If you’re lost what commander you should level up and take to the route to max out in Rise of Kingdoms I hope this guide here will help you, including my recommendations in what order you should stuff their level trees and what commanders they work best with as secondary commander.
Up to date with version 1.0.77 (December 2023), I updated with the new archery commanders Hermann Prime and Ashurbanipal
Important! This list should also help you to decide how to invest your Universal Sculptures so the general tiers are also more like an investment order as well. Also, don’t forget to check out my frequently updated list of active gift codes in Rise of Kingdoms to not miss out on free Keys, Booster, Speedups or Gems.
Legendary Commanders Tier List
Let cover some IMPORTANT THINGS first:
1: Here’s the tier list for the legendary commanders. If you look for the epic commanders, you will find them in their own tier list below. If you’re interested in seeing the current best pairs, either look into the “Read More” button for every commander or I also have a frequently updated list of the best marches in the current meta here.
2: The tier list shows the STRENGTH of a commander in the game right now, not necessarily if you should invest in that commander as a new player (s. below)
NEW now there’s a search for the commanders so you can find them faster.
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Legendary Commander
Here you find all legendary commander in Rise of Kingdoms listed. To find the epic commander please either use the search above or scroll down to the end of the list
- Hermann (Prime)S+Best Builds & PairingsIncredibly strong and will define the open field meta for months to comeRarity: LegendaryOpen Field: S+Rally: ACanyon: SDefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- AshurbanipalS+Best Builds & PairingsIncredibly strong and will define the open field meta for months to comeRarity: LegendaryOpen Field: S+Rally: ACanyon: SDefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- Zhuge LiangS+Best Builds & PairingsThe better YSG and with 5511 you can perform pretty much as you can do with a max YSG so I think Zhuge is safe-to-say a commander we will see a lot in the coming monthsRarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: S+Rally: ACanyon: SDefense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- Liu CheS+Best Builds & PairingsAmazing open field commander if you can pair him with the infantry meta commanders and build him. Will be a viable commander for quite a while, no matter how Gorgo will performRarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: S+Rally: ACanyon: SDefense: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- Huo QubingSBest Builds & PairingsHere's the deal with him... he is really good but I would only recommend you to invest if you looking for a great cavalry march and haven't invested into Nevsky already OR you want to extend and get a second cavalry march. Everything else is absolute overkill in terms of economically spending in the game. Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: SDefense: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- Joan of Arc (Prime)SBest Builds & PairingsJoan of Arc Prime is another new prime commander in Rise of Kingdoms that's worth running a really strong, comparable with the other ones. You already see top players running around with her and I predict her will be in the meta for a long time. Invest Prio - Highest! Runs the meta and will do that for quite some time, so I highly recommend every player invest in her.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: SDefense: CBest Builds & Pairings
- Scipio Africanus (Prime)SBest Builds & PairingsScipio Africanus Prime is a crazy commander and the only thing he is not good in is defending (which doesn't matter). Meta-defining right from the start and the craziest hunter in the open field with an incredibly strong kit. Even for F2P the number one invest right now. Runs the meta and will do that for quite some time, so I highly recommend every player invest in him. Update: now also better for defense in the meta as you can pair him well with Falvius for defense and (unless you're in one of the very strong kingdoms) you can use that setup as most kingdoms lack the power to swarm that combination. I think it will change at one point with the new infantry meta but right now a great use-case and the reason I have Scipio Prime as the most useful commander here on top of the list.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: S+Rally: ACanyon: SDefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- Alexander NevskySBest Builds & PairingsAlexander Nevsky deals insane active skill damage with the damage reduction is nuts already, but his other skills have a ton of buffs. Held what was promised right from his release and is actually good in pretty much everything. Runs the meta and will do that for quite some time, so I highly recommend every player invest in him.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: SDefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- GorgoSBest Builds & PairingsNow that the meta has settled she is as good as predictedRarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: A+Canyon: SDefense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- SargonA+Best Builds & PairingsSargon makes a strong appearance right from the start and although his active skill is not that great and hard to fully apply, especially in the open field where targets switch so much, his buffs and debuffs are insane and having him in a multi-march setup just scales through the rooftop adding so much buffs.