In Forge of Empires (FoE) one system drives all progression: the 1.9 promotion. It is the standard engine modern guilds use to efficiently level up legendary buildings.
This article explains the exact workflow, the key milestones of the Ark, and gives an outlook on the sweeping changes currently being tested on the beta server.
1. Background: What is the 1.9 Promotion?
The system is based on the patron bonus of the Ark at level 80. At this level, the Ark increases rewards (Forge Points, Medallions and Blueprints) when occupying LG spots by exactly 90 % (factor 1.9).
- If a spot yields a base reward of 100 FP, a promoter with a level 80 Ark contributes exactly 190 FP.
- The contributor neither gains nor loses, because they receive exactly those 190 FP back as the reward.
- The LG owner saves enormous amounts of their own FP in return.
- Why donate if you make no direct FP profit? The reason lies in mutual aid: you contribute to others at no loss so that others in turn promote your buildings — a pure give-and-take where everyone benefits in the end.
2. Comparison: 1.9 System vs. Classic FP Chains
Some guilds still run old FP chains (e.g. 10-, 20- or 50-chains). The principle of contributing to the person ahead while the next person contributes to you is fundamentally different from the 1.9 promotion:
| Criterion | Classic FP Chains | 1.9 Promotion |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency & Cost | Zero-sum game. You must put in exactly the amount of FP your LG needs to level up. It is a pure 1:1 exchange of your own FP. | Calculable & highly efficient. Costs per level are mathematically exact and planable. Efficiency stays consistently high because external contributors reliably cover a fixed share. |
| The Spot Factor | Lottery principle. Whether you even land a patron spot through chain contributions is pure luck. Chances are often reduced by snipers or players who deliberately always contribute to the same LGs. | Guaranteed spots. No lottery factor. Whoever wants a spot contributes the exact amount and receives it back at the end of the level via the Ark reward. |
| Conditions | Unfair. Players with very high Arks grab the top chain spots in the background and profit at the expense of smaller players. | Equal footing. Every guild member contributes under exactly the same conditions. No one enriches themselves from fellow members' FP. |
3. Workflow: How Promotion Works
The workflow requires some discipline but quickly becomes routine through a dynamic list system in daily guild life. It splits into two perspectives:
For the LG Owner (The Poster)
- Securing (Blocking): You must contribute enough of your own FP to the LG so that any posted spot cannot be outbid by outsiders. Important strategy tip: Never secure more than necessary — it attracts snipers! The safest approach is to release spots one after another (first P1 and P2, then P3, P4, and finally P5). The more spots are open simultaneously, the more attractive the LG becomes for snipers. Since calculating this manually is complicated, the FoE Calculator provides the required FP values per spot directly.
- Posting: Once the spots are secure, the text is posted as a compact one-liner descending from P5 to P1 in the guild promotion chat.
- Format example:
PlayerName LG-Name P5(FP-value) P4(FP-value) P3(FP-value) P2(FP-value) P1(FP-value)
For the Patron (The Contributor)
In active guilds, contributions run through a continuous list system via copy-and-paste. The correct order is mandatory to avoid annoying double-occupations:
- Copy the list and adjust in chat (remove first): You copy the current state of the chat. Whoever wants to take a spot removes it immediately from that player's text and posts the remaining, updated list back into the chat. This blocks the spot for everyone else.
- Contribute directly (occupy afterwards): Only after posting in chat do you click on the player's portrait above, open their LG list via the menu, and contribute the exact FP amount.
A practical example from the chat: Currently open spots from different players are listed:
Alex Ark P2(123) P1(234)Sarah CF P4(26)Sarah MD P5(10) P4(19)
If a promoter now wants to take Alex's P1 and Sarah's P4 (from the CF), they write this updated list into the chat:
Alex Ark P2(123)Sarah MD P5(10) P4(19)
Only then do they contribute the amounts via the profile menu of both players.
4. Key Levels of the Ark (As of October 2026)
The Ark changes your gameplay depending on its level:
- Level 80 (the 90% milestone): The standard target. From here you participate in 1.9 guild promotion at no cost and collect massive amounts of Blueprints and Medallions along the way.
- Level 130 (the 95% milestone): From here it pays off to actively search for unsecured LGs in your neighborhood ("sniping"), since your higher bonus generates reliable FP profits. The Ark scales from level 80 in 0.1% increments: Level 80 = 90 %, Level 130 = 95 %, Level 180 = 100 % (factor 2.0).
- Level 180+ (the 100% milestone): A real long-term project. With a 100 % bonus (factor 2.0), even promoting within your own guild becomes directly profitable.
