Exciting Updates to Settlements in Forge of Empires!

Hello Forge Fans!

We're excited to share some news with you about our beloved Cultural Settlements feature.

Since its introduction, Cultural Settlements have offered a unique way to explore different cultures such as the Vikings, Feudal Japan, and Ancient Egypt, providing you with distinct questlines, settlements, and rewards that enrich your gaming experience.

However, we understand that with time, even the most cherished features need refreshing to continue to provide engaging and rewarding experiences. Recognizing this, we are implementing a series of rebalancing measures aimed at enhancing the enjoyment and satisfaction you derive from Cultural Settlements.

This update is a continuation of the changes we previously announced, further evolving the feature to ensure it remains a fulfilling part of your Forge of Empires adventure.

What did we change?

1. New Play-through rewards










We've refreshed the rewards for replaying settlements after completing all normal playthroughs. Moving past the previous standard of 50 Forge Points, we're introducing something much more exciting — time-limited upgrades for your main settlement buildings, like the iconic Yggdrasil. These upgrades bring a new layer of strategy and enjoyment to your settlements, making every playthrough feel rewarding. Whether it's enhancing your buildings' appearance or boosting their productivity, these upgrades are designed to give your city a significant advantage.

Dive deeper into the specifics of these game-changing upgrades by visiting this page: New Play-through Rewards

2. New timed rewards
Your feedback has been loud and clear: the timed rewards for completing settlements within specific timeframes needed a boost. We listened and took action. Now, we're thrilled to introduce a comprehensive overhaul of these rewards, designed to make them not just more attractive, but truly compelling.

Each settlement now offers timed rewards that significantly enhance the value and excitement of meeting those challenges. It's all about rewarding your skill, speed, and strategy with something that feels truly worth the effort.

For an in-depth look at what these revamped timed rewards offer, be sure to check out the details here: New timed rewards

3. General outpost rebalancing
We've taken a comprehensive look at the mechanics of settlements and implemented a series of balancing adjustments. These changes are designed to create a smoother, more enjoyable gameplay experience across the board.

Here's what's new:

• New Quest rewards: We've taken a look at our quest and milestone rewards across all settlements and given them a makeover.
• More Impediment Removals: We've increased the opportunities for free & premium Impediment removals. For the first time, it is now possible to remove all impediments within a Settlement.
• Shorter Construction Times: We've reduced the construction time for Tier 1 Residential, Goods, and Diplomacy buildings. This change means you can develop your settlements faster and more efficiently.
• Adjusted Production Times: Goods production times have been tweaked to align closer with those in Polynesia, changing from 4 hours to 5 hours, 8 hours to 10 hours, and 24 hours to 20 hours. These adjustments streamline production across your settlements, making planning and resource management more intuitive.
• Expanded Quests for Feudal Japan: To enrich the exploration of Feudal Japan, we've introduced additional quests. These quests are tailored to complement the Embassy Advancements in the settlement, providing a more immersive and engaging experience.
• Enhanced Rupee Production in the Mughal Empire: We've made the Mughal Empire settlement less labor-intensive by boosting Rupee production and slightly reducing the goods requirements for expansions. This refinement aims to balance challenge with enjoyment, making your progress feel both rewarding and attainable.

4. 'Sell Building' Confirmation Window for Diplomacy buildings
Similar to streets we added a 'Sell Building' confirmation window for Diplomacy Buildings, to avoid selling these by accident. We've added an option to bypass those confirmation windows permanently with a 'Never ask me again' checkbox. For those who prefer the safety net, the option to reactivate confirmation prompts can be easily found and adjusted in the settings, giving you complete control over your gameplay experience.

5. More Premium Expansions
Until now, the grid of each settlement offered more space than could be utilized with the available expansions. We've addressed this by introducing additional Premium Expansions, unlocking the full potential of your settlement's grid. These expansions can be purchased with Diamonds, giving you the opportunity to fully realize your visionary layouts and strategies.

6. Added Speed-Up-Functionality
We're bringing a powerful new feature to your settlements — the ability to speed up productions and reduce waiting times with the use of Premium Currency. Whether you're eager to advance more quickly or just find yourself in need of a timely boost, this new functionality offers a convenient solution. For just 50 (Goods productions) or 150 Diamonds (Reduce Waiting times), you can now cut any production or waiting time by 50% each time you're using it. 

Specifically, you can use it for:

• Goods buildings
• Merchant usage waiting times in Feudal Japan
• Combat encounter waiting times in Ancient Egypt
• Mini-game session waiting times in Aztecs

This enhancement is all about adding convenience, flexibility, and speed to your gameplay, allowing you to tailor your experience in a way that best suits your strategy and goals.

7. New Name
What was once known as 'Cultural Settlements' will now simply be called 'Settlements'. This update, which we've briefly mentioned before: Update to version 1.279

Originally, the term 'Cultural Settlements' was chosen to highlight the immersive exploration into the rich tapestry of human cultures not covered in the main Forge of Empires timeline, from the mysteries of Ancient Egypt to the serene beauty of Polynesia. Our passion for bringing diverse cultures to life remains unwavering. However, we've realized that the prefix 'Cultural' may limit the scope of what we can bring to this beloved feature.

In our quest to keep the game exciting, innovative, and inclusive of a broader range of human experiences, we're dropping the 'Cultural' label. Stay tuned for more updates to the Forge of Empires world!

Important!
With the upcoming significant updates to the settlements, including enhanced rewards, additional expansions, and the introduction of speed-up functionality, we're taking extra precautions to ensure a seamless integration of these changes into your gameplay.

To avoid any potential errors or disruptions for currently running settlements, we've made the decision to complete all ongoing settlements at the time of the update's activation. This means that once the update is activated, you'll have the opportunity to start a new settlement experience with all the new features and improvements active right from the start.

We understand this is a big step, but it's crucial for ensuring that you can fully enjoy the new enhancements without interruption. This reset is our way of making sure that every player can engage with the new settlement features on equal footing by reducing risks for any complications.

We Can't Wait to Hear From You!
With these cool updates making their way to your settlements, we're eager to see how they'll transform your game and enrich your Forge of Empires experience. But what's even more exciting is hearing from you — our community. Your feedback, thoughts, and strategies are what help us grow and improve.

So, dive into the updates, explore the new rewards, and let us know what you think! Join the conversation on our Discord Server or share your insights directly through our feedback channels. Together, let's continue to build an unforgettable Forge of Empires adventure. Your input makes all the difference.

Happy building!
Your Forge of Empires Team

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• Cultural Settlements: New Play-through Rewards
• Cultural Settlements: New timed rewards
• New Cultural Settlement: Polynesia
• New Play-through Rewards
• New timed rewards