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

Stephen the Great Evony Guide 2026

Stephen the Great is a specialist Research Factory Duty Officer in Evony: The King's Return.

He is best suited to:

• Research Factory Duty Officer

• increasing Research Speed

• strengthening In-City Troop Defense

• strengthening In-City Troop HP

• supporting Ground Troops

• supporting Mounted Troops

• reducing Enemy Siege Attack

• reducing Enemy Siege Defense

• reducing Enemy Siege HP

• reducing Enemy Ranged Attack

• supporting Main City Defense indirectly

His biggest strengths are:

• Research Speed

• broad In-City Defense

• broad In-City HP

• Ground/Mounted defensive support

• Ground/Mounted Attack

• anti-Siege debuffs

• anti-Ranged Attack debuffs

• no need for combat Skill Books

• no need for combat equipment

Stephen the Great should not be built as a normal combat General.

His correct role is:

Research Factory Officer.

Is Stephen the Great Good in Evony?

Yes.

Stephen the Great remains a useful Research Factory Duty Officer in 2026.

His Special Skill provides:

• Research Speed +10%

• In-City Troop Defense +15%

• In-City Troop HP +15%

when he is assigned as Research Factory Officer.

His Ascension then adds:

• more Research Speed

• more In-City HP

• more In-City Defense

• Ground Attack

• Ground Defense

• Ground HP

• Mounted Attack

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• Enemy Siege Attack reduction

• Enemy Siege Defense reduction

• Enemy Siege HP reduction

His Specialties add:

• more Research Speed

• more In-City Defense

• more In-City HP

• broad In-City Attack

• Enemy Troop Attack reduction

• extra Enemy Ranged Attack reduction

• extra Enemy Siege Attack reduction

Stephen the Great Best Role

Best Role:

• Research Factory Duty Officer

Best Used For:

• Research progression

• Ground-heavy defense

• Mounted-heavy defense

• mixed Ground/Mounted defense

• anti-Siege defense

• anti-Ranged defense

• long-term city development

Avoid Using For:

• Ground PvP Main

• Mounted PvP Main

• Ranged PvP

• Siege PvP

• Monster Hunting

• Main City Defense General

• Subordinate City Mayor

Stephen the Great should remain assigned to:

the Research Factory.

Stephen the Great Special Skill

Stephen the Great's Special Skill is:

Holy Ruler

When Stephen the Great is the Research Factory Officer:

• Research Speed +10%

• In-City Troop Defense +15%

• In-City Troop HP +15%

This is a simple but useful Duty skill.

It combines:

• faster Research

• stronger city defense

without using an active combat General slot.

Why Stephen the Great Is More Than a Research General

Research Speed is the obvious reason to use Stephen the Great.

However, his developed kit also provides significant combat support.

He can increase:

• Ground Attack

• Ground Defense

• Ground HP

• Mounted Attack

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• broad In-City Defense

• broad In-City HP

while reducing:

• Enemy Siege Attack

• Enemy Siege Defense

• Enemy Siege HP

• Enemy Ranged Attack

This gives him useful long-term defensive value even after Research Speed becomes less important.

Stephen the Great Ascension

Ascending Stephen the Great significantly improves both:

• Research progression

• defensive support

1 Star

When Stephen the Great is the Research Factory Officer:

• Research Speed +4%

• In-City Troop HP +20%

This gives an immediate increase to both:

• Research Speed

• city survivability

2 Stars

When Stephen the Great is the Research Factory Officer:

• Research Speed +6%

• In-City Troop Defense +25%

This completes another large Research Speed increase and significantly strengthens city defense.

3 Stars

When Stephen the Great is the Research Factory Officer:

• In-City Mounted Troop Attack +15%

• In-City Mounted Troop Defense +20%

• In-City Mounted Troop HP +20%

• In-City Ground Troop Attack +15%

• In-City Ground Troop Defense +20%

• In-City Ground Troop HP +20%

This gives Stephen the Great a clear:

• Ground

• Mounted

defensive support role.

4 Stars

When Stephen the Great is the Research Factory Officer:

• Enemy Siege Machine Attack -15%

• Enemy Siege Machine Defense -25%

• Enemy Siege Machine HP -25%

This is a very useful anti-Siege package.

5 Stars

When Stephen the Great is the Research Factory Officer:

• Mounted Troop Attack +15%

• Mounted Troop Defense +20%

• Ground Troop Attack +15%

• Ground Troop Defense +20%

This further strengthens both close-combat troop types.

