Skill Books for Mounted PvP

For Mounted PvP, a strong setup is:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack

• Lv4 Mounted Troop HP

• Lv4 March Size

This gives Cyrus:

• more damage

• improved survivability

• more troops per march

Another option is replacing March Size with:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Speed

if faster engagement is more important to your build.

Best Assistant Generals for Cyrus the Great

Current TEBA pairing data includes:

• Laudon

• André Masséna

• Martinus with Dragon and Skin

These are Mounted-focused partners where compatibility remains active.

The ideal Assistant should add:

• Mounted Troop Attack

• Mounted Troop HP

• Mounted Troop Defense

• March Size

• Monster-specific buffs where relevant

without disabling King of Kings.

Always test the exact Main and Assistant pairing in-game before committing expensive resources.

Cyrus the Great + Laudon

Laudon is the headline TEBA pairing for Cyrus.

He provides strong Mounted combat value and can significantly improve Cyrus' cavalry performance.

Cyrus the Great + André Masséna

André Masséna is another strong Mounted option.

He can add additional cavalry combat buffs and improve an older Cyrus build.

Cyrus the Great + Martinus

Martinus can also work as a strong Mounted partner when properly developed.

His value increases significantly when supported by the correct Dragon and Skin setup.

Equipment and Refines

For Mounted PvP or Monster Hunting, prioritise percentage-based Mounted refines.

A standard setup is:

Spear

• Mounted Troop Attack % x4

Ring

• Mounted Troop Attack % x4

Armor

• Mounted Troop Defense % x4

Boots

• Mounted Troop Defense % x4

Helmet

• Mounted Troop HP % x4

Leg Armor

• Mounted Troop HP % x4

This strengthens Cyrus where his base kit is weakest:

Mounted survivability.

Cyrus the Great for Monster Hunting

Monster Hunting is one of Cyrus the Great's best practical roles.

Mounted Troops are normally the preferred troop type for boss damage.

Cyrus provides:

• Mounted Attack

• excellent March Size

• access to Mounted Attack Against Monster Skill Books

• straightforward Mounted equipment compatibility

That makes him useful for:

• boss monsters

• event monsters

• Alliance rallies

• secondary monster marches

However, stronger dedicated Monster Generals can produce much higher damage.

Cyrus the Great for Mounted PvP

Cyrus can also be used for Mounted PvP.

His kit provides:

• solid Mounted Attack

• good March Size

• clean Skill Book compatibility

• some late-development Mounted Defense and HP

Mounted Troops are especially effective against Ground-heavy enemy formations.

However, they can struggle badly against strong Ranged marches.

Scout first and use the correct matchup.

How Much March Size Does Cyrus the Great Get?

Cyrus the Great gains:

• March Size +14% from 3-Star Ascension

• March Size +6% from Annihilation

That gives him:

20% March Size

before a March Size Skill Book or other account systems are added.

This is one of the strongest parts of his kit.

If you also use a Lv4 March Size Skill Book, Cyrus can lead a very large Mounted march.

Cyrus the Great and Ranged Troops

Cyrus provides secondary Ranged support through:

• King of Kings

• 1-Star Ascension

• 4-Star Ascension

• 5-Star Ascension

• Media Conquest

• War God

However, he should not be built as a dedicated Ranged Main General.

His strongest practical troop type remains Mounted.

Cyrus the Great and Siege Machines

Cyrus also provides some Siege support through:

• King of Kings

• 1-Star Ascension

• 4-Star Ascension

• 5-Star Ascension

• War God

However, he lacks the dedicated Siege Specialties and range-focused development of a true Siege General.

Treat these buffs as secondary utility.

Cyrus the Great on Defense

Cyrus should not normally be used for passive Main City Defense.

King of Kings requires him to be leading the army to attack.

That means the core offensive buffs that define his kit are not designed for Wall Defense.

Use a dedicated Main City Defense General instead.

Is Cyrus the Great Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes, but mainly as a backup or accessible Mounted option.

Cyrus still offers:

• useful Mounted Attack

• 20% native March Size

• Monster Hunting flexibility

• simple Skill Book development

• secondary Ranged and Siege support

However, newer Mounted Generals offer significantly higher:

• Attack

• Defense

• HP

• March Size

• specialist Monster or PvP bonuses

That makes Cyrus more useful as a secondary General than as a new endgame project.

Is Cyrus the Great Worth Ascending?

Usually only if you already use him heavily.

His Ascension adds:

• Mounted Attack

• March Size +14%

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• secondary Ranged and Siege buffs

The 3-Star March Size increase is the standout upgrade.

However, Blood of Ares is extremely valuable.

For most developing accounts, stronger modern Mounted Generals should receive priority.

Is Cyrus the Great Worth Specialties?

Usually not as a high priority.

Media Conquest adds:

• Mounted Attack +20%

• Ranged Attack +20%

and Annihilation adds useful March Size.

However, Runestones are expensive.

If Cyrus is only a backup Monster Hunter or secondary Mounted march, those resources are usually better spent on your primary combat Generals.

Is Cyrus the Great F2P Friendly?

Relatively, yes.

Current General databases list Cyrus the Great as obtainable from the Tavern for:

• 60,000,000 Gold

This makes him more accessible than many premium Mounted Generals.

That accessibility is one of his biggest advantages.

A fully developed accessible General can be more useful than a premium General that you cannot Ascend or properly develop.

How to Obtain Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great is currently listed as available from the Tavern.

His Tavern cost is:

• 60,000,000 Gold

He has also historically appeared through premium General acquisition systems.

Tavern availability can still depend on refreshes and General appearance rates.

TEBA Verdict

Cyrus the Great is an older Mounted General best used for Monster Hunting, Mounted PvP or secondary cavalry marches.

His base Special Skill provides:

• Mounted Attack +25%

• Ranged Attack +15%

• Siege Attack +15%

when attacking.

His Ascension and Specialties then add:

• more Mounted Attack

• some Mounted Defense and HP

• secondary Ranged and Siege buffs

• 20% native March Size

His biggest strengths are:

• excellent March Size

• straightforward Monster Hunting build

• Tavern accessibility

• useful secondary Mounted performance

His biggest weakness is that his overall Mounted buff package is now modest compared with modern cavalry Generals.

For players who already use Cyrus the Great, he remains a perfectly serviceable Monster Hunter or secondary Mounted General in 2026.

For players building a new endgame Mounted march from zero, stronger modern Generals should normally receive priority.