Theodosius I Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Theodosius I Evony Guide 2026

Theodosius I is a powerful attacking Siege PvP General in Evony: The King's Return.

He is best suited to:

• Siege PvP

• attacking Siege marches

• Siege rallies

• secondary endgame Siege marches

• Alliance War

• Battlefield

• advanced players with large Siege armies

His biggest strengths are:

• very high Siege Machine Attack

• extremely strong Siege Machine Defense

• useful Siege Machine HP

• native March Size

• strong Ascension

• excellent fourth Specialty

• Covenant support

• no major Skill Book restriction

• strong offensive Siege specialization

Theodosius I should primarily be built around Siege Machines.

He is an attacking General, not a Main City Defense General.

Is Theodosius I Good in Evony?

Yes.

Theodosius I is a strong Siege PvP General with a very focused attacking kit.

His Special Skill alone provides:

• Siege Machine Attack +45%

• Siege Machine Defense +45%

• March Size +8%

when he is leading the army to attack.

That is already an excellent starting package.

His Ascension then adds:

• more Siege Attack

• more Siege Defense

• Siege HP

• more March Size

• Troop Death into Wounded

His Specialties further increase:

• Siege Attack

• Siege Defense

• Siege HP

and his Covenant provides another layer of Siege-focused development.

Theodosius I Best Role

Best Role: Siege PvP

Also Excellent For:

• Siege rallies

• secondary Siege marches

• Battlefield

• Alliance War

• attacking fortified cities

Avoid Using For:

• Main City Defense

• Mounted PvP

• Ground PvP

• Monster Hunting

• Subordinate City Mayor

• Duty Officer

Theodosius I is heavily specialized toward:

• attacking Siege Machines

Theodosius I Special Skill

Theodosius I's Special Skill is:

Theodosius the Great

When Theodosius I is leading the army to attack:

• Siege Machine Attack +45%

• Siege Machine Defense +45%

• March Size +8%

This is an excellent offensive Siege skill.

It combines:

• damage

• survivability

• troop volume

without requiring a Dragon or Spiritual Beast.

Why Theodosius I Is Strong for Siege PvP

Siege combat relies heavily on:

• Attack

• Range

• troop volume

• survivability

Theodosius I supports all of the major combat stats except Range directly.

His kit provides large amounts of:

• Siege Attack

• Siege Defense

• Siege HP

• March Size

while Siege Range can be added through:

• Skill Books

• equipment

• account systems

This makes his overall build very straightforward.

Theodosius I Ascension

Ascending Theodosius I significantly increases his Siege performance.

1 Star

When Theodosius I is attacking:

• Siege Machine Attack +10%

• Siege Machine Defense +15%

This gives an immediate offensive and defensive increase.

2 Stars

When Theodosius I is attacking:

• Troop Death into Wounded Rate +8%

This converts part of the troops that would otherwise die into wounded troops.

It can help reduce permanent losses during offensive PvP.

3 Stars

When Theodosius I is attacking:

• Siege Machine HP +10%

• March Size Capacity +5%

This is an excellent Ascension level.

It improves both:

• Siege survivability

• total troop volume

4 Stars

When Theodosius I is attacking:

• Siege Machine Attack +15%

• Siege Machine Defense +15%

This adds another strong Siege combat increase.

5 Stars

When Theodosius I is attacking:

• Siege Machine Attack +20%

• Siege Machine Defense +20%

• Siege Machine HP +20%

The fifth star completes a very strong Siege Ascension tree.

Theodosius I Ascension Totals

Across all five Ascension levels, Theodosius I gains:

• Siege Machine Attack +45%

• Siege Machine Defense +50%

• Siege Machine HP +30%

• March Size +5%

• Troop Death into Wounded +8%

when the relevant attacking conditions are active.

These are substantial upgrades.

Theodosius I Specialties

Theodosius I has four Specialties.

Siege Machine Formation

• Siege Machine Attack +10%

• Siege Machine Defense +10%

This directly strengthens his primary troop type.

Bash

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

• Siege Machine Attack +10%

The Siege bonus is the important part for his primary role.

The Ranged bonus provides minor secondary support.

Siege Machine Ares

• Siege Machine Attack +10%

• Siege Machine Defense +10%

• Siege Machine HP +10%

This gives him a balanced Siege increase.

Battle of the Frigidus

When attacking:

• Siege Machine Attack +40%

• Siege Machine Defense +25%

• Siege Machine HP +25%

Battle of the Frigidus is Theodosius I's standout Specialty.

It provides a huge all-round improvement to his attacking Siege march.

How Much Siege Attack Can Theodosius I Add?

