Guilds (and what they do)

[Jagger]

How many guilds can we have in one city?

I have been receiving offers for the thiefs guilds over and over. I have been accepting them but I wonder if they prevent me from getting other guilds.

[Lusted]

1 Guild per city seems to be the limit.

[LordMorgan]

I think only one guild per city so chose wisley.

[Sir Robin]

I wonder if the Thieves Guild really gives you any benefits? I have their Headquarters in Iraklion and the Merchant's Headquarters in Constantinople as the Byzantines. My merchants being produced in Constantinople still suck and take forever to improve while any spies or assassins produced in Iraklion only have one eyeball, ugh.

[therother]

I wonder, if you destroy a Guild do you still get offers for other ones? Does it discourage other Guilds from offering their services? I've not needed to destroy a Guild building as yet, but I may in the future: just curious if anyone knows if there's a penalty attached.

[IrishArmenian]

What are the different Guilds and what do they do? I don't have the game yet and I just was curious. The Thieves Guild sounds mysterious, but what benefits come along with it?

[therother]

[Jan Zamoyski]

What does it mean in practice that the Explorers' Guild improves movement? It's description states that unite trained in a city with such a guild are supposed to move further but so far for me a unit build in such a city has exactly the same range of movement as other units stationed in that city that were not built there.

[Hatchet]

GUILDS

First, this is not my own research. This is taken from the key that came from the game (not sure if its only limited edition or not), and the reason I post this is because some people dont seem to know what some guilds do, how many of them are.

Second, I dont know what requires to get these, what triggers them to go up to a higher level, and what these higher levels can do for you besides the improvement+1. From what I have noticed is that crusader guilds (Teutonic, Templar, Santiago, and St. Johns) start coming when you participate in crusades.

**Guild name**
**Guild description**
**Guild levels**


Alchemists Guild
Improves gunpowder unit recruitment.
Alchemists Guild
Master Alchemists Guild
Alchemists Guild Headquarters

Assassins Guild
Improves Assassin recruitment and public order.
Assassins Guild
Master Assassins Guild (Offers recruitment for a limited number of factions)
Assassins Guild Headquarters(Offers recruitment for a limited number of factions)


Hashashin's Guild
Improves Assassin recruitment and public order.
Hashashin's Guild
Master Hashashin's Guild
Hashashin's Guild Headquarters

Masons Guild
Reduce construction costs and improves public order.
Masons Guild
Master Masons Guild
Mason Guild Headquarters

Merchants Guild
Improves Merchant recruitment and trade income.
Merchants Guild
Master Merchants Guild
Merchants Guild Headquarters

Theologians Guild
Improves Priest recruitment.
Theologians Guild
Master Theologians Guild
Theologians Guild Headquarters

Thieves Guild
Improves Spy recruitment.
Thieves Guild
Master Thieves Guild
Thieves Guild Headquarters

Explorers Guild
Improves trade and movement.
Explorers Guild
Master Explorers Guild
Explorers Guild Headquarters

Swordsmiths Guild
Upgrades melee weapons.
Swordsmith Guild
Master Swordsmith Guild
Swordsmith Guild Headquarters

Horse Breeders Guild
Improves cavalry unit recruitment
Horse Breeders Guild
Master Horse Breeders Guild
Horse Breeders Guild Headquarters

Knights Templar
Recruits Templar Knight units.
Templars Minor Chapter House
Templars Major Chapter House
Templars Headquarters

Hospitaller Knights
Recruits Hospitaller Knight units
St. Johns Minor Chapter House
St. Johns Major Chapter House
St. Johns Headquarters

Teutonic Knights
Recruits Teutonic Knight units.
Teutonic Knights Minor Chapter House
Teutonic Knights Major Chapter House
Teutonic Knights Headquarters

Knights of Santiago
Recruits Knights of Santiago units.
Knights of Santiago Minor Chapter House
Knights of Santiago Major Chapter House
Knights of Santiago Headquarters

Woodsmens Guild
Improves missile unit recruitment.
Woodsmens Guild
Master Woodsmens Guild
Woodsmens Guild Headquarters

I'm sure much of this is common knowledge, but this is the number of Guilds and exactly what they do.
Some of these Guilds, like the Assassins or Thieves, are open to all factions. Others though, like Templar or Theologians, are exclusive to certain factions.

