Evony General Guide and Build: James Cook

James Cook – “An 18th-century British navigator who undertook three Pacific voyages and drafted the first maps of the coasts of the South Pacific.”

James Cook – Details

Compare this General side-by-side to others using our dedicated Evony General Comparison Tool.

Is James Cook a good general in Evony?

Despite being ranked quite high, James Cook does require a significant amount of investment to get the most out of him. This is largely due to the fact that he cannot have a Ranged Attack Skill Book added to him, meaning you quickly lose out an easy +25% attack for your Ranged Troops. Whilst his Special Skill, Wave-Breaking Pioneer, does make up for this somewhat with a 50% Ranged Troop attack buff, it does mean he is instantly behind other options who do not have this restriction. Nevertheless, if you do go ahead and Ascend him and work on his Specialities, he is a great Ranged PvP General who can also be used in Defense.

James Cook – Special Skill

An Evony General’s Special Skill is always active and requires no development. Read the description carefully to ensure it is having the impact that you expect.

Please note, that this General can be ascended through the Evony General Ascending feature. Each ascended star level will add an additional buff to the General’s Special skill. Read our Evony General Ascending Guide for more details on Evony General Ascension.

Wave-Breaking Pioneer

Increases ranged troops’ attack by 50% and increases ranged troops and siege machines’ defense and HP by 40% when General is leading the army.

Ascended Special Skill Buffs

Below are the additional buffs that an ascended James Cook will receive to his Special Skill for each ascended star level.

• 1 Star – Ranged Troop Defense +10% and HP +10%
• 2 Star – Attacking Troop Death into Wounded Rate +8%
• 3 Star – Ranged Troop Attack +25%, Ranged Troop and Siege Machine Defense +15%
• 4 Star – Ranged Troop and Siege Machine Attack +10% and HP +10%
• 5 Star – Ranged Troop Attack +35%, Defense and HP +20%

James Cook – Specialities

These skills are unlocked once the Evony General reaches level 25. They can be expensive to develop, requiring Gems and Runestones. Read our Evony General Guide for more details.

Ranged Troop Formation

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%
• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

Bash

• Ranged Troop and Siege Machine Attack +10%

Ranged Troop Ares

• Ranged Troop Attack +10%
• Ranged Troop HP +10%
• Ranged Troop Defense +10%

Global Exploration

• Ranged Troop Attack +45%
• Ranged Troop HP +30%
• March Size Capacity +10%

James Cook – Covenant

This General can also receive further buffs by establishing Covenants with other Generals. These buffs and the Generals they can form a Covenant with are outlined below. For more details on Covenants check out our Evony General Guide.

Generals

• Aethelflaed
• Elizabeth I
• Edward Teach

Buffs

Covenant	Buff
War	Ranged Troop Attack +10% (A)
Cooperation	March Speed +5% (B)
Peace	In-Rally Ranged Troop Attack +10% (A)
Faith	Ranged Troop and Siege Machine HP +5% (A) Ranged Troop Defense +5% (B)
Honor	March Size Capacity +8% (A)
Civilization	Ranged Troop Attack +10% (A) Ranged Troop HP +10% (A)

Key: (A) = only effective for this General and (B) = takes effect unconditionally.

James Cook – Builds

The below builds outline which skill books and equipment refines you should use depending on your requirements. Alternatively, create your very own build with our Evony General Equipment and Buff Calculator.

Ranged PvP

This build is ideal for players who are very range heavy. It sacrifices everything in favor of ranged attack and ranged HP via equipment refines and skill books. This build will ensure you do maximum damage, especially in the early game when players are quite mounted heavy, whilst also maintaining a very durable ranged march.

• Skill Books:
• Lvl 4 Ranged Troop HP – Ranged HP +25%
• Lvl 4 Ranged Troop Range Bonus – Ranged Troop Range +100
• Lvl 4 March Size – March Size +12%
• Equipment Refines:
• Bow – Ranged Troop Attack % x4
• Armor – Ranged Troop Defense % x4
• Boots – Ranged Troop Defense % x4
• Helmet – Ranged Troop HP % x4
• Leg Armor – Ranged Troop HP % x4
• Ring – Ranged Troop Attack % x4

Ranged Defense

Range defense build for players who are very range focused or do not want the gem repair cost associated with siege machines. Although not as powerful as a siege defense, it is still very effective.

• Skill Books:
• Lvl 4 Ranged Troop Defense – Ranged Defense +25%
• Lvl 4 Ranged Troop HP – Ranged HP +25%
• Lvl 4 Ranged Troop Range Bonus – Ranged Troop Range +100
• Equipment Refines:
• Bow – Ranged Troop Attack % x4
• Armor – Ranged Troop Defense % x4
• Boots – Ranged Troop Defense % x4
• Helmet – Ranged Troop HP % x4
• Leg Armor – Ranged Troop HP % x4
• Ring – Ranged Troop Attack % x4

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