Kat’s verdictOpen the building’s current Duty screen and fund only the requirements that are still short. Close attribute gaps permanently, test borrowed ordinary gear for the power gap, and do not resign a qualified officer without a reappointment plan.

Calculate every gap separately

Official Evony guidance says duty grades use building-specific combinations of Attack, Leadership, Defense, Politics and Power. Meeting one large number does not repair another small one. Use the values shown in your own Duty screen because buildings and future updates can differ.

Attribute gap = larger of 0 or displayed requirement − current attribute
Power gap = larger of 0 or displayed requirement − current power
The grade qualifies only when every required gap is 0

Worked Academy example: the third-party Evony LiveOps guide lists Special at 1,250 Politics, 1,200 Leadership and 3,100,000 Power. A candidate with 1,238 Politics, 1,225 Leadership and 2,760,000 Power is short by 12 Politics, 0 Leadership and 340,000 Power. Close the 12-point Politics gap with permanent development. Then test whether borrowed ordinary gear can supply at least 340,000 Power for appointment. Super requires 1,400 Politics and 1,400 Leadership, so this candidate remains 162 and 175 points short. That is a later project, not today’s accidental Gem donation.

The green button has never objected to an unnecessarily expensive solution.

Buy the next grade, not the maximum grade

The same third-party Academy guide lists +25% research speed for Special and +40% for Super. The upgrade therefore adds 15 percentage points to the duty-grade benefit, while its attribute cost depends on your general’s present gaps. Compare that gain with the cultivation, levels, stars, ascension and fragments required. A visible higher grade is not automatically the best next use of scarce materials.

Borrow the power kit carefully

Specialist guides and repeated player reports say ordinary equipment can be equipped to pass the Power check, the general can be appointed, and that equipment can then be removed while the achieved duty grade remains. Recent player reports add the important limit: resigning the officer means meeting the requirements again at reappointment. This is player-tested behaviour, not an official guarantee.

Do not confuse borrowed ordinary gear with Officer Equipment that has explicit duty effects. The third-party 2026 event guide lists Officer Equipment with its own attributes. Removing such a piece can remove the benefit printed on that equipment. Read the item, not the wardrobe theory.

After removing borrowed gear, reopen the Duty screen and confirm the grade and building benefit. Record which pieces were used. Repeat the check after game updates and before moving the officer. A screenshot is cheaper than rediscovering six missing items during SvS.

Use three stopping rules

  1. Stop cultivating when all required attribute gaps for the chosen grade reach 0. Do not polish unrelated attributes for decoration.
  2. Stop adding permanent power when a tested borrowed set can close the appointment gap safely. Keep that set available for reappointment.
  3. Stop before resignation unless the replacement is ready and the current officer can qualify again. Officer swaps and perfect dismissal require the on-duty general to be removed first.

Sources: Third-party 2026 Sun Wu guide and Academy duty thresholds; Official Evony duty qualification examples; Third-party 2026 Officer Equipment examples; One Chilled Gamer duty-general guide; Recent player report on borrowed gear and reappointment; Official Officer General Swap removal rule.

Evidence reviewed 2026-10-01. Official Evony guidance confirms five duty grades and building-specific attribute and Power requirements. The Academy figures and separate Officer Equipment examples cited here come from third-party Evony LiveOps guides. The temporary ordinary-equipment method and persistence after removal are supported by specialist guidance and repeated player reports, not by an official rule page. Current in-game requirements and a post-removal Duty-screen check remain the authority.

Develop the officer until the job opens, then stop. The building wanted a qualified employee. It did not request a ceremonial hat budget.