[Kobal2fr]

The merchant guild building also lets Venice recruit Militia Horsemen earlier. Woodsmen lets the English train Men in Tights. Errr, Sherwood Archers.

I think their all pretty much offered based on your style of play.

Playing as Venice, I'm building lots of ports, markets, docks, fields and training as many merchants as I'm allowed to. The first guild to pop up in Venice when the town grows is always the Merchant guild, and I've had two offers from the Explorer's Guild afterwards (one in Crete, one in Antioch, the one in Crete after I turned down the Merchants there).
Later on I trained a lot of spies, trying to get one in each city with at least 4-5 skill, and the Thieve's Guild offered me a Master HQ.

Never had the Theologians though, despite the fact that I always have priests left and right (skilled ones too).

[Haudegen]

I got my first theologians guild (as HRE) after I took Jerusalem and destroyed the thieves guild which was already placed there by the Egyptians. Although I didn´t care too much about Catholizism and the pope. In fact my standing with the pope was awful, because he was mostly of the nationality of my enemies (Venice, Milan). But in spite of that after very few turns I was able to upgrade the guild to the third level. (BTW: After this I was able to acquire 8 seats in the cardinals college due to the mass production of "elite priests" in Jerusalem.)

Maybe there is an affinity of the theologians guild to certain cities?

Another example might be the swordsmiths guild. I never was offered one. But I finally got the swordsmiths guild HQ when I conquerered Toledo. AFAIK the spanish smiths were quite famous for their skills. Maybe there is another affinity?

I´d be very interested if the community had observed something similar.


BTW: I´m also interested in more details on what advantages the explorers guild offers.

[Gustav II Adolf]

Merchants Guild also gives the Spanish a heavy cav unit.

G

[Faenaris]

As far as I know, the Masons guild HQ gives the Russians a unit: the Berdiche Axemen.

[dopp]

Maybe there is an affinity of the theologians guild to certain cities?

Another example might be the swordsmiths guild. I never was offered one. But I finally got the swordsmiths guild HQ when I conquerered Toledo. AFAIK the spanish smiths were quite famous for their skills. Maybe there is another affinity?

If you crack open the game files you will see that Toledo has an increased chance of being offered a swordsmith's guild, so yes. Most guilds have 'favored' cities.

[Haudegen]

If you crack open the game files you will see that Toledo has an increased chance of being offered a swordsmith's guild, so yes. Most guilds have 'favored' cities.

Wow, interesting stuff. Which file is it?

[Jan Zamoyski]

The merchant guild building also lets Venice recruit Militia Horsemen earlier.

This effect is not limited to Venice. I can train Merchant cavalry militia in Merchants Guild playing as Poland, so I think it's a universal effect of this type of a guild.

[Quillan]

I got my first Theologians guild after a spate of church building in my lands. The first level gives "Orthodox Training" for +1 piety to priests built there. The Master Theologians guild gives "Theologians Guild Apprentice" for +1 piety to priests built anywhere in my lands. I don't have the HQ, but I assume it'll work like the assassins guild and change that to "Guild Journeyman" for +2 piety globally.

And you can add Byzantium to the list of factions that gets Militia Cavalry from Merchants Guild. The HQ makes that Militia Cavalry with +1 experience, too.

[Dr_Who_Regen#4]

I was offered a Theollogians Guild in my capital. I did not have many church buildings, but it was about the only I place I recruited Priests from. So I think the guilds must take into account buildings and people built in a settlement.