Stephen the Great Ascension Totals

Across all five Ascension stars, Stephen the Great gains approximately:

Research Utility

• Research Speed +10%

Broad In-City Support

• Troop HP +20%

• Troop Defense +25%

Ground Troops

• Attack +30%

• Defense +40%

• HP +20%

Mounted Troops

• Attack +30%

• Defense +40%

• HP +20%

Enemy Siege Machines

• Attack -15%

• Defense -25%

• HP -25%

These effects are in addition to his base Special Skill.

Stephen the Great Specialties

Stephen the Great has four Specialties.

Ranged Troop Formation

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

These personal troop buffs are secondary to his Duty role.

Snipe

• Enemy Troop Attack -10%

This applies broadly to:

• Ground

• Mounted

• Ranged

• Siege

and gives Stephen useful defensive debuffing.

Sage

Applied to Research Factory Officer:

• Research Speed +5%

• In-City Troop Defense +5%

• In-City Troop HP +5%

This directly strengthens both:

• Research progression

• Main City survivability

Battle of Vaslui

Applied to Research Factory Officer:

• Research Speed +5%

• In-City Troop Attack +10%

• Enemy Ranged Troop Attack -20%

• Enemy Siege Machine Attack -20%

Battle of Vaslui is Stephen the Great's standout Specialty.

It combines:

• Research Speed

• broad city Attack

• anti-Ranged defense

• anti-Siege defense

Stephen the Great Research Speed

Stephen the Great gains Research Speed from:

• Holy Ruler: +10%

• 1-Star Ascension: +4%

• 2-Star Ascension: +6%

• Sage: +5%

• Battle of Vaslui: +5%

That gives approximately:

30% Research Speed

from his fully developed personal Duty kit.

This is before:

• Research Factory Duty Rank bonuses

• Monarch Talents

• research buffs

• Civilization systems

• other account-wide Research Speed bonuses

Stephen the Great In-City Ground Attack

Stephen the Great gains Ground Attack from:

• 3-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +15%

• Battle of Vaslui broad In-City Attack: +10%

That gives approximately:

40% In-City Ground Troop Attack

from his relevant fully developed Duty effects.

Stephen the Great In-City Ground Defense

Stephen the Great gains Ground Defense from:

• Holy Ruler: +15%

• 2-Star Ascension broad In-City Defense: +25%

• 3-Star Ascension: +20%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Sage broad In-City Defense: +5%

That gives approximately:

85% In-City Ground Troop Defense

from his relevant fully developed Duty effects.

Stephen the Great In-City Ground HP

Stephen the Great gains Ground HP from:

• Holy Ruler: +15%

• 1-Star Ascension broad In-City HP: +20%

• 3-Star Ascension: +20%

• Sage broad In-City HP: +5%

That gives approximately:

60% In-City Ground Troop HP

from his relevant fully developed Duty effects.

Stephen the Great Ground Support Summary

A fully developed Stephen the Great can provide approximately:

• Ground Attack +40%

• Ground Defense +85%

• Ground HP +60%

from his relevant Research Factory Duty effects.

Defense is the strongest part of his Ground package.

Stephen the Great In-City Mounted Attack

Stephen the Great gives Mounted Attack from:

• 3-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +15%

• Battle of Vaslui broad In-City Attack: +10%

That gives approximately:

40% In-City Mounted Troop Attack

from his relevant fully developed Duty effects.

Stephen the Great In-City Mounted Defense

Mounted Defense comes from:

• Holy Ruler: +15%

• 2-Star Ascension broad In-City Defense: +25%

• 3-Star Ascension: +20%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Sage broad In-City Defense: +5%

That gives approximately:

85% In-City Mounted Troop Defense

from his relevant fully developed Duty effects.

Stephen the Great In-City Mounted HP

Mounted HP comes from:

• Holy Ruler: +15%

• 1-Star Ascension broad In-City HP: +20%

• 3-Star Ascension: +20%

• Sage broad In-City HP: +5%

That gives approximately:

60% In-City Mounted Troop HP

from his relevant fully developed Duty effects.

Stephen the Great Mounted Support Summary

A fully developed Stephen the Great can provide approximately:

• Mounted Attack +40%

• Mounted Defense +85%

• Mounted HP +60%

from his relevant Research Factory Duty effects.

Stephen the Great Ranged Support

Stephen the Great provides Ranged Troops with broad defensive support.

