Rostam, an Epic Historic General in Evony, was released during the 2026 Starry Pilgrimage. He excels at leading mounted troops (cavalry). Curious about his strength, his best applications, how to obtain him, or optimal pairing strategies? This guide will answer all of these questions for you.
Rostam’s General Story
Rostam is the greatest hero in the Persian epic Shahnameh. Born into a noble family of Sistan, he is the son of Zal and Rudabeh. Gifted with divine strength, he killed a mad elephant with his bare hands as a child. As the guardian of Eran, he served its royal house across dynasties for centuries, time and again saving the realm from strife and invasion.
To rescue the captured king Kay Kavus, Rostam journeyed alone to Mazandaran and completed the famous “Seven Labors”. He slew a giant lion, defeated a dragon, destroyed a demonic witch, and captured the fiend Olad alive. In the final trials, he fought through demon armies and entered a dark cave to slay the White Demon. With its heart’s blood, he healed the king’s blinded eyes, sealing his peerless legend.
In the long war against Afrasiyab, king of Turan, Rostam showed unmatched tactics and might. In the fiercest clash, dust clouds blotted out the sky as Turanian cavalry surged forward. Rostam roared and charged alone into their ranks, shattering armor with his bull-headed mace and driving riders into panic. He nearly seized Afrasiyab at the battle’s center, and though the king escaped, Rostam broke Turan’s morale and forced a rout, safeguarding Eran once more.
In battle, Rostam wore a treasured tiger-skin coat, wielded his bull-headed mace as a sign of authority, and rode the divine steed Rakhsh, swift enough to travel a thousand miles in a day. The tragedy of accidentally killing his own son, Sohrab, deepens his legend with a sense of fate. To this day, he remains a spiritual totem of Iranian culture, inspiring the pursuit of justice and dignity.
Basic Attributes and Growth
- Leadership: 125; growth: 8.78
- Attack: 135; growth: 9.42
- Defense: 126; growth: 8.87
- Politics: 118; growth: 8.23
Rostam’s All-level Special Skill
Pahlavān of the World: increases mounted troops’ attack and defense by 60% and mounted troops’ HP by 45% when the General is leading the army.
Use Medal, Gold, Blood of Ares, and Ascension Fragment (or Rostam’s Historic General Fragment) to enhance and ascend the general to unlock the following buffs:
- 1st red star – mounted troop defense and HP +10%
- 2nd red star – attacking troop death into wounded rate +8%
- 3rd red star – mounted troop attack and HP +10%
- 4th red star – mounted troop defense +10%; march size capacity +6%
- 5th red star – ground and mounted troop attack +30%; mounted troop defense and HP +15%
The Max-level Specialty of Rostam
- Mounted Troop Formation: mounted troop attack and defense +10%
- Annihilation: march size capacity +6%; attacking mounted and ground troop attack +10%
- Mounted Troop Ares: mounted troop attack, HP, and defense +10%
- Seven Labours: mounted troop attack +55%; march size capacity +15%
Covenant Generals and Attributes
His covenanted generals are: Cyrus the Great, Surena, and Tishtrya.
- War Covenant: mounted troop defense +10%
- Cooperation Covenant: mounted troop training capacity +10%
- Peace Covenant: march speed +10%
- Faith Covenant: mounted troop attack +12%; in-rally mounted troop defense +5%
- Honor Covenant: attacking mounted troop attack +15%
- Civilization Covenant: mounted troop HP +15%; march size capacity +15%
The Way to Obtain General Rostam
You can get the general through the Ode to Eran event during Evony’s 2026 Starry Pilgrimage.
First, you need to acquire the Bull-Headed Mace.
Then, consume the Bull-Headed Mace to recruit rewards, including the Starry Pilgrimage Historic General Chest at the Ode to Eran event. During the event, if you do not get the chest after recruiting 199 times, it is guaranteed within the next recruitment (the 200th time).
Open a Starry Pilgrimage Historic General Chest, and you can select one general from the following generals.
Rostam, Niccolò Piccinino, Ahmose I, Hersilia, and Hermes.
The Bull-Headed Mace can be earned from the following paths:
1. General’s Triumph Package
Each small package has 4 Bull-Headed Mace, and each big one has 40 Bull-Headed Mace.
2. Resource Spots
You can gain Bull-Headed Mace up to 10 in this way.
3. Monsters
You can gain Bull-Headed Mace up to 20 by killing monsters.
4. Stars and Earth
When your points reach certain thresholds, you can claim the corresponding Eran Chest rewards. You can earn up to 6 Eran Chests by reaching 6,000,000 points. Points are accumulated based on the amount of Haoma you contribute. Opening a chest gives you a chance to receive Bull-Headed Mace ×5.
