Merlin Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Merlin Evony Guide 2026

Merlin is a powerful attacking Ranged PvP General in Evony: The King's Return.

He is best suited to:

• Ranged PvP

• Ranged rallies

• Battlefield

• Server War

• secondary endgame Ranged marches

• attacking Mounted-heavy opponents

• players able to develop his Ascension and Covenant

His biggest strengths are:

• extremely high Ranged Troop Attack

• very strong Ranged Troop Defense

• very strong Ranged Troop HP

• balanced offensive survivability

• useful Siege support

• excellent Ascension

• powerful fourth Specialty

• Covenant support

• strong rally scaling

• straightforward Ranged build

Merlin should primarily be built around Ranged Troops.

He is an attacking General.

He should not normally be used as a Main City Defense General.

Is Merlin Good in Evony?

Yes.

Merlin remains a strong Ranged PvP General in 2026.

His Special Skill provides:

• Ranged Troop Attack +45%

• Ranged Troop HP +45%

• Ranged Troop Defense +30%

• Siege Machine Defense +30%

when he is leading the army to attack.

His Ascension then adds substantial:

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

• attacking troop preservation

His Specialties add even more:

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

• some Siege support

His Covenant provides another layer of:

• March Size

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

• rally bonuses

This gives Merlin a highly balanced attacking Ranged package.

Merlin Best Role

Best Role: Ranged PvP

Also Excellent For:

• Ranged rallies

• Battlefield

• Server War

• Alliance War

• secondary Ranged marches

• mixed Ranged/Siege marches in specific situations

Avoid Using For:

• Main City Defense

• Ground PvP

• Mounted PvP

• dedicated Siege PvP Main

• Monster Hunting

• Subordinate City Mayor

• Duty Officer

Ranged Troops are clearly Merlin's strongest troop type.

Merlin Special Skill

Merlin's Special Skill is:

Weaving the Fate

When Merlin is leading the army to attack:

• Ranged Troop Attack +45%

• Ranged Troop HP +45%

• Ranged Troop Defense +30%

• Siege Machine Defense +30%

This is an excellent attacking Ranged skill.

It provides all three major Ranged combat stats:

• Attack

• Defense

• HP

from the moment Merlin is obtained.

Why Merlin Is Strong for Ranged PvP

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

Merlin gives them:

• very high Attack

• strong Defense

• strong HP

This is important because he is not simply a glass-cannon Ranged General.

His defensive stats help Ranged Troops survive longer if:

• enemy Mounted Troops reach them

• the battle lasts multiple rounds

• they face heavily buffed enemy formations

His kit remains extremely balanced.

Merlin Ascension

Ascending Merlin significantly increases his Ranged PvP performance.

1 Star

• Marching Ranged Troop Attack +25%

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +10%

This is an excellent first Ascension level.

2 Stars

• Marching Ranged Troop Death into Wounded Rate +8%

This helps reduce permanent Ranged troop losses during offensive PvP.

3 Stars

• Marching Ranged Troop Attack +15%

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +15%

• Marching Ranged Troop HP +15%

This provides a balanced Ranged increase.

4 Stars

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +15%

• Marching Ranged Troop HP +15%

• Marching Siege Machine Defense +15%

• Marching Siege Machine HP +15%

This improves both:

• Ranged survivability

• secondary Siege survivability

5 Stars

• Marching Ranged Troop Attack +20%

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +20%

• Marching Ranged Troop HP +20%

The fifth star gives Merlin another large balanced Ranged increase.

Merlin Ascension Totals

Across all five Ascension levels, Merlin gains approximately:

• Ranged Attack +60%

• Ranged Defense +60%

• Ranged HP +50%

• Ranged Death into Wounded +8%

He also gains:

• Siege Defense +15%

• Siege HP +15%

from 4-Star Ascension.

This is an excellent Ascension tree.

Merlin Specialties

Merlin has four Specialties.

Ranged Troop Formation

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

This directly strengthens his main troop type.

Bash

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Siege Machine Attack +10%

The Ranged bonus is the important part for Merlin's main build.

The Siege bonus provides minor mixed-march support.

Ranged Troop Ares

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

• Ranged Troop HP +10%

This provides another balanced Ranged increase.

Light of Wisdom

• Marching Ranged Troop Attack +40%

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +30%

• Attacking Ranged Troop HP +15%

• Attacking Siege Machine HP +15%

Light of Wisdom is Merlin's standout Specialty.

