An unhelpful market selection does not mean you have to buy the wrong recruit. Dominus Gladiatus provides an immediate paid refresh as well as market changes tied to the passage of time. Knowing which change you are waiting for helps you avoid spending money just before the selection would change anyway.
Three market changes that are easy to confuse
The developer updates describe three related mechanisms:
| Mechanism | What it does |
|---|---|
| Paid Market Refresh | Generates a new selection immediately in exchange for coins. |
| Arrival countdown | Shows when new recruits will arrive, progressing with Ludus time. |
| Long-stay replacement | Automatically replaces recruits who remain in the market longer than 12 days. |
The paid interaction was added in the September 6 demo update. September 17 changed market refresh progression to use Ludus time and added the arrival countdown. October 7 added the replacement rule for recruits who have been there more than 12 days. These details are recorded in the official Dominus Gladiatus patch notes.
The 12-day rule is not a claim that the entire market resets on a universal 12-day cycle. It concerns how long individual recruits have remained available. Use the visible arrival countdown for the next time-based change rather than treating those two rules as interchangeable.
How to get a new selection immediately
Visit the Slave Market through your Dominus and inspect the current recruits first. If none meets your needs, find the Market Refresh interaction, check its current coin cost, and use it when the immediate selection change is worth that expense.
After refreshing, compare the new candidates before buying. A refresh generates another selection; the update notes do not promise a particular talent, a trained veteran, or an improvement over every recruit you just passed over.
There is no dependable current refresh-price table in the supplied official notes. Market and recruitment prices have been rebalanced, so use the cost shown in your game instead of copying a coin amount from an older recording.
Decide whether to pay or wait
Start with your deadline. If a two-person match is close and you are missing a fighter, an immediate refresh may solve an urgent roster problem. If your lineup is already covered, waiting for the visible arrival countdown may leave more coins for training support and equipment.
Also calculate what happens after the refresh. Spending your reserve on another roll is not useful if it leaves you unable to buy or equip the recruit you find.
Later recruits can differ from the opening selection. The September 6 demo update allowed trained gladiators to appear from Day 20, but that is availability, not a guarantee that the next refresh produces a trained fighter. Assess the recruit actually offered.
FAQ
Does the market only change when I pay?
No. The arrival countdown progresses with Ludus time, and recruits remaining in the market more than 12 days are automatically replaced under the October 7 change.
Does a refresh guarantee better gladiators?
No such guarantee is established by the developer notes. It gives you another selection to inspect.
Should I wait exactly 12 days for every refresh?
No. The long-stay replacement rule and the arrival countdown are different information. Check the countdown for incoming recruits and use the paid action only when you want an immediate change.