Colonies 2.0

Hello again!

Welcome to the Lords&Empires Developer Diaries. Today, we’re revisiting the Colony System that we previously introduced.

If you missed the first developer diary or would like to compare the old system with the new design, you can check it out here:
https://lordsempires.com/tr/devlogs/colony

When we first introduced colonies, we had a very different system in mind. However, after extensive testing, we realized that this version was not as fun or satisfying as we had hoped. As a result, we completely redesigned the colony mechanics and rebuilt the system from the ground up.

For this reason, instead of going into detail about the old version, we will directly introduce the new colony system.

Colony Types

In Lords&Empires, there are 17 different colony types across three main categories: Military, Economic, and Special.

Military Colonies

• Spice: Increases army attack power.
• Silk: Increases army defense power.
• Wine: Increases overall army morale.
• Salt: Increases army movement speed.
• Wheel: Increases the speed of scouts, traders, and spies.

Economic Colonies

• Marble: Increases construction speed.
• Archive: Increases honor gain.
• Paper: Increases research speed.
• Wood: Increases wood production.
• Stone: Increases stone production.
• Gold: Increases gold production.
• Farm: Increases food production.
• Equipment: Increases weapon production.
• Iron: Increases iron production.

Special Colonies

• Garrison Colony: Allows you to train colony troops.
• Explorer Colony: Allows resource gathering with explorers.
• Trader Colony: Enables buying and selling through traders.

How Colonies Work

All colonies, except Special ones, generate resources at regular intervals. For example, if you own a Salt Colony, you will receive salt every 24 hours.

These resources are added directly to your inventory. You can then use them whenever you want to activate the bonuses they provide.

Each colony also has a level system. By upgrading your colonies, you can:

• Increase wall durability,
• Expand military capacity,
• Improve production output.

Special Colonies

Special colonies do not generate resources. Instead, they unlock new gameplay mechanics.

For example, if you own a Garrison Colony, you can train colony troops there. However, troop training is not possible in military or economic colonies.

Because of this, both your Capital and your Garrison Colony play a critical role in protecting your empire and securing your colonies.

The colony system is no longer just a resource-generating mechanic; it has become a core strategic layer where every decision shapes your empire. Which colonies you establish, upgrade, and defend will be just as important as your armies on the path to victory.

That’s all we have to share about colonies for now. Feel free to leave your questions in the comments. See you in the next developer diary!