It provides a huge increase to his attacking Ranged march.

Merlin Specialty Totals

Merlin's four Specialties can provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +70%

• Ranged Defense +50%

• Ranged HP +25%

They also provide:

• Siege Attack +10%

• Siege HP +15%

This is one of the main reasons Merlin remains competitive.

How Much Ranged Attack Can Merlin Add?

Merlin gains Ranged Attack from:

• Weaving the Fate: +45%

• 1-Star Ascension: +25%

• 3-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Ranged Troop Formation: +10%

• Bash: +10%

• Ranged Troop Ares: +10%

• Light of Wisdom: +40%

That gives:

175% Ranged Troop Attack

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

This is before:

• Covenant

• Skill Books

• equipment

• refines

• Dragons

• Spiritual Beasts

• account-wide buffs

How Much Ranged Defense Can Merlin Add?

Merlin gains Ranged Defense from:

• Weaving the Fate: +30%

• 1-Star Ascension: +10%

• 3-Star Ascension: +15%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Ranged Troop Formation: +10%

• Ranged Troop Ares: +10%

• Light of Wisdom: +30%

That gives:

140% Ranged Troop Defense

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

How Much Ranged HP Can Merlin Add?

Merlin gains Ranged HP from:

• Weaving the Fate: +45%

• 3-Star Ascension: +15%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Ranged Troop Ares: +10%

• Light of Wisdom: +15%

That gives:

120% Ranged Troop HP

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

Merlin Full Ranged Package Before Covenant

Before Covenant bonuses, a fully developed Merlin can provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +175%

• Ranged Defense +140%

• Ranged HP +120%

• Ranged Death into Wounded +8%

from his own:

• Special Skill

• Ascension

• Specialties

This is a very strong attacking Ranged package.

Merlin Siege Support

Merlin is not a dedicated Siege General.

However, his kit gives Siege Machines some secondary support.

He can provide approximately:

Siege Attack

• Bash: +10%

Siege Defense

• Weaving the Fate: +30%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

Total:

• Siege Defense +45%

Siege HP

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• Light of Wisdom: +15%

Total:

• Siege HP +30%

This gives Merlin limited mixed Ranged/Siege potential.

However, Ranged remains his clear primary troop type.

Merlin Covenant

Merlin can establish a Covenant with:

• King Arthur

• Alfred the Great

• Beowulf

His Covenant adds further Ranged-focused combat and account bonuses.

The Covenant includes:

• March Size

• Ranged HP

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged Attack

• rally-specific Ranged buffs

• March Speed

• Ranged Training Speed

Some effects apply directly to Merlin.

Others apply globally to the account.

Merlin Covenant War

The War Covenant provides:

• March Size Capacity +5%

for Merlin.

This is an important bonus because Merlin's normal kit does not provide native March Size.

Merlin Covenant Cooperation

The Cooperation Covenant provides:

• Marching Ranged Troop HP +10%

for Merlin.

This improves his already strong Ranged survivability.

Merlin Covenant Peace

The Peace Covenant provides an account-wide:

• Ranged Troop Training Speed +5%

This is a global account bonus.

Merlin Covenant Faith

The Faith Covenant provides:

• In-Rally Ranged Troop Defense +10%

for Merlin.

It also provides an account-wide:

• March Speed +10%

This improves his performance in Ranged rallies.

Merlin Covenant Honor

The Honor Covenant provides:

• In-Rally Ranged Troop HP +5%

for Merlin.

This adds another survivability bonus during relevant rally conditions.

Merlin Covenant Civilization

The Civilization Covenant provides:

• Marching Ranged Troop Attack +5%

• Marching Ranged Troop Defense +5%

for Merlin.

These are useful permanent personal combat buffs once unlocked.

Merlin Ranged Attack With Covenant

Merlin's own fully developed kit provides:

• Ranged Attack +175%

Civilization adds:

• Marching Ranged Attack +5%

That brings his regular personal Ranged Attack to approximately:

180%

before Skill Books.

Merlin Ranged Defense With Covenant

Merlin's own developed kit provides:

• Ranged Defense +140%

Civilization adds:

• Marching Ranged Defense +5%

That brings his regular personal Ranged Defense to approximately:

145%

before Skill Books.

Faith can add another:

• In-Rally Ranged Defense +10%

during relevant rally conditions.

