Louis IX Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Louis IX Evony Guide 2026

Louis IX is a durable Ranged PvP General in Evony: The King's Return.

He was originally released as a premium Historic General.

However, his position has changed substantially over time.

Newer premium Ranged Generals now have a higher endgame ceiling, but Louis IX has become much more accessible through recurring systems such as:

• Trial of Knights

• Limited Recruit

• Historic General Summoning

This gives him an important modern role for:

• F2P players

• low-spend players

• Ranged PvP progression

• secondary Ranged marches

• players able to obtain enough fragments for full Ascension

His biggest strengths are:

• strong Ranged Attack

• exceptional Ranged Defense

• useful Ranged HP

• excellent Ascension

• strong fourth Specialty

• Rally Capacity

• March Size

• excellent attack/defense flexibility

• realistic event-based fragment availability

Louis IX should primarily be built around:

Ranged Troops.

Is Louis IX Good in Evony?

Yes.

Louis IX remains a very useful Ranged PvP General in 2026.

His Special Skill provides:

• Ranged Troop Attack +40%

• Ranged Troop Defense +45%

whenever he is leading the army.

Unlike many attacking Generals, these buffs are not restricted to:

• attacking

• marching

This gives Louis IX legitimate flexibility for:

• Ranged attack

• reinforcing

• Main City Defense

His Ascension then adds:

• more Ranged Attack

• more Ranged Defense

• more Ranged HP

• Rally Capacity

• Troop Death into Wounded

• secondary Siege survivability

His Specialties add:

• more Ranged Attack

• more Ranged Defense

• more Ranged HP

• March Size

• minor Siege support

Louis IX Best Role

Best Role:

• Ranged PvP

Excellent For:

• Ranged attacking marches

• Battlefield

• Server War

• Alliance War

• secondary Ranged marches

• F2P Ranged progression

Secondary Roles:

• Ranged reinforcement

• Ranged-heavy Main City Defense

• Ranged rallies

Avoid Using For:

• Ground PvP

• Mounted PvP

• pure Siege PvP

• Monster Hunting

• Subordinate City Mayor

• Duty Officer

Louis IX is fundamentally a:

Ranged General.

Louis IX Special Skill

Louis IX's Special Skill is:

Saint Louis

When Louis IX is leading the army:

• Ranged Troop Attack +40%

• Ranged Troop Defense +45%

This is a simple but extremely useful fixed skill.

The biggest strength is:

• Ranged Defense +45%

which is unusually high for a base Special Skill.

Why Louis IX Is So Durable

Louis IX is not built like a glass-cannon Ranged General.

His kit heavily emphasizes:

• Ranged Defense

alongside:

• Attack

• HP

Ranged Troops typically rely on dealing damage before enemy troops close the distance.

Louis IX helps them survive longer if:

• enemy Mounted Troops reach them

• battles last several rounds

• the march faces heavily buffed opponents

This durability remains one of his main strengths in 2026.

Louis IX Ascension

Ascending Louis IX significantly improves his Ranged performance.

This is particularly important because Louis IX has become more realistically Ascendable for F2P and low-spend players through recurring event systems.

1 Star

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

• Siege Machine Defense +10%

This gives an immediate increase to:

• Ranged damage

• Ranged survivability

and provides minor Siege support.

2 Stars

• Marching Troop Death into Wounded Rate +10%

This helps reduce permanent losses when marching into combat.

3 Stars

• Ranged Troop HP +15%

• Rally Capacity +6% when launching an Alliance War

This is a useful mixed utility star.

It improves:

• Ranged survivability

• rally troop capacity

4 Stars

• Ranged Troop Defense +15%

• Ranged Troop HP +15%

• Siege Machine Defense +15%

• Siege Machine HP +15%

This gives another large defensive increase.

5 Stars

• Ranged Troop Attack +30%

• Ranged Troop Defense +15%

This is a strong final Ascension level.

Louis IX Ascension Totals

Across all five Ascension stars, Louis IX gains approximately:

Ranged Troops

• Attack +40%

• Defense +40%

• HP +30%

Siege Machines

• Defense +25%

• HP +15%

Additional Utility

• Rally Capacity +6%

• Troop Death into Wounded +10%

This is a very good Ascension tree.

Louis IX Specialties

Louis IX has four Specialties.

Ranged Troop Formation

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

This directly strengthens his main troop type.

Siege

• March Size Capacity +6%

• Attacking Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Attacking Siege Machine Attack +10%

For Louis IX, the most important effects are:

• Ranged Attack +10%

• March Size +6%

when attacking.

