So many things have changed about Evony in recent years; the addition of ascension and assistant generals, but needing a good defense general has not. Selecting a defense general can make or break your game in Evony. Defense generals can be the difference between going negative and staying positive in points during major PvP events, like SvS.
There is a mass of defense generals to choose from and choosing can be daunting so which one is best for your game play? Let's break it down.
A defense general in Evony is considered a general that will be stationed on your wall during combat (KE, purge, SvS and Battlefields). These select generals will have in their preset buff that x, y, and/or z are buffed by such and such percent when they are the Main City Defense General. Some generals will also have a debuff in place of or in addition to the troop buff. The game's mechanics are designed for each troop type to have a counter troop type, so in selecting a defense general, you want two generals; main and assistant, that buffs your city's dominant troop type and/or debuff the type that can beat it. For example, if your dominant troop type is range, you want a wall general with a range buff and if possible, a general that also has debuffs for ground. It's also important to note that buffs don't stack when it comes to main and assistant generals.
Also, choosing the best general for your city will be determined even more greatly on your own play style, what kind of player you are, what your power level is, how many troops you have and how your city is built. The generals below in each type are ranked by percentages from highest to lowest.
It's worth mentioning, you will find generals in all troop types with a good percentage in defense but if they don't have "when general is the Main City Defense general" they aren't going to be of the best use to your city on your wall. They will do for the moment until you have a defense general, but it should be a priority to get one of the generals below because it is not clear if you will get their defense buffs if they are not fulfilling the task in their preset buff or not. The tavern is a great place to land a decent defense general and the higher level your tavern gets, the better the choices.
Top 5 Best Ground Troop Defense Generals
2] James Bowie - With multiple ground troop buffs and even some in mounted and ease of access to obtain, James Bowie, he makes a quality defense general for any style player, not only with ground troops but also against mounted troops, (the troops that counter ground) and range troops, making him an exceptional defense general overall.
3] Oda Oichi - Oda is the only other defense general that has an all troop buff but what gets her ranked for ground is her impressive ground HP buff (30%) which makes them highly durable.
4] Yi Sun-sin - As one of only three defense general with an all troop buff, Yi is a good, all around defense general with his all troop buffs but what makes him great for ground defense is the focus on defense against both range and ground troops, the two primary PvP troop types.
5] William Marshall - Although William Marshal doesn't have any attack or defense for ground troops, he does have a decent percentage in HP (20%) and that makes him a good defense general for combat against range troops, the most commonly used troop type for PvP.
Top 5 Best Range Troop Defense Generals
2] Yodo-dono - Her 40% range attack buff is not the only impressive thing about Yodo dono as a defense general. Her all troop HP buff means all the in city troops behind the wall she guards will be extra resistant to damage from enemy troops.
3] Ly Thuong Kiet - Kiet is by far an underrated gem of a defense general for several reasons. First, he's free, easy to obtain and ascend. Secondly, he's the only general in the game, let alone the only defense general that has a trap triggering buff and on top of that it's a whopping 60%. In addition, he has a fairly decent range troop attack buff of 30%. He's the most ideal for small and free players who rely on ghosting for defense but even after players grow too large to ghost, the trap buff remains a useful defensive tool.
4] Leonidas I - Leonidas makes the list a second time for his range attack buff of 25%. Not as high as his buffs for ground but still decent and makes him ideal for defense of both primary PvP troop types and adds some distance defense.
5] William Marshal - With another 20% buff in range attack, William is one of the more leveled defense generals additionally with his other buffs. Being high quality though, makes him harder to obtain than other generals though.
Top 5 Best Mounted Troop Defense Generals
2] Jadwiga - Jadwiga is one of two defense generals for mounted troops with the highest percent in mounted attack; 30%, she is most popular with monster hunters (players who hunt a lot of monsters) that also participate in PvP.
3] James Bowie - Another defense general with a second entry, however James Bowie is far more fit for defense with mounted troops than ground because he has both attack and a debuff for enemy mounted troops, whereas he only has a single buff for ground troops. Players will find him a good choice as a defense general with not only his buffs but the debuff against enemy mounted troops, a rarity in the line of defense generals, but also the ease in which he can be ascended and obtained.
4] Yi Sun-sin - Just like for ground, Yi has a 15% attack buff for mounted coupled with his all troop attack buff. New players will find this to be largely beneficial while they are still learning game mechanics and figuring out which troop type fits their play style best to be dominant but at the point of ascension, his buffs focus mostly on ground and mounted troops.
5] William Marshal - As previously stated, William Marshal once again makes the list for mounted with his HP buff. This makes the "power" and monster troop type more resistant against their counter troop type, range and his ascensions increase that durability to a total of 55% by the time his ascensions are complete.
Top 5 Best Siege Troop Defense Generals
2] Trân Hųng Đąo - A starting 30% siege attack buff on already strong, defensive troops that increases to a total of 55% by the time he is fully ascended with a ground troop HP buff of 20% HP making him a resilient defense general against all troops and but particularly strong against range troops.
3] Jadwiga - Although a mostly mounted defense general, by full ascension, 55% siege attack makes Jadwiga a formidable choice for siege defense but her 25% siege attack starting out is strong enough to do significant damage to attack troops until then.
4] George Dewey - George Dewey's steadily increasing siege attack buff as he is ascended and ease of obtainability make him a good, lasting choice as a defense general. He also grows stronger in range attack alongside siege with some mounted HP as well.
5] William Marshal - Last but not least, is William Marshal for his siege attack buff of 20% but what's truly phenomenal about William Marshal and qualifies him for this list for siege is the siege attack buff that totals 60% and 50% in siege defense by the time he's fully ascended.
Top 5 Best All Troop Defense Generals
2] Leo III - As he is ascended, Leo's all troop buffs become more powerful, gaining increases in both all troop attack but also defense and HP additionally with an increase in siege troop attack and some minor percentages in mounted and ground defense and HP, rounding him out more.
3] Oda Oichi - Don't be deceived by the 15% all troop attack buff Oda starts with because after fully ascended, it increases to a total of 45%, the highest of all the all troop defense generals.
4] Yi Sun-sin - Yi develops not only an increase in all troop attack from the 10% he starts out with but he also gains all troop defense buffs for mounted and ground. His total all troop buff at fully ascended increases to 25%.
5] Yodo-dono - Yodo's all troop buff is different than the rest, being in HP rather than attack. It starts out at 20% but by the first ascension star, it is increased to 35%.
Top 5 Best Mixed Troop Defense Generals
2] Yi Sun-sin - Yi's defense and HP buff gains for mounted and ground troops during ascension, on top of his all troop attack buff gains make him a heavyweight for mixed troop defense.
3] Oda Oichi - Her steady increase in all troop attack as she is being ascended make her useful while being built, rather than waiting on gains until fully developed like a lot of defense generals.
4] Jadwiga - The only troop type Jadwiga doesn't have any buffs in, is range but that doesn't diminish her capability and proficiency in defending against PvP troops. Her outstanding siege buff as well guarantees that.
5] Yodo-dono - Although not quite as balanced as the earlier entries in this category, her HP buff increases make the troops she guards more formidable and resistant to damage as she is ascended.
