Rise of Kingdoms offers a great strategy game experience, simple controls, and a wide range of commanders to choose from. But as a new ROK player, you won’t have access to the entire list as they will be introduced progressively as the server you are playing on ages.
That’s why we have created this Rise of Kingdoms commander tier list, to help you decide which are the best commanders for the early game, so you can have a great start.
That being said, this list mostly focuses on the early-game tier of commanders, including new kingdoms that are still in the Prep phase, first or even the second KvK season.
Most of the commanders in this tier list are available to recruit as soon as you start playing Rise of Kingdoms, and some of them can still be valuable for later seasons and even the Season of Conquest.
Rise of Kingdoms Tier List: S-Tier (Best Commanders)
- El Cid
- Yi Seong-Gye
- Charles Martel
- Ragnar Lodbrok
- Richard I
- Hannibal Barca
- Frederick I
El Cid
- Tier: S
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Archer, Versatility, Skill
- Recommended Pairings: Yi Seong-Gye, or Frederick I
El Cid is by far the best Rise of Kingdoms commander for the early game. He is still one of the most used commanders in 2023 for open-field combat, for a number of reasons. First, he is great for Ark of Osiris, an event that occurs every 2 weeks and offers amazing rewards. Secondly, El Cid’s mobility increases further when his third and fourth skills are unlocked.
His fourth skill also increases his army’s damage if they have suffered less than 50% losses, with bonuses that can be increased by up to 25% if this skill is maxed out.
Additionally, El Cid’s first skill may not seem so powerful at first, but it actually is quite essential because if his attacks are not successful, he will disable his target’s active skills and normal attacks for 1 second, which can be a major advantage in open-field combat.
El Cid’s second skill also offers great benefits as it can help his troops deal additional damage that can be scaled up to a 1000 damage factor, while his third skill will increase his performance in open-field combat even more.
Once this skill is unlocked, El Cid’s Archer troops will permanently gain defense and march speed increase bonuses. All of these effects make El Cid one of the best Rise of Kingdom commanders for beginners.
Yi Seong-Gye
- Tier: S
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Archer, Garrison, Skill
- Recommended Pairings: El Cid, or Richard I
Yi Seong-Gye is also one of the best Rise of Kingdoms commanders for beginners. However, you won’t be able to get him if your kingdom is less than 90 days old. After that, it will become available in the Wheel of Fortune, and Card King events.
What makes Yi Seong-Gye so amazing is that he is capable of doing massive AoE damage in both, PvE and PvP combat. This is due to his first skill which gives him the ability to target up to 5 enemy troops in a circled area, with an impressive damage factor of 1700 (max level skill).
That’s a great AoE performance, unlike most multitarget commanders who deal damage in a cone-shaped area. Yi Seong-Gye’s second skill grants him Rage, which is a significant advantage for his pair commanders as it will help them cast their skills more often.
His fourth skill is also very effective in any type of combat as it increases his army’s skill damage by up to 50%, which again, stats that high can be very beneficial. Overall, Yi Seong-Gye is an outstanding commander to have when starting out in Rise of Kingdoms and he makes a great team with El Cid when used as a secondary commander.
Charles Martel
- Tier: S
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Infantry, Garrison, Defense
- Recommended Pairings: Richard I, or Hannibal Barca
Charles Martel is yet another great Rise of Kingdoms commander to start your journey with. Not only is he great at defending the city, but his active skill increases his troops’ damage by up to a 30% bonus while also absorbing a large amount of damage. His Infantry gets an even bigger boost from his second skill, which increases their defense and health.
Moreover, after unlocking his third skill he will be able to increase the watchtower’s defense while further buffing the garrisoned troops with an additional attack bonus when he is leading them. Charles Martel offers a powerful combination of skills that can be used in both PvP and PvE and should mostly be used as a primary commander.
Furthermore, when you reach KvK Season 4 and beyond, and unlock the Museum and Relics, Charles Martel gains an additional 25% attack buff and 5% health buff, which makes him an even more valuable long-term choice.
