Welcome to Rise of Kingdoms

Rise of Kingdoms (RoK) is one of the most deep and rewarding mobile strategy games available today. But its complexity can be overwhelming for new players. This guide breaks down everything you need to prioritize in your first few weeks so you don't fall behind — and don't make the costly mistakes that most beginners do.

Table of Contents

  1. Choosing Your First Civilization
  2. Your First Commander
  3. City Building Priorities
  4. Research Order
  5. Common Beginner Mistakes
  6. Tips for Fast Early Progress

1. Choosing Your First Civilization

Your civilization choice shapes your entire early game. Here's a quick breakdown of the most beginner-friendly options:

  • China: Starts with Excellent Builder talent and a construction speed bonus — great for fast city development.
  • Britain: Offers the versatile commander Richard I and good all-around bonuses.
  • France: A solid early game civilization with a good starting commander (Joan of Arc) ideal for rallying and support.

For pure beginners, China is generally recommended because faster building means faster progress across the board.

2. Your First Commander

Each civilization comes with a unique starting commander. Focus all your early sculptures and XP on this commander first. Do not spread resources across multiple commanders early on — a maxed single commander beats two half-built ones every time.

3. City Building Priorities

Follow this general order when deciding what to build and upgrade:

  1. Upgrade your City Hall whenever possible — it unlocks everything else.
  2. Build and upgrade Farms and Sawmills to fuel your resource needs.
  3. Upgrade the Academy to unlock research tiers.
  4. Build a Hospital early so your troops heal instead of dying permanently.
  5. Upgrade your Barracks, Archery Range, and Stables to train higher-tier troops.

4. Research Order

The Research tree is split into Economy and Military. As a beginner, prioritize the Economy tree first. Faster resource gathering, cheaper upgrades, and faster building speeds compound massively over time. Don't rush into military research until your city is well-established.

5. Common Beginner Mistakes

  • Spending gems carelessly: Save gems for VIP level and key speed-ups, not resource packs.
  • Ignoring your alliance: Join an active alliance immediately. Alliance help, technologies, and chest rewards are essential.
  • Training troops without a hospital: Without hospitals, dead troops are gone forever. Build them before you start fighting.
  • Relocating too early or too late: Use your Novice Teleport wisely to move near your alliance before it expires.

6. Tips for Fast Early Progress

  • Complete Expedition missions daily for commander XP and gems.
  • Always keep your builders busy — idle builders are wasted time.
  • Participate in Sunset Canyon and events as soon as they unlock.
  • Collect your free chests and city resources every day without fail.
  • Read your Alliance Technology contributions — they give free boosts you'd otherwise miss.

Final Thoughts

Rise of Kingdoms rewards patience and planning over impulsive spending. Build your economy first, commit to one commander, and stay active in a strong alliance. The players who dominate the late game are almost always the ones who laid a solid foundation in their first month.