Quickest way to high tier settlements?

[BeeBee1]

I know someone has already done the math but:

What is the quickest way to level up a province capital to highest tier? Should I level up all the smaller settlements first, using the population surplus or keep the small settlements at low level and just level up the province capital?

I know building the "Growth" buildings is a must for smaller settlements. I play on regular/default difficulty so I don't mind spending money to upgrade

This particular example is for the Dwarfs as Malakai

Please and thank

[Treyen]

i generally upgrade small settlements to at least 2. toolmakers are mandatory in small, then either growth or military buildings depending on what you need the region to do for you. walls/garrisons tend to be useless, i'll rarely build it somewhere that will end up a choke point, like the settlement to the southeast of kraka drak. i'll go to 3 on a small if its a military building i want at tier 3. like if you want to get longbeards, etc, otherwise i'll often let them stay at 2 and just focus on the main settlement.

[AurumHawke]

Growth brackets are: 125 / 375 / 750 / 1250 / 1875
And those are technically cumulative - 125 / 500 / 1250 / 2500 / 4375

Rushing a T3 capital should be done by skipping the settlements, since it will take longer to upgrade growth buildings than it does to reach 2 pop.

"Rushing" a T5 capital should be done by upgrading whatever's available as it becomes available, since you need those growth buildings providing 60 per turn to reach 4375 total.

Rushing T4 is somewhere in the middle, probably T2 settlements providing 40 per turn for the capital.

[Cenwalh]

- growth building in every settlement (even the main one)
- research Heavy Quernstones, then High King's Authority (for less construction time); then also go for Autonomy of the Holds, which makes the growth commandment stronger;
- don't forget to select the commandment that gives +growth
- skip upgrading minor settlements, it is faster; not only that, but you also save the money for the main one; higher tiers are very expensive
- it will also indirectly help to have a Lord that reduces cost of construction; I don't remember if there's a trait that reduces construction time as well;
- in that same vein, it also indirectly helps to have as much Control as possible - higher tiers of control give +growth; since you play on Normal diff, this should be easy to achieve
- similarly, achieving a high tier in Age of Reckoning also gives +growth
- bonus: keep a lord there if you got the money for it, do not move him from the settlement; over time, completing all those buildings with him there should net him the trait that will reduce costs for construction

[Aluminum Elite Master]

For factions in general, some can insta-build to top level.

Skaven can use a ton of food and get Tier V immediately when taking a city via war, for instance.

Otherwise, outside of a few factional abilities, it's about maximizing growth modifiers. Using a hero with a growth ability, plus a commandment for growth, plus having each settlement in a province build the growth building, is the way I usually go.

For Dwarfs in particular, a couple already pointed it out, but you have techs for growth/construction time, and Age of Reckoning, too.




Easiest way is to conquer, though. After a while, there will be AI factions that built things up for you to take. Malakai is limited in that area, though, because his start area is mostly Chaos around him (who do not build nearly as much) and Norsca (who have entirely different rules for their homeland about building).

[AurumHawke]

Alright, math since I was bored and felt like checking the T4 case. Focusing only on buildings because any other modifiers help regardless.
Depending on whether there's a Port, and as long as I have the Beer building right...

T4 costs 3125 growth. T5 costs 7500 growth (including T4).
Every T2 costs 125 additional growth. Every T3 costs 625 additional growth (inlcuding T2).
Upgrading to T2 refunds itself in 3-5 turns from the upgraded growth.
Upgrading to T3 refunds itself in 10-11 turns from the upgraded growth.

T1 pays for its own upgrade in 5-7 turns.
T2 pays for its own upgrade in 3-5 turns.
T3 pays for its own upgrade in 21-25 turns.
T4 pays for its own upgrade in 32-38 turns.
Turn-times are after everything's been built/upgraded to the tier, of course.

So except for rushing T4 in a 4-Region Province, where you still upgrade everything else to T2, always upgrade (efficiently) ASAP.
And if I didn't get the Beer building right, always upgrade.

[MjauMix]

press button

[CrUsHeR]

Originally posted by Aluminum Elite Master:

Easiest way is to conquer, though. After a while, there will be AI factions that built things up for you to take. Malakai is limited in that area, though, because his start area is mostly Chaos around him (who do not build nearly as much) and Norsca (who have entirely different rules for their homeland about building).

Not really a viable strategy, considering that the AI always ignores Growth in favor of stacking recruitment, gold and control buildings everywhere.

Let's say you wait until turn 100+ for an AI capital to reach T5, then you still lose a whole tier just from regular capture. And the minor settlements all lose a tier as well, including the buildings from the lost slots.

Then you have to scrap the existing buildings and replace them, which all takes more time and gold.

So the most lucrative thing is to sack those cities, invest the gold in your already secure provinces, and more armies.

[BeeBee1]

Thanks everyone, the info here is fantastic!