Monarch gear grants buffs for both battle and development; higher level = stronger buff. Leveling = combine THREE same-level pieces into one of the next level. Lv1 pieces required per level: Lv2=3, Lv3=9, Lv4=27, Lv5=81, Lv6=243, ... Lv10=19,683, Lv15=4,782,969. Store price: 200 gems per Lv1 piece (300 for Ares gear). Composing one Lv15 piece purely by buying at the store = 956,593,800 gems (non-Ares) or 1,434,890,700 (Ares) - absurd, so never build from the store. Intermediate store costs: Lv5 = 16,200 / 24,300 gems; Lv10 = 3,936,600 / 5,904,900. This hub page does not list individual piece buff values (see the usage/level-up guides). Practical path is patrols + black market + Wheel of Fortune (see level-up guide).
Original research source: Evony Guide Wiki