Ragnar Lodbrok
- Tier: S
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Leadership, Conquering, Attack
- Recommended Pairings: Mehmed II, or Frederick I
On the fourth spot in our Rise of Kingdoms tier list, we have Ragnar Lodbrok, which, unlike his previous three counterparts, can lead any type of troop and gets an extra troop capacity and troop-related buffs, thanks to his Leadership talent.
However, this does not necessarily makes him a better commander than the first three, since his skills are more balanced and not that heavy-focused on one type of unit or offense.
His active skill grants a damage bonus to his troops for 4 seconds and can be leveled up to increase the damage further. His second skill can increase his attack by up to 20% and offers a 10% chance of reducing his target’s healing effect by up to 40% when this skill is maxed out.
This makes Ragnar Lodbrok a great commander for the early-mid game, where you will be looking at attacking other players’ cities or defending your own.
Rise of Kingdoms Tier List: A-Tier (Excellent)
- Mehmed II
- Julius Caesar
- Thutmose III
- Cao Cao
- Æthelflæd
- Osman I
- Eulji Mundeok
- Sun Tzu
- Baibars
Mehmed II
- Tier: A
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Leadership, Conquering, Skill
- Recommended Pairings: Richard I, or Julius Caesar
Mehmed II is a multi-purpose commander that can be used in city raids, open-field fights, or attacking barbarians on the map. He is excellent at dealing AoE damage too, making him great in most situations.
His active skill hits up to 5 enemy troops in front of him, which is also very effective against garrisons and watchtowers. Unfortunately, his defense is average, which is why he should be paired with a hero with tanking capabilities like Julius Caesar or Richard I.
Julius Caesar
- Tier: A
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Leadership, Conquering, Attack
- Recommended Pairings: Charles Martel, or Mehmed II
Julius Caesar, although he may not be so great in the late KvK seasons, he is actually an excellent choice in the early game because he has a fantastic set of skills. For instance, his first skill boosts his troops with an instant attack and defense increase, which lasts 5 seconds. That’s long enough to take down most enemies in the early game.
He also offers some good tanking abilities and march speed, which makes him a good choice for attacking other players in open-field, or their cities.
To get the most out of his skills, he should be used mostly as a secondary commander and paired with more powerful commanders like Charles Martel, Mehmed II, or Hannibal. The reason for this is that they will take advantage of his third skill, which reduces the attacked city’s defense immensely and allows them to deal massive damage.
Thutmose III
- Tier: A
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Archer, Versatility, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Imhotep, or Yi Seong-Gye
Thutmose III is another good pick for PvP combats in the early stages of the game. He is great for taking out multiple targets at once, and can also deal a good amount of damage with his active ability.
His skills also allow him to increase his march speed and decrease the enemy’s defense, which is why he should be paired with powerful DPS commanders. This makes him a great asset for tough fights in the early stages of the game.
Cao Cao
- Tier: A
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Cavalry, Peacekeeping, Mobility
- Recommended Pairings: Æthelflæd, or Boudica
Cao Cao is one of the most iconic commanders in Rise of Kingdoms, mostly because of his combination of Cavalry and Mobility talents that make him one of the fastest Rise of Kingdoms commanders. This is a great advantage in any kind of battle because you can quickly surprise your enemy with a flanking maneuver or escape when the situation turns against you.
On top of that, he performs well in attacking barbarians, and other PvE units on the map due to his Peacekeeping talent tree. However, all these advantages come at the cost of lower AoE damage output and defense. Therefore, he may not be ideal for tough fights, especially not against Infantry units or commanders with strong defense or tanking abilities.
Æthelflæd
- Tier: A
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Leadership, Peacekeeping, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Scipio Africanus, or Cao Cao
Æthelflæd is another excellent commander with Peacekeeping abilities. While she might strike you as an Archer commander due to her appearance, she is actually good at leading any type of army. She offers a good mix of AoE and debuffing abilities, allowing her to damage multiple targets at once and reduce their primary stats.
That’s why she should be used as a secondary commander in most cases, and combine her with a powerful commander that is also capable of taking damage as she does not have a strong defense either.