Relevant Duty effects include:

• In-City Defense +15% from Holy Ruler

• In-City HP +15% from Holy Ruler

• In-City HP +20% from 1-Star

• In-City Defense +25% from 2-Star

• In-City Defense +5% from Sage

• In-City HP +5% from Sage

• In-City Attack +10% from Battle of Vaslui

This gives approximately:

• Ranged Attack +10%

• Ranged Defense +45%

• Ranged HP +40%

from effects that clearly apply through his Research Factory Duty role.

His first Specialty also contains additional personal Ranged Attack and Defense.

However, Duty Officer builds should be evaluated primarily around effects explicitly applied while on duty.

Stephen the Great Siege Support

Siege Machines receive the same broad Duty buffs:

• In-City Attack +10%

• In-City Defense +45%

• In-City HP +40%

from his broad Research Factory effects.

More importantly, Stephen also reduces enemy Siege combat stats.

Stephen the Great Enemy Siege Debuffs

Stephen the Great reduces Enemy Siege Attack through:

• 4-Star Ascension: -15%

• Snipe: -10%

• Battle of Vaslui: -20%

That gives approximately:

Enemy Siege Attack -45%

He reduces Enemy Siege Defense through:

• 4-Star Ascension: -25%

plus:

• Snipe does not affect Defense

So the total is:

Enemy Siege Defense -25%

He reduces Enemy Siege HP through:

• 4-Star Ascension: -25%

That gives:

Enemy Siege HP -25%

Stephen the Great Enemy Ranged Debuffs

Stephen the Great reduces Enemy Ranged Attack through:

• Snipe: -10%

• Battle of Vaslui: -20%

That gives approximately:

Enemy Ranged Attack -30%

This is useful because enemy Ranged Troops are a major threat to:

• Mounted Troops

Stephen the Great Enemy Ground Debuffs

Snipe provides:

• Enemy Ground Attack -10%

This is his main Ground-specific enemy debuff.

Stephen the Great Enemy Mounted Debuffs

Snipe also provides:

• Enemy Mounted Attack -10%

Stephen the Great Full Defensive Support Summary

When fully developed and assigned as Research Factory Officer, Stephen the Great can provide approximately:

Research Utility

• Research Speed +30%

Ground Troops

• Attack +40%

• Defense +85%

• HP +60%

Mounted Troops

• Attack +40%

• Defense +85%

• HP +60%

Broad Ranged/Siege Support

• In-City Attack +10%

• In-City Defense +45%

• In-City HP +40%

Enemy Debuffs

• Enemy Ground Attack -10%

• Enemy Mounted Attack -10%

• Enemy Ranged Attack -30%

• Enemy Siege Attack -45%

• Enemy Siege Defense -25%

• Enemy Siege HP -25%

This is a surprisingly useful defensive package from the Research Factory slot.

Stephen the Great for Main City Defense

Stephen the Great should not be assigned as the actual Main City Defense General.

Instead, he supports the city from:

the Research Factory.

This allows your Main City Defense General to provide its own:

• troop buffs

• enemy debuffs

• Hospital bonuses

• Trap effects

• defensive mechanics

while Stephen simultaneously contributes:

• Ground/Mounted support

• broad troop survivability

• anti-Ranged debuffs

• anti-Siege debuffs

from his Duty position.

Stephen the Great for Ground Defense

Ground-heavy cities benefit significantly from Stephen the Great.

His fully developed Duty effects can provide approximately:

• Ground Attack +40%

• Ground Defense +85%

• Ground HP +60%

This makes him particularly useful for Ground-heavy defensive accounts.

Stephen the Great for Mounted Defense

Mounted-heavy defensive accounts receive a similarly strong package:

• Mounted Attack +40%

• Mounted Defense +85%

• Mounted HP +60%

This can also help T1 Mounted defensive setups.

Stephen the Great for T1 Defense

Stephen the Great can support T1 defensive builds because he gives:

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• Mounted Attack

• broad In-City Defense

• broad In-City HP

• enemy Attack debuffs

However, a successful T1 defense also depends heavily on:

• huge troop numbers

• flat refines

• debuffs

• Wall General

• Assistant General

• Hospital Capacity

• research

• other Duty Officers

Stephen is a supporting piece, not the entire defensive build.

Stephen the Great for Anti-Siege Defense

Anti-Siege support is one of Stephen the Great's strongest developed combat niches.

He can reduce Enemy Siege:

• Attack -45%

• Defense -25%

• HP -25%

when fully developed.

