Kat’s verdictUse unascended Askia when immediate repair-cost reduction is the priority: his official base skill cuts Gem and resource repair cost by 15%. Use Otto for defense first, or when his development has reached the exact capacity and repair effects you can activate. Do not treat a full Trap Factory as a universal free-recovery trick. Community reports place overflow in other recovery systems, where capacity and battle mode can turn savings into permanent loss.

Askia starts with the repair bill

Evony’s official duty-general guide gives Askia Muhammad I two effects while he is the Trap Factory Officer: 15% lower Gem and resource cost for siege-machine repair, and 25% more in-city siege attack. Otto the Great starts elsewhere: 30% more in-city siege attack and 15% less enemy ranged attack. An undeveloped Askia is the direct repair-economy choice. An undeveloped Otto is the direct defensive choice.

This comparison is about active duty effects, not portrait quality. A General in storage repairs nothing. A General on duty with an unfinished condition contributes only the lines that are currently active. The Trap Factory has declined to accept résumé adjectives as currency.

Development changes the comparison

Therefore, the answer can reverse with development. Base Askia owns the immediate discount. A two-red-star Otto owns the larger listed ascension capacity line. Fully developed versions add different combat and repair effects. Compare the officer you actually have, not the one displayed at the ceremonial end of a spreadsheet.

Capacity is insurance, not a free route

Current specialist guidance says damaged siege machines go to the Trap Factory rather than the Hospital. Capacity protects more of them inside the repair system, where the live screen shows the current Gem and resource quote. It does not make the quote disappear.

Players have reported intentionally filling the Trap Factory with damaged low-tier siege so later siege losses route to Deserters or Souls. The same reports warn that Holy Palace limits, death-to-soul rates and some battlefield entry rules can change the result. Evony has not published a complete current overflow formula. Treat this as player observation, not a safe rule. Saving Gems is useful. Converting high-tier siege into an irreversible experiment is less charming.

Run this check before exposing siege

  1. Open the Trap Factory and record current damaged occupancy, maximum capacity and the active duty officer.
  2. Compare Askia and Otto only at development you own. Check the active Special Skill, red stars, Specialties and ordinary duty grade.
  3. If siege is already damaged, compare the live repair quote with the intended officer on duty before confirming. Do not infer the discount from an inactive Specialty.
  4. If projected losses can exceed capacity, reduce the siege exposed or verify the exact overflow route with a controlled low-tier test in the same battle mode. Do not use valuable siege as the test sample.

This is not a universal instruction to maximize capacity. A larger repair bay can preserve more siege while also placing more units behind a Gem repair quote. The correct setting depends on the account’s Holy Palace, recovery resources, battle mode and tolerance for permanent loss. The useful decision is knowing which system receives the next casualty before it arrives.

Evidence limits

Official Evony material confirms the base duty skills for Askia and Otto. Specialist General sheets provide the red-star and Specialty lines, and current building guides place damaged siege repair in the Trap Factory. Community posts describe overflow behaviour but disagree on safe limits and mode restrictions. No official current overflow order, universal repair formula or independent controlled loss test was found. Current in-game capacity, duty activation, repair quote and battle rules take priority.

Sources: official Evony duty-General guide, reviewed 2026-10-28; Theria Trap Factory guide, accessed 2026-10-28; Theria Askia Muhammad I development sheet, accessed 2026-10-28; Theria Otto the Great development sheet, accessed 2026-10-28; Theria Hospital and recovery-system guide, updated 2026-08-08 and reviewed 2026-10-28; February 2025 player discussion of Trap Factory overflow and restrictions, reviewed 2026-10-28.

Evidence reviewed 2026-10-28. Official duty skills, specialist development data and player observations are separated. No exact current repair price, overflow guarantee or universal battlefield rule is claimed.