Every tribal camp counts down to its next unit, but only while it is not already full. This page explains when that countdown runs and when it freezes.
The pause rule
A camp is full, and its countdown is frozen, while the tribe's
units within 3 tiles reach the cap. Units that are out raiding
do not count.
cap = camp tier (+1 to +4) + Tribal Strength bonus (+0 to +4)
- Camp tier is the settlement's level, from Hovel at +1 up to Bastion at +4, as listed in the table below.
- Tribal Strength is the option in advanced setup, running from Passive to Raging. Each step adds a flat bonus to every camp's cap, from Passive +0 through Weak +1, Normal +2 and Strong +3 to Raging +4, and it also shortens the spawn interval.
- The cap is halved, rounded up, when no city the tribe could raid is within its raid range.
- The cap is never more than a third of the tiles on the landmass, so a small island caps low.
Reading the two timers on a camp
A camp shows two counters: the next unit timer and, below it, the develop timer, the time until the camp upgrades to its next tier. The next unit timer falls by 1 each turn while running (the tile tooltip shows "(PAUSED)" while the camp is at its cap), gains 2 turns when the camp develops, and resets to full when a unit spawns. Unit deaths don't move it.
- The develop timer counts up toward the tier's threshold. Each camp starts with a random head start of up to 10 turns, smaller at lower Tribal Strength settings. When the camp upgrades it starts spawning the stronger tier's units.
- Movement starts and stops the freeze as often as combat does: raiders leave or return, units cross the ring of 3 tiles, or a nearby city becomes raidable, which doubles the cap.
The numbers
By Tribal Strength, the advanced setup option
| Tribal Strength | New unit every | Camp cap bonus | Raid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passive | 14 turns | +0 | — |
| Weak | 11 turns | +1 | 14 tiles |
| Normal | 9 turns | +2 | 16 tiles |
| Strong | 8 turns | +3 | 18 tiles |
| Raging | 8 turns | +4 | 20 tiles |
By camp tier, which settlements reach over time
| Camp | Camp cap base | Develops in |
|---|---|---|
| Hovel | +1 | 20 turns |
| Outpost | +2 | 30 turns |
| Encampment | +3 | 40 turns |
| Bastion | +4 | top tier |
For example, at Normal an Outpost caps at 2 + 2, which is 4 units within 3 tiles, or 2 when it has no city to raid in range.
What this means in play
- A camp near your borders keeps producing. With a city it can raid in range, it holds twice the standing force before it pauses.
- Standing on a camp stops its upgrade, because the develop timer does not run while a foreign unit occupies the camp tile. It does not affect the next unit timer.
- The very first countdown of the game is halved on turn 1.
- In co-op multiplayer, where every player is on one team, intervals scale by 4/(3+players), so more players mean faster camps.
See also Tribes.