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: ADefense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- Guan YuA+Best Builds & PairingsGuan Yu is great in the open field. Massive AoE and massive silence just make him a beast there and in Sunset Canyon as well. Paired with Leonidas one of the strongest marches in Rise of Kingdoms right now, unless you have invested heavily into the new Prime commanders. Invest Prio - High! Still a great commander to run and useful. Worth the invest still once you're done with the highest-priority commanders.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: ACanyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Boudica (Prime)A+Best Builds & PairingsBoudica Prime has not only a super hard-hitting primary skill that, on top of that, also increases skill damage taken and reduced march speed (insane for open field), she also provides a ton of really useful buffs and debuffs as well. Also, a commander every player in Rise of Kingdoms (including F2P) should have high on the priority list to build. Invest Prio - Highest! Runs the meta and will do that for quite some time, so I highly recommend every player invest in her.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Yi-Seong Gye (YSG)A+Best Builds & PairingsYi-Seong Gye (YSG) used to be on top of the tier lists forever but the new commanders (especially the Prime version commanders) changed the meta so much that he's not anymore. Still, an insanely good commander in Rise of Kingdoms that you can use extremely well either on defending your city or also for rallies with a full archer army. His circle AoE is crazy and prevents getting swarmed effectively and you can't be wrong using him. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: SRally: B+Canyon: SDefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- MinamotoA+Best Builds & PairingsMinamoto is a full-blood nuker with crazy damage output and is helpful for many situations like open-field combat or hunting down barbarians. He is, and I don't think that one player here will disagree, also the easiest and cheapest legendary commander in Rise of Kingdoms to unlock and also to max out and a great choice to use and with his 4th skill that increases all damage by 30% he is still viable. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY! Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Still really strong but you need to max outOpen Field: ARally: C+Canyon: A+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Xiang YuA+Best Builds & PairingsXiang Yu is a great option and since he got his boost a couple months ago, you will always see him as part of the strongest meta-pairings and in great setups as well. He's strong and great in pretty much every mode and pairs well with the meta commanders. Invest Prio - High! With the new cavalry commanders he runs quite well and as I expect them to run the show for quite some time, he's also an invest to do so after you have Nevsky and the Prime commanders taken care of.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- NebuchadnezzarA+Best Builds & PairingsNebuchadnezzar is the first real conquering archery commander with a devastating active skill. He is built to attack garrisons and cities. Now even ranked a little bit higher for rally cities since Gilgamesh makes an amazing combo with him. Also, mind the fact that Nebu can't get swarmed easily. Invest Prio - High! Still a great commander to run and useful. Worth the invest still once you're done with the highest-priority commanders. Update: the way he performs in rallying these days makes me rank him up to the S Tier.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: A+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- HenryABest Builds & PairingsHenry is the commander you want to take to rallies, he's designed in the current meta to perform well there. Also versatile in the open field and provides a good counterattack that makes him quite sustainable. Invest Prio - Niche Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- ArtemisiaABest Builds & PairingsArtemisia is very effective against infantry rallies but with the release of Nevsky, there's so much cavalry rallies that defending with archers just isn't working that well anymore. She's still viable in all other game parts of Rise of Kingdoms and the only downside is you need all archer troops to really get her rolling well. Invest Prio - High! Pairs really well with expertise Boudica Prime that will run the meta, so once you have your highest priority commanders, she's a great one to invest in next as I expect her to run the show along quite a while. Update: with the current amount of infantry rallies, archer commanders like Artemisia are working quite well for defense again.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: SRally: B+Canyon: A+Defense: SBest Builds & Pairings
- Honda TadakatsuABest Builds & PairingsHonda Tadakatsu was really underestimated when he was released as most (including me) saw him as a primary commander - it turned out that he is also really viable as a secondary commander and all his skills make up easily for the lower active skill damage and he can really wreck with all his buffs. Invest Prio - High! Still a great commander to run and useful. Worth the invest still once you're done with the highest-priority commanders.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: B+Canyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Mehmed IIABest Builds & PairingsMehmed is a solid commander if you want to conquer cities but other than that there's not much use for him as there are better commanders in the above section. Nothing special but also not bad is the best way to describe him. As one of the older commanders he's also slowly falling out of the tiers in Rise of Kingdoms so don't invest into him if you haven't built him so far. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY! Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: A+Rally: ACanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- JustinianB+Best Builds & PairingsAlthough Justinian looks like the rally commander, he has a lot in his kit to be. a good single-target open field commander as well.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: S+Canyon: ADefense: BBest Builds & Pairings
