Travian: A Guide to Playing Teutons

Before you commit to playing Teutons, there are some things to be aware of. Teuton units are some of the weakest in the game, especially their main raiding unit, the maceman. A maceman only has five cavalry defense, which means that when your enemies start getting cavalry, if you are unlucky enough to leave them at home, fewer than ten Equites Imperatoris or Theutates Thunder can take out almost a hundred macemen. A Teuton has neither the defenses of a Gaul, nor the strong infrastructure of a Roman.

So why play one? Here's the pay-off: Teuton units are cheap. You can built two macemen for every legionnaire a Roman has. You can have Paladins way before Gauls have TT's. This allows you to start raiding and keep doing it far sooner than either of your opponents. This, combined with the ability to dip 20% of the way into a cranny means that you can out-raid your opponents with ease and build a powerful PvP-based empire on the bones of fallen villages. Don't be fooled though: playing Teutons requires you to be aggressive and active. If you can manage this, however, you have the potential to be among the most powerful players on the server.

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Teuton's also have some of the best cavalry defense in the spearman, presumably to make up for the maceman, who is terrible at it. Axemen are cheap and powerful, and make up the bulk of many excellent Teuton hammers. Paladins are good on defense and excellent raiders, making them a great investment no matter how you play, and Teutonic Knights are strong and powerful - good for end-game hammers or alliance wars. You'll still have to have more than your opponents, but the excellent farming ability of your troops should make this easily achievable.

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As a Teuton, the absolute best time to start the server is 3-6 days after it starts. That's when most players are coming out of beginners protection. A good Teuton can be raiding in a little over two hours, and have dozens or even hundreds of maces when BP is over, depending on how good pickings are. You can start the server at any time, but if you want to be competitive, this is the best time. For the first few days, you should build only macemen and granaries or warehouses as the situation calls for it. Raid constantly and avoid counter-attacks by keeping your troops out and your resources spent. If you are active and careful, you should be the most powerful player in your 7x7 and even your 13x13 by the time you've been out of beginners protection for a day. This is when you have to start looking to the future. If you are doing REALLY well, and you don't have trouble managing over a hundred

macemen at a time, you should consider pushing for a second village. You will need a Town Hall for this. You need a main building level 10, and an academy level 10 to build this. You should also be working toward a level 10 residence, so you can build settlers. This will take a lot of resources, but some very successful raiders can be looking at settling a second village by their second week.

However, if you have a lot of competition, or don't have the time or energy to manage the number of troops required to bring in these kinds of resources, then you should be pushing for Paladins, to expand your raiding zone. This requires a level five academy, a level three blacksmith, and a level three stable.

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As the game wears on, you will have to work a little harder to stay ahead, but you will still be useful as the game progresses. The quickness with which Teuton units are built means that you can start building a hammer later and still have it compete with Roman and Gaul hammers, and your spearmen are still some of the best units in the game for fending off cavalry - Gauls and Romans will want to trade good infantry defenders for your excellent spearmen. The new Brewery building also allows Teutons to defend themselves from catapults better. In short, Teutons lose most of their advantage in the mid and late game, because heavy raiding is less sustainable. This is less crippling than you would think, however, because the advantage they have if they start early is often more than enough to carry them through to the end of the server.

Teutons are not for the weak of heart. Nearly all of the advantages they have over the other tribes require the player to be an active and aggressive farmer, so if you fail to be competitive enough, it can often result in your downfall. They require a great deal of time and attention, so much that many of the best Teutons are played by three or more players, so that someone can be on at all times. Still, if you take a look at the top players and the top robbers of any server, many, if not most of them will be Teutons. It is the best tribe for competitive players and for those who want someday to complete a World Wonder and win the server.