Five Things the Community Is Most Worried About in the Great Buildings Update

With the upcoming Great Buildings Evolution update approaching the Beta servers, excitement across the Forge of Empires community is matched only by the number of spreadsheets currently being opened.

While the new Prestige Tier system promises extended progression and new strategic options, players are already raising several concerns about how the changes may affect long-term gameplay.

From ranking calculations to potential hidden nerfs, here are the five biggest questions currently circulating through guild chats and Discord channels.

1. Will Event Buildings Still Be Better?

For years now, many cities have evolved into carefully optimised landscapes dominated by event buildings, which frequently provide stronger rewards with significantly less investment than traditional Great Buildings.

Several veteran players worry the new system may still struggle to compete with that efficiency.

As one player noted:

“If the new bonuses are small, people will still fill their cities with event buildings. Why spend years upgrading a GB when a single event reward does the same thing?”

The success of the update will likely depend on how powerful the Silver and Gold tier bonuses actually are.

If the bonuses are significant, Great Buildings could once again become the backbone of advanced cities.

If not, the system may remain mostly cosmetic for endgame players.

2. Are There Hidden Nerfs?

One recurring theme in community discussion is a familiar phrase among long-time players:

“There’s always a catch.”

Some players suspect that while the new system introduces exciting features, there may also be less visible adjustments that could weaken existing strategies.

Possible areas of concern include:

• Changes to combat scaling

• Reduced effectiveness of certain bonuses

• Increased costs for unlocking higher levels

As one cautious player put it:

“I’ve never seen a major update that didn’t include at least one hidden nerf.”

For now, players are waiting to see the full numbers on the Beta server before drawing conclusions.

3. Will Rankings Be Completely Reshuffled?

The update also introduces a new ranking calculation system tied to the revised costs and mechanics of Great Buildings.

While the developers have stated that the current rankings will be preserved as historical records, the live rankings may shift significantly once the new formula is applied.

The biggest unknown concerns goods invested beyond certain levels, particularly for buildings that were pushed far beyond traditional ranges.

Some players believe points from refunded goods could be removed.

Others believe the recalculation may simply apply the new cost structure moving forward.

Until the update launches, the exact impact remains unclear.

4. Will the Update Force Rebalancing of GBG and GE?

One interesting side discussion emerging from the community is the possibility that this update could indirectly change the difficulty of Guild Battlegrounds and Guild Expedition.

If the new prestige tiers provide major combat boosts, existing content may become too easy for high-level players.

One player summed up the situation bluntly:

“Right now I can run thousands of fights in low difficulty because the boosts are so high already.”

If Great Buildings become significantly stronger, the developers may need to adjust scaling for these features to maintain challenge and balance.

Some players even welcome this possibility, seeing it as a chance to refresh long-standing gameplay loops.

5. Are Great Buildings Becoming Permanent?

Perhaps the most subtle but widely discussed change involves player behaviour.

Currently, experienced players often delete and rebuild Great Buildings as strategies evolve.

However, if unlocking Silver and Gold tiers requires large investments in new blueprints or resources, that flexibility may disappear.

One community member suggested that this might be intentional:

“Once you’ve invested in silver and gold upgrades, you’re not going to delete that building easily. That’s probably the real goal.”

If true, the update may represent a philosophical shift toward making Great Buildings long-term structural commitments rather than interchangeable tools.

Is this the beginning of a new era for Great Buildings…

Or simply the start of a very complicated rebalance?

Stay tuned to Nexus News at Six as the story develops.