Merlin Ranged HP With Covenant

Merlin's own developed kit provides:

• Ranged HP +120%

Cooperation adds:

• Marching Ranged HP +10%

That brings his regular personal Ranged HP to approximately:

130%

before Skill Books.

Honor can add another:

• In-Rally Ranged HP +5%

during relevant rally conditions.

Merlin March Size With Covenant

Merlin does not gain March Size from his normal Special Skill, Ascension or Specialties.

His Covenant adds:

• March Size +5%

With a Lv4 March Size Skill Book adding:

• March Size +12%

Merlin can reach:

17% personal March Size

from Covenant and Skill Book before other account systems.

Merlin Full Package With Covenant

With his main personal Covenant bonuses unlocked, Merlin can provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +180%

• Ranged Defense +145%

• Ranged HP +130%

• March Size +5%

before Skill Books.

During relevant rally conditions, his Covenant can additionally provide:

• Ranged Defense +10%

• Ranged HP +5%

This gives him extra rally value.

Best Skill Books for Merlin

One of Merlin's strengths is that he can use a standard Ranged Attack Skill Book.

A strong Ranged PvP setup is:

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Attack

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Range Bonus

• Lv4 March Size

This improves:

• Ranged damage

• attack range

• total troop volume

Alternative Ranged PvP Skill Books

If survivability is more important, consider:

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Attack

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Range Bonus

• Lv4 Ranged Troop HP

This sacrifices March Size for additional HP.

Why Ranged Range Bonus Matters

Ranged Troops deal their damage from distance.

Increasing their Range helps them:

• begin attacking earlier

• potentially gain additional attack rounds

• damage approaching enemy troops before they engage

Ranged Troop Range Bonus is therefore extremely useful for serious Ranged PvP.

Merlin for Ranged PvP

Ranged PvP is Merlin's correct role.

His own fully developed package can provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +175%

• Ranged Defense +140%

• Ranged HP +120%

before Covenant and Skill Books.

With Covenant, his standard personal package can rise to approximately:

• Ranged Attack +180%

• Ranged Defense +145%

• Ranged HP +130%

• March Size +5%

before Skill Books.

That is a powerful and extremely balanced attacking Ranged package.

Merlin for Ranged Rallies

Merlin also performs well in Ranged rallies.

His Covenant adds:

• In-Rally Ranged Defense

• In-Rally Ranged HP

in addition to his normal combat buffs.

This helps him maintain strong survivability in large coordinated attacks.

Merlin for Secondary Ranged Marches

Merlin remains an excellent secondary Ranged march even if your account eventually obtains a stronger newer premium Ranged General.

His combination of:

• Attack

• Defense

• HP

• Covenant

• rally buffs

makes him valuable in:

• Battlefield

• Server War

• multi-march PvP

• secondary Ranged rallies

Merlin Mixed Ranged and Siege Build

Merlin does provide some Siege support.

His kit can add approximately:

• Siege Attack +10%

• Siege Defense +45%

• Siege HP +30%

before other systems.

A mixed march can therefore be viable in niche situations.

Possible Skill Books include:

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Attack

• Lv4 Ranged Troop Range Bonus

• Lv4 Siege Machine Range Bonus

However, this should not be mistaken for a true Siege build.

Merlin remains primarily a Ranged General.

Merlin for Main City Defense

Merlin should not normally be used as a Main City Defense General.

His base Special Skill requires him to be:

• leading the army to attack

Much of his Ascension and Specialty package is also:

• marching

• attacking

Using Merlin on the Wall wastes a large portion of his potential.

Use a dedicated Main City Defense General instead.

Merlin for Monster Hunting

No.

Merlin lacks strong Monster-specific effects such as:

• Mounted Attack Against Monster

• Monster Defense reduction

• Monster HP reduction

• Double Item Drop

• Stamina reduction

Use a dedicated Monster General.

Merlin for Siege PvP

Merlin should not normally lead a pure Siege PvP march.

Although he gives Siege:

• Defense

• HP

• a small amount of Attack

his Siege Attack is nowhere near strong enough to compete with dedicated modern Siege Generals.

Use Merlin for:

• Ranged PvP

and treat Siege as secondary support.

Merlin vs Older Ranged Generals

Merlin is considerably stronger than many older Ranged Generals.

His developed package provides extremely high:

• Attack

• Defense

• HP

while his Covenant adds modern scaling.

This makes him much more attractive than many Tavern-era and early premium Ranged Generals.

