Movement governs how units, armies, fleets, and caravans cross the world map. Speed depends on unit type, terrain, road tier, weather, and fatigue.
Scope rule. This page describes the movement model. Per-unit
Spdstats live in units; weather rules in climate; supply in military / combat.
Units fall into speed bands:
| Band | Examples | Base hexes/day |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy | Heavy infantry, siege, wagons | Slowest |
| Standard | Line infantry, light cavalry, ranged | Mid |
| Mobile | Scouts, raiders, light cavalry | Fast |
| Naval | Ships, longships | Fastest on water |
Exact base speed values are unit-specific — see unit roster.
Terrain modifies speed:
| Terrain | Multiplier (typical) |
|---|---|
| Plains / open grass | ×1.00 |
| Hills | ×0.75 |
| Mountains | ×0.40 (impassable for some) |
| Forest | ×0.60 |
| Swamp / bog | ×0.50 |
| Desert | ×0.80 (worse without water) |
| River (without bridge/ford) | impassable for land |
| Sea | naval only |
| Sacred ground | varies by culture (Cairnveil bonus) |
Cultures with terrain affinities (Condor Crown elevation, Cairnveil rough ground, Sun Dune sand) modify these multipliers for their own units.
Roads are the single biggest speed lever in the game.
| Tier | Multiplier | Built by |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 0 (none) | terrain default | — |
| Tier 1 — Path | ×1.25 | Settlers / engineers |
| Tier 2 — Road | ×1.50 | Engineering tech I |
| Tier 3 — Imperial Road | ×2.00 | Engineering tech III, capital connection |
Condor Crown's signature mechanic (Elevation Logistics) compounds road tiers with vertical bonuses.
Long marches accumulate fatigue. Fatigue ladder:
Fatigue resets at rest hexes (cities, friendly camps). A march script with a rest stop is faster than a non-stop sprint over long distance.
Effective hexes-per-day:
hexes_per_day = base_speed
× terrain_multiplier
× road_tier_multiplier
× weather_drag
× fatigue_modifier
× culture_terrain_flag
See metrics §4 for canonical constants.
Units must move to a port hex (or a coastal hex with a Settler-built ferry) to embark. Embarking takes a partial day; disembarking is similar. Amphibious landing craft (Fjordborn longships, Azure Isles raiders) reduce this cost.
When no player observes a region for an extended period, movement ticks compress. An army told to move 30 hexes will reliably arrive even if you're offline. Movement is server-authoritative.
Sources: movement_system.md, climate.md, units.md, metrics.md §4.