Once you've completed the first quests in the squad-based strategy RPG King Arthur: Legion IX, you can begin to rebuild Nova Roma to its former glory. Read on to discover which updates are best and which to do first.
Top 10 best New Roman upgrades in King Arthur Legion IX
When you first take over New Roma (after you complete The Colony quest), you will have five buildings to invest in. You will then gain access to sixth building after completing the next quest where you rescue The Merchant. I've ranked the buildings and their upgrades below. If you are a little cheap between missions but have enough for take a cheaper upgradeit is usually worth doing to get the benefit for that extra search.
These are the first 10 upgrades I grab as soon as I can afford them:
- Guidance from Mars (500 Gold, 500 Resources): +1 to melee weapon damage. Each of your three melee heroes will likely take two hits per round per battle, so this results in a lot of extra damage during the campaign.
- Basic Physical Training (1,000 Gold): I take this earlier than the mental counterpart (above), as you are more likely to be hit by physical damage early in the campaign. This gives +10 percent Physical Deterioration Resistance to all heroes.
- Apprentice Herbalist (500 Gold, 500 Resources): This is a good low cost for a +5 percent bonus to the Vitality of all your heroes.
- Guidance of Jupiter (500 Gold, 500 Resources): +1 to all heavy armor. This is over a 10 percent boost to three of your heroes' armor values if taken early, which is a bargain at this cost.
- Guidance from Diana (500 Gold, 500 Resources): +1 to weapon damage. This affects several of your heroes, so at this low cost it's still a good investment.
- Combat Training (1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources): Each of your three melee heroes gains 1 bonus skill point. There's always a one-point skill upgrade to be had, especially at lower levels when you want to spend the most points on new skills instead.
- Target Practice (1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources): You get a skill to spend on each of your ranged heroes. It's valuable for the same reasons as Combat Training, but the melee guys need a bit more help (dexterity) than the ranged heroes.
- Master Herbalist (1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources): Can only be taken after Apprentice Herbalist. It costs double but gives double the benefit, adding an additional +10 percent Vitality to all your heroes.
- Basic Mental Training (1,000 Gold): While you're less likely to need this in the early quests as mages become more prevalent this +10 percent Mental Deterioration Resist on all heroes is a very welcome perk.
- Guidance of Mercury (500 Gold, 500 Resources): +1 to all light armor. This helps your three ranged heroes, but you should try to keep them out of harm's way anyway, so this is the weakest of the Blacksmith upgrades.
All New Rome upgrade buildings, ranked
The Training Center – S
Here you can get +5 percent Vitality for all heroes for (500 Gold, 500 Resources) (Apprentice Herbalist), which then opens Master Herbalist (+10 percent vitality for all) for 1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources. While you might not want to pick these up until you've gained a few levels and can really see the benefit, they're great upgrades for the cost because they scale as you level up (ie they continue to provide value throughout the game).
Basic and Advanced Physical Training (1,000 and 1,500 Gold respectively) give all heroes +10 percent Physical Debuff Resist each, while Combat Training (1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources) gives Gaius, Octavius, and Gavius a skill point each. These are all great benefits, as DOTs wear you down quickly in a game with few in-battle healing options.
Lararium – A
Basic Mental Training (1,000 Gold) gives all six of your heroes a 10 percent improvement to their Mental Debuff Resist and is always one of the first upgrades I pick up because it has no Resource Cost and avoiding incoming status effects from casters really helps keep your heroes alive . If you find that you are still suffering spell attacks too regularly, you can upgrade this with Advanced Mental Training (earning another 10 percent) for 1,500 Gold.
Target Practice skill up Plutonius, Albina, and Florianus (your ranged heroes) for 1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources. This feels a little steep but it's definitely in my top 10 updates. Enlarged Altar allows you to activate a second Lar for 1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources. This is expensive and, for me, pointless. However, if more than one Lar appeals to you, this could be a good investment.
The Blacksmith – A
There are eight upgrades available in the blacksmith, each giving +1 Armor or Damage to three of your heroes (two each for light and heavy armor, and melee and ranged weapons). The first upgrade for each costs 500 Gold and 500 Resources and the second 1,000 Gold and 1,000 Resources. The first upgrades are real value for money and the second tier is a bit pricey, but still better than most of the upgrades you'll find in the B and C ranked buildings below.
The War Council – B
The first two updates available here are okay but a bit niche. Spending 1,000 Gold to get 10 percent more Construction Resources in missions (Store Resources) will eventually pay, but you'll still get what you need over time (and easier thanks to taking other upgrades). Reducing Decree Activation by 10 percent (Respect) is similar, but since it only costs 500 Resources you can activate this when you feel you need it the most.
Tax collection (+25 percent Gold in missions) and Fidelity (+1 Loyalty for all heroes) requires you to have 6 Morale points in Demon and Human respectively. This will take a while, but watch your morale track and take them as soon as possible (it will be a while!).
The Enchanted Tower – C
While this store offers some powerful items, its upgrades only remove the AP cost from usage scrolls and potions and increase the duration of these items. I rarely use both and you can only take two per character in a mission so these upgrades are very situational. Its only other upgrade option increases Dust rewards from sacrificing Relics here. This is also rare, so I generally don't bother upgrading the Enchanted Tower until much later in the game.
The Merchant – C
Much like the Enchanted Tower above, upgrading the Merchant only increases the a range of items and reduces cost prices in this shop. Your money is much better spent on other upgrades that benefit all or several of your heroes, rather than giving one of them a soft hit through equipment. And if you see a great item, you can still buy it. Unless you buy a lot of stuff, you'll never recoup the cash you spend on the upgrades.
Best building to assign every hero in Nova Roma in King Arthur Legion IX
Once you've collected all six party members, you can assign each of your heroes to one building (from which they will benefit). I suggest the following:
| Building | a hero | Good deed |
| Enchanted Tower | Gavius Messala | The hero gains +25 Mental Debuff Resist. Gavius will be on the front line but his skill doesn't give him any spell protection. |
| A businessman | Florianus Drusus | The hero gains +4 Loyalty. Florianus can be built into great DPS and higher Loyalty opens up good damage on the Loyalty track. |
| Council of War | Gaius Julius Mint | The hero gains +1 movement AP. Gaius should be your most mobile character as he is perfect for backstabbing attacks and taking down distant weak enemies. |
| training ground | Albino Virgila | The hero gains +1 Damage every 5 levels. The nature of Albina's AOE attacks means that she will likely hit the most targets, making this the most effective use of the ability. |
| Lararium | Plutonius Nerva | The hero gains +10 percent Dodge. Plutonius wears light armor and should never be in dueling range, so anything that helps him avoid damage is a blessing. |
| Blacksmith | Octavius Remus | The hero gains +1 Armor every 5 levels. As your main tank, you always want to put Octavius in the firing line, so damage mitigation is key to his survival. |
As you build and lose loyalty with your peers, you can temporarily switch heroes in and out from the Merchant position. For example, if Florianus doesn't benefit from the +4 Loyalty but it would push another hero into the next bonus, it will usually be worth doing so. All build perks apply to any hero, so changing them to get extra Loyalty bonus (or avoid negative) is the smart play.
For more on King Arthur: Legion IX here at Professional Gaming Guides check out my King Arthur Legion IX Gaius Julius Mento Build Guide and King Arthur Legion IX Albina Virgila Build Guide.