Theodosius I gains Siege Attack from:

• Theodosius the Great: +45%

• 1-Star Ascension: +10%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Siege Machine Formation: +10%

• Bash: +10%

• Siege Machine Ares: +10%

• Battle of the Frigidus: +40%

That gives:

160% Siege Machine Attack

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

This is before:

• Covenant

• Skill Books

• equipment

• refines

• Dragons

• Spiritual Beasts

• account-wide buffs

How Much Siege Defense Can Theodosius I Add?

Theodosius I gains Siege Defense from:

• Theodosius the Great: +45%

• 1-Star Ascension: +15%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Siege Machine Formation: +10%

• Siege Machine Ares: +10%

• Battle of the Frigidus: +25%

That gives:

140% Siege Machine Defense

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

This is exceptionally strong Defense for an attacking Siege General.

How Much Siege HP Can Theodosius I Add?

Theodosius I gains Siege HP from:

• 3-Star Ascension: +10%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Siege Machine Ares: +10%

• Battle of the Frigidus: +25%

That gives:

65% Siege Machine HP

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

HP is the weakest of his three Siege combat stats, but it remains useful.

How Much Native March Size Does Theodosius I Get?

Theodosius I gains:

• March Size +8% from Theodosius the Great

• March Size +5% from 3-Star Ascension

That gives:

13% native March Size

from his own skill and Ascension.

If you add a Lv4 March Size Skill Book:

• March Size +12%

that becomes:

25% personal March Size

before Covenant and other account-wide effects.

Theodosius I Covenant

Theodosius I can establish a Covenant with:

• Septimius Severus

• Nero

• Aurelian

This gives him additional Siege and utility effects as the Covenant is developed.

The Covenant provides benefits including:

• Enemy Wounded into Death when attacking

• March Speed

• Siege Machine Training Capacity

• Marching Siege Machine Defense

• Siege Machine Training Speed

• Marching Siege Machine Attack

• Marching Siege Machine HP

• defensive account support

Some Covenant bonuses apply directly to Theodosius I.

Others are global account bonuses.

Always check the current in-game Covenant screen for the exact unlocked effects on your account.

Theodosius I Covenant Combat Value

The Covenant can add further local bonuses to Theodosius I's Siege march, including:

• additional Siege Machine Attack

• additional Siege Machine Defense

• additional Siege Machine HP

This pushes his developed Siege package beyond the already strong totals from:

• Special Skill

• Ascension

• Specialties

The Covenant is one of the reasons Theodosius I has aged better than many older Siege Generals.

Theodosius I Before Covenant

Before Covenant bonuses, a fully developed Theodosius I can provide approximately:

• Siege Attack +160%

• Siege Defense +140%

• Siege HP +65%

• March Size +13%

• Troop Death into Wounded +8%

from his own Special Skill, Ascension and Specialties.

Theodosius I With Covenant

With the relevant personal Covenant combat bonuses unlocked, Theodosius I becomes even stronger.

His Covenant can add further:

• Siege Attack

• Siege Defense

• Siege HP

• offensive utility

• March Speed

The exact Covenant total depends on which Covenant stages you have unlocked.

For this reason, always use your live Covenant screen when calculating the final account-specific build.

Best Skill Books for Theodosius I

Theodosius I has excellent Skill Book flexibility.

A strong Siege PvP setup is:

• Lv4 Siege Machine Attack

• Lv4 Siege Machine Range Bonus

• Lv4 March Size

This improves:

• Siege damage

• Siege attack range

• total troop volume

This is the cleanest offensive build.

Alternative Siege Skill Book Build

If survivability is a bigger issue, consider:

• Lv4 Siege Machine Attack

• Lv4 Siege Machine Range Bonus

• Lv4 Siege Machine HP

This sacrifices additional March Size for more Siege HP.

Why Siege Range Is Important

Siege Machines fight from long distance.

Increasing Siege Range can allow them to:

• attack sooner

• fire before shorter-range units reach them

• improve battlefield efficiency

For serious Siege PvP:

• Siege Machine Range Bonus

is one of the most important Skill Books.

Theodosius I for Siege PvP

Siege PvP is Theodosius I's correct role.

His own developed package can provide approximately:

• Siege Attack +160%

• Siege Defense +140%

• Siege HP +65%

• March Size +13%

• Troop Death into Wounded +8%

before Covenant, Skill Books and equipment.

That is a strong and balanced attacking Siege package.

Theodosius I for Siege Rallies

Theodosius I can also work very well in Siege rallies.

His strengths include:

• high Siege Attack

• extremely strong Siege Defense

• useful HP

• March Size

• Covenant scaling

However, his own kit does not provide a major Rally Capacity bonus.

