There are so many things to do in Rise of Castles: Ice and Fire and it’s not always clear what the best course of action is. And to be honest, the game itself does not provide much guidance. I started playing this game back in 2019 and I’ve seen so many changes over the years that it can be intimidating for new players.
I mean the game is still quite fun even now in 2024 but it has become more complex over time and there is still no in-depth tutorial to help you get started, other than the same little frustrating hand that you cannot skip until you reach chapter 3 or so. Long story short, you’ll be on your own for the most part.
However, don’t let that discourage you because I’ve compiled a list of 25 beginner tips and tricks to help you get started in Rise of Castles. These are things I wish I had known when I first started playing the game. So let’s get started!
1. Determine your playstyle: pick the right class
There are four classes in Rise of Castles: Raider, Farmer, Craftsman, and Trader. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, and some might advise you to start with the Rider class because of its high mobility and combat power.
But a better strategy would be to start with the Farmer class because it provides more resources, which are essential for city development. And once you get enough resources or reach a high enough level, you can switch to the Raider class, if that suits your playstyle better.
2. Change your name and your avatar
After starting the game, you will be assigned a random name, which is usually something like “Lord01c34j”. Not only is this name hard to pronounce and remember, but it also makes you look like a newbie.
Changing the name is free and it’s one of the first things you should do when starting the Rise of Castles game. To do that, while inside your castle, tap the menu icon on the right side of your screen, and after that the three dots icon.
Next, tap the “Lord info” icon (you will notice a bouncing red bubble anyway), and at the top on the right side of your default avatar, you have your random name. Next to it, there’s a small pen icon. Tap it and type in your new name. When you’re done, hit the green button that says “Rename”.
Keep in mind that only the first rename is free, and after that, each subsequent rename will cost you 2000 Diamonds. So, choose your new name wisely!
The avatar
Your avatar is just as important as your name because it’s the first thing other players will see when they inspect your castle. There are two or three default avatars that the game automatically assigns to you, so looking the same as other players make you look like a newbie as well.
Changing the avatar is a premium feature (it was free in the early versions of the game). After purchasing the “Be yourself!” pack, you will be able to change your avatar once every 24 hours. However, your photo needs to be approved by the game’s moderators before it can be changed, and sometimes it can take up to 1 hour.
The good thing about this premium pack is that it’s very cheap, around $1, and besides the avatar change, you will also get some cool small bonuses like 1000 diamonds, some speed-ups, food, and gold. A great deal for a low price!
3. Join a friendly Alliance and be active
When you start the game, you will be prompted to join or create an alliance. In case you don’t know, an alliance is a group of players that help each other out, usually with resources, information, and protection. It’s highly recommended that you join one as soon as possible because it will make your life in the game much easier.
You can find a list of all the available alliances by tapping the menu icon, located on the right side of your screen, and then the “Alliance” icon (it looks like a flag with one star, see the screenshot above). There, you will see a list of all those available to you in the game, and you can join one by tapping the “Apply” button.
In that list, you should consider joining the ones with the highest gift level (it’s represented by a small gift box icon), as you’ll get better rewards for your contribution. The gift level for new states can range anywhere between 0 to 4.
4. Learn the Map and its features
Learning the map and every single feature it has, is crucial for your success in this game. You need to know where to find different types of resources, and also different types of terrains, or how to bookmark a location.
For instance, instead of waiting time searching a certain level of Marauders or Savage Giants on your map, you could easily find them within your area, by using its search feature.
5. Explore and gather resources overnight
Sending your Cavalry troops (more details on why Cavalry is the best troop type for gathering below) resources overnight is the best way to get a lot of resources quickly. Additionally, if you can create level 10 resource tiles, you will be able to get even more resources.
Similarly, you should also send any workers you have available (that are not busy constructing something else) to explore the map. They will reward you with resources, gold, and sometimes even diamonds.
6. Prioritize Iron
Iron is the most important resource in Rise of Castles, and you should prioritize it over everything else. The reason is that iron is used for training troops, and other military buildings and is also the hardest resource to find. The rewards from quests and events, that contain iron as a prize, are also usually much lower than the other resources.
