Rise of Kingdoms looks welcoming — pretty map, gentle tutorial, no obvious pressure. That's exactly the trap. The choices you make in your first days quietly shape your account for months, and by the time your kingdom hits its first Kingdom vs Kingdom war (KvK), the players who planned early are levels ahead of the ones who didn't. Here's how to be one of them.
Start with China (or Britain) and don't rush the switch
Your civilization gives permanent bonuses and a free starting commander, and for new players two picks stand out.
China is the safest all-rounder. Its 5% building speed bonus shaves real time off every upgrade, its action-point recovery boosts early barbarian farming, and — the big one — it hands you Sun Tzu for free. Sun Tzu is one of the best early Epic commanders in the game: strong AoE damage, excellent rage generation, and infantry synergy. He carries your early PvE and stays useful for a long time.
Britain is the other strong choice, favored for its combat leaning if you want to be more aggressive early. Either is a great first pick.
Here's the part beginners get wrong: you can change civilization later, so don't agonize over it, and don't burn resources switching repeatedly. Pick China or Britain, learn the game, and only change civ once you understand what troop type and playstyle you actually enjoy.
Invest commanders deep, not wide
Commanders are the heart of your power, and the fastest way to waste an account is to spread commander XP and sculptures across a dozen names. Pick a small core and pour everything into them.
Strong, accessible early commanders include Sun Tzu, Joan of Arc, Boudica, Aethelflaed, and Scipio Africanus. They cover the jobs you need early — combat, support, and peacekeeping (barbarian farming) — and the right pick depends on your civ and troop type. A few rules:
- Focus one troop type first. Infantry, cavalry or archers — pick one, and level the commanders and tech that support it. A single maxed pairing beats three half-built ones.
- Boudica is your early workhorse. She's a fantastic free peacekeeping commander for farming barbarians, which is your main early XP and resource source.
- Don't dump universal sculptures blindly. Save them for the Legendary commanders you'll build your account around, not the first shiny name you unlock.
Farm smart and grow your city in order
Your economy runs on two things early: barbarian farming and city development, and they feed each other.
- Send commanders to hunt barbarians whenever you have action points. It's your best early source of commander XP, resources and gear materials. Don't let action points sit capped.
- Gather from resource tiles with spare troops, and never leave march slots idle. Idle troops are wasted growth.
- Prioritize your City Hall, but don't race it ahead of its supports — your resource buildings, storehouse and troop training need to keep pace, or you'll stall at the next tier unable to afford it.
- Keep a builder busy at all times and use your speedups on the long, painful upgrades, not the quick ones.
Two systems reward patience specifically. The tech tree in your Academy quietly boosts everything — economy first for faster growth, then military before KvK. And gems are precious: spend them on VIP points, not impulse buys.
Use VIP and your alliance as force multipliers
Two systems do more for a free-to-play or low-spending account than almost anything else.
VIP gives permanent bonuses and better daily rewards, and it has clear milestones worth targeting:
- VIP 6 permanently unlocks your second building queue — a massive quality-of-life jump. Make this your first VIP goal.
- VIP 10, 12 and 14 unlock daily universal Legendary commander sculptures (one, two, then three per day), which compound your commander power over time.
Collect your free 200 VIP points every 24 hours, and spend gems on VIP points during the "More than Gems" event for the best value.
Your alliance is not optional. A busy alliance gives you:
- Alliance gifts — the best free source of VIP points and resources for F2P players, so prioritize a clan full of active spenders.
- Alliance help to shorten build timers, plus territory bonuses and resource tiles.
- Coordination for KvK, the large-scale kingdom war that defines the mid-game. Join a real alliance early, be active, and you'll enter KvK prepared instead of scrambling.
The short version
Start China (or Britain), and don't waste resources switching civ on a whim. Build a small core of commanders deep — Sun Tzu and Boudica lead the way — and commit to one troop type. Farm barbarians and gather constantly, grow your city in balance, and push tech. Then let VIP (aim for level 6 first) and an active alliance multiply everything you do. Plan in week one, and by the time KvK arrives, you'll be one of the players other kingdoms worry about.