This is valuable against:

• Siege marches

• Siege rallies

• mixed Ranged/Siege attacks

Stephen the Great Skill Books

Do not invest combat Skill Books in Stephen the Great for his Duty role.

Skill Books do not meaningfully improve his Research Factory Duty effects.

His important bonuses come from:

• Special Skill

• Ascension

• Specialties

• Duty Rank

Save valuable Skill Books for active combat Generals.

Stephen the Great Equipment

Stephen the Great does not need combat equipment while serving as Research Factory Officer.

Equipment buffs do not meaningfully improve his Duty effects.

Do not waste:

• Civilization Equipment

• Achaemenidae Equipment

• Dragon Equipment

• premium refines

on Stephen for permanent Duty use.

Stephen the Great Refines

Do not spend premium refining resources on Stephen the Great for his Research Factory role.

Refining resources are better spent on:

• PvP Generals

• Main City Defense General

• Monster Generals

Stephen's value comes from his Duty effects.

Should Stephen the Great Be Cultivated?

Yes.

Cultivation is important for Duty Officers because Duty Rank depends on General stats.

Your goal should be to reach the highest Research Factory Duty rank available to your account.

Prioritize:

• General level

• stars

• cultivation

until Stephen meets the relevant Duty thresholds.

This matters much more than combat equipment.

Stephen the Great Duty Rank

Duty Rank is extremely important.

The better Stephen's Duty Rank:

the greater the base Research Factory Duty benefits available through the building system.

Develop him primarily around:

• Duty Rank

not:

• march combat.

Stephen the Great for PvP

Stephen supports PvP indirectly.

He should remain in the Research Factory while your active Generals handle:

• attacking

• reinforcing

• Main City Defense

His Duty effects continue supporting the city without taking an active combat slot.

Stephen the Great for Ranged PvP

Do not use Stephen as a Ranged PvP Main.

He has a Ranged Specialty, but his defining Special Skill and Ascension require:

Research Factory Officer.

Removing him from duty sacrifices the reason to use him.

Stephen the Great for Ground PvP

Do not use him as a Ground attacking General.

His Ground buffs are designed around:

Research Factory Duty.

Use a dedicated Ground General instead.

Stephen the Great for Mounted PvP

The same applies to Mounted PvP.

His Mounted buffs are excellent defensive support from the Research Factory.

They do not make him a competitive active Mounted General.

Stephen the Great for Monster Hunting

No.

Stephen the Great lacks important Monster-specific effects such as:

• Mounted Attack Against Monster

• Monster Defense reduction

• Monster HP reduction

• Double Item Drop

• Stamina reduction

Keep him on duty.

Stephen the Great as a Subordinate City Mayor

No.

Although Stephen provides enemy debuffs through his developed kit, his strongest effects require him to be:

Research Factory Officer.

Dedicated Subordinate City Generals are much better Mayor choices.

Is Stephen the Great Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes.

Stephen the Great remains useful because his job is not to compete with new PvP Generals.

He occupies a dedicated building slot and provides passive account benefits.

His fully developed Duty package can include approximately:

• Research Speed +30%

• Ground Attack +40%

• Ground Defense +85%

• Ground HP +60%

• Mounted Attack +40%

• Mounted Defense +85%

• Mounted HP +60%

• Enemy Ranged Attack -30%

• Enemy Siege Attack -45%

• Enemy Siege Defense -25%

• Enemy Siege HP -25%

That remains valuable in 2026.

Is Stephen the Great F2P Friendly?

Not particularly.

Stephen the Great is documented as a premium General.

Current specialist data lists his availability as:

• Packs

He is not a routine Tavern General.

Some databases display:

• 60,000,000 Gold

as his nominal General value.

Do not treat this as proof of Tavern availability.

How to Obtain Stephen the Great

Stephen the Great is primarily obtained through premium and rotating General systems.

Documented availability includes:

• premium packages

• Historic General recruitment systems

• special General reward pools

• General token systems when included

Availability changes over time.

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

Stephen the Great Fragment Availability

Fragments matter because Ascension provides a major share of Stephen's eventual defensive value.

Full Ascension adds:

• Research Speed +10%

• broad In-City HP +20%

• broad In-City Defense +25%

• Ground/Mounted Attack +30%

• Ground/Mounted Defense +40%

• Ground/Mounted HP +20%

• Enemy Siege Attack -15%

• Enemy Siege Defense -25%

• Enemy Siege HP -25%

A single unascended copy therefore provides significantly less defensive support than a fully developed Stephen.