7. Trade your Ale
From the early beginning of the game, you will have a lot of “Ale” (a type of resource). You should trade it in the Trade House building for gold, resources, and other useful items. And while you do it, always look for items with the biggest discount.
The more you upgrade the Trading House, the more items you will be able to see available for trading and it will also reduce the delay at which you can trade again.
8. Starve your Tavern
Once you have upgraded to a specific level and you need to stock up on your Food and Ale, you should “Starve your Tavern”. What that means is to stop supplying it with Food and Ale completely. The production of your buildings will not be affected as it doesn’t need a constant supply of Food and Ale.
Once you have the desired amount, you can start supplying your Tavern again to increase the Population number and upgrade your Castle to the next level.
9. Clean your town’s area and hit the gold horn
If you want to get some extra gold, resources, and diamonds, you should clean your town’s area from bandits. They are located in random locations inside your town and you can defeat them by simply tapping once on them. Shortly after that, your Dragon will come and shoot a fireball at them and you’ll automatically receive a small number of resources or a few diamonds.
Another quick way to get gold in Rise of Castles is by hitting the gold horn situated at the left-side edge of your town’s wall. All you need to do is to click the little play icon, wait a few seconds, and be rewarded in gold. The reward can range anywhere from 500 to 250,000 gold.
10. Take part in as many events as possible
Rise of Castles is a very event-driven game, which means that there are constantly events going on, giving you the chance to win all sorts of rewards. The most common events are the Hourly Challenge and the Clash of Province.
But there are other events as well, and you can access them all by tapping on the “Events” button on the right side of your screen. Join these events as often as you can and win rewards to help you develop your city faster.
11. Do Province Quests and level up your Class
Province quests are a great way to increase your resource production and improve your army’s strength. Once you have built the Class Hall building and chosen your class, you can participate in Province quests by tapping the building and next, the “Province Quests” icon.
12. Focus on one Legion at a time
You should focus on one Legion at a time and upgrade it to the maximum level before moving on to the next one. Is worth nothing to have 2 or 3 mediocre legions when you can have one really powerful, one that can take down more powerful enemies. The most important legion, and the one you should focus on first, is your Class Legion.
Once you have maximized the “Class Legion Research” tech, which allows you to have 3 heroes in this legion, you can move on to researching the “Legion 1” and so on.
The same advice goes for your Class Legion’s heroes as well. Focus first on leveling up and upgrading the skills of your best hero combination for your Class Legion, as much as possible.
13. Complete daily tasks and other quests
Daily tasks are a great way to earn extra rewards, and they usually require you to do things that you would do anyway, such as train troops, gather resources, defeat Marauders, research new techs, or upgrade buildings.
Your Daily Tasks are located right above the chat bar while inside your Castle. Additionally, you should look in the Benefits Center (while in the castle view, tap the red chest icon above the events) as there are always new quests and challenges to be completed with great rewards.
14. Prioritize legendary heroes
The heroes in Rise of Castles are classified into 4 colors: green, blue, purple, and orange. Green ones are the weakest, while orange ones are the strongest, also known as “Legendary Heroes”.
When you first start the game, you will be given only one blue color hero. Since these heroes are not the wisest choice for battle, you should save your Hero Exp items and the Wisdom Medals for Legendary Heroes. Luckily, you will get your first Legendary Hero “The Heroine: Mulan” after logging in consecutively for 5 days.
15. Cavalry before other units
I said it before and I’ll say it again: Cavalry is the most important type of unit in Rise of Castles. They have the fastest marching speed and can carry the most while sieging or gathering resources.
Focus on researching Cavalry-related techs and upgrading the stable from the very beginning. Once you have a strong cavalry army, you can also start improving your Archers and Footmen.
16. Defeat Marauders and Savage Giants
Defeating Marauders is a great way to level up your Heroes faster. Marauders are bandits that spawn randomly on the map and they have different levels. The higher the level, the harder they are to defeat, but also the better the rewards.
These rewards can be anything from resources to experience items for your heroes. Defeat at least 10 Marauders a day to get the most out of this activity.
Similarly, Savage Giants are creatures that can be found on the map. These too, have different levels and provide different rewards upon defeat, but they are much more powerful. To defeat them you must join a rally created by one of your Alliance members, or create one so that other members of your Alliance can join you.