Ranged Troop Ares

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

• Ranged Troop HP +10%

This provides a balanced Ranged increase.

Battle of Pelagonia

• Ranged Troop Attack +40%

• Ranged Troop Defense +20%

• Ranged Troop HP +10%

• Siege Machine HP +10%

Battle of Pelagonia is Louis IX's standout Specialty.

It adds a very large amount of:

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

while also increasing:

• Ranged HP

Louis IX Specialty Totals

For attacking Ranged PvP, Louis IX's Specialties provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +70%

• Ranged Defense +40%

• Ranged HP +20%

• March Size +6%

They also provide limited:

• Siege Attack

• Siege HP

How Much Ranged Attack Can Louis IX Add?

When attacking, Louis IX gains Ranged Attack from:

• Saint Louis: +40%

• 1-Star Ascension: +10%

• 5-Star Ascension: +30%

• Ranged Troop Formation: +10%

• Siege Specialty: +10%

• Ranged Troop Ares: +10%

• Battle of Pelagonia: +40%

That gives approximately:

150% Ranged Troop Attack

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

This is before:

• Skill Books

• equipment

• refines

• Dragons

• Spiritual Beasts

• Assistant General

• account-wide buffs

How Much Ranged Defense Can Louis IX Add?

Louis IX gains Ranged Defense from:

• Saint Louis: +45%

• 1-Star Ascension: +10%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +15%

• Ranged Troop Formation: +10%

• Ranged Troop Ares: +10%

• Battle of Pelagonia: +20%

That gives approximately:

125% Ranged Troop Defense

from his own fully developed kit.

This is one of Louis IX's strongest statistics.

How Much Ranged HP Can Louis IX Add?

Louis IX gains Ranged HP from:

• 3-Star Ascension: +15%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• Ranged Troop Ares: +10%

• Battle of Pelagonia: +10%

That gives approximately:

50% Ranged Troop HP

from his own fully developed kit.

HP is his weakest of the three main Ranged stats.

However:

• +50% remains useful

• Skill Books can strengthen it further

How Much March Size Does Louis IX Get?

Louis IX gains:

• March Size +6%

from the Siege Specialty.

With a Lv4 March Size Skill Book adding:

• March Size +12%

his personal contribution can reach:

18% March Size

before other account systems.

Louis IX Rally Capacity

Louis IX gains:

• Rally Capacity +6%

from 3-Star Ascension when launching an Alliance War.

This is not the same as March Size.

March Size determines the troop count in his own march.

Rally Capacity increases how many troops can participate in a rally he launches.

This gives Louis IX some additional rally utility.

Louis IX Full Ranged Package Before Skill Books

A fully Ascended and fully Specialized Louis IX can provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +150%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

• March Size +6%

• Rally Capacity +6%

• Troop Death into Wounded +10%

when used as an attacking Ranged General.

This is still a very respectable Ranged PvP package.

Louis IX Defensive Ranged Package

Louis IX can also be used defensively because most of his major buffs are not attacking-only.

The main difference is the Siege Specialty.

Its:

• Ranged Attack +10%

requires attacking.

Therefore, Louis IX's defensive own-kit contribution is approximately:

• Ranged Attack +140%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

from his relevant fixed skill, Ascension and Specialties.

This makes him surprisingly strong on defense for an older Ranged General.

Louis IX for Main City Defense

Louis IX can work as a Ranged-focused Main City Defense General.

His Special Skill works whenever he is:

• leading the army

rather than only when attacking.

Most of his Ascension and Specialty bonuses also remain active.

This allows him to retain roughly:

• Ranged Attack +140%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

before Skill Books and account systems.

However, he is not a purpose-built modern Wall General.

He lacks many dedicated Wall effects such as:

• large Hospital bonuses

• broad In-City troop buffs

• Trap effects

• large enemy debuffs

• modern defensive Covenants

For a permanent endgame Wall build, a dedicated Main City Defense General is usually better.

Louis IX for Reinforcing

Louis IX can also be useful when reinforcing.

Because his core buffs are not restricted to attacking, his:

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

can retain much of their value.

This makes him more flexible than Generals whose largest bonuses explicitly require:

• attacking

Louis IX Siege Support

Louis IX provides limited secondary Siege support.

His developed kit can provide approximately:

Siege Attack

• +10% when attacking from the Siege Specialty

Siege Defense

• 1-Star Ascension: +10%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

Total:

• Siege Defense +25%

Siege HP

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• Battle of Pelagonia: +10%

Total:

• Siege HP +25%

This is useful secondary support.

However:

Louis IX is not a Siege General.

