20 years of Travian: Legends – The History of Travian

Travian was launched on September 5th, 2004 by Gerhard Müller, quickly becoming a popular browser-based MMORTS game. The early graphics of the game looked like an spreadsheet rather than an actual game, yet it quickly became a popular browser strategy game. 

By March 2005, Travian 2.0 was out, adding new buildings and features that made the game even more engaging. This was also the year Travian Games was officially founded, marking the start of something big.

Released in June 2006, Travian 3.0 introduced key features like annexable oases and heroes (made from the regular units in the heroes’ mansions) and the possibility to upgrade capital resource fields to high levels. This year, the game also introduced speed servers. 

2007 was a game-changer with the release of version 3.5. This version brought in community favorites like artifacts, new resource tile combinations, and tribe-specific buildings for Teutons and Romans: the brewery and the horse drinking trough in addition to the Gauls’ trapper. Interestingly, this was also the year when “Travian Classic” (V2.5) was introduced, even though it came after versions 3.0 and 3.5! 

The premium features were made more accessible, with attack and defense bonuses being removed, and the Travian Plus costs reduced. The introduction of the Gold Club brought new perks like trade routes, farm lists, cropfinder and multiple merchant deliveries. The armory and blacksmith merged into one building – the smithy, allowing players to upgrade both offensive and defensive unit parameters in one place. 

Travian 4.0 rolled out in 2011, introducing a huge visual update and a revamped hero system with items, armory, and adventures, making the hero a central figure in your army. This was also the year the first Travian Tournament, then called the European Championship, kicked off, awarding the first-ever permanent tournament medals. 

The 2012-2013 Travian Tournament went global, with qualification rounds in local communities leading up to the finals. This year also introduced a female hero, adding more diversity to the game. 

Travian launched its first special server (no-name) to celebrate its birthday. This server featured some new mechanics such as modified items, and mixed attributes from different versions of the game. The first-ever Birthday Special still featured classic gameplay like World Wonders and the normal classic map. 

In 2014, Ancient Europe was introduced, bringing a new European map and an endgame focused on conquering ancient cities held by NPCs. Controlling these cities gave your alliance access to artifacts and victory points. Since then, all Annual Specials receive their unique name for one year. 

Travian got a new name and is now called Travian: Legends.  
On the Annual Special, artifacts became region-specific in 2015, meaning players had to control entire regions to reap the benefits. This year also saw the addition of troop merging, troop forwarding, and the alchemist’s cauldron, all adding new layers to the gameplay. 

Rise of Alliances in 2016 introduced new features like a boosted start (all resource fields in the first 3 villages upgraded to level 10), a “naked hero” (no items or auctions), and alliance bonuses, making teamwork even more crucial. The alchemist’s cauldron, however, was removed in future updates. 

With Fire and Sand, two new tribes entered the Travian world – the Egyptians and the Huns – bringing the total to five tribes. This was also the year of the first “Legends on Tour” event, where developers and community reps met in Munich to discuss the game’s future. 

The Huns and Egyptians carried their momentum into 2018, joining the first-ever New Year’s Special scenario. Later that year, Travian: Path to Pandora introduced the “keep tribe after conquering” feature, letting players play with all tribes within the same game avatar. 

Codex Victoria added an advanced start with three villages, a hospital, and a new confederacy system. The regular worlds also got a visual upgrade with tribe-specific World Wonders. 

Shadow Empires in 2020 brought factions into the mix, challenging players to work within larger groups to conquer regions. Even though factions didn’t carry over into later specials, the Horde, Rebels, Marauders, and the Dynasty left their mark in our hearts. 

In 2021, Travian was updated to the latest 4.6 version that brought the quest system based on hero experience with various tasks to each settled and conquered village, as well as a regional game world approach (Asia, America, Arabics, Europe, and International).  The Tides of Conquest special added victory points that could be stolen or destroyed, along with cities and alliance banners for a more immersive experience. 

The arrival of Spartans, the sixth playable tribe in the game, was accompanied by shifting powers on the map, decentralized spawning, bulk forwarding, and a fake attack management system. A Weekend Warrior game version was released with battles only on weekends. 

Shores of War brought naval warfare, ships, and harbors, settlement tribe selection, and new challenges to the fighting alliances! This year, the first Community Week worlds opened their gates with completely new tribe balancing, based on community suggestions. 

The latest special, Northern Legends brought brave sea explorers, the Vikings, a respawn system, and a new chapter in our Book of Wisdom, which we are all about to read!