Rise of Kingdoms(ROK) has plenty of legendary and epic commanders. It can be quite confusing to pick one good commander in whom you can invest your sculpture. Here is the tier list of Rok commanders which will help you pick out your next best commander.
This tier list includes both epic and legendary commanders for different scenarios like an open field, rallying, garrison, and PVE. We will try to keep it updated with every release of new commanders. This guide only focuses on a single commander and his/her usability in a different situation. If you are looking for the best commanders to pair together then check out this rok best commander pairings for 2023.
- Rise of Kingdoms commander ranking tiers explained
- Open Field Tier List
- Rally Tier List
- Garrison Tier List
- Best commanders for sunset and lost canyons
- Overall best commanders in Rise of Kingdoms for F2P
- Zhuge Liang – Best archer commander After SoC
- Scipio Africanus Prime (Legendary Scipio) – Best Infantry commander After SoC
- Joan of Arc Prime – Best cavalry commander After SoC
- Yi Seong-Gye (YSG) – Best archer commander Before SoC
- Charles Martel – Best Infantry commander Before SoC
- Saladin – Best Cavalry Commander Before SoC
- Aethelflaed – Great Debuffer at any point of the game
Rise of Kingdoms commander ranking tiers explained
- S+ – The one above the all
- S – extremely strong commanders capable of making your enemies cry, worth every sculpture
- A – Previously S tier and runners up, Very powerful but just not quite perfect.
- B – Good commanders. they might not give you the best result but are still useable for most parts
- C – You have very limited choice and don’t have access to previous tier commanders.
- D – Doesn’t work at all
- F – Farmville
Updated On: 08, August 2023
Note: This list is up to date till the latest release of new Cavalry commanders Huo Qubing and Justinian I. Lilith also released an update to the museum building which provides second relic buffs to some old commanders like YSG, Charles Martel, and others. This list also takes the museum buff into consideration.
Open Field Tier List
Let’s start with the most popular Open Field commanders. These commanders excel at running around and killing enemies in large numbers. You can use them in murderball during ruins/alter fights, Ark Of Osiris(AOO), and crucial spot defending during KvKs.
What to look for in Open Field commanders?
- High Skill Damage
- March Speed
- AOE Damage
- Ability to stay longer on the field(Counter, DMG, buffs, and tankiness)
| Commander Name | Rating for Openfield |
|---|---|
| Aethelflaed | B |
| Alexander Nevsky | S |
| Alexander the Great | B |
| Amanitore | A |
| Artemisia | S |
| Attila | B |
| Babur | B |
| Baibars | D |
| Belisarius | D |
| Bertrand du Guesclin | C |
| Bjorn Ironside | C |
| Boudica | F |
| Boudica Prime | S+ |
| Cao Cao(CC) | B |
| Chandragupta Maurya | B |
| Charlemagne | C |
| Charles Martel | B |
| Cheok Jun-gyeong(CJ) | B |
| Cleopatra | F |
| Constantine I | C |
| Cyrus the Great | A |
| Diaochan | D |
| Dido | C |
| Edward of Woodstock | C |
| El Cid | C |
| Eulji Mundeok | D |
| Flavius Aetius | C |
| Frederick I | B |
| Genghis Khan | B |
| Gilgamesh | B |
| Guan Yu | S |
| Hannibal Barca | C |
| Harald Sigurdsson | S |
| Henry V | S |
| Heraclius | C |
| Hermann | D |
| Honda Tadakatsu | A |
| Huo Qubing | S |
| Imhotep | D |
| Ishida Mitsunari | F |
| Jadwiga | C |
| Jan Zizka | B |
| Joan of Arc | B |
| Joan of Arc Prime | S |
| Julius Caesar | B |
| Justinian I | S |
| Keira | D |
| Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal | S |
| Kusunoki Masashige | C |
| Leonidas I | A |
| Lohar | D |
| Lu Bu | C |
| Margaret I | B |
| Matilda of Flanders | F |
| Mehmed II | A |
| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | S |
| Moctezuma I | C |
| Mulan | S |
| Nebuchadnezzar II | S |
| Osman I | C |
| Pelagius | D |
| Pericles | C |
| Pyrrhus | A |
| Queen Tamar of Georgia | D |
| Ragnar Lodbrok | B |
| Ramesses II | A |
| Richard I | B |
| Saladin | S |
| Sargon the Great | S |
| Scipio Africanus | D |
| Scipio Africanus prime | S |
| Seondeok | F |
| Suleiman I | C |
| Sun Tuz | B |
| Takeda Shingen | B |
| Tariq ibn Ziyad | S |
| Theodora | B |
| Thutmose III | B |
| Tomyris | A |
| Trajan | S |
| William I | S |
| Wu Zetian | C |
| Xiang Yu(XY) | S |
| Yi Seong-Gye(YSG) | A |
| Yi Sun-sin(YSS) | C |
| Zenobia | C |
| Zhuge Liang | S+ |
Changes: Even with the arrival of new powerful cavalry commanders Huo Qubing and Justinian I, the Ranking for Openfield stays pretty much the same.
While Huo Qubing is a beast of open field for single target damage and has more damage skill damage compared to Zhuge Liang, He lacks AOE damage. So, for the moment Zhuge Liang still remains on the top of the list. However, as we see more reports from Hua Qubing, we may update the ranking with the next update.
