Best Generals for Defending (Duels & Guild Warfare)

These generals are ranked in order of best to worst, but they are grouped into tiers and not given specific number rankings. Two generals with static attack and defense can be easily compared, but many generals on this list have stats that change according to your health, attack, defense, or specific items in your army so you may have to do some calculations on your own to determine which general is best for you.

Celesta is the benchmark, and I've left off any general that is weaker than her. I've ranked them all based on the effective defense (defense + 0.7 attack) that the general adds to your normal defending strength. I don’t think that Castle Age uses decimals. The decimals are only so that the calculations can be as accurate as possible. Whether CA rounds up or down, there will only be a 1-2 stat point difference where it matters, which is a trifling amount.


TIER 1

The best generals, but they are limited by your stats. Some of them start out weaker than Tier 2 generals, but as you level up and get stronger, they will eventually outpace them. Aurelius, Corvintheus, Jahanna, and Aurora are four of the best generals in the game but their bonus is based on your current health and not your maximum, so they get weaker as you do. Halcyon can be the best defending general, but your attack needs to be 5x greater than your current health for her to beat Aurelius. Zolthar, Vanir, and Erynion start off alright, but their abilities boost your total defense (defense + 0.7 attack + equipment defense + 0.7 equipment attack), which adds up for some tremendous bonuses late in the game.

Aurelius - 30/33, +1.1 defense for every 3 health points (Ascension Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 54 + 0.367*health (90.7 @ 100, 127.4 @ 200)

Corvintheus - 28/28, +1 defense for every 3 health (Oblivion Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 47.6 + 0.33*health (80.6 @ 100, 113.6 @ 200)

Jahanna - 32/32, +1.1 attack for every 4 health points (Ascension Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 54.4 + 0.193*health (73.7 @ 100, 93 @ 200)

Aurora - 26/26, +1 attack per 4 health points (Onslaught Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 44.2 + 0.175*health (61.9 @ 100, 79.2 @ 200)

Halcyon - 18/27, transfer 25% attack to defense
Effective defense: 39.6 + 0.075*attack (54.6 @ 200, 84.6 @ 600)

Zolthar - 25/30, +35 physical resistance, +10 earth resistance (4.5% boost to total defensive power)
Effective defense: 47.5 (70 @ 500, 92.5 @ 1000)

Vanir - 21/28, +40 physical resistance (4% boost to total defensive power)
Effective defense: 42.7 (62.7 @ 500, 82.7 @ 1000)

Erynion - 26/27, +20 physical resistance, +10 wind resistance (3% boost to total defensive power)
Effective defense: 45.2 (60.2@ 500, 75.2 @ 1000)


TIER 2

These generals all have statics stats that don't change with your health, attack, defense, or items in inventory. This means they can sometimes be stronger than 1st Tier generals and sometimes weaker than some 3rd Tier generals, but they are still very solid choices. All of them come from the Wrath, Conquest, or Phoenix Chests except Sylvanas who is an epic drop from the Alpha Chest.

Reinhardt - 31/25, +9 defense, extra +18 defense when attacked (Conquest Chest, 2.5%)
Effective defense: 55.7 (73.7 when attacked)

Aravoss - 33/44, +8 physical pierce, +25 Earth offense (Phoenix Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 67.1

Kitsune - 38/38, +5 physical pierce, +5 fire offense, +5 water offense (Phoenix Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 64.6

Gale - 41/35, +8 physical pierce, +25 Wind offense (Phoenix Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 63.7

Amon - 35/38, on stunning a target in guild battle, decreases defense of one adjacent enemy by 5% (Conquest Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 62.5

Ender - 43/32, +50 physical pierce, -10 fire resistance, -10 water resistance (Phoenix Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 62.1 (enemies attacking you get +1% attack if they have fire or water offense, +2% attack for both)

