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Rise of Kingdoms is a free-to-play strategy MMO developed and published by Lilith Games. It launched in 2018 and still gets regular updates; the September 2026 patch added a Halloween event series, five more commanders for the Season of Conquest tavern and Lost Kingdom season changes. It's on iOS and Android, and Lilith's official site rok.lilith.com offers a Windows client and a Mac App Store version that use the same account.
You grow a single clan into a city, then march armies across one big map shared with every other player in your kingdom. Fights happen live: you can change a march's orders mid-route, and anyone can join a battle that's already going. This guide covers what to do first, how the main systems work, and the early mistakes that slow most accounts down.
Your first-week priorities
- Follow the main quests. They teach each system and pay out a steady flow of resources and speed-ups.
- Keep every queue busy. Builders, research and troop training should never sit idle, even overnight.
- Join an active alliance on day one. Then use the beginner teleport the game offers to move your city into its territory.
- Spend action points on barbarians every day. A full action bar means wasted commander experience.
- Stay out of player fights. New cities start under a peace shield; attacking anyone early drops it and costs troops you can't spare yet.
Choosing a civilization
You pick from 15 civilizations. Each has its own look, a unique unit and a pair of starting bonuses, plus a starting commander. You can switch later, but it costs gems or a dedicated change item, so it's worth picking with some thought.
| Civilization | Why players pick it early |
|---|---|
| Rome | Solid for infantry and comes with Scipio Africanus |
| China | Faster building, which helps you climb City Hall levels quickly |
| Britain | A frequent pick among experienced players |
| France | Starts with Joan of Arc, a commander you'll use for a long time |
| Germany | Faster troop training for players who want an army early |
The best rule is to match your civilization to the troop type you plan to run. Your troop bonuses keep paying off as the account grows, while early economy perks matter less later. Still, don't stress over it: commanders, research and gear end up mattering more than civilization.
City Hall drives everything
City Hall caps the level of almost every other building, so your path is simple: upgrade only what the next City Hall level requires, then upgrade City Hall itself. Leave side buildings for later, once the important ones are done.
Higher City Hall levels raise your troop capacity and how many armies you can send out at once, and barbarian levels scale with it too, so a bigger hall also means better hunting rewards. Upgrades get longer and pricier as you climb, which is why guides often call City Hall 25 the first real wall for new players.
Before using a speed-up, ask your alliance for help: each member's tap cuts some time off your timer. Save universal speed-ups for research and City Hall rather than minor upgrades, and keep a stockpile for power-up events that reward you for spending them.
A commander's skills and talents screen. Screenshot: Lilith Games via App Store
Commanders: few and focused
Commanders are historical figures who lead your armies. Each has four skills, upgraded with that commander's sculptures, and talent trees you fill in as they level. A march can carry a primary commander and a secondary one; the secondary only needs enough levels to unlock its skills.
The biggest early mistake is spreading resources thin. A focused plan looks like this:
- One main field commander tied to your favorite troop type. Scipio Africanus and Joan of Arc are common free early picks that stay useful.
- One barbarian farmer. Boudica and Lohar are both popular because they help you level other commanders faster through barbarian kills. Pick one; you don't need both.
- One gathering commander with resource talents, so your marches bring home more per trip.
Hold off on universal sculptures until you know which legendary commander you're committing to. Talent resets cost gems, so plan a build before you spend points.
Action points, barbarians and gathering
Attacking barbarians costs action points, which refill slowly over time. Sending the same army after barbarians one after another lowers the cost of each attack, and the peacekeeping talent tree lowers it further. Don't recall a march before it finishes the kill, or you lose that discount.
Barbarians give commander experience, resources and item drops. Fight them with your best counter troops so you take fewer wounded.
Gathering keeps your economy going. Send a dedicated gathering commander to resource fields inside your alliance's territory, where gathering is faster and safer. Later in the game, gold becomes the resource you'll run short of most, so start gathering it as soon as your city can.
Troops, counters and the hospital
You train four troop types. Three of them counter each other in a loop, and siege units exist mainly to hit cities and structures.
| Troop | Strong against | Weak against |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Cavalry | Archers |
| Cavalry | Archers | Infantry |
| Archers | Infantry | Cavalry |
Scout before you attack and bring the counter. Research better troop tiers at the Academy, and keep your hospital big enough to hold your wounded: troops that don't fit there are lost for good instead of healed.
Alliances and the Lost Kingdom
An alliance is the core of this game. It gives you building help, territory with gathering bonuses, shared research, gift chests whenever members buy packs, and a team for events like Ark of Osiris. Built-in chat translation lets you coordinate with players anywhere. Joining an established alliance is far better than founding your own, since a new alliance starts with no territory or technology.
Your kingdom's long-term goal is Kingdom vs Kingdom, which the game now runs as seasons in the Lost Kingdom, where several kingdoms fight over a shared map. To get ready, raise City Hall to the level your alliance expects, stock up resources and speed-ups, and finish the military research your leaders point you to. Then follow the rally calls. Coordination wins KvK, not raw power.
Mistakes to avoid
- Leveling five commanders halfway instead of two all the way.
- Burning speed-ups on minor buildings or without asking for alliance help first.
- Attacking other players early and losing your peace shield.
- Letting action points, builders or research queues sit unused.
- Undersizing the hospital, so wounded troops die instead of healing.
- Staying in a quiet alliance far from the action.
What to do next
Once your City Hall is moving steadily and your main commander has its key skills, start planning around your kingdom's event calendar and its first Lost Kingdom season. Check our Rise of Kingdoms news for the latest patch and event changes, and our setup guide if you want to play on the official PC client.
More on Rise of Kingdoms
Sources
- apps.apple.com · apps.apple.com/us/app/rise-of-kingdoms/id1354260888
- rok.lilith.com · rok.lilith.com/
- riseofkingdomsguides.com · riseofkingdomsguides.com/rise-of-kingdoms-beginners-guide/