Is Stephen the Great Worth Ascending?

Yes, if he is your permanent Research Factory Officer and fragments are realistically available.

His Ascension adds:

• Research Speed

• broad city survivability

• Ground/Mounted combat buffs

• anti-Siege debuffs

The strongest Ascension milestones are particularly valuable for defensive accounts.

However:

Blood of Ares remains expensive.

Do not prioritize Stephen over core combat Generals unless:

• he is permanent

• fragments are available

• your combat roster is already in good shape

Is Stephen the Great Worth Specialties?

Yes, if he is your permanent Research Factory Officer.

Sage provides:

• Research Speed +5%

• In-City Defense +5%

• In-City HP +5%

Battle of Vaslui provides:

• Research Speed +5%

• In-City Attack +10%

• Enemy Ranged Attack -20%

• Enemy Siege Attack -20%

These effects directly support his Duty role.

Snipe also provides:

• Enemy Troop Attack -10%

This makes his Specialty package genuinely useful.

Is Stephen the Great Worth Investing In?

Stephen the Great is worth investing in if:

• he is your permanent Research Factory Officer

• Research Speed still matters to your account

• you have a Ground-heavy defense

• you have a Mounted-heavy defense

• enemy Siege is a major threat

• you can obtain duplicate fragments

• your main combat Generals are already reasonably developed

He is less urgent if:

• you cannot obtain fragments

• Blood of Ares is limited

• Runestones are limited

• Research is no longer a major bottleneck

• your active PvP Generals still need major development

TEBA 2026 Reality Check

Stephen the Great is not a combat General.

He is a premium Research Factory Duty specialist.

His fully developed own-kit Duty package can provide approximately:

Research

• Research Speed +30%

Ground

• Attack +40%

• Defense +85%

• HP +60%

Mounted

• Attack +40%

• Defense +85%

• HP +60%

Broad Ranged/Siege Support

• Attack +10%

• Defense +45%

• HP +40%

Enemy Debuffs

• Ground Attack -10%

• Mounted Attack -10%

• Ranged Attack -30%

• Siege Attack -45%

• Siege Defense -25%

• Siege HP -25%

This is a strong package from a General who never needs to lead a march.

His biggest modern strength is:

passive value.

He can simultaneously help with:

• Research

• Main City survivability

• anti-Ranged defense

• anti-Siege defense

without replacing any active PvP General.

TEBA Verdict

Stephen the Great is a premium Research Factory Duty Officer with excellent passive defensive support.

His base Special Skill provides:

• Research Speed +10%

• In-City Troop Defense +15%

• In-City Troop HP +15%

while he is Research Factory Officer.

His Ascension adds:

• Research Speed +10%

• broad In-City HP +20%

• broad In-City Defense +25%

• Ground Attack +30%

• Ground Defense +40%

• Ground HP +20%

• Mounted Attack +30%

• Mounted Defense +40%

• Mounted HP +20%

• Enemy Siege Attack -15%

• Enemy Siege Defense -25%

• Enemy Siege HP -25%

His Specialties add:

• Research Speed +10%

• In-City Attack +10%

• In-City Defense +5%

• In-City HP +5%

• Enemy Troop Attack -10%

• additional Enemy Ranged Attack -20%

• additional Enemy Siege Attack -20%

His fully developed personal Research Speed contribution therefore reaches approximately:

• +30%

before Duty Rank and other account systems.

His strongest developed city-support numbers are approximately:

Ground

• Attack +40%

• Defense +85%

• HP +60%

Mounted

• Attack +40%

• Defense +85%

• HP +60%

Enemy Debuffs

• Ranged Attack -30%

• Siege Attack -45%

• Siege Defense -25%

• Siege HP -25%

His biggest strengths are:

• excellent Research Speed

• excellent Ground/Mounted Defense

• strong Ground/Mounted HP

• useful anti-Ranged debuff

• strong anti-Siege package

• passive value from a Duty slot

• no need for Skill Books

• no need for combat equipment

His biggest weaknesses are:

• premium acquisition

• difficult duplicate fragments

• expensive Ascension

• expensive Specialties

• no meaningful active combat role

For players who already own him, Stephen the Great remains a useful Research Factory Officer in 2026.

His clean modern identity is:

a Research Speed specialist with surprisingly strong Ground/Mounted defensive support and a nasty anti-Siege debuff package.

Keep him in the Research Factory, maximize Duty Rank, and do not waste combat equipment or Skill Books on him.