Rise of Kingdoms Tier List: B-Tier (Good)
- Joan of Arc
- Lu Bu
- Cleopatra VII
- Scipio Africanus
- Björn Ironside
- Imhotep
- Hermann
- Pelagius
- Ninamoto no Yoshitsune
- Kusunoki Masashige
Joan of Arc
- Tier: B
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Integration, Gathering, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Richard I, or Æthelflæd
Joan of Arc is one of the most beloved commanders in Rise of Kingdoms and for a good reason. She is an excellent Epic commander for PVP battles and one of the best commanders to use during events such as Sunset Canyon, Lost Canyon, and Golden Kingdom.
She is also a great support commander and can be used to gather resources on the map and can be used with any type of units, making her a great commander for any situation. Joan of Arc comes as the starting commander of the France civilization, which may not be the best Rise of Kingdoms civilization but is worth considering if you want to get Joan of Arc quicker.
The only downside to Joan of Arc is that she is relatively slow, and Epic commanders can be easily outmatched in the open field by Legendary commanders with better skills and stats. But still, she remains one of the best commanders for new players.
Lu Bu
- Tier: B
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Leadership, Conquering, Skill
- Recommended Pairings: Hannibal, or Ninamoto no Yoshitsune
Lu Bu is a decent choice of commander for beginners, as it’s able to deal a good amount of damage in PvP combat, particularly in city raids. However, his skills are not that great overall.
For instance, his active skill, although it can deal a decent amount of AoE damage, is significantly less powerful than some other legendary commanders, because it only applies to 3 enemy targets located in front of him and the damage factor is also much lower than what other commanders have.
He also has a slow marching speed and lacks any form of healing capabilities. On the plus side, the Leadership talent offers him a troop capacity increase and a few other useful buffs.
Cleopatra VII
- Tier: B
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Integration, Gathering, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Joan of Arc, or Seondeok
Cleopatra is one of the most efficient gathering commanders in Rise of Kingdoms and has many benefits for early-game players. While her main strengths lie in gathering resources, she also provides healing and armor bonuses to allies during battles and game events.
This makes her a very versatile commander for farming any type of resource on the map. Additionally, Cleopatra has a great load capacity and gathering speed, allowing you to gather resources much faster and safer than you would with other commanders.
Unfortunately, she is not as effective in PvP or PvE due to her lack of damage-dealing skills, so her enemies can cause her a lot of damage in battle. Although Cleopatra and Joan of Arch have similar talents, Joan of Arc is a better choice for combat because of her balanced mix of skills, even though Cleopatra has a better rarity.
Scipio Africanus
- Tier: B
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Leadership, Conquering, Attack
- Recommended Pairings: Julius Caesar, or Sun Tzu
Björn Ironside
- Tier: B
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Infantry, Conquering, Skill
- Recommended Pairings: Osman I, or Eulji Mundeok
Imhotep
- Tier: B
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Archer, Garrison, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Hermann, or Kusunoki Masashige
Rise of Kingdoms Tier List: C-Tier (Average)
- Mulan
- Boudica
- Seondeok
- Ishida Mitsunari
- Belisarius
- Keira
Mulan
- Tier: C
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Integration, Peacekeeping, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Lu Bu, or Cao Cao
Boudica
- Tier: C
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Integration, Peacekeeping, Skill
- Recommended Pairings: Cao Cao, or Mulan
Seondeok
- Tier: C
- Rarity: Legendary
- Talents: Integration, Gathering, Attack
- Recommended Pairings: Cleopatra VII, or Ishida Mitsunari
Rise of Kingdoms Tier List: D-Tier (Weakest)
- Lohar
- Diaochan
- Matilda of Flanders
- Queen Tamar of Georgia
Lohar
- Tier: D
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Integration, Peacekeeping, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Æthelflæd, or Keira
Diaochan
- Tier: D
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Integration, Peacekeeping, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Belisarius, or Ninamoto no Yoshitsune
Matilda of Flanders
- Tier: D
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Integration, Gathering, Defense
- Recommended Pairings: Ishida Mitsunari, or Joan of Arc
Queen Tamar of Georgia
- Tier: D
- Rarity: Epic
- Talents: Integration, Gathering, Support
- Recommended Pairings: Seondeok, or Cleopatra VII