- Pakal IIB+Best Builds & PairingsPakal II comes with several nice buffs the only downside is that Pakal deals single target damage but works quite well against getting swarmed and can also rally quite well. Paired with Harald, you can even trade positive when getting swarmed. Invest Prio: Niche Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: SCanyon: A+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Tariq Ibn ZiyadB+Best Builds & PairingsTariq is a full-blood rally commander that can deal with getting swarmed pretty well, but his lack of health doesn't make him a great one for the open field. So, many rally setups benefit from having him, but I don't believe that every player should build him, tbh.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: A+Rally: S+Canyon: ADefense: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- TomyrisB+Best Builds & PairingsTomyris requires you to stack her poison skill and then she will wreck. I recommend pairing her with Edward so both of them will work perfectly on that and will give you such a high output of DPS that she needs to be ranked like this. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: ACanyon: SDefense: C+Best Builds & Pairings
- William IB+Best Builds & PairingsWilliam I makes a massive difference on the battlefield with his defense and rage boost and if you make his buff work on all marches you really get it rolling. So, taking him to rallies, in the open field and also Sunset Canyon makes absolute sense. Not that effective for hitting cities and rather for swarming things down. Invest Prio - High! Still a great commander to run and useful. Worth the invest still once you're done with the highest-priority commanders,Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: ACanyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Harald SigurdssonB+Best Builds & PairingsHarald Sigurdsson is a super hard-hitting direct damage skill and quite versatile in using him for PvP, conquering or open-field hunting. He has his perfect pairings where he's still making the world go upside down. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: A+Canyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- AttilaB+Best Builds & PairingsAttila with Takeda has been a dream combo in the past (veterans of Rise of Kingdoms will remember)... and surprisingly Attila has a lot of synergy with Alexander Nevsky so I adjusted Attila's rank here in the tier list, especially for rallying.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: A+Canyon: ADefense: C+Best Builds & Pairings
- GilgameshB+Best Builds & PairingsGilgamesh was shaking up the rally meta upon release but has cooled off a little bit since that - still great in open field. He counters healing well and is versatile and now that he's a few months into the game, it's safe to say that he is amazing and paired with a commander like Nebu. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: SCanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- AmanitoreB+Best Builds & PairingsAmanitore really shines as a defending commander (city and objectives garrisons) and in open field when paired with Artemisia. With the way the meta works with Nevsky right now I had adjust her ranking for defending objectives as cavalry will quite bust her there. Also good in Sunset Canyon. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender. Update: with the current amount of infantry rallies, archer commanders like Amanitore are working quite well for defense again.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: B+Canyon: ADefense: SBest Builds & Pairings
- Alexander the GreatB+Best Builds & PairingsAlexander used to be one of the strongest commanders in Rise of Kingdoms with his shield and actually all of his talents in the talent tree translate directly on the battlefield very well, especially his skill that will boost attack when there's no skill active but gives bonus defense when there is. The truth is, he's getting old and there's not much use in building him these days as the newer commander are better. Still, if you already have him maxed you can have some fun with him, no doubt. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY! Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: A+Rally: B+Canyon: A+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- SaladinB+Best Builds & PairingsSaladin got his ranking adjusted for the open field as he will not get targeted that much anymore when there are Xiang Yu's on the table. Also, as he's a cavalry commander, you will get away from a fight quicker. Extremely solid for a single-target damage commander but also one of the 'older' commanders in the game so he will probably not rise higher in tiers in the future. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY! Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: B+Canyon: A+Defense: BBest Builds & Pairings
- LeonidasB+Best Builds & PairingsLeonidas is actually a really strong commander with great AoE and rage speed-up. Although Leonidas is in the A-Tier, open field is something you will enjoy with him and paired with Guan Yu you will have one of the most obscene open field marches available in Rise of Kingdoms. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender. Update: I ranked him down especially as the new open field commanders we see are so much stronger and his AoE and overall kit just feels more and more that it can't keep up anymore. He's good with Guan Yu, still, but with those superior choice you have right now just doesn't shine as much anymore.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: A+Rally: BCanyon: A+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- RamessesB+Best Builds & PairingsRamesses has the unique ability that makes him strong that he can simply kill the healing of whatever you're hitting with him and this is really strong in many situations, even though it might sound less powerful on paper. He will be great in almost every part of Rise of Kingdoms, except defending. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: ARally: B+Canyon: B+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- RichardB+Best Builds & PairingsRichard did extremely well in the past but with every update of this tier list he's falling a little bit lower. He used to be crazy for defense, now you shouldn't use him for that anymore and besides some niche use-cases, I really can't recommend investing into him anymore. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY! Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: ARally: CCanyon: ADefense: CBest Builds & Pairings