Best Skill Books for Louis IX

Louis IX has an important Skill Book restriction.

His fixed Special Skill conflicts with:

• Ranged Troop Attack Skill Book

Do not plan a Louis IX build around adding the normal Ranged Attack Skill Book.

A strong Ranged PvP setup is:

• Lv4 Ranged Troop HP

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Range Bonus

• Lv4 March Size

This provides:

• more survivability

• greater firing range

• more troop volume

This is one of the cleanest Louis IX builds.

Why Ranged HP Is Valuable on Louis IX

Louis IX already has:

• extremely high Ranged Defense

His weakest major combat stat is:

• HP

Adding:

• Lv4 Ranged Troop HP

helps balance his overall stat profile.

Rather than stacking even more Defense, HP can improve his effective survivability more evenly.

Why Ranged Range Bonus Matters

Ranged Troops attack from distance.

Increasing Range can help them:

• begin attacking earlier

• gain extra attack opportunities

• damage enemy troops before they close the distance

For serious Ranged PvP:

Ranged Troop Range Bonus is extremely useful.

Louis IX for Ranged PvP

Ranged PvP remains Louis IX's best role.

His fully developed attacking package provides approximately:

• Ranged Attack +150%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

• March Size +6%

• Rally Capacity +6%

before Skill Books.

With a Lv4 March Size Skill Book:

• personal March Size can reach 18%

before other account systems.

This remains a strong package for an increasingly accessible General.

Louis IX for Ranged Rallies

Louis IX can lead Ranged rallies.

His 3-Star Ascension provides:

• Rally Capacity +6%

This gives him additional troop capacity when launching an Alliance War.

However, newer premium Ranged Generals can provide:

• larger March Size

• stronger rally-specific buffs

• Covenants

• higher overall Attack

Louis IX is therefore useful rather than elite as a modern rally leader.

Does Louis IX Have a Covenant?

Louis IX does not currently have his own personal Covenant in the commonly documented General data.

This is an important distinction.

He appears as a required Covenant General for several other Generals.

Examples include:

• Suchet

• Louis XIV

• Theobald I

However, being required for another General's Covenant does not give Louis IX those Covenant buffs.

Louis IX's own combat package should therefore be calculated from:

• Special Skill

• Ascension

• Specialties

• Skill Books

• equipment

• other account systems

Do not add Covenant buffs from Suchet, Louis XIV or Theobald I to Louis IX himself.

Louis IX as a Covenant General for Other Generals

Louis IX has additional collection value because he is required for multiple Covenants.

He is one of the Covenant Generals for:

Suchet

alongside:

• Napoleon

• Soult

He is also required for:

Louis XIV

alongside:

• Turenne

• Theobald I

He is also required for:

Theobald I

alongside:

• Charles Martel

• Philip II

This means owning Louis IX can support several other strong Generals even if he is eventually removed from your active Ranged lineup.

Louis IX Assistant Compatibility

Louis IX can work as an Assistant for compatible Ranged Generals.

His Special Skill gives:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +45%

which is a very strong Assistant contribution if compatible.

However, his fixed skill can conflict with:

• Ranged Troop Attack Skill Book

and some other Ranged General fixed skills.

Always test:

• Main General

• Assistant General

• Skill Books

in-game before committing resources.

Louis IX and Marcus Agrippa

Louis IX can function as an Assistant with Marcus Agrippa.

This can be useful for players building a more accessible F2P Ranged setup.

However:

Marcus Agrippa generally has the stronger overall modern F2P progression package when fully developed.

Louis IX remains valuable as:

• Assistant

• second Ranged march

• defensive Ranged option

depending on account development.

Louis IX and Ragnar

TEBA's current General list identifies:

• Ragnar

as a strong pairing direction for Louis IX.

Ragnar provides a much more modern Ranged damage package.

A developed Louis IX can therefore potentially remain useful in:

• Main/Assistant combinations

• secondary Ranged marches

even after he is no longer the strongest available Main General.

Always verify compatibility in-game.

Louis IX Equipment and Refines

For Ranged PvP, percentage refines can generally focus on:

Weapon

• Ranged Troop Attack %

Ring

• Ranged Troop Attack %

Armor

• Ranged Troop Defense %

Boots

• Ranged Troop Defense %

Helmet

• Ranged Troop HP %

Leg Armor

• Ranged Troop HP %

Because Louis IX already has very high personal Ranged Defense:

do not neglect HP.

A balanced build is usually preferable to blindly stacking even more Defense.

Louis IX vs Marcus Agrippa

Marcus Agrippa and Louis IX have become two particularly interesting Ranged options for F2P and low-spend players.