Merlin vs Modern Ranged Generals

Merlin remains strong.

However, Evony continues to release newer premium Ranged Generals with:

• higher total buffs

• larger March Size

• stronger Covenants

• Skins

• ownership buffs

• stronger enemy debuffs

• larger rally bonuses

That means Merlin should not automatically be assumed to be the absolute current number-one Ranged General.

However, an already developed Merlin remains a serious high-end Ranged option.

Merlin vs Algernon Sidney

Merlin and Algernon Sidney have both been strong Ranged PvP options.

Merlin's main strengths are:

• extremely balanced Attack

• strong Defense

• very strong HP

• Covenant support

Sidney may fit accounts differently depending on:

• development level

• Assistant compatibility

• available fragments

• Covenant progress

• troop composition

If Merlin is already heavily Ascended and Specialized, replacing him simply because another Ranged General looks slightly better on paper may be poor value.

Merlin vs Ragnar

Ragnar is another powerful Ranged General and has frequently been used alongside Merlin in Ranged setups.

Which General should lead depends on:

• Special Skill compatibility

• Ascension level

• Specialties

• Covenant progress

• available assistants

Always verify Main and Assistant compatibility in-game before investing heavily.

Do not assume that two elite Ranged Generals can automatically use all of their fixed skills together.

Best Assistant Generals for Merlin

Strong Assistant options are those that add:

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

• March Size

• enemy debuffs

without conflicting with Weaving the Fate.

Current TEBA pairing directions have included Generals such as:

• Ragnar

• Algernon Sidney

• other modern Ranged specialists

The best pairing changes as Evony releases new Generals.

Always check compatibility in-game.

Merlin Equipment and Refines

For Ranged PvP, percentage refines should generally focus on:

Weapon

• Ranged Troop Attack % x4

Ring

• Ranged Troop Attack % x4

Armor

• Ranged Troop Defense % x4

Boots

• Ranged Troop Defense % x4

Helmet

• Ranged Troop HP % x4

Leg Armor

• Ranged Troop HP % x4

This gives Merlin a balanced Ranged build.

Merlin and Ranged Survivability

Merlin's survivability is one of his standout strengths.

Before Covenant, his own kit gives approximately:

• Ranged Defense +140%

• Ranged HP +120%

With his standard personal Covenant bonuses unlocked, this can rise to approximately:

• Ranged Defense +145%

• Ranged HP +130%

before Skill Books and equipment.

This is extremely useful because Ranged Troops can be vulnerable once enemy troops close the distance.

Is Merlin Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes.

Merlin remains a strong Ranged PvP General because his kit is:

• focused

• balanced

• highly scalable

• supported by Ascension

• supported by Covenant

His fully developed own-kit package provides approximately:

• Ranged Attack +175%

• Ranged Defense +140%

• Ranged HP +120%

before Covenant.

With his main personal Covenant bonuses unlocked, this rises to approximately:

• Ranged Attack +180%

• Ranged Defense +145%

• Ranged HP +130%

• March Size +5%

before Skill Books.

Those are still strong numbers.

Is Merlin F2P Friendly?

No.

Merlin is primarily a premium and event General.

Current specialist sources list his normal availability as:

• Packs

He is not a routine Tavern General.

Some General databases display:

• 60,000,000 Gold

as a nominal General value.

Do not treat that figure as proof of Tavern availability.

His main limitations for F2P and low-spend players are:

• obtaining the first copy

• obtaining duplicate fragments

• completing Ascension

• developing the Covenant

How to Obtain Merlin

Merlin is primarily obtained through premium and rotating event systems.

He has appeared through routes such as:

• premium packages

• Historic General recruitment systems

• premium General tokens

• special General chests

• rotating event reward pools

His availability can change between events.

Always check the live recruitment pool before spending specifically for him.

Merlin Fragment Availability

Fragments are an important consideration.

Merlin's Ascension adds:

• Ranged Attack +60%

• Ranged Defense +60%

• Ranged HP +50%

That is a huge part of his eventual strength.

Players who obtain only one Merlin may therefore never reach the headline fully developed totals.

Before committing heavily to him, consider whether you can realistically obtain enough fragments for:

• 3-Star

• 4-Star

• 5-Star Ascension

Is Merlin Worth Ascending?

Yes, if he remains part of your long-term Ranged lineup.

