Kingdom Two Crowns is a side-scrolling strategy game that blends resource management, exploration, and defense in a unique and minimalist pixel art style. Whether you’re new to the Kingdom series or looking to optimize your strategy, understanding the game’s systems is essential for building a strong kingdom and defeating the looming threat of the Greed. The game doesn’t provide much guidance, so players must learn through exploration, experimentation, and careful planning. This comprehensive guide covers the key aspects of the game including building, recruitment, defense, and expansion, all while managing your crown your most valuable possession.
Understanding the Basics
Your Role as Monarch
In Kingdom Two Crowns, you play as a monarch mounted on a horse or other steed, equipped with a pouch of coins. Your job is to grow your kingdom by recruiting subjects, building infrastructure, and defending against nightly Greed attacks. You don’t control units directly instead, you use coins to influence their actions, making smart spending essential.
Core Gameplay Loop
The primary gameplay loop involves:
- Exploring the map to locate valuable resources and threats.
- Recruiting vagrants to join your kingdom as workers.
- Building and upgrading defenses to protect your crown.
- Generating income through farming, hunting, and commerce.
- Destroying Greed portals to advance through islands.
Recruiting and Managing Subjects
Vagrant Camps
To grow your population, you’ll need to find vagrant camps located outside your kingdom’s boundaries. Drop a single coin at each camp to recruit a new subject. Once recruited, they’ll wander back to your kingdom and await a tool or weapon to receive their role.
Job Roles
Subjects will automatically take available jobs based on what tools are placed in the kingdom. Key roles include:
- Builders Construct and repair structures, chop trees, and build defenses.
- Archers Hunt animals for income and defend against Greed.
- Farmers Generate high-income crops during the day, but are vulnerable at night.
- Knight and Squire Units Lead attacks on enemy portals and defend key areas.
Balancing your population with a mix of these roles is crucial for survival and expansion.
Building and Upgrading
Walls and Towers
Defenses should be built carefully as expanding too quickly can leave you vulnerable. Stone and iron wall upgrades are stronger and essential for later islands. Towers elevate archers and offer a range advantage, but overinvesting in towers can reduce your mobility and flexibility.
Town Center
Upgrading your central camp provides access to new buildings and stronger upgrades. Each upgrade tier allows new units, stronger defenses, and expanded storage. Use coins wisely to prioritize safety before aesthetics.
Farms and Income Structures
Farms provide one of the most reliable income sources in the game. They require clear land, a farmhouse, and farmers to operate. Additionally, merchant tents and hunted animals (rabbits and deer) offer short-term coin boosts, especially on early islands.
Exploration Tips
Map Awareness
Each island features a symmetrical map with portals on both sides. Exploring the full map early helps you locate vagrant camps, hermits, landmarks, and key Greed structures. Pay attention to landmarks like the shipwreck or teleport obelisk to plan your expansion.
Mounts and Upgrades
Different mounts provide unique abilities such as dashing longer distances or summoning units. Switch mounts strategically based on your needs: the stag is great for luring deer, while the griffon can knock back enemies. Mount statues also provide temporary buffs for certain roles activate them before key battles or expansions.
Greed and Night Attacks
Understanding the Greed
The Greed are night-based enemies who will attempt to breach your walls and steal tools, coins, or your crown. If they succeed in taking your crown, the game ends. They come in various forms, including:
- Basic Greed Fast, small enemies that attack in groups.
- Breeders Large, devastating Greed that throw enemies and destroy structures.
- Floaters Appear on later islands and can fly over walls to kidnap villagers.
During a Blood Moon, Greed waves become significantly stronger, requiring reinforced defenses and full preparation.
Defensive Strategy
Build outwards slowly and deliberately. Place towers behind walls, not in front. Avoid cutting down trees near vagrant camps too early doing so removes your recruitment options. Always prepare both sides of your kingdom, especially before attacking portals.
Island Progression
Multiple Islands
Kingdom Two Crowns has a multi-island progression system. Players must build a boat and travel to new lands to unlock upgrades, mounts, and further challenge. Each island introduces new difficulties but also new resources and structures. Revisiting islands may be necessary after upgrades to fully unlock their potential.
Preparing to Travel
Before leaving an island, ensure that:
- You have sufficient coins to restart on the next island.
- Your ship is fully manned with builders and archers aboard.
- You have upgraded your Town Center and unlocked key statues or mounts.
Upon arrival at a new island, you’ll start with a small group and must rebuild quickly. Speed and coin management become critical in the first few days.
Advanced Tips and Secrets
Use Hermits Effectively
Hermits are special characters you can rescue and bring to your kingdom. They provide unique upgrades like turning towers into ballistae or archer perches. Each hermit has a different benefit and can drastically change your defense style.
Don’t Overexpand
One of the most common mistakes is building too fast. Each expansion reduces your buffer zone, making your defenses easier to breach. Expand only when your defenses are strong and your population is balanced.
Winter Is Coming
Winter halts farming, so your income plummets. Prepare by storing coins in the bank and relying on hunting. If you reach winter unprepared, avoid large construction projects and conserve your population.
Kingdom Two Crowns is a beautifully designed strategy game that rewards patience, observation, and thoughtful planning. While the mechanics are simple on the surface, there’s depth in how you build your kingdom, respond to threats, and choose when to advance. Whether playing solo or in co-op mode, your journey across the islands will be filled with hard decisions, hard-earned victories, and moments of panic when Greed hordes descend. With the tips and strategies in this guide, you’ll be better equipped to build a lasting legacy and keep your crown where it belongs on your head.