Aegea - 37/36, 10% chance the “Actions Left Counter” decrements an extra count upon victory when defending guild territory (Conquest Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 61.9

Isidra - 38/34, reduce damage player and adjacent allies recieve from Whirlwind by -20% (Conquest Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 60.6

Sylvanas - 23/23, +5 attack, +18 defense when attacked (Alpha Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 42.6 (60.6 when attacked)

Axxon - 39/33, 10% chance the “Actions Left Counter” does not decrease at all upon victory when attacking enemy guild territory (Conquest Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 60.3

Kothas - 33/36, increases health restored with Resurrect by +50 (Wrath Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 59.1

Esmeralda - 35/34, Lacerate removes an additional -50 health in guild battles (Wrath Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 58.5

Jaelle - 34/34, Mirror Image 20% less likely to be dispelled when attacked (Wrath Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 57.8

Tyrant - 36/32, Guardian protects an additional +100 health and resists an additional +10 damage per attack (Wrath Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 57.4


TIER 3

Everyone else. Skaar, Agamemnon, Alyzia, and Zurran get by on raw stats. Ambrosia and Malekus need lots of generals in your army to be effective but depending on how many you have they could outpace 2nd Tier and possibly 1st Tier generals.

Ambrosia - 26/26, +0.45 defense per hero owned (Vanguard Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 44.2 + 0.45x (53.2 @ 20, 57.7 @ 30, 66.7 @ 50)

Skaar Deathrune - 22/20, +20 defense, -24 energy (Vanguard Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 55.4

Agamemnon - 35/28, +30 attack against monsters, +3% critical chance (Ascension Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 52.5

Malekus - 31/21, +0.45 attack per general owned (Vanguard Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 42.7 + 0.315x (49 @ 20, 52.15 @ 30, 58.45 @ 50)

Alyzia - 31/29, +2 defense per Guardian of Alyzia owned, max +50 (Ascension Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 50.7 (100.7)

Zurran - 28/28, deal additional +8 damage with Mage passive ability (Annihilator Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 47.6


CELESTA

The purple-haired, pointy-eared goddess of pvp defense. You can get her for free early in the game by defeating Gildamesh, and she'll probably be your best defending general for quite a while.

Celesta - 15/15, +7 defense, +15 extra defense when attacked (Gildamesh drop)
Effective defense: 32.5 (47.5 when attacked)


TIER 4

None of these generals are initially any better than Celesta, but they can be made so by spending a lot of gold or FP. I wouldn't bother on most of these. Even if you have a lot of cashmonies to pump into CA, getting different generals and buying FP refills are going to be better.

Zeventis - 25/27, +1 attack for every 10 Obsidian Swords, max +50 (3 Ascension Chest items, 2.5%, 3.75%, 4.58%)
Effective defense: 44.5 (79.5)

Bjorin - 27/25, +2 attack per Valedonian Mystic Mage, max +50 (3 Ascension Chest items, 2.5%, 3.75%, 3.75%)
Effective defense: 43.9 (78.9)

Azriel - 28/22, +1 attack per 50 archangels owned, max 40 (Onslaught Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 41.6 (76.6)

Athenia - 24/23, +1 attack per 50 Royal Seals owned, max +12 (Onslaught Chest, 2.5%)
Effective defense: 39.8 (48.2)

Flaminius - 23/21, +2 attack per Flamewalker owned, max +50 (Wrath Chest, 4.58%)
Effective defense: 37.1 (72.5)

Kull - 22/21, +2 attack per Orc Marauder, max 50(Onslaught Chest, 1.25%)
Effective defense: 36.4 (71.4)

Suri - 21/19, +0.2 defense for each hero owned
Effective defense: 33.7 + 0.2x (37.7 @ 20, 39.7 @ 30, 43.7 @ 50)

Draconius - 18/20, +2 defense per Griffin Rider owned, max 50(Onslaught Chest, 2.5%)
Effective defense: 32.6 (82.6)