- ConstantineB+Best Builds & PairingsConstantine is an evergreen commander on the list and his damage reduction buff is simply super useful in Canyon. You should, however, not invest in Constantine these days and rather focus on the newer commanders. Also for defense, he's not that outstanding anymore and there are so many better options available. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryInvestment Advice: Good but don't start investing now if you have to start from scratch with this commanderOpen Field: BRally: CCanyon: S+Defense: BBest Builds & Pairings
- Takeda ShingenBBest Builds & PairingsTakeda has still some kind of niche role with Attila and if you have him maxed from back in the days when he was running the meta with Attila he's still useful, but don't invest into him today anymore. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: B+Canyon: ADefense: C+Best Builds & Pairings
- BertrandBBest Builds & PairingsBertrand is all about rallying, especially in Ark of Osiris where you want to have a tanky march and that's exactly what he provides. Also useful in KvK withstanding getting swarmed and the reason he works that well is his synergy with Alexander Nevsky who is basically so strong since release that it will drag Bertrand quite high on the tier list as well. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: A+Rally: A+Canyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Cyrus the GreatBBest Builds & PairingsCyrus is a full-blown archery commander and has skills that make him a beast when it comes do dealing skill damage and buffing troop damage. You need to use a full archer army with him, but that's fine for the use cases he's designed for. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: B+Canyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- PhyrrusBBest Builds & PairingsWas so overhyped when announced and is underwheleming. Well, not underwhelming but just doesn't stay up to that hype at all as he is not providing any enhancements to paired commanders and his direct damage factor and shielding doesn't really scale that much and all he does is enhance normal attacks.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: BCanyon: ADefense: BBest Builds & Pairings
- ChandraguptaBBest Builds & PairingsChandragupta is effective in hitting cities and strongholds with his buff and a solid choice here with versatile use whenever you want to hit a city or stronghold. He's not outstanding and has some pairings that make him good in more like a niche role. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: B+Canyon: B+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- TrajanBBest Builds & PairingsTrajan is one of the commanders that, looking at the raw stats, doesn't appear to be that strong but he will be a monster and can enable a lot of other commanders to become really strong. I ranked him lower here as I don't believe he should be a commander you should invest in if you haven't already today. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: SRally: CCanyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Cheok Jun-Gyeong (CJ)BBest Builds & PairingsCheok Jun-Gyeong (CJ) boosts damage and deals a ton of single-target damage and reduced skill damage taken making him a nice commander you can use in rallies and in the open field. Doesn't shine so it seems this is where the meta dragged him now. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: B+Canyon: B+Defense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- DidoC+Best Builds & PairingsDido is on top of the defense garrison meta right now and holds up against pretty much any rally setup that runs the show right now. Not the commander the average play should be after but she performs really well in what she does.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: C+Canyon: B+Defense: S+Best Builds & Pairings
- MargaretC+Best Builds & PairingsThe new commander with the ranged attack mechanics and great damage through the Attack Tree can do some great things but if ranged commanders will take over the meta is something that time will tell.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: DCanyon: DDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- BaburC+Best Builds & PairingsThe new commander with the ranged attack mechanics and great damage through the Attack Tree can do some great things but if ranged commanders will take over the meta is something that time will tell.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: DCanyon: DDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Charles MartelC+Best Builds & PairingsCharles Martel looks, on paper, as you could think he is actually a good defensive commander with also a good shield absorption plus a really strong counter-attack. Also viable in the open field as well. There has been so many new commanders introduced to Rise of Kingdoms that it's just normal that he will lose his relative strength from past times slowly but steadily. He's one of the oldest commanders in the game but still viable but now building him from scratch is nothing I'd recommend. Invest Prio - Before SoC/KvK4 ONLY! Only before your kingdom hits KvK Season 4/Season of Conquest. Don't invest after that!Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: C+Canyon: A+Defense: BBest Builds & Pairings
