Part of the Tier List Series (Hub):

Commander Tier List: The big one.

Best Civilization: Civilizations ranked.

Best Epic Commanders: The F2P ranking.

Quick Answer

Tier lists tell you where to put scarce resources. In Rise of Kingdoms the scarce resource is sculptures, so the only tier list that really matters is the commander one — and it needs to be read alongside what you can actually finish, not just what ranks highest.

Overview

Every tier list in this handbook exists to answer one question: given limited sculptures, XP and time, what do I build? A commander ranked S that you can take to 1/1/1/1 is worse than an A-tier commander you can take to 5/5/5/5.

That caveat is the reason this hub exists rather than a single ranked list.

The Tier Lists

Commander Tier List

The main ranking: legendary and epic commanders sorted by what they do — rally leading, open field, garrison, barbarian farming and gathering. Start here if you are deciding where sculptures go.

Best Epic Commanders (F2P)

The ranking that actually applies to free accounts. Epics you can max beat legendaries you cannot.

Best Civilization

Civilizations ranked for new accounts and by troop type, with an honest note about how little the bonus matters compared to everything else.

Best Gathering Commanders

The economy ranking. Cheap commanders, outsized returns.

Troop Types and Counters

Not a tier list — a counter chart. There is no best troop type, only the right one for the fight.

How to Read a Tier List Without Wasting Sculptures

1. Filter by what you own. A ranking of commanders you have no sculptures for is entertainment, not planning.

2. Filter by role. "Best commander" is meaningless without a job attached. The best rally lead is a poor gatherer. See the commanders hub.

3. Weight by achievable skill level. Ask "can I get this to 5/1/1/1 this season?" before "is this S tier?"

4. Check the date. Balance changes, new commanders and new equipment reshuffle rankings. A three-year-old tier list is a museum piece.

5. Ignore the top of the list if you are new. The highest-ranked commanders are usually the most expensive. Your first 60 days should be spent on cheap commanders that get finished — see the F2P guide.

The Only Ranking That Never Changes

Regardless of patch, this ordering holds:

A commander you have maxed.
A commander you can finish this season.
A commander that is theoretically stronger but sits at 1/1/1/1 for a year.

Every experienced player has learned this the expensive way.

FAQ

What is the best commander in Rise of Kingdoms?

It depends on the job and on what you can build. The commander tier list breaks it down by role rather than giving one meaningless answer.

Are tier lists reliable?

Directionally, yes. As a shopping list, no — they rarely account for what you already have or can realistically finish.

How often do tier lists change?

Meaningfully with each new commander release and balance pass. The role structure — rally lead, field, garrison, farmer, gatherer — stays stable even when names move.

Is there a troop tier list?

Troops go T1 to T5 and higher tiers are strictly better, so the only real question is unlocking them — see how to unlock T5 troops. Which type to use is a counter question, not a ranking.

Key Takeaways

Tier lists exist to allocate sculptures, nothing else.
Rank by role, then by what you can actually finish.
A maxed A-tier beats an unfinished S-tier every time.
Check the date on any tier list before trusting it.

Rise of Kingdoms Tier Lists: Commanders, Civilizations and Troops Ranked