Overview: Game Start in Ikariam
After registering in Ikariam, you will receive a starting amount of gold and wood as start capital. Gold can be used for trading, training troops or purchasing ships, whilst only raw materials are required for expanding your city.
In the first steps, the goal is to harvest wood, build the Academy, grow your population via the Town Hall and protect your city against looters. As long as your Town Hall is not expanded beyond level 4, you have not founded a colony and you have not attacked another player, the gods will hold a protective hand over your village.
Step 1: Harvest Wood
The basic raw material in Ikariam is wood. First, send some workers to the forest to harvest wood. You can reach the Sawmill via the island map.
With the wood you harvest, you can expand most buildings up to approximately level 3.
Step 2: Build the Academy
At the beginning, building an Academy is especially important to unlock new research areas. Scientists are employed in the Academy, who earn research points. These can be redeemed for various projects in the areas of economics, science, military and seafaring.
You can see the project list by clicking on the scientist symbol in the top right. As your research progresses, more raw materials can be harvested and further buildings unlocked.
Academy Expansion Levels (Extract)
| Level | Wood | Crystal Glass | Build Time | Scientists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | – | 25s | 8 |
| 2 | 58 | – | 22m 34s | 12 |
| 3 | 98 | – | 29m 28s | 16 |
| 4 | 226 | – | 37m 46s | 22 |
| 5 | 374 | 220 | 47m 43s | 28 |
| 6 | 538 | 368 | 59m 40s | 35 |
| 7 | 844 | 639 | 1h 14m | 43 |
| 8 | 1.143 | 936 | 1h 31m | 51 |
Step 3: Town Hall and Population
Make sure your population growth does not stall. If your Town Hall is too small, growth will stagnate – you can counteract this by constantly expanding your Town Hall.
As long as you have not expanded your Town Hall beyond level 4, have not founded a colony and have not attacked another player, the gods will protect you. Additionally, you must not go into the red with the net gold visible in the Town Hall.
Step 4: Warehouse, City Wall and Hide-out
To safely store your supplies away from looters, it is important to build a warehouse and constantly expand it. A city wall at the highest possible level is equally essential, as is a hide-out with many spies so that you can spy yourself and protect yourself against enemy spies.
Research into Espionage is required for the hide-out.
Raw Materials and Luxury Goods
Ikariam distinguishes between the building material wood and four luxury goods: wine, marble, crystal glass and sulphur. Luxury raw materials are only available once you have completed the Prosperity research (Economics). Each island has a luxury raw material source, which you can access via the corresponding icon on the island map.
The luxury raw material source is expanded collectively by all players on the island through donations of building materials. The expansion level determines how many workers can produce the raw material simultaneously.
- Wood: for training troops and purchasing warships
- Wine: for the tavern and cooks
- Marble: for the construction and expansion levels of buildings and the city wall
- Crystal Glass: for the Academy, doctors, spies and improvements in the inventor's workshop
- Sulphur: for almost all units and warships
FAQ
How long am I protected from attacks at the beginning?
The gods hold a protective hand over your village as long as you have not expanded your Town Hall beyond level 4, have not founded a colony and have not attacked another player. Additionally, you must not go into the red with your net gold.
What do I need the Academy for?
Scientists are employed in the Academy, who earn research points for the areas of economics, science, military and seafaring. This unlocks new units and buildings for you.
When can I harvest luxury goods?
Luxury raw materials such as wine, marble, crystal glass and sulphur are only available once you have completed the Prosperity research in the Economics area.