Captains and equipment
Captain loadouts: choose the right setup for every job
Build repeatable setups for construction, research, training, Crypts and combat, then check that the bonuses apply to the task you are doing.
By ClanOps · Updated
Choose the job before the Captain
A loadout is the combination of Captain, equipment, Artifact and army you use for a particular task. Treat these as a short checklist you repeat, rather than a permanent outfit that has to do everything.
Start with the result you want: a shorter research timer, a cheaper training session, better Crypt progress or a useful battle reward. Then inspect the relevant bonus lines. A high-level item with unrelated bonuses can be the wrong choice.
A practical starting table
| Job | Captain to consider | Main bonus to check |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | Aurora | Building speed |
| Research | Farhad | Research speed |
| Training and food | Helen | Training speed and Food production |
| Crypt exploration | Carter | Exploration efficiency and Tar capacity |
| Gathering | Stror | Gathering speed and carrying capacity |
| Guardsmen combat | Aydae | Guardsmen strength and health |
| Epic combat | Hercules | Strength and health against epics |
| Valor-focused battles | Doria | Valor gain |
| Conquest-focused battles | Dustan | Conquest gain |
These are starting options, not a ranking of every Captain. Compare the Captains you own at their actual levels. A reward bonus does not automatically beat the extra damage from another setup.
Make a small equipment checklist
For each job, note the equipment you intend to use and the exact bonus you expect it to provide. Check restrictions such as troop type, target type or activity. Include any relevant condition shown on the item rather than adding every visible percentage together.
Artifacts and equipment need a hired Captain in an active slot to work. Owning an Artifact or leaving it on an inactive Captain is not enough. For a march, also inspect the selected leader and army before sending it.
A useful saved note is short: job, Captain, equipment, Artifact, one verification screen. Update it after replacing an item or gaining a bonus that changes your formation.
Pair Artifacts with the task
Our recommended pairings are Chronoglyph with Helen for army preparation and Torch of Olympus with Carter for Crypt exploration. The Fan of the Five Winds is an option to evaluate for a Guardsmen march.
Inspect your own Artifact's level, stars and additional bonuses. These recommendations do not mean every copy of an Artifact has identical benefits, or that it is the best choice for every army.
For a Crypt session, ask whether you need more progress, capacity or a lower cost. Those are different outcomes; compare the same Crypt before and after the change.
Verify one visible result
| Task | Useful check before committing |
|---|---|
| Building or research | The final timer shown for the same upgrade |
| Training | The same troop batch's time and Silver price |
| Crypts | Same Crypt type and level, with the selected exploration setup |
| Combat | Correct leader, troop traits, available capacity and relevant bonuses |
Illustrative comparison: a research timer of 12 hours with one setup and 10 hours with another is a two-hour difference for that specific preview. It is not a claim about Farhad's bonus at a particular level.
Compare like with like. Changing the target, troop quantity or research level at the same time makes the result hard to interpret.
Keep a home setup and a march checklist
Before a battle, check that you have not left a gathering or exploration setup selected. When the activity finishes, return to the city-support arrangement you intended to use. A brief written checklist is enough; the point is to avoid relying on memory during a busy event.
For combat, change one part of the loadout at a time and keep a few battle reports. Judge the whole result, including recovery, rather than choosing only the largest strength percentage.
Check current requirements in-game before committing troops or resources.
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