Epic Historic General Stephen II is a good general to lead siege machines. He is outstanding in the aspect of siege machine HP gain. This guide will introduce his background, buffs, and how to obtain Stephen II in detail. In addition, we will also analyze his strength by comparing him with recent generals of the same category, and experiment with the most recommended combinations of him in the end.
The Background of Stephen II
Stephen II, King of Hungary, is celebrated for his wisdom, prudence, and unwavering spirit, which made his reign one of the brightest in Hungarian history.
Shortly after his coronation in 1116, Hungary was plunged into conflict with Bohemia. The war stirred the young king’s fierce resolve. Between 1117 and 1118, the Venetian fleet terrorized Hungary’s Adriatic coastline, but Stephen led a series of decisive naval victories, crushing the Venetians and securing Hungary’s shores. By 1124, he had regained lost territories, demonstrating his military brilliance and deep devotion to his homeland.
Stephen’s ambitions stretched beyond Hungary’s borders. In 1129, after a series of successful campaigns, he forced the Byzantine Empire to sign a peace treaty, restoring Hungary’s honor.
His legendary campaigns not only cemented his reign but also left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire future generations of Hungarians.
Special Skill – Iron-fisted Commander
Basic Buffs:
Increases siege machines’ attack by 50% and siege machines’ defense and HP by 40% when Stephen II is leading the army.
Ascending Buffs:
- Siege machine attack and defense +15%
- Attacking troop death-into-wounded rate +8%
- Siege machine attack +25%; march size capacity +8%
- Siege machine defense and HP +15%
- Siege machine attack +35% and defense and HP +25%
Stephen II’s Max-level Specialty
- Siege Machine Assault: siege machine attack and HP +10%
- Bash: ranged troop and siege machine attack +10%
- Siege Machine Ares: siege machine attack, HP, and defense +10%
- Peacekeeper: siege machine attack +45%; ranged troop and siege machine defense and HP +30%
Stephen II’s Covenant Generals & Buffs
Covenanted Generals: Robert Guiscard, Laudon, and Totila.
- War: siege machine attack +5%
- Cooperation: siege machine training capacity +10%
- Peace: siege machine HP +10%
- Faith: march size capacity +10%; siege machine defense +5%
- Honor: in-rally siege machine HP +10%
- Civilization: siege machine attack +5%; in-rally siege machine defense +10%
Among them, ‘siege machine training capacity +10%’ and ‘siege machine defense +5%’ will take effect unconditionally, while others are only effective for this general.
Acquirement Access of Stephen II
1. Historic General Summoning Event
Use Epic Historic General (Glory) to summon generals in the reward list at the event.
During the 2024 Christmas, Evony increased the chance of getting Stephen II by 600%.
You can buy the final tier of the Christmas Sale package and Super Dragon
Awakening package to get the Epic Historic General (Glory).
2. General Tokens
You may get Stephen II from the following general tokens.
- Epic Historic General (Premium)
- Epic Historic General
- Epic General
There is no time limit for using general tokens to obtain generals, but during the Christmas event, Evony will increase the probability of obtaining Stephen II.
You can obtain these general tokens in the following ways.
- Covenant Stone Package
- Imperial Optional Package
- Limited Offer
- Giant’s Wisdom Temple -> Luxury Ultimate Treasure Package
- Voyage to Civilizations -> Super Voyage Sale Package
- Divination of Fate -> Diviner’s Card Sale (the big one)
- Gather Troops -> Progress 70 Reward Chest
- Gem Purchase Event -> Days 2, 4, and 5
These general tokens can be accumulated in your items bag and will not expire.
Recent Siege Generals Comparison
We compared Stephen II to recent strong siege generals, Theobald I, Maurice de Saxe, and Gunther.
We also summarized the buffs that will take effect when they attack from the perspective of the main general and assistant general, including single attack and rally attack.
See the table below for details.
Main General | Siege Attack | Siege Defense | Siege HP | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stephen II | +210% | +140 % | +140% | March Size +18% In-rally SD +10% In-rally SHP +10% |
Gunther | +198% | +145% | +125% | March Size +10% |
Theobald I | +200% | +130% | +115% | March Size +22% March Speed +22% |
Maurice de Saxe | +205% | +120% | +95% | March Size +16% March Speed +10% In-rally SD +5% In-rally SHP +10% |
Assistant General | Siege Attack | Siege Defense | Siege HP | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stephen II | +145% | +85% | +100% | March Size +10% In-rally SD +10% In-rally SHP +10% |
Theobald I | +125% | +105% | +100% | March Speed +10% |
Maurice de Saxe | +130% | +90% | +85% | In-rally SD +5% In-rally SHP +10% |
Gunther | +123% | +100% | +85% | March Size +10% In-rally SD +5% In-rally Troop HP +10% |
Overall, Stephen II has good stats in all aspects of siege machines, but it should be noted that his special skill conflicts with siege machine attack skill books. This will result in his bonus to siege machine attack not being as good as other generals, but his increase in siege machine HP is great.
This also means that his combination cannot use skill books of this type.
Recommended skill books:
Main General: Siege Machine Range Bonus, Siege Machine HP, Siege Machine Defense
Assistant General: March Size, Ranged Troop Ranged Bonus, Ground Troop Attack, March Speed
Strong Combinations of Stephen II
Stephen II’s Special Skill conflicts with some generals’ Special Skills, so they are not suitable for cooperation, for example:
- Maurice de Saxe
- Mu Guiying
- Raimondo
- Surena
- Septimius Severus
- ……
Among generals whose special skills do not conflict, we recommend the following generals to pair with Stephen II:
- Pallas
- Kleos
- Melisande
- John Hunyadi
- Theodosius I
- Gunther
- Theobald I
When Stephen II is combined with these generals, sometimes Stephen II can play a greater role as the main general, and sometimes he can play a better role as the assistant general. The specific recommended combination and the data values of each combination in important dimensions are shown in the following table. (In the calculation, we include the maximum buff value of all siege machines that can be effective during the attack.)
Main General | Assistant General | Siege Attack | Siege Defense | Siege HP | March Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gunther | Stephen II | 343% | 230% | 225% | 20% |
Stephen II | Theobald I | 335% | 245% | 240% | 18% |
Theodosius I | 335% | 240% | 185% | 26% | |
John Hunyadi | 345% | 190% | 205% | 18% | |
Melisande | 326% | 220% | 210% | 31% | |
Kleos | 310% | 185% | 235% | 30% | |
Pallas | Stephen II | 311% | 215% | 150% | 24% |
Among them, Gunther and Pallas must carry dragons or spiritual beasts to make their special skill effective. But if they are assistant generals, the buffs of the dragons and spiritual beasts they carry will not be effective. So we recommend that Stephen II be the assistant when combined with these two generals.
Moreover, Stephen II can be combined with many other generals, such as John Churchill, Zucca, Edward Teach, Petronas, Ulysses S. Grant, and Ramesses II. You can try other combinations in the game.
