Truegold & Tempered Truegold Guide: Troop Upgrade Costs, Timelines & Priority Math
Quick Summary: Truegold (T11) and Tempered Truegold (T12) are the endgame troop tiers that give a massive stat advantage over T10. Upgrade Infantry first for survivability, then Archers for DPS. A full T11 army takes ~3-4 months F2P. This guide covers all costs, timelines, and the math behind troop upgrade priority.
Truegold troops represent the biggest power spike available through troop training. A single T11 infantry squad has roughly 15-20% more stats than T10 across the board — and those advantages multiply across your entire march. But the upgrade costs are steep, and upgrading in the wrong order can waste months of progress.
Unlock Requirements
Before you can train Truegold troops, you need to meet specific prerequisites:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Town Center Level | TC 25+ (required for advanced research) |
| Academy Research | Complete T10 research for the troop type |
| War Academy Research | Unlock Truegold training research (TC 22+) |
| Building | Barracks/Range/Stable at required level |
| Resources | Massive RSS investment per batch |
Tempered Truegold (T12) additionally requires:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Town Center Level | TC 27+ |
| War Academy Research | Complete Truegold research + unlock Tempered tree |
| Truegold Prerequisite | Must have trained T11 troops first |
Truegold vs Tempered Truegold: Stat Comparison
Understanding the exact stat jump at each tier helps you decide whether to push for T12 or keep building T11 volume:
| Stat | T10 → T11 Gain | T11 → T12 Gain | Which Matters More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | ~+15% | ~+12% | T10→T11 jump |
| Defense | ~+18% | ~+14% | T10→T11 jump |
| Health | ~+20% | ~+15% | T10→T11 jump |
| Lethality | ~+15% | ~+12% | T10→T11 jump |
| March Speed | +5% | +3% | Minor for both |
Key insight: The T10→T11 upgrade is consistently larger than T11→T12 across all stats. This is why upgrading all three troop types to T11 outperforms pushing one type to T12 while others remain T10.
The T10→T11 jump is larger than T11→T12. This means upgrading all three troop types to T11 gives more total power than pushing one type to T12 while others remain T10. Breadth before depth.
Training Cost Breakdown
Each Truegold batch requires significantly more resources than T10 training:
| Resource | T11 Cost vs T10 | T12 Cost vs T11 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food / Wood / Stone | ~2.5x more | ~2.5x more | Primary RSS drain |
| Gold | ~3x more | ~3x more | Second major cost |
| Truegold Ore | New (T11 only) | Higher amount | The true bottleneck |
| Training Time | ~2x longer | ~2x longer | Use training speedups |
Exact per-batch costs vary by troop type and TC level — check your in-game Barracks for current values. The ratios above are consistent across types.
Truegold Ore: The Bottleneck
Truegold Ore is the unique material required for T11+ training that doesn't exist in the T10 economy:
Truegold Ore Acquisition Sources (ranked by priority):
| Rank | Source | Cost | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alliance Shop | Alliance Tokens | ★★★★★ — Buy every restock without exception |
| 2 | KvK Rewards | Event participation | ★★★★☆ — Large batches, critical for training |
| 3 | Daily Events | Free | ★★★★☆ — Small amounts, very consistent |
| 4 | Truegold Mines (Gathering) | Time + march capacity | ★★★☆☆ — Use farm accounts to maximize |
| 5 | Mystic Trial Shop | Misty Crystals | ★★★☆☆ — Only after buying all Mithril |
| 6 | Premium Packs | Real money | ★★☆☆☆ — Discount events only |
F2P Weekly Ore: The amount varies significantly by kingdom age and event participation. Track your own weekly intake for 2-3 weeks to establish a personal baseline — it's the most reliable way to plan your training schedule.
Which Troop Type to Upgrade First
This is the most consequential decision in Truegold progression. The wrong order costs months:
| Priority | Troop Type | Why | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Infantry | Your frontline is 50%+ of every formation. T11 infantry survive ~20% longer, which means your archers deal ~20% more total damage. | Survivability multiplier |
| #2 | Archers | Primary DPS. T11 archers deal ~15% more damage per hit. Combined with T11 infantry lasting longer, total damage output increases dramatically. | Direct damage increase |
| #3 | Cavalry | Smallest formation percentage (15-20%). The stat increase matters less because fewer cavalry are deployed. | Lowest total impact |
The Math Behind Infantry First
Why does upgrading infantry before archers produce more total damage? Here's the simplified model:
Scenario: Stage 25 Mystic Trial (Radiant Spire)
Option A: T11 Archers + T10 Infantry
- Infantry survives ~4 rounds before collapsing
- Archers deal +15% damage per round × 4 rounds = 4.6x base damage
Option B: T11 Infantry + T10 Archers
- Infantry survives ~5 rounds (20% more HP)
- Archers deal base damage × 5 rounds = 5.0x base damage
Result: T11 Infantry produces ~8.7% more total damage despite not directly increasing DPS.
