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Skyholds

A Skyhold is a floating isle torn out of the ground by a great battle. It hangs above a stronghold, at the same coordinates, and belongs to that stronghold's lord. Each stronghold can have one Skyhold.

How a Skyhold rises

After any battle at a stronghold that has no Skyhold yet, there is a 1% chance per 100,000 spoils left by the battle (up to 20%) that one rises. It belongs to the defender, so great battles at your walls can give you a Skyhold. The higher the chance, the wider the isle:

Span = a random number of paces from 2,000 + 300 × chance to 1,000 more

Spoils left by the battle Chance of a Skyhold Span (paces) Most plots it can use
100,000 1% 2,300–3,300 5–10
250,000 2% 2,600–3,600 6–12
500,000 5% 3,500–4,500 12–20
1,000,000 10% 5,000–6,000 25–36
1,500,000 15% 6,500–7,500 42–56
2,000,000 20% 8,000–9,000 64–81

Plots

A Skyhold has no plots of its own. Its usable plots are:

min(⌊(span ÷ 1,000)²⌋, 1 + 3 × Sky Keep level) + Sky Grants

So a Skyhold starts with a single plot: build the Sky Keep there first. Each Sky Keep level unlocks three more plots, up to the limit set by the span. A Sky Grant adds 2 plots for good.

What a Skyhold can and cannot do

Can Cannot
Hold the Sky Keep, Scrying Spire and Waygate Yield resources (no mines, no tithe)
Hold vaults, the Builders' Guild and the Muster Hall Hold a Mage Tower or study lore
Muster units and fortifications Store siege spells, Sun Prisms or Delver Golems
Send and receive hosts Host a kindred
Be assaulted, scouted and sundered Be seen by a Scrying Spire

Hosts sent from a Skyhold get no kindred bonuses. A Skyhold moves with its stronghold when the stronghold is moved.

The Scrying Spire

The Scrying Spire reveals the hosts marching to and from a stronghold.

  • Scrying costs 5,000 aether from the Skyhold.
  • The target must be a stronghold (not a Skyhold) on the same continent, within level² − 1 provinces (20% further for a Wayfarer).
  • The report lists every host marching to the stronghold, from it, coming back to it or camped at it: its lord, mission, origin, target, timing and number of units. Hosts heading to Skyholds, hosts sent from Skyholds to spoils fields or Skyholds, and recalled garrisons do not show.
Scrying Spire Range (provinces) Wayfarer range
1 0 0
2 3 3
3 8 9
4 15 18
5 24 28
6 35 42
7 48 57
8 63 75
9 80 96
10 99 118
11 120 144
12 143 171

The Waygate

The Waygate moves units instantly between two of your own Skyholds that both have a Waygate.

  • Any mobile units can pass; immobile units cannot.
  • Afterwards both gates are dormant for 1 hour, 10% less per Waygate level above the first (at least half an hour), divided by the economy speed.

Sundering

A rival Skyhold can be brought down with War Colossi. Send a host with at least one War Colossus on a Sunder mission. A battle is fought as for an assault (without plunder); if the attackers win:

  • Fall chance = (100 − √span) × √(Colossi in the host) %
  • Chance to lose the Colossi = √span ÷ 2 %: with this chance every War Colossus in the host is lost, whether or not the Skyhold falls.

A fallen Skyhold is gone with all its buildings, units and goods. Hosts on their way back to it land at the stronghold below instead, and hosts marching on it turn back.

Span (paces) Fall, 1 Colossus Fall, 2 Colossi Fall, 4 Colossi Fall, 9 Colossi Fall, 16 Colossi Colossi lost
2,000 55.3% 78.2% 100% 100% 100% 22.4%
3,000 45.2% 64% 90.5% 100% 100% 27.4%
4,000 36.8% 52% 73.5% 100% 100% 31.6%
5,000 29.3% 41.4% 58.6% 87.9% 100% 35.4%
6,000 22.5% 31.9% 45.1% 67.6% 90.2% 38.7%
7,000 16.3% 23.1% 32.7% 49% 65.3% 41.8%
8,000 10.6% 14.9% 21.1% 31.7% 42.2% 44.7%
9,000 5.13% 7.26% 10.3% 15.4% 20.5% 47.4%
10,000 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 50%