His Ascension adds approximately:

• Ranged Attack +60%

• Ranged Defense +60%

• Ranged HP +50%

• Ranged Death into Wounded +8%

That is an excellent Ascension package.

The first, third and fifth Ascension stars are especially strong.

His main limitation is duplicate availability.

Is Merlin Worth Specialties?

Yes, if Merlin is one of your permanent Ranged PvP Generals.

His Specialties add approximately:

• Ranged Attack +70%

• Ranged Defense +50%

• Ranged HP +25%

Light of Wisdom alone adds:

• Ranged Attack +40%

• Ranged Defense +30%

• Ranged HP +15%

when its conditions are active.

That is an excellent fourth Specialty.

Runestones remain expensive, but Merlin is a General where full Specialty investment can be justified.

Is Merlin's Covenant Worth Developing?

Yes.

His Covenant adds:

• March Size

• Ranged Attack

• Ranged Defense

• Ranged HP

• rally bonuses

• March Speed

• Ranged Training Speed

If Merlin is part of your long-term Ranged lineup, Covenant development is an important part of maximizing him.

The required Covenant Generals are:

• King Arthur

• Alfred the Great

• Beowulf

Is Merlin Worth Investing In?

Merlin is worth investing in if:

• Ranged PvP is important to your account

• you already own him

• you can obtain duplicate fragments

• you can build his Covenant

• you need a strong Ranged march

• you participate heavily in Battlefield

• you participate in Ranged rallies

• you need a strong second Ranged march

He is less attractive if:

• you are strictly F2P

• duplicate fragments are unrealistic

• you already own a stronger fully developed modern Ranged General

• Blood of Ares is limited

• Runestones are limited

• Covenant Generals are unavailable

TEBA 2026 Reality Check

Merlin remains a legitimate high-quality Ranged attacker.

His own fully developed attacking package can provide approximately:

• Ranged Attack +175%

• Ranged Defense +140%

• Ranged HP +120%

• Ranged Death into Wounded +8%

before:

• Covenant

• Skill Books

• equipment

• refines

• Dragons

• Spiritual Beasts

• account-wide buffs

His regular personal Covenant bonuses can increase that to approximately:

• Ranged Attack +180%

• Ranged Defense +145%

• Ranged HP +130%

• March Size +5%

before Skill Books.

With a Lv4 March Size Skill Book:

• personal March Size reaches 17%

before other account systems.

Relevant rally Covenant bonuses can push his Defense and HP slightly higher again.

Merlin's main weakness in 2026 is not that his combat package is poor.

It is that:

• newer premium Generals continue to increase the ceiling

• duplicate fragments can be difficult

• full Ascension is expensive

• full Specialties are expensive

• Covenant development requires additional Generals

TEBA Verdict

Merlin is a powerful premium attacking Ranged PvP General with excellent Attack, Defense and HP.

His base Special Skill provides:

• Ranged Attack +45%

• Ranged HP +45%

• Ranged Defense +30%

• Siege Defense +30%

when attacking.

His Ascension then adds approximately:

• Ranged Attack +60%

• Ranged Defense +60%

• Ranged HP +50%

• Ranged Death into Wounded +8%

while his Specialties add approximately:

• Ranged Attack +70%

• Ranged Defense +50%

• Ranged HP +25%

His own fully developed Ranged package therefore reaches approximately:

• Ranged Attack +175%

• Ranged Defense +140%

• Ranged HP +120%

before Covenant and Skill Books.

His Covenant with:

• King Arthur

• Alfred the Great

• Beowulf

adds another modern scaling layer.

With the main personal Covenant bonuses unlocked, his standard package can reach approximately:

• Ranged Attack +180%

• Ranged Defense +145%

• Ranged HP +130%

• March Size +5%

before Skill Books.

His biggest strengths are:

• excellent Ranged Attack

• excellent Ranged Defense

• excellent Ranged HP

• superb Ascension

• excellent fourth Specialty

• useful Covenant scaling

• strong rally performance

• secondary Siege survivability

• strong long-term second-march value

His biggest weaknesses are:

• premium/event acquisition

• difficult duplicate fragments

• expensive Ascension

• expensive Specialties

• little natural March Size outside Covenant

• newer premium Generals can still raise the absolute ceiling

For players who already own and can fully develop him, Merlin remains a powerful Ranged PvP General in 2026.

He is not an obsolete historical option.

He remains a serious Ranged attacker with the balanced Attack, Defense and HP needed for both solo PvP and high-level Ranged rallies.