This effect compounds in longer fights (PvP, rallies, KvK) where the infantry survival advantage is even more pronounced.
Exception: If you are primarily a rally joiner (not host), upgrade archers first. In rallies, your troops merge with the host's formation, so individual survivability matters less than raw DPS contribution.
Training Time Optimization
Truegold training takes significantly longer than T10. Here's how to minimize the time cost:
Speedup Strategy
T11 batches take significantly longer than T10 — typically several hours per batch depending on your TC level, research, and VIP bonuses. Check your in-game Barracks timer for your exact duration.
Speedup strategy for T11 training:
- Save training speedups specifically for Strongest Governor Training days — you earn event points on top of progression
- Use Alliance Help immediately each batch — each help chops 1% off remaining time (30-member alliance = 30% reduction)
- VIP 12+ provides a training time reduction bonus — worth reaching if you're consistently bottlenecked
- Start batches before sleep to maximize passive time without speedups
- Farm accounts can use their speedups on your main's training during coordinated events
F2P Timeline: How Long Does It Take?
| Milestone | Estimated Time | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock T11 Research | Week 0 (TC 25) | — |
| Complete T11 Infantry Research | ~2 weeks | 2 weeks |
| Train 100k T11 Infantry | ~4 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Complete T11 Archer Research | ~2 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Train 100k T11 Archers | ~4 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Complete T11 Cavalry Research | ~2 weeks | 14 weeks |
| Train 100k T11 Cavalry | ~3 weeks | 17 weeks |
| Full T11 Army | — | ~4 months |
Timeline assumes daily play, all speedups used on training, and consistent Truegold Ore farming.
T12 Timeline: Add approximately 6-8 months beyond T11 completion due to higher research requirements, increased material costs, and scarcer Tempered Truegold Ore.
Training vs Upgrading Existing Troops
You have two options for getting T11 troops: training new ones or upgrading existing T10s. Here's the comparison:
| Method | Cost | Time | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train New T11 | Full RSS + Ore cost | Full training time | Better for replacing injured/dead troops |
| Upgrade T10 → T11 | Reduced RSS + Ore + Gold conversion fee | Shorter time | Better for preserving existing army size |
Upgrade when: You have a full T10 army and want to convert in place. Upgrading preserves your troop count and is faster per unit.
Train new when: You've lost troops and need to rebuild, or you're building up troop capacity beyond your current count.
Impact on Game Modes
T11 troops affect different content differently. Here's where the upgrade matters most:
| Game Mode | T11 Impact | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Radiant Spire | Massive — only dungeon using your real troops | ★★★★★ |
| KvK / Open Field PvP | Large — stat advantage in every fight | ★★★★★ |
| Rally Hosting | Large — host provides troop stats to rally | ★★★★☆ |
| Rally Joining | Moderate — merged with host formation | ★★★☆☆ |
| Bear Hunt | Moderate — DPS contribution | ★★★☆☆ |
| Other Mystic Trial | Zero — standardized T10 provided | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
Coliseum, Forest of Life, Crystal Cave, and Knowledge Nexus all use standardized T10 troops. Your Truegold investment has zero impact on those dungeons. Only Radiant Spire uses your actual troops.
Quick Reference
- Infantry first, Archers second, Cavalry last — the survivability multiplier outweighs direct DPS increase
- T10→T11 is a bigger jump than T11→T12 — get all three types to T11 before pushing T12
- Truegold Ore is the bottleneck — buy from Alliance Shop daily and gather from Truegold Mines
- F2P timeline is ~4 months for a full T11 army with consistent daily play
- Only Radiant Spire and PvP benefit — the other 4 Mystic Trial dungeons use standardized T10
For gear to equip on your Truegold troops, see our Gear Guide. For Radiant Spire formation with T11 troops, check our Radiant Spire Formation Guide.