Is Iron Realms free to play?

Yes. Iron Realms is free to play in any browser with no download and no account required. Every building, troop tier and Seat of Power is reachable without spending money — purchases buy speed and cosmetics, never a higher ceiling.

Does spending money make you stronger in Iron Realms?

No. Nothing purchasable raises your power ceiling. A charter audit runs on every build and fails it if any offer would sell power. Spending compresses time: the summit takes about 24 months free, or 18 months with the $9.99 monthly Charter held throughout.

How long does it take to max a keep in Iron Realms?

About 24 months of free play at roughly half an hour a day, or 18 months with the $9.99 Warden's Charter. Keeps cap at level 45 and troops at tier 13 — the same summit for everyone.

Gathering, Caravans & Expeditions

Quick answers

Is Iron Realms free to play?: Yes. Iron Realms is free to play in any browser with no download and no account required. Every building, troop tier and Seat of Power is reachable without spending money — purchases buy speed and cosmetics, never a higher ceiling.
Does spending money make you stronger in Iron Realms?: No. Nothing purchasable raises your power ceiling. A charter audit runs on every build and fails it if any offer would sell power. Spending compresses time: the summit takes about 24 months free, or 18 months with the $9.99 monthly Charter held throughout.
How long does it take to max a keep in Iron Realms?: About 24 months of free play at roughly half an hour a day, or 18 months with the $9.99 Warden's Charter. Keeps cap at level 45 and troops at tier 13 — the same summit for everyone.

Gathering, Caravans & Expeditions — Iron Realms — Gathering, Caravans & Expeditions in Iron Realms.

War is loud, but it is resources that win. Iron Realms runs a whole quiet economy that pays while you sleep — gathering parties in the field, a caravan for every day of the week, and timed maester expeditions. Master it and you will always afford the next upgrade.

Gathering parties

Send troops to a resource node and they harvest over time, then march home laden. It costs no energy and risks little — the steady backbone of your income. Bring a commander with a gathering skill to haul more, faster.

Maester expeditions — the away-time engine

Three timed missions, and the arithmetic strongly favours the long one:

Expedition	Time	Returns	Per hour
The Nearby Holdfast	30 min	400 food, 300 wood, 200 stone, 150 iron	~2,100
The River Market	2 hours	1,600 food, 1,200 wood, 900 stone, 700 iron	~2,200
The Old Ruins	8 hours	7,000 food, 5,500 wood, 4,200 stone, 3,200 iron	~2,500

The Old Ruins pays about 20% more per hour than the short run and needs no attention for eight hours. Send the Ruins when you log off overnight; save the 30-minute Holdfast for when you know you will be back soon. Running short expeditions all day is strictly worse than running long ones, unless you are actually there to restart them.

Weekly caravans

A different caravan opens on the map every day of the week, and they are not equal:

Day	Caravan	Richness	Valyrian steel
Sunday	The Riverlands Convoy	4	1 / 1,000
Monday	The Stormlands Wagons	4	1 / 1,000
Tuesday	The Westerlands Bullion Train	5	2 / 1,000
Wednesday	The Reach Harvest Train	4	1 / 1,000
Thursday	The Vale Mountain Train	4	1 / 1,000
Friday	The Dornish Spice-and-Steel Road	5	2 / 1,000
Saturday	The Kingsroad Northbound	4	1 / 1,000

Tuesday and Friday are the days that matter. Both run at richness 5 and, more importantly, pay double Valyrian steel — and Valyrian steel is the gate on masterwork and Valyrian gear, which no amount of ordinary resource solves. If you only clear two caravans a week, clear those two.

Stack every multiplier

Gathering compounds with buildings, research, season modifiers, world events (Harvest Festival is +25%), godswood blessings (+12%) and VIP (+22.5% at 15). For the full stack, read Maximizing Resources.