New Ground General Francis I in Evony

Evony General Francis I Guide (2026): Is the New Ground General Worth It?

A brand-new general has arrived in Evony: The King’s Return, and it’s officially General Day at Empire Build Academy.

Meet new Evony ground general Francis I of France, the latest general to enter the game. But is he actually worth investing in? And how does he compare to recent ground generals?

Before we dive into his stats, let’s quickly cover the latest game updates impacting players right now.

Latest Evony Update: Activity Quest Optimisation

Evony has introduced an Activity Quest optimisation, making daily progression smoother and more rewarding.

✅ New Activity Quests Added

You can now earn activity points from:

• Greet the Champion (5 times)

• Ranger Night Order (participate once)

• Trade Carriage (complete twice)

  
  

These help players reach daily milestones faster.

What Changed?

• Activity points have been rebalanced

• Milestone rewards have been improved

• Overall progression feels smoother

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The new reward boxes appear slightly upgraded (likely increased speed-ups and resource values), although the changes are subtle.

Romantic Spring Festival & Current Events

The Romantic Spring Festival is live, including:

• Historic General Summoning

• Alchemy Shop

• Rainbow Crow Voyage

• Voyage to Civilizations

• War Medal Treasure Hunt

• Dragon Battle Lucky Bag

• Alliance Competition

• Ultimate War

• Upcoming All-Stars Battlefield (March)

⚠️ Note: Dwarf’s Treasure appears to be a paid-only event.

If you want maximum efficiency, make sure you're participating in:

• Wishful Windmill Festival

• Ranger Night Order (now permanent)

• BOG & BC rotations

Francis I of France – Ground General Breakdown

Let’s get into the stats.

Base Special Skill

Francis I increases:

• Ground Troop Attack & Defense: +60%

• Ground Troop HP: +45%

Strong defensive foundation. But how does he scale?

Ascension Breakdown (5-Star Potential)

⭐ 1 Star

• Ground Troop Defense & HP +10%

⭐⭐ 2 Star

• Attacking troop death → wounded rate +8%

⭐⭐ 3 Star

• Ground Troop Attack & Defense +15%

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Star

• Ground Troop HP +15%

• March Size Capacity +8%

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Star

• Mounted & Ground Attack +35%

• Ground Defense & HP +35%

This is where Francis becomes powerful — especially with strong defensive scaling and mixed mounted synergy at max ascension.

Specialties Analysis

• Ground Troop HP +10%

• Ground Troop Defense +10%

• Formation: Ground & Main Troop Attack +10%

• Ground Troop Attack, HP & Defense +10%

• Battle of Marignano:

  • Ground Attack +55%

  • Ground & Mounted Defense +35%

  • Ground & Mounted HP +35%

Francis is clearly built as a tank-style ground PvP general, with excellent survivability and solid attack scaling.

Covenant Bonuses

Francis also benefits from multiple covenants:

• War Covenant: Ground HP +10%

• Cooperation Covenant: Ground Training Speed +10%

• Peace Covenant: Reinforcing Ground Attack +10%

• Faith Covenant: Ground Defense +10%

• Honor Covenant: Ground Attack +10%

• Civilization Covenant: Attacking Ground Attack +10%

• March Size Capacity +10%

Strong covenant synergy for players building dedicated ground marches.

How Does Francis I Compare to Other Ground Generals?

How Does Francis I Compare to Other Ground Generals?

Compared to recent releases like:

• Louis II (Evony general version)

• Niccolò Piccinino (Evony general version)

Attack

Slightly lower than the top-tier attackers.

Defense

Stronger than both in raw defensive scaling.

HP

Solid and competitive.

March Size

• Francis: 18%

• Niccolò Piccinino: 24%

March size is where Francis falls slightly short compared to some previous generals.

The MOST Important Thing: General Drop Rates

This is crucial for all Evony players.

Francis I is currently available in Historic General Summoning with an increased drop rate (~17.5%).

Older generals drop significantly (around 7.5% or lower).

⚠️ Once Francis disappears in approximately two weeks:

• His drop rate decreases

• Ascending him to 5 stars becomes extremely difficult

• Token efficiency drops dramatically

Pro Tip:

If you have 60–100 general tokens saved, you can realistically ascend Francis to 5 stars during his boosted window.

Trying to chase older generals with reduced drop percentages is inefficient and expensive.

That’s why, in many cases, the newest general is effectively the best general — because they’re the only realistic one to max out.

Is Francis I Worth It?

Here’s the honest verdict:

✅ Worth It If:

• You run ground-heavy PvP

• You want strong defensive scaling

• You can commit enough tokens to fully ascend him

• You missed previous top-tier ground generals

❌ Skip If:

• You're waiting for a ranged general

• You prioritise high march size

• You don’t have enough tokens saved

• You’re transitioning away from ground meta

My Personal Strategy

I’m currently holding 164 general tokens and waiting for a strong ranged general with better march size capacity.

Patience is often more powerful than impulse summoning.

Final Thoughts

Francis I of France is a strong defensive ground general with solid scaling and covenant bonuses. He’s not necessarily the strongest attacking ground general we’ve seen, but he is currently the most accessible one due to drop rate mechanics.

If you’re going after him, commit fully during his boosted period.

If not — save your tokens and prepare for the next meta shift.

What Are You Doing?

Are you summoning Francis I?Or are you saving your tokens for the next ranged powerhouse?

Let me know in the comments.

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