Marcus Agrippa has:

• higher overall modern offensive scaling

• much higher developed Defense

• Covenant

• strong Trial of Knights availability

Louis IX has:

• excellent Ranged Defense

• strong attack/defense flexibility

• Rally Capacity

• secondary Wall potential

• Trial of Knights availability

• Covenant collection value for other Generals

For a brand-new F2P Ranged Main:

Marcus Agrippa is generally the stronger long-term project.

That does not make Louis IX poor.

Louis IX remains extremely useful for:

• second Ranged march

• Assistant duty

• defensive Ranged role

• players already invested in him

Louis IX vs New Premium Ranged Generals

Louis IX has been heavily power-crept at the absolute premium ceiling.

Newer premium Ranged Generals can provide:

• significantly more Attack

• more HP

• more March Size

• personal Covenants

• Skins

• stronger rally effects

• ownership buffs

• newer combat mechanics

This means a high spender starting completely from zero should not choose Louis IX simply because he was once considered top-tier.

His modern advantage is:

accessibility and development efficiency.

Is Louis IX Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes.

Louis IX remains relevant because he combines:

• strong Ranged stats

• exceptional Defense

• full Ascension

• useful Specialties

• event-based accessibility

• attack/defense flexibility

• Covenant collection value

His own fully developed attacking package provides approximately:

• Ranged Attack +150%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

• March Size +6%

• Rally Capacity +6%

before Skill Books.

His defensive package remains approximately:

• Ranged Attack +140%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

before Skill Books.

These numbers no longer place him at the top of the premium meta.

They remain very useful for an accessible General.

Is Louis IX F2P Friendly?

By modern Evony standards:

Yes, potentially.

Louis IX was originally a premium Historic General.

However, he has repeatedly become available through event systems such as:

• Trial of Knights

• Limited Recruit

This means players have been able to acquire:

• Louis IX

• Louis IX fragments

without relying exclusively on premium package spending.

This makes full Ascension much more realistic.

The correct description is:

• F2P-accessible through recurring events

not:

• Tavern General.

Trial of Knights and Louis IX

Louis IX has repeatedly been available as a redeemable General in Trial of Knights.

Trial of Knights awards Score when players consume:

• Blood of Ares

and those Scores can be exchanged for event rewards including specific Generals when they are in the current rotation.

Louis IX has appeared alongside:

• Pyrrhus

• Marcus Agrippa

• Lu Xun

in the redemption pool.

This has made him one of the more realistic premium-origin Generals for F2P players to Ascend.

Trial of Knights Warning

Trial of Knights rewards can change.

Do not assume Louis IX will remain in the event permanently.

Before planning an entire Ascension project:

• check the current Trial of Knights reward pool

• calculate how many fragments you still need

• avoid assuming future rotations will remain unchanged

If he is available and you intend to use him:

consistent fragment collection can make full Ascension realistic.

Louis IX Limited Recruit

Louis IX has also appeared repeatedly in Limited Recruit.

During relevant events, players can:

• select Louis IX

• spend Recruitment Orders

• obtain Louis IX fragments

This provides another potential path toward:

• full Ascension

Limited Recruit pools rotate.

Always check the live event before committing resources.

How to Obtain Louis IX

Louis IX originally debuted as a premium Historic General.

His documented acquisition routes have included:

• Historic General Summoning

• premium event packages

• Trial of Knights

• Limited Recruit

• General recruitment events

At his original Thanksgiving release, Louis IX was the featured Historic General and was guaranteed within six Historic General Summons.

His availability has expanded considerably since then.

Is Louis IX in the Tavern?

No reliable evidence supports treating Louis IX as a routine Tavern recruit.

Several databases display:

• 60,000,000 Gold

as his General value.

However:

that does not prove normal Tavern availability.

Current specialist sources describe his normal availability as:

• Packs

while Evony itself has repeatedly distributed him through:

• Historic General Summoning

• Limited Recruit

• Trial of Knights

Do not spend large amounts of Gold refreshing the Tavern specifically for Louis IX unless the live game explicitly lists him.

Louis IX Fragment Availability

Fragment availability is the main reason Louis IX has become more interesting to F2P players.

His Ascension adds approximately:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +40%

• Ranged HP +30%

• Rally Capacity +6%

• Troop Death into Wounded +10%

A basic Louis IX is significantly weaker than a fully Ascended one.

Recurring event access can make those additional fragments realistically obtainable.

Is Louis IX Worth Ascending?