For high-end rally leadership, compare him with modern Generals that provide larger rally-specific effects.

Theodosius I for Secondary Siege Marches

This is one of his strongest modern roles.

Even if your account has a newer premium Siege General as its first march, Theodosius I can still provide a very capable:

• second Siege march

• Battlefield march

• secondary rally march

His Covenant and balanced stats make him considerably stronger than many older backup Siege options.

Theodosius I and Ranged Troops

Bash provides:

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%

However, this is only a small secondary benefit.

Theodosius I should not be built as a Ranged PvP General.

His entire major combat package is focused on:

• Siege Machines

Theodosius I for Main City Defense

No.

Theodosius I's strongest effects activate when:

• leading the army to attack

• marching

• attacking

That makes him an offensive Siege General.

Using him on the Wall wastes a large percentage of his kit.

Use a dedicated Main City Defense General instead.

Theodosius I for Monster Hunting

No.

Siege Machines are generally not the preferred troop type for Boss Monster Hunting.

Theodosius I also lacks major Monster-specific effects such as:

• Attack Against Monster

• Monster Defense reduction

• Monster HP reduction

• Double Item Drop

• Stamina reduction

Use a dedicated Monster General instead.

Best Assistant Generals for Theodosius I

Current TEBA data highlights:

• Christina

as a strong pairing direction.

Other Siege Assistants may also work depending on compatibility and development.

Useful Assistant effects include:

• Siege Attack

• Siege Defense

• Siege HP

• March Size

• Siege Range

• enemy debuffs

Always verify Special Skill compatibility in-game.

Some Siege Generals have overlapping fixed skills that will not activate together.

Theodosius I Compatibility

Theodosius I can pair with a range of Siege-focused Assistants.

However, some Generals with similar fixed Siege skills can conflict.

Never assume two strong Siege Generals automatically make a strong pair.

Before investing:

• assign the Main General

• assign the Assistant

• check whether both Special Skills remain active

This avoids wasting expensive development resources on an incompatible pairing.

Equipment and Refines

For Siege PvP, prioritise percentage-based Siege refines.

Weapon

• Siege Machine Attack % x4

Ring

• Siege Machine Attack % x4

Armor

• Siege Machine Defense % x4

Boots

• Siege Machine Defense % x4

Helmet

• Siege Machine HP % x4

Leg Armor

• Siege Machine HP % x4

This gives Theodosius I a balanced Siege build.

Siege Repair Costs

Siege PvP can be extremely expensive.

Damaged Siege Machines require Gems to repair.

Large Siege battles can therefore create enormous:

• Gem costs

• resource costs

• repair costs

before committing heavily to Siege PvP, make sure your account can sustain the cost.

This is one reason high-level Siege warfare tends to favor developed or higher-spending accounts.

Theodosius I vs Older Siege Generals

Theodosius I is substantially stronger than many older accessible Siege Generals.

His developed personal package is far ahead of older options such as:

• Sherman

• Ulysses S Grant

• Casimir Pulaski

especially in:

• Siege Defense

• overall Siege Attack

• balanced survivability

• Covenant scaling

This makes him a much more realistic long-term combat investment than those older options.

Theodosius I vs Newer Siege Generals

Theodosius I remains strong, but Siege power creep has continued.

Newer premium Siege Generals can offer:

• larger raw buffs

• more March Size

• stronger HP

• Skins

• better rally effects

• stronger Covenants

• enemy debuffs

• ownership buffs

That means Theodosius I should no longer automatically be treated as the absolute best Siege General.

However, he remains a serious option and an excellent secondary Siege General when developed.

Is Theodosius I Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes.

Theodosius I has aged much better than many older attacking Generals.

His base skill is still strong.

His Ascension is excellent.

His fourth Specialty is excellent.

His Covenant adds another modern scaling system.

His developed personal Siege package provides:

• Siege Attack +160%

• Siege Defense +140%

• Siege HP +65%

• March Size +13%

before Covenant and Skill Books.

That is still meaningful in 2026.

Is Theodosius I F2P Friendly?

Not really.

Theodosius I is primarily obtained through:

• Historic General Summoning

• premium General tokens

• limited recruitment events

• event reward pools

• premium packages

He is not a normal Tavern General.

Some General databases display a nominal:

• 60,000,000 Gold

value.

Do not treat that value as proof of normal Tavern availability.

His biggest limitation is therefore:

• acquisition

• duplicate fragments

How to Obtain Theodosius I

Theodosius I has appeared through:

• Historic General Summoning

• Limited Recruit

• Epic General Tokens

• Epic Historic General Tokens

• Epic Historic General Premium Tokens

• special General chests

• premium event packages

His exact availability changes as Evony rotates recruitment events.