- Julius CaesarC+Best Builds & PairingsJulius Caesar has his benefits in the early stages of the game and that's the reason why I wanted to mention him here but the more you come to the later stages of the game the less bang he has, unfortunately.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: BCanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Hannibal BarcaC+Best Builds & PairingsHannibal Barca's leading and conquering skills are good to work with mixed armies for open field or rallies. Still, he's one of the oldest commanders in Rise of Kingdoms and falls off the meta more and more quickly with new commanders that get released. He's not particularly bad, he's just not that up-to-date anymore. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: BCanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Edward of WoodstockC+Best Builds & PairingsEdward of Woodstock is, despite the fact that he has quite a high rage requirement he works insanely well on countering infantry units as well as skill damage bonus that you can use with many other commanders to pair up a really viable combo for rallies or open field actions as well as defending flag/fort. Still, with all these new commanders that have been released recently, he's falling a little bit out of the meta. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: BCanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Jan ZizkaC+Best Builds & PairingsJan Zizka defines and counters defending upon his release and has been whirling around in the meta quite a bit, but that's his main cause and what he does so he's absolutely no universal commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: CCanyon: ADefense: SBest Builds & Pairings
- HeracliusC+Best Builds & PairingsHeraclius can be used as a secondary commander in the open field and work alright, his shield can stack with other shield effects but overall he lacks either great buffing or grreat AoE damage capabilities. As a primary commander in garrison he works really well.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: DCanyon: CDefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- El CidC+Best Builds & PairingsEl Cid used to be a very good commander in Rise of Kingdoms but the reason why I don't have him higher in the list is how his skills are arranged. His 2nd skill is really strong but only has a 10% chance to get activated and his Out of Control is really far away when you first start using him. I like his power but it can be squishy in many situations to really get the proccs needed and that could end in a fail if it's a close battle.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: C+Canyon: BDefense: CBest Builds & Pairings
- MulanC+Best Builds & PairingsMulan is a great secondary commander with an insane buff in her active skill and is super versatile to use with any unit and commander. But for the sake of getting her as primary commander, there are many other commanders you should go after before that. What's really nice is the 30% march speed when you get into trouble, but overall not the best commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: DCanyon: SDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Suleiman IC+Best Builds & PairingsSuleiman I really disappointed me but there's no impact that the release of Suleiman did to Rise of Kingdoms. I really recommend you to wait before investing into him and see how he will find his place in the meta (or maybe a near-to-be-released commander changes meta completely). State if today, he's a disappointment. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: B+Rally: C+Canyon: BDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- FrederickC+Best Builds & PairingsFrederick's special thing is that he's a leadership commander with a skill tree and this means he is your best choice to build a huge mixed army for one march, also due to his fresh recruit skill. You can also pair him up with different commanders that use leadership but also with a commander that nukes like Minamoto. Useful options, but he has the same problem like all other old commanders in Rise of Kingdoms... the new commanders are just so much stronger that there's no use in building Freddy anymore.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: BCanyon: BDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- JadwigaC+Best Builds & PairingsJadwiga should be paired with a secondary commander that also deals high direct damage, she will be quite strong but you need to make her generate rage. Paired with YSS, she's doing great at defending objectives in the current meta because it will be hard to swarm. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: CCanyon: B+Defense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- Lu BuC+Best Builds & PairingsLu Bu has no troop favorites (that's nice) and also a nice damage skill and additional troop capacity. On the downside, he's slow and lacks resistance against certain setups so, bottom line, I don't really recommend him and I don't see how he will make his way into the relevant circle of commanders in the future. Just for the sake of being solid in Canyon where you have so many better commanders available in Rise of Kingdoms just doesn't convince me. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: C+Canyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- AethelflaedC+Best Builds & PairingsAethelflaed deals area damage and can run the support tree which makes her a really great option for doing almost anything, except defense and rallying things and cities. I always had the feeling that she will make it higher in the meta but it was always close but not enough.