Yes, particularly if:

• you are F2P

• you are low-spend

• you can obtain his fragments through Trial of Knights

• he is part of your permanent Ranged lineup

His Ascension adds approximately:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +40%

• Ranged HP +30%

• Rally Capacity +6%

• Troop Death into Wounded +10%

This is a substantial improvement.

5-Star alone adds:

• Ranged Attack +30%

• Ranged Defense +15%

Is Louis IX Worth Specialties?

Yes, if you intend to keep using him.

His Specialties provide approximately when attacking:

• Ranged Attack +70%

• Ranged Defense +40%

• Ranged HP +20%

• March Size +6%

Battle of Pelagonia alone provides:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +20%

• Ranged HP +10%

This is a strong fourth Specialty.

However, Runestones are expensive.

If Louis IX is only a temporary General:

do not automatically max every Specialty.

Is Louis IX Worth Investing In?

Louis IX is worth investing in if:

• you are F2P or low-spend

• his fragments are available in Trial of Knights

• you already have significant development invested in him

• you need another Ranged march

• you value high Ranged Defense

• you need an Assistant option

• you want a temporary Ranged Wall General

• you need him for another General's Covenant

He is less attractive if:

• you are starting a premium endgame Ranged march from zero

• you already have Marcus Agrippa fully developed

• you already own newer premium Ranged Generals

• fragment availability disappears

• Blood of Ares is limited

• Runestones are limited

Should You Replace a Developed Louis IX?

Not automatically.

Louis IX may no longer have the highest theoretical Ranged buffs.

However, replacing a fully developed Louis IX means potentially rebuilding:

• Ascension

• Specialties

• equipment

• Assistant pairing

• Skill Books

A fully Ascended Louis IX can remain more useful in practice than a newer premium General with:

• no Ascension

• undeveloped Specialties

• no Covenant progress

Upgrade only when the actual account-level improvement justifies the investment.

TEBA 2026 Reality Check

Louis IX is no longer a premium Ranged meta leader.

That chapter has passed.

However, he has gained a different kind of value.

He is now one of several older premium-origin Generals that can be much more realistic for F2P and low-spend players to fully develop.

His fully developed own-kit attacking package provides approximately:

• Ranged Attack +150%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

• March Size +6%

• Rally Capacity +6%

• Troop Death into Wounded +10%

before:

• Skill Books

• equipment

• refines

• Dragons

• Spiritual Beasts

• Assistant General

• account-wide buffs

His defensive package remains approximately:

• Ranged Attack +140%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

His greatest modern strengths are:

• exceptional Ranged Defense

• useful Attack

• attack/defense flexibility

• realistic Ascension

• Trial of Knights access

• Limited Recruit access

• secondary march value

• Covenant collection value

His weaknesses are:

• low HP compared with newer premium Generals

• modest March Size

• no personal Covenant currently documented

• no major modern Skin scaling

• significant power creep at the top end

TEBA Verdict

Louis IX is a durable Ranged PvP General whose modern value comes increasingly from accessibility rather than premium-meta dominance.

His base Special Skill provides:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +45%

whenever he leads the army.

His Ascension adds approximately:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +40%

• Ranged HP +30%

• Rally Capacity +6%

• Troop Death into Wounded +10%

while his Specialties provide approximately when attacking:

• Ranged Attack +70%

• Ranged Defense +40%

• Ranged HP +20%

• March Size +6%

His fully developed attacking package therefore reaches approximately:

• Ranged Attack +150%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

• March Size +6%

• Rally Capacity +6%

before Skill Books.

His defensive package remains approximately:

• Ranged Attack +140%

• Ranged Defense +125%

• Ranged HP +50%

because most of his core buffs are not attack-only.

His biggest strengths are:

• excellent Ranged Defense

• strong Ranged Attack

• useful defensive flexibility

• strong Ascension

• excellent fourth Specialty

• Rally Capacity

• Trial of Knights accessibility

• Limited Recruit availability

• good F2P/low-spend development potential

• value as a Covenant requirement for other Generals

His biggest weaknesses are:

• Ranged HP is relatively low

• modest native March Size

• normal Ranged Attack Skill Book conflict

• no personal Covenant currently documented

• newer premium Ranged Generals have significantly higher ceilings

For F2P and low-spend players, Louis IX remains a very useful Ranged project when his fragments are available through Trial of Knights or Limited Recruit.

Marcus Agrippa is generally the stronger first-choice F2P Ranged Main if both are equally available.

Louis IX remains highly useful as:

• second Ranged march

• Assistant General

• reinforcing General

• temporary Ranged Wall General

• Covenant collection General

His clean modern identity is:

an older premium Ranged General transformed into an accessible, defensively strong F2P and low-spend Ranged option.