In addition, the Bull-Headed Mace can also be obtained from the Eran Shop during the Stars and Earth event. You can exchange 40 Wisdom of the Stars or 40 Courage of the Earth for 5 Bull-Headed Maces. Each item can be redeemed twice per faction, meaning if you redeem from both factions, you can obtain a total of 20 Bull-Headed Maces.
Note:
- You can acquire Wisdom of the Stars or Courage of the Earth by contributing Haoma to your selected faction or by purchasing packages.
- You can switch factions freely after 5 days of the event starting, so don’t worry if you don’t get enough Wisdom of the Stars or Courage of the Earth in the first 5 days.
Comparison: Rostam, Hermes, Henry IV, Mouri Motonari
We compared Rostam with three recently released Mounted Generals whose skill effective condition is “leading the army” at different growth stages, as shown in the table below.
The table lists buffs that take effect unconditionally and those that activate during attacking, excluding attributes that activate in-rally and during reinforcing. Besides, for ease of reference, the table includes the following abbreviations:
- MA = mounted troop attack
- MD = mounted troop defense
- MHP = mounted troop HP
|
General Name
|
Rostam
|
Hermes
|
Henry IV
|
Mouri Motonari
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Basic Special Skill
|
MA +60%
MD +60%
MHP +45%
|
MA +50%
MHP +50%
March size +12%
|
MA +55%
MD +40%
MHP +55%
|
MA +55%
MD +55%
MHP +35%
|
|
4 Red Stars
|
MA +10%
MD +20%
MHP +20%
March size +6%
|
MA +30%
MD +45%
MHP +45%
|
MA +45%
MD +45%
MHP +45%
|
MA +30%
MD +20%
MHP +25%
March size +8%
|
|
5th Red Star
|
MA +30%
MD +15%
MHP +15%
|
MA +25%
MD +25%
MHP +25%
|
MA +40%
MD +40%
March size +8%
|
MA +25%
MD +30%
MHP +30%
|
|
Specialty 1~3
|
MA +30%
MD +20%
MHP +10%
March size +6%
|
MA +30%
MD +10%
MHP +20%
March size +6%
|
MA +20%
MD +20%
MHP +20%
|
MA +30%
MD +10%
MHP +20%
|
|
Specialty 4
|
MA +55%
March size +15%
|
MA +40%
MD +40%
March size +10%
|
MA +55%
MD +45%
MHP +45%
|
MA +45%
MD +45%
March size +10%
|
|
Covenant
|
MA +27%
MD +10%
MHP +15%
March size +15%
|
MA +10%
MD +10%
MHP +10%
March size +10%
|
MA +20%
MD +10%
MHP +20%
March size +10%
|
MA +15%
MD +15%
MHP +10%
March size +10%
|
|
Skin
|
MA +15%
Enemy ground & mounted defense -10%
|
As the main general:
- Attack: Henry IV＞Rostam＞Hermes=Mouri Motonari
- Defense: Henry IV＞Mouri Motonari＞Hermes＞Rostam
- HP: Henry IV＞Hermes＞Mouri Motonari＞Rostam
- March size capacity: Rostam＞Hermes＞Mouri Motonari＞Henry IV
As the assistant general:
- Attack: Rostam＞Henry IV＞Hermes=Mouri Motonari
- Defense: Mouri Motonari＞Henry IV＞Rostam＞Hermes
- HP: Henry IV＞Hermes＞Rostam＞Mouri Motonari
- March size capacity: Hermes＞Rostam＞Mouri Motonari＞Henry IV
When they are the main generals, Rostam is not particularly outstanding; his greatest advantage is that he can significantly increase march size capacity. As an assistant general, Rostam is effective in both mounted-attack and march-size enhancement and can replace Hermes.
How to Pair General Rostam?
Best combinations:
- Tishtrya + Rostam
- Artemis + Rostam
- Stephen I of Hungary + Rostam
- Henry IV + Rostam
Other generals can be paired with Rostam:
Louis XIV, Olav II, Hermes, Haakon Haraldsson, George Monck, Cheng Yaojin, Marco Polo, Beowulf, Washington (Prime), Hestia, Jayavarman II, Napoleon (Prime), André Masséna, Poligenus, Sun Ce, Zhao Yun, Laudon, Martinus, Mordred, Hannibal, Gaius Octavius, Lysander, etc.
General(s) can not be paired with Rostam:
- Mouri Motonari
Notes:
- Rostam himself can use the Mounted Troop HP skill book, but his partner general cannot.
- The generals listed above who cannot use the Mounted Troop Attack skill book include Cheng Yaojin, André Masséna, and Laudon.