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: CCanyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Genghis KhanC+Best Builds & PairingsGenghis Khan has the lowest rage requirement below 1,000 and a massive damage factor plus the chance of 30% to cast that skill again makes him stand out a lot. This makes him a good choice for open field or for Sunset Canyon, although there are today a good bunch of commanders that can do it better. Don't invest in him if you haven't already. Invest Prio - None Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: C+Canyon: ADefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Cao CaoC+Best Builds & PairingsCao Cao s a useful commander if you're hunting players or Barbarians because his Mobility tree is working great for that, but he's not exactly the best primary commander for anything else. Still, if you use a cavalry army and need a good secondary commander he can be a good choice but not a great invest from scratch anymore.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: CCanyon: BDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Ragnar LodbrokC+Best Builds & PairingsRagnar Lodbrok was hyped to be an awesome commander with the release of the Vikings civilization but the reality is that he will lose value quickly the further your kingdom develops and more and stronger commanders become available. Nice to use him to run around in a fresh kingdom, but no long-term investment.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: C+Canyon: BDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- ThutmoseCBest Builds & PairingsThutmose is comparable with the release of Ragnar - a commander that should be great, especially with the Leadership Tree but turns out to be outclassed by so many other commanders.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: ARally: DCanyon: BDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- MoctezumaCBest Builds & PairingsMoctezuma provides reduced counterattack damage that makes him a good fit in a team but there's actually nothing outstanding or relevant where I would recommend bringing him, even as an alternative to a top commander. Unless there's a big change in meta, I don't see any reason to invest into him. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: BRally: CCanyon: CDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- TheodoraCBest Builds & PairingsTheodora is still a good for defending your city as you normally stay above 50% health and get the full extra damage skill activated. She's viable as well for barbs & forts but by the time you build her you have better options there as well as Sunset Canyon. She's the commander you want to watch your city. That's it. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: DRally: DCanyon: ADefense: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- FlaviusCBest Builds & PairingsFlavius is primarily a defensive commander and one that only the top players will invest into. Again, this ranking here is to help you prioritize your Universal Scultures and not the strength of the commander in the game or what role he plays as Flavius dominates the defensive aspects with his release. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: B+Rally: DCanyon: DDefense: SBest Builds & Pairings
- CharlemagneCBest Builds & PairingsCharlemagne is nowadays nothing more than a niche role commander you shouldn't build or use. The new commanders pushed him out of the meta so hard that he doesn't even work well as a secondary commander anymore. Invest Prio - None! Don't invest Universal Sculptures into this commander.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: CRally: BCanyon: BDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- Yi Sun-Sin (YSS)CBest Builds & PairingsYi Sun-Sin (YSS) is a good city defense commander with an amazing troop buff that works on all of your troops. Other than that not really useful and for that reason that low on the tier list that should also reflect your investment priority in Rise of Kingdoms. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: DRally: DCanyon: DDefense: SBest Builds & Pairings
- Wu ZetianCBest Builds & PairingsWu Zetian s a good defense commander but her real strength used to be stopping Attila/Takeda. Now that other defending commanders did that better and Attila/Takeda fell out of the meta quite a while ago, there's actually no big use in building or running Wu Zetian anymore. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: CRally: CCanyon: DDefense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- ZenobiaCBest Builds & PairingsZenobia is one of the strongest healing factors in Rise of Kingdoms and good commander for defending garrisons and cities with great support. Unfortunately, only effective in defending and overall not a very important investment. Invest Prio - Niche! Only invest for specific roles. No priority if you're F2P or low-spender.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: C+Rally: DCanyon: CDefense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- CleopatraBest Builds & PairingsCleopatra is a pure farming commander and should not have any priority to invest in, especially not Universal Sculptures.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: CRally: DCanyon: DDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- IshidaBest Builds & PairingsIshida is a pure farming commander and should not have any priority to invest in, especially not Universal Sculptures.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: DRally: DCanyon: DDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
- SeondeokBest Builds & PairingsSeondeok is a pure farming commander and should not have any priority to invest in, especially not Universal Sculptures.Rarity: LegendaryOpen Field: DRally: DCanyon: DDefense: DBest Builds & Pairings
Epic Commander
Here you find all epic commanders in Rise of Kingdoms listed. It just makes little sense to compare the epic commanders with the legendary ones so I split the list here.