Always check the current event pool before spending specifically for him.

Theodosius I Fragment Availability

Fragment availability matters because Theodosius I becomes considerably stronger through Ascension.

To fully Ascend him, you need duplicate fragments.

For players who only obtain one copy through an event, reaching:

• 3 Stars

• 4 Stars

• 5 Stars

may require substantial additional investment or patience.

This is an important consideration before committing Blood of Ares and Runestones.

Is Theodosius I Worth Ascending?

Yes, if he is part of your long-term Siege lineup.

His Ascension adds:

• Siege Attack +45%

• Siege Defense +50%

• Siege HP +30%

• March Size +5%

• Troop Death into Wounded +8%

Those are excellent improvements.

Unlike many old Generals whose Ascension only partially rescues a weak base kit, Theodosius I starts strong and becomes significantly stronger.

His main limitation is obtaining enough fragments.

Is Theodosius I Worth Specialties?

Yes, if you use him as a long-term Siege General.

His Specialties add:

• Siege Attack +70%

• Siege Defense +45%

• Siege HP +35%

Battle of the Frigidus alone provides:

• Siege Attack +40%

• Siege Defense +25%

• Siege HP +25%

That is a superb fourth Specialty.

Runestones are expensive, but Theodosius I is one of the Siege Generals where Specialty development can be justified if he remains in your permanent lineup.

Is Theodosius I Worth Developing His Covenant?

Yes.

His Covenant adds another layer of:

• Siege Attack

• Siege Defense

• Siege HP

• March Speed

• offensive utility

• account-wide Siege development benefits

If Theodosius I is one of your permanent Siege Generals, Covenant development is an important part of maximizing him.

You will need the relevant Covenant Generals:

• Septimius Severus

• Nero

• Aurelian

Is Theodosius I Worth Investing In?

Theodosius I is worth investing in if:

• Siege PvP is important to your account

• you already own him

• you can obtain duplicate fragments

• you can build his Covenant

• you need a strong secondary Siege march

• you participate heavily in Battlefield

• you can afford Siege repair costs

He is less attractive if:

• you are strictly F2P

• duplicate fragments are unrealistic

• you already own stronger fully developed modern Siege Generals

• you do not have the resources for Siege warfare

• Blood of Ares is limited

• Runestones are limited

TEBA 2026 Reality Check

Theodosius I is not in the same category as the heavily power-crept Siege Generals from early Evony.

His own fully developed attacking kit can provide approximately:

• Siege Attack +160%

• Siege Defense +140%

• Siege HP +65%

• March Size +13%

• Troop Death into Wounded +8%

before:

• Covenant

• Skill Books

• equipment

• refines

• Dragons

• Spiritual Beasts

• account-wide buffs

His Covenant can push his Siege combat package even further.

That makes him a legitimate high-quality Siege General rather than merely an old backup.

However, modern premium Siege Generals have continued to raise the ceiling.

For a new high-spend endgame account, compare him against the latest Siege releases.

For an account that already owns and has developed Theodosius I, there is no reason to treat him as obsolete.

TEBA Verdict

Theodosius I is a powerful attacking Siege PvP General with excellent Attack, Defense, Ascension and Covenant scaling.

His base Special Skill provides:

• Siege Attack +45%

• Siege Defense +45%

• March Size +8%

when attacking.

His Ascension then adds:

• Siege Attack +45%

• Siege Defense +50%

• Siege HP +30%

• March Size +5%

• Troop Death into Wounded +8%

while his Specialties add:

• Siege Attack +70%

• Siege Defense +45%

• Siege HP +35%

His own fully developed attacking package therefore reaches approximately:

• Siege Attack +160%

• Siege Defense +140%

• Siege HP +65%

• March Size +13%

before Covenant and Skill Books.

His Covenant with:

• Septimius Severus

• Nero

• Aurelian

adds another modern scaling layer.

His biggest strengths are:

• excellent Siege Attack

• exceptional Siege Defense

• useful Siege HP

• native March Size

• excellent Ascension

• excellent fourth Specialty

• Covenant scaling

• straightforward Skill Book compatibility

• strong secondary Siege march value

His biggest weaknesses are:

• premium/event acquisition

• difficult duplicate fragments

• Siege warfare is expensive

• newer premium Siege Generals can reach higher overall ceilings

For players who already own and can develop him, Theodosius I remains a strong Siege PvP General in 2026.

He is particularly attractive as a powerful second Siege march even on accounts where a newer premium General has taken the number-one Siege slot.