If Food and Gold make for the basic necessities for survival, then think of Crowns as the express train to getting almost anything and everything you would need in the game. For example, you need to upgrade a resource building but lack the amount of Food and Gold, then spending a few Crowns can be done to replace the lacking number of Food and Gold and proceed with your upgrade.
Or perhaps you would need to engage in battle and would need to finish training your troops and don't have the time to spare to wait, then using up a few or more Crowns is the key to have an Army ready for battle in no time.
Another practical use of Crowns would be to spend a few of those to replace the missing number of Goods (like Cider, Metal, Diamonds, Fur, etc.) needed to either hire a few Mercenaries, apply a Fortification or Gathering Blessing, or even purchase a Gold or Food shipment.
One other useful use of Crowns is by changing your city’s Wonder. After several ages, you will have the chance to build a Wonder fit for your city. Each wonder has a special attribute--may it be contributing to defense, Economy etc. If in the event that the chosen Wonder is no longer to your liking then you may spend your Crowns to replace it with another Wonder.
As Crowns play a huge role in the game, getting around a couple of Crowns is pretty hard to do. Of course, players could take the quick and easy way of gaining Crowns by availing of the game's non-intrusive IAP offers. These IAPs offers players a chance to stack up on Crowns for as low as $5.
But if spending on a game is not your thing then you will just have to exercise patience and resourcefulness in scouting for all the available Crowns in the game. Some of the ways you can earn free Crowns are done by completing single-player campaigns, fulfilling Goals, scoring Achievements, and even clearing trees.
1. Single-Player Campaigns
Single-player Battles offer players the chance to conquer a region, or even a country. Each campaign is filled with different cities which the player may attack in order to gain experience and loot. One good thing a single-player campaign offers to players is the chance to practice out a strategy without having to lose medals since engaging in single-player campaigns can be done even under a Peace Treaty.
Once the player fully conquers all of the cities in the region then a reward of Crowns will be waiting for them.
2. Goals
In the beginning of the game, you will be guided by a Wise Old man as you go build your city from scratch. Once you’ve learned the ropes, this Wise Old Man will offer you guidance in the form of Goals. To view your list of Goals, then you may tap on the Wise Old Man’s icon at the upper left corner of the screen. Each goal is listed along with the number of Crown rewards waiting to be given away upon completion of the goal. The number of goals for each goal depends on the complexity of the task.
3. Achievements
Aside from meeting the Wise Old Man’s goals, another way players can earn free Crowns is by completing all of the listed Achievements icon located in the upper left corner of the screen. These achievements are somehow harder to complete since they cover a broader aspect of gameplay but fulfilling each achievement is worth it since each achievement offers a maximum of 250 Crowns that could be given away.
4. Clearing Trees
If you are someone who does not want to be tied down by a list just to get some Crowns, then you could then get down and dirty by clearing trees that are sprouting in the game. Trees, unlike Forests, are easier and faster to clear. Plus, clearing trees only require a single citizen to accomplish the task.