- ImhotepSBest Builds & PairingsImhotep is the latest addition and easily the strongest epic commander in Rise of Kingdoms with his debuff that will hit multiple targets. He's not as strong when used in one-on-one situations, but in the bigger brawls he can make a difference and be a great addition, also for players that are further progressed in the game, but also don't think as a new player that he will crush right away - you need him expertise to really bang with the rage reduction.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: SCanyon: SBest Builds & Pairings
- Joan of ArcSBest Builds & PairingsJoan of Arc is also an amazing epic commander in Rise of Kingdoms and also a viable swap for Trajan for a decent amount of players that won't do that invest. The reason is that she provides extra rage and has some cool buffs and also can do that for up to all your five marches (or allied ones) that make her potentially a contestant to several legendary commanders. One of the few epic commanders even progressed players use.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: SCanyon: SBest Builds & Pairings
- Sun TzuSBest Builds & PairingsSun Tzu is wrapping up the S Tier for the epic commanders. His area damage is just great, he reduces damage taken & buffs health, he generates extra rage and boosts skill damage. Plus he's is very useful in Sunset Canyon but also useful when defending your city or doing anything else. Away from that, you can pair him up with almost any other commander for almost anything so having him is a great choice in the long run.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: SCanyon: A+Best Builds & Pairings
- BaibarsA+Best Builds & PairingsBaibars is great with cavalry and effective in the open field hunting down other armies effectively with his speed and his buffs/debuffs effectively. You could also use him with his 3rd skill to swarm cities, but primarily use him in newer kingdoms in the open field starting out and people will hate you for that.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: ACanyon: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- Bjorn IronsideABest Builds & PairingsBjorn Ironside got quite some hype and then hate upon release and is not able to compete with the good legendary commanders in Rise of Kingdoms. Used in the right situations you will make multiple targets take more skill damage and he also deals decent damage and can be used quite well, especially in the earlier stages. He's in the A Tier because the commanders above are simply a lot more versatile and can be used in mid-game to late-game content as well.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: ACanyon: ABest Builds & Pairings
- HermannABest Builds & PairingsHermann is also an epic commander that I see in this spot here for the reason that he has a good damage factor plus can silence the target (really helpful!) and generates rage/removes rage from the target. A lot of great mechanics on his kit that make him a great epic commander. Also, adds march speed in the right build so great open field option, especially for starting out with him!Rarity: EpicOpen Field: ACanyon: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- BelisariusABest Builds & PairingsBelisarius can be pretty crazy in the earlier stages (including KvK) when investing into his Mobility Tree. You can basically run around and hunt down farmers. Sunset Canyon can also be a good option for him.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: ACanyon: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- KeiraABest Builds & PairingsKeira has her uses in her 4th skill that skyrockets skill damage taken and makes her pretty much one of the strongest epic commanders when combined correctly. On her own, she still does pretty well and deserves this spot here in the A Tier. But you can only unlock her from Ceroli Crisis which is not that easy for newer players or players starting out in a newer kingdom and I believe that by the time you are able to get her expertise, you have better options already available.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: ACanyon: B+Best Builds & Pairings
- KusunokiB+Best Builds & PairingsKusunoki deals nice damage and can clear debuffs, but he's really slow and that will become a problem in the open field with him. Can also be used as city defender early in the game.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: BCanyon: ABest Builds & Pairings
- PericlesB+Best Builds & PairingsInteresting but also a commander with pitfalls. He can be a great early-game epic garrison commander for your city and his talents with the march speed are interesting for open field but you will very early lack commanders to successfully pair him well with and unless you just started out playing Rise of Kingdoms or start in a new kingdom, he is not a commander to put too much focus on, tbh.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: B+Canyon: B+Defense: ABest Builds & Pairings
- PelagiusBBest Builds & PairingsPelagius is an epic defending commander with healing, decent stats and a good damage factor. Can help you in Sunset Canyon and is viable in the earlier stages of the game, don't use him beyond that!Rarity: EpicOpen Field: B+Canyon: C+Best Builds & Pairings
- Eulji MundeokBBest Builds & PairingsEulji Mundeok is a decent addition for defending your city or good very early plus viable to use against barbarians and in the Sunset Canyon (lacking AoE here) but still useful to have. The only thing that bothers me about him, he needs to get hit so his mechanics get going and he's not that powerful that you want to get fully hit all the time to punch back.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: BCanyon: BBest Builds & Pairings
