Dynasties
Defensive line
The Defensive line raises the defense power of every city you own. It is chosen at match setup and stands for the whole match (Getting started).
Its effect
- City defense +3
A city's base defense is 3; with the Defensive line it is 6. The contribution is summed into the same item as the Walls contribution, so a walled city takes both — the dynasty does not replace Walls, it stacks on top of them.
The contribution applies to every city you own, not just the ones you founded: a city you conquered carries the same bonus, and so does a Neutral village you take — the moment a village is yours it is an ordinary city.
The effect is defense power only: the city's HP (15 + 2 × population), its turn-start repair (2) and its vision (2) are unchanged (Cities and population).
Defense power is not the same thing as HP
In the combat formula defense power sits in both the denominator and the numerator (Combat):
Attack power = attack × (HP ÷ max HP)
Defense power = defense × (HP ÷ max HP) × terrain multiplier × type multiplier × fortify multiplier
Type multiplier = 2 for a Spearman defending against a Raider, 1 for every other pairing.
Fortify multiplier = 1.5 for a dug-in unit, 1 otherwise.
Damage to the target = attack power × 4 × attack power ÷ (attack power + defense power)
Counter damage = defense power × 2 × defense power ÷ (attack power + defense power) — only if the defender survives; cities never strike back.
Results round to the nearest whole number, halves up. There are no hidden variables: the preview is the real calculation.
So raising defense power cuts incoming damage quadratically, not linearly — adding HP does not do the same job, it only lengthens how many turns the siege takes. Because a city never strikes back (there is no counter-damage on the city side), the only job of defense power is to lower incoming damage, and that is exactly what this line does.
What it does not change
- Terrain and type multipliers do not apply to cities; the one multiplier on the city side is revolt (Victory conditions). The Defensive line does not touch it: a revolting city still defends at ×0.5 under this dynasty.
- A friendly unit in the region is not a garrison. You still defend with units; the dynasty buys the turns those units need to arrive.
- A city under siege does not repair. The dynasty does not change that rule, it changes the city's threshold for falling.
The combat preview shows it
The preview is the real calculation: the dynasty contribution included, the defense power you see on screen is the very number the engine works with. It is also the number the rival sees when it weighs an attack on your city — the AI decides with your dynasty accounted for.
The numbers on this page are read from the game’s balance tables.