17. Research what’s most important first
Researching the wrong technologies can be a huge setback, so it’s important to know what to focus on first. When you’re just starting out, the most important techs to research are Town Development, Rapid Production, Class Legion Research, Basic Military, Cavalry training, and Zone Commemoration. Research these technologies as much as possible and you’ll see your city develop much faster.
18. Use stationary skills and Rapid Production
Most players focus on leveling their combat Legendary Heroes, but there are other heroes that can be very useful as well. These are called Stationary Heroes, and cannot be used in combats.
Instead, they can be placed in the Town Hall building and can offer great bonuses to your town, such as extra resources, faster training speed, or better healing for your wounded troops. Some of these heroes also provide a manual skill that can be used once a day.
In the same vein, Rapid Production technology is also very important. It allows you to get a specific number of resources a day. You will get the first usage of the day guaranteed, after fully researching the Rapid Production tech tree, in the Institute.
19. Craft the Scavenger equipment
Try crafting the Scavenger set, or at least the helmet as soon as possible. The Scavenger helm gives a bonus to experience gained from attacking Marauders, so it’s definitely worth crafting if you’re looking to level up your heroes fast.
Another benefit of having purple, orange, or gold Scavenger pieces equipped is that they will increase the chances of receiving big chunks of meat for your dragon.
20. Feed and train your Red Dragon
Feeding and training your Red Dragon is crucial if you want to get the most out of it. The more you feed him and upgrade his talents, the more powerful he becomes, and offers you great bonuses that can help speed up your town’s development.
Another great benefit of feeding the dragon is that, once he reaches level 20 with his Power of the Dragon talent, it will transform into an Adult Dragon and can then be used in combats, attached to your legions.
21. Donate to Alliance and collect your salary
Try donating resources to your Alliance to help research different techs, every day twice a day if possible, until you run out of donations. This will help develop new techs that all members can benefit from.
You also get Alliance Points in return and you can use them to get speed-ups, Advanced Teleports, Courage Medals, Gathering Bonuses, and other useful items. By donating, you also get a “Salary”, two chests that contain gold rewards. All these features can be found under the alliance menu.
22. Be active on chat, make new friends
Being active on the in-game chat is a great way to make new friends and allies. You can also use the chat to ask for help, trade resources, or just chat and have fun. Is always good to have friends from multiple different alliances.
This way if for some reason you are not happy anymore in your current alliance, you can always ask to be invited into another one of your friends’ alliances.
Also, keep an eye on your alliance chat. Every time a member upgrades his/her Castle to a certain level, a diamond raffle will be automatically posted on the chat. Is a good way to get some extra diamonds.
23. Read the mail and collect your rewards
Be sure to read your in-game mail regularly and collect the rewards. You can get a lot of useful items this way, such as resources, speed-ups, gold, and diamonds. After each event or competition, you will receive an email that also contains the rewards that need to be collected.
Is also quite common to get a few hundred diamonds after each major bug fix or other events created by the Rise of Castles team.
24. Spend your Gems and Speed-ups wisely
I know how tempting is to spend your hard-earned diamonds on training your troops faster or upgrading a random building, but trust me, you will need those speed-ups and diamonds later on, in the Clash of Province or Hourly Challenge events. Why not save them and use them when you can actually be rewarded?
25. Don’t forget to shield up your Castle
In the early game, you will be quite vulnerable to attacks from other players. Is even worse if you are not yet a member of an alliance, or the one you are in is not in the top 10 or 20 (each state has its own rules) most powerful alliances. Those top 10 usually have a NAP (Non-Aggression Pact) between them, which means they will not attack each other.
Also, if you don’t take part in the Clash of Province Kill Event, which usually happens during weekends, put on a 3-day shield to protect your castle and avoid getting zeroed (you will be teleported randomly) and losing a lot of your hard-earned resources, and having your troops defeated.
Conclusion
All the things I mentioned above should become part of your daily game routine. Is much better to stay organized and consistent in this game, if you want to make the best out of it. Try to log in daily, and spend at least 1 hour on the game and you will be surprised at how much you can achieve in just one month.
