A short guide to the basics. Hellas Online is a free browser strategy MMO set across 4,800 islands of the ancient Aegean. You build a city, train armies and fleets, found or join a kingdom, and compete for relics and territory in a single permanent world. No pay-to-win, no resets.
Start with one town on a small Aegean island. Eight building categories (economy, military, culture, government, science, religious, harbor, defense) - level them up to unlock new units, faster production, and higher population caps. Workers are assigned per building from your town's population pool. Idle workers earn nothing, so balance your buildouts.
Twenty ground units across melee / ranged / cavalry / siege roles, plus a full navy from Bireme to Steam Ironclad. Every unit has counters, costs, and travel speed. Real-time combat resolution: you send the army, it travels at the speed of its slowest unit, and the battle plays out on arrival. Defender always sees what's coming and has time to react.
Solo play works for the early game; kingdoms unlock late-game. A kingdom is a player-led alliance with shared chat, kingdom-scoped research bonuses, declared wars, signed treaties (peace / NAP / alliance), and the ability to claim island territory through capital placement. Government type (Chieftain, Council, Republic, Tyranny) unlocks role-based bonuses.
Build a Trading Center to post offers in your island marketplace or the global market. Auto trade routes ship resources between your own towns on a schedule, with travel time scaled by distance. Tenders and Landing Craft are dedicated cargo ships. The naval economy is real - shipping requires actual ships, not magic.
Four branches - military, economy, science, culture - with about 35 techs across them. Some unlock new units (Hoplites, War Elephants, Steam Giants, Aero Cruisers), others modify existing ones (Archery +25% archer attack), and some buff economy or research speed. Late-game: Steam Engineering, Naval Artillery, Aerial Reconnaissance.
Five relic types scattered across the islands grant kingdom-wide bonuses (military boost, production boost, research boost, defense boost, vision). Capture them by clearing the guarding NPC camps. Hold them by holding the islands. Relics flip when their island is conquered.