The question that I get asked the most when it comes to Rise of Kingdoms is “What is the best commander in the game?” And the answer is not that easy to offer, especially since we’re talking about 34 commanders of various rarities – most of them really difficult to get.
But even so, it is relatively easy for you to decide what your best commander is based on what you have unlocked and in today’s article I will share a complete guide for the Rise of Kingdoms commanders, as well as rank them from best to worst (in my opinion).
Do have in mind that commanders in RoK are not created equal, some being better for attacking barbarians or other players, while others are better at gathering resources to help your civilization progress faster.
Which is a good thing, because you can divide them in categories and choose one top hero from each to make the best setup possible.
Finally – and this is also something extremely important – when it comes to commanders, it’s not only their base stats that matter, but also their skills and talents.
The talents are really important as they are easier to work on, based on the commander’s level.
So simply choosing the best talents based on a commander’s type will make them even better. At the same time, making poor choices will result in your commander not reaching their potential.
For example, if you have a commander focused on gathering resources, choosing a route different than the Gathering one would be pointless, since you need to make their existing bonuses (Skills) even better through Talents.
With these in mind, let’s see which are the best commanders based on their role in Rise of Kingdoms. Simply pick the one(s) you have unlocked and work on making them better.
Best commanders for gathering resources
Cleopatra VII
She has the “Gathering” trait, which means she’s better at gathering resources. Once you unlock her second skill, she will also get a boost to Stone Gathering speed, while her third skill increases the troops’ load capacity.
There is no need to skill her up afterwards, as it will not benefit her more. So a maximum level of 30 for this commander and try to level up as many talents as possible.
Gaius Marius
Also has the Gatherer trait and gets a bonus to gathering resources from its second skill. Just like with Cleopatra, the third skill unlocks extra carry capacity for troops.
Gaius has the advantage to be a bit easier to star up since he’s not as rare as Cleopatra, so definitely unlock all Skills and max them up for a great gatherer.
Constance
Another Gatherer commander with similar skill unlocks as the previous two. This one gets a bigger bonus when it comes to collecting wood.
Sarka
A similar gatherer that has no specific focus Talents-wise, so she’s a great all-rounder.
Joan of Arc
I left her last because she’s a bit more difficult to Talent up, but the advantage is that starting with her second skill, she gets a massive boost to both Gathering speed (more than those above) and also load capacity.
Not completely an exclusive gatherer, but good to have with her second talent increased to maximum for extra gains.
In the end, when it comes to gatherers, if you have the luxury of choosing one to focus on, I would recommend Constance as your main gatherer and Sarka as the second.
But sooner than later you will unlock them all and send them in pairs to gather resources.
Best commanders for attacking
It would be a bit more normal to further divide offensive commanders in PvP and Barbarian, but this would complicate things too much.
Normally, the commanders with good PvP stats are preferred in the long run, but early on the ones with bonuses against barbarians are better since that’s what you’ll be fighting the most.
With these in mind, here are the best commanders to use for attacking:
Boudica
Better to be specialized against barbarians, she has a solid Active skill but that would be about it if you’re fighting other players. She’s my favorite commander in the game.
You can read my Boudica guide here.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
This one is slightly better in PvP since he only unlocks the bonuses against Barbarians with the third skill, and otherwise gets marching speed and attack boosts to cavalry units. Good to use as a support commander as well!
The only downside here is that you will need to make in app purchases to level his talents up. Also a good thing if you plan to spend money anyway, as you can get a top commander easily.
You can read my Minamoto build here.
Lancelot
Better in PvP than others, but most likely best to be used as support and nothing more. Similar to Minamoto but with lower bonuses since he’s a more common hero.
Julius Caesar
Definitely the best attacker in the game – amazing skills, amazing hero. Hard to get, though. Really hard to get!
Frederick I
Good as support commander, mainly thanks to its second skill – but I wouldn’t focus on him as my main commander.
Cao Cao
Another great commander, but also hard to get. This one is good against barbarians too thanks to its second skill, but can be a great commander for PvP battles thanks to a massive active skill and great stats.
Richard I
The ultimate support commanders – great even with just the first skill unlocked, but even better if you manage to unlock his second and maybe level them up a bit.
Hannibal Barca
Another great commander with interesting bonuses. He gets, with his second skill, bonuses if you have three different types of troops in the army – and totally worth it. Great commander that can also be used as a solid support for mixed armies.
Baibars
Recently introduced to the game, Baibars is really good to focus on if you’re just starting the game.
Great for attacking other players and destroying barbarians (despite not getting any talent with boosts against them per se), he’s one of the best offensive commanders in the game in my opinion
Best commanders for defence
Charles Martel
A really solid commander to keep in your garrison to defend your resources. Good skills – and the more you have unlocked, the better he gets!
Yi Seong-Gye
More of a support hero than a defender, he still remains a great choice to defend Garrisons if you have no other options.
Kusonoki Masashige
Similar to the commander above, he’s great as a defending support or a main defender. You do need him to higher levels since the second and third skills are what make him so good.
Sun Tzu
One of my favorite defenders since he starts with a great skill and then it gets even better. He also focuses on improving infantry – which is what you will most likely have the most of at home.
The good thing about defending commanders is that some of the ones that are great for attacking (but more so for support) can be used here as well – so you don’t have to work on leveling up so many commanders, in the end.
Richard I, Hannibal or Frederick I are all good support commanders that can be used in defense as well!
Important note about commanders
1. It is very important to know that you are more likely to receive statues for the main commander of your nation.
So if you go with Germany, you will receive more Hermann statues. Have this in mind when choosing your nation and main commander.
2. Although Legendary commanders are definitely better than regular ones, they are pretty difficult to talent up and usually they are hard to get.
Because of this, most Epic commanders are actually better in the long run than the legendaries.
Just check out their talents (because these are what make the difference, as all can follow similar skill lines) and see if a Legendary with all Talents to 1 is better than an Epic with all of them leveled up. Usually, the former is better.
3. Don’t level up your commanders more than you need to! This goes specifically for the gatherers which will never take part in battle (unless attacked by other players, in which case they are useless).
Save your XP books and send only the offensive / defensive commanders to battle and level them up appropriately.
4. Do not bother with the Green heroes, which are useless (Dragon Lancer, Centurion, City Keeper or Markswoman). These are nothing but a waste of experience points which would benefit other commanders more.
5. Long term, no Blue (or Green) commanders will be better suited for attacking than Epic or Legendary ones (Purple or Orange).
6. You will need one main attacking commander – but have in mind that you will have to spread out and invest in more eventually: you will be allowed to send 4 armies at the same time, for example, when you reach City Hall level 17, for a total of 8 Commanders. Choose them wisely!
Now let’s discuss things further below. Which are the best commanders in Rise of Kingdoms, in your opinion?