💡 Strategic tip for small Arks: The Blueprint Hunt (BP-Hunt) If your Ark is still below level 80, you are making a small FP loss when occupying spots in the 1.9 promotion. However, to get the Blueprints needed for further expansion at all, deliberately targeting P5 (and sometimes P4) is the best route. The FP loss on these back spots is minimal and absolutely negligible compared to the value of the Blueprints gained. It pays off to be active: If you see a guild member posting a sought-after LG, you can also directly ask them via PM (private message) if they would send you the P5. Many guilds also offer special threads for 1-FP spots — these are perfect for restocking your BP supply with minimal investment.
5. The Current System in Flux: Meta Insights
The Ark has shaped FoE for years, turning the game from a slow builder into a highly dynamic calculation game. Whoever did not level their Ark inevitably fell behind. However, this also led to a monoculture where many other legendary buildings completely lost their relevance. To counter this endless Ark growth, developer InnoGames is currently planning a comprehensive reform.
6. The Future: The New Prestige System Under Scrutiny
⚠️ Important Note (Disclaimer): The following information is based on current data from the beta server regarding the upcoming Prestige system (as of October 2026). Since this feature is still in testing, values and mechanics may change at any time before the final live release.
With the new Prestige system, InnoGames is moving away from the previous principle of endless, unstructured building leveling. Instead, legendary buildings are divided into fixed level ranges (tiers):
The New Milestone System for LGs
- Level 1 to 200 (Copper): The foundation for all LGs. Less important LGs are capped at level 200 — unfortunately not all buildings receive an upgrade; the rest are frozen here.
- Level 101 to 500 (Gold): Applies to the 21 selected buildings that receive an additional Gold bonus. From level 101, the Gold effect grows in parallel with the Copper effect — both tiers are active simultaneously between levels 101 and 200. From level 500, Gold effects plateau; further leveling only yields ranking points and patron rewards afterwards.
ℹ️ Note: The originally planned Silver tier was completely removed in the latest redesign. Copper and Gold now overlap directly from level 101.
Planned Changes for Promotion at a Glance
1. Reward Spots per Tier
| Target LG | Level Range | Reward Spots |
|---|---|---|
| All LGs (Copper) | 1–200 | 5 spots (P1–P5) |
| Gold-tier LGs | from level 101 | 7 spots (P1–P7) |
Gold levels will therefore reward two additional donors, making securing in promotion chains more dynamic.
2. The Ark Patron Bonus: Copper vs. Gold
The familiar patron bonus of the Ark (the factor by which the base reward is multiplied) will now work tier-dependently:
- Copper levels (1–200): The existing Ark bonus continues to apply but scales more gradually: Level 101 = 85 %, Level 119 = 90 %, Level 144 = 95 %. For pure Copper LGs (which end at level 200), this bonus applies throughout.
- Gold levels (from level 101 on Gold-tier LGs): The Ark provides its own, reduced Patron Bonus (Gold) here. In addition, the new building Shattered Horizon Siphon offers the same effect type — both bonuses apply in parallel and stack.
The sum of the Ark's Gold bonus and the Siphon bonus, supplemented by smaller research bonuses from the era Stellar Age: Discovery (SA:D), roughly matches the previous Copper bonus of +100 % (factor 2.0) at its peak. However, this is only reached when both LGs hit level 500, so it remains to be seen in live practice which values will crystallize as new standards for guild promotion groups.
3. Patron Share of Level Costs
The base reward will now be based on a fixed percentage of the total level costs:
| Level Range | Share (without bonus) | With maximum donor bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 1–9 | 25 % | 50 % |
| 10–39 | 30 % | 60 % |
| 40–69 | 40 % | 80 % |
| 70–100 | 25 % | 50 % |
| 101–200 | 15 % | 30 % |
| 201–300 | 10 % | 20 % |
| 301–400 | 7 % | 14 % |
| 401–500 | 5 % | 10 % |
Although the percentage share decreases with rising levels, the absolute level costs increase significantly faster — the actual FP reward therefore continues to grow with every level.
TL;DR
The Ark remains the foundation of every FoE account — however, the magical level 80 will no longer be sufficient in the new Prestige system. Since the bonus scales more gradually there, cost-neutral promotion is only reached at noticeably higher levels.
From level 101 (on Gold-tier LGs), the rules change as well: there are more reward spots (P1–P7), but a completely new dual bonus system made up of the Ark and the Shattered Horizon Siphon. Since all values on the beta server are still being optimized, the exact new "target level" remains exciting.
For specific FP values per spot and level, feel free to use our FoE Calculator.