- OsmanBBest Builds & PairingsOsman does deal solid damage so using him in the very early stages of the game is possible, especially with his ability to deal his extra damage factor every time an active skill is used. The problem is his city hitting skills are useless as you will absolutely have no chance doing that with him.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: BCanyon: BBest Builds & Pairings
- Scipio AfricanusCBest Builds & PairingsScipio (yes, the epic old version, not the crazy new legendary version!). He can pack a punch and is useful in Sunset Canyon, but the main problem is that he only does become strong when his health is getting low and that's normally the point in open field where you better leave/have left the situation.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: CCanyon: BBest Builds & Pairings
- BoudicaCBest Builds & PairingsBoudica is an extremely effective commander smashing barbarians and that makes her a very solid pick for newer players and can become a good one to level up the other commanders once you unlock them. Although you can pretty much combine her with every other epic commander in Rise of Kingdoms, she also doesn't provide any form of defense which the other ones above do, so you can also turn your march into a very fragile one with her.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: CCanyon: CBest Builds & Pairings
- DiaochanCBest Builds & PairingsDiaochan is a pure PvE commander and also great for hunting barbarians for EXP but not versatile in any PvP situation. She has a decent damage factor on her active skill, but you need to connect with your target for 4 seconds to do so which is nothing you want to do with her. Also, you can't obtain her anymore and if you haven't unlocked her by the time she was available there's no way to get her anymore.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: CCanyon: CBest Builds & Pairings
- LoharDBest Builds & PairingsLohar is a commander that has only one use and that's early finding barbarians on the map and battle them and maybe help other commanders to level up a little bit. Do not use him for anything else and he will lose his viability quite quick so don't invest any Universal Sculptures into him.Rarity: EpicOpen Field: DCanyon: DBest Builds & Pairings
- MatildaMatilda is a pure gathering commanders that you can use for that, no question, but no commander to use anywhere else or invest any Universal Sculptures in!Rarity: EpicOpen Field: DCanyon: B
- TamarTamar is a pure gathering commanders that you can use for that, no question, but no commander to use anywhere else or invest any Universal Sculptures in!Rarity: EpicOpen Field: DCanyon: D
Conclusion
I do update this list here frequently so make sure to come back here and see updated versions and also new commanders when they get introduced to Rise of Kingdoms. Also, feel free to leave a comment below if you disagree with some ranking here or if you have any questions related to the commanders 🙂
More similar tier lists for other games you might play:
Well, fair
Seems odd to have Queen Tamar d tier for epics with only one skill being dedicated to gathering. And greatly disagree with the f for sunset canyon she is definitely top 5 for epic commanders.
What? She, despite having just that one skill, is only for gathering. Her other skills aren’t good for combat either, and her stats suck. A lot. She makes herself worthless as a primary just by being an integration commander, and her active skill isn’t good enough to justify her being a secondary commander in place of Joan, Mulan, YSG, El Cid, Aethelflaed, heck, Cleo gosh dang patra, even, though Cleopatra has the exact same issues. She’s not good for Canyon, she’s not good for open field, and the thought of using a gathering commander for defending or rallying makes me want to throw up. Also another buffing commander is Trajan, who’s THE primary support commander. Constantine works very well too. Tamar is hot garbage for everything but gathering, and as she only has one gathering skill, she’s not even good for that.
PLEASE UPDATE YOUR LIST
very true he is one of the top commanders
Nice article
how could you? Sun Tzu is easily a top-tier commander, better than most of those legendaries. I honestly find it offensive that you would even claim such a preposterous theme. The damage with the rage restored gives such a good bonus in the open field, and most legendaries can’t even come close to competing with what he gives to the game. TBH, it makes me angry that rookies to the game like you even think they know something about ROK when in reality all you can do is make a dysfunctional and outdated list. Please fix this
Ok but what happens when you hit Season of Conquest and every epic commander but maybe Jon and Matilda immediately becomes worthless because of the Museum and the new commanders? Hm? Hm? What happens when your five target AoE that restores typically 150 rage instead of 250 gets outpaced by an expertised Mulan sitting behind Trajan? What happens when it’s outpaced by XY simply existing? And the damage factor is beaten out by most relevant AoE skills from legendary commanders. What happens when YSG shows up and deletes your infantry march? Think about things, please!
Bjorn build recommendation?
Near the bottom. It’s Lilith’s attempt to introduce a new civilization (Vikings) which also sucks.
Can you update with bjorn and ragnar?
Where would you say Bjorn Ironside ranks on this list?
Talent build and pairing links are broken.
Nope?
The list isn’t functional. I can’t sort it.