Rally Tier List
Rallying flag, fortress, pass, and cities are a very crucial part of the game. It is best that only whales with the best commanders and top equipment launch the rally.
if you launch a rally with the wrong commanders then you and your allies will suffer a terrible loss of troops. That’s why this list doesn’t include epic commanders.
| Commander Name | Structure Rally | City Rally | Fort Rally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aethelflaed | D | D | S |
| Alexander Nevsky | S+ | S | S |
| Alexander the Great | C | C | B |
| Amanitore | C | C | B |
| Artemisia | B | B | A |
| Attila | S | S | B |
| Babur | F | F | F |
| Bertrand du Guesclin | A | A | A |
| Boudica Prime | S | S | S |
| Cao Cao(CC) | C | C | S |
| Chandragupta Maurya | A | A | A |
| Charlemagne | C | B | B |
| Charles Martel | C | C | C |
| Cheok Jun-gyeong(CJ) | B | B | A |
| Cleopatra | F | F | F |
| Constantine I | D | D | C |
| Cyrus the Great | A | A | A |
| Dido | D | D | C |
| Edward of Woodstock | A | A | S |
| El Cid | B | B | B |
| Flavius Aetius | D | D | C |
| Frederick I | D | C | A |
| Genghis Khan | D | D | S |
| Gilgamesh | S | S | S |
| Guan Yu | A | A | S |
| Hannibal Barca | D | C | A |
| Harald Sigurdsson | A | A | A |
| Henry V | S+ | S | S |
| Heraclius | D | D | D |
| Honda Tadakatsu | C | B | S |
| Huo Qubing | S | S | S |
| Ishida Mitsunari | F | F | F |
| Jadwiga | D | D | D |
| Jan Zizka | D | D | C |
| Joan of Arc Prime | S | S | S |
| Julius Caesar | C | B | B |
| Justinian I | S | S | S |
| Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal | S | S | A |
| Leonidas I | B | B | B |
| Lu Bu | D | C | B |
| Margaret I | F | F | F |
| Mehmed II | B | A | A |
| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | S | B | S+ |
| Moctezuma I | D | C | A |
| Mulan | D | D | C |
| Nebuchadnezzar II | A | A | S |
| Pyrrhus | B | B | A |
| Ragnar Lodbrok | C | D | C |
| Ramesses II | A | B | S |
| Richard I | D | D | A |
| Saladin | B | B | A |
| Sargon the Great | S | S | A |
| Scipio Africanus prime | A | A | S |
| Seondeok | F | F | F |
| Suleiman I | B | A | A |
| Takeda Shingen | B | S | B |
| Tariq ibn Ziyad | S | S+ | S |
| Theodora | D | D | C |
| Thutmose III | D | D | B |
| Tomyris | B | A | A |
| Trajan | C | C | B |
| William I | A | A | S |
| Wu Zetian | D | D | D |
| Xiang Yu(XY) | S | S | S |
| Yi Seong-Gye(YSG) | B | B | S |
| Yi Sun-sin(YSS) | D | D | C |
| Zenobia | D | D | C |
| Zhuge Liang | S | S | S |
ROK – New Redeem Gift Codes List
Changes: The current garrison meta is Dido and Hera and previously Nevsky and Joan of Arc Prime didn’t do well against them. However new Cavs commander Huo Qubing and Justinian I, might be able to break through them.
At the moment, there aren’t enough reports to call them the absolute best. So, at the moment they remain in the S tier.
Garrison Tier List
There are two types of garrisons in rok, structure and city defense. This list includes both of them and just like the rally garrison tier list also won’t have epic commanders.
| Commander Name | Garrison | City Defence |
|---|---|---|
| Aethelflaed | D | D |
| Alexander Nevsky | B | C |
| Alexander the Great | C | B |
| Amanitore | A | B |
| Artemisia | A | B |
| Attila | B | C |
| Babur | F | F |
| Bertrand du Guesclin | D | D |
| Boudica Prime | C | C |
| Cao Cao(CC) | D | F |
| Chandragupta Maurya | D | D |
| Charlemagne | D | D |
| Charles Martel | A | A |
| Cheok Jun-gyeong(CJ) | C | C |
| Cleopatra | F | F |
| Constantine I | B | B |
| Cyrus the Great | B | C |
| Dido | S+ | S |
| Edward of Woodstock | D | D |
| El Cid | D | D |
| Flavius Aetius | S | S |
| Frederick I | C | C |
| Genghis Khan | D | D |
| Gilgamesh | C | C |
| Guan Yu | B | B |
| Hannibal Barca | D | D |
| Harald Sigurdsson | B | C |
| Henry V | C | C |
| Heraclius | S+ | S |
| Honda Tadakatsu | C | C |
| Huo Qubing | B | B |
| Ishida Mitsunari | F | F |
| Jadwiga | S | S |
| Jan Zizka | S | S |
| Joan of Arc Prime | B | B |
| Julius Caesar | C | C |
| Justinian I | B | C |
| Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal | B | C |
| Leonidas I | C | B |
| Lu Bu | D | D |
| Margaret I | F | F |
| Mehmed II | C | C |
| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | D | D |
| Moctezuma I | F | F |
| Mulan | D | C |
| Nebuchadnezzar II | B | B |
| Pyrrhus | B | B |
| Ragnar Lodbrok | C | D |
| Ramesses II | D | D |
| Richard I | B | B |
| Saladin | B | C |
| Sargon the Great | B | B |
| Scipio Africanus prime | A | A |
| Seondeok | F | F |
| Suleiman I | D | D |
| Takeda Shingen | A | B |
| Tariq ibn Ziyad | B | B |
| Theodora | A | S+ |
| Thutmose III | D | D |
| Tomyris | D | D |
| Trajan | C | C |
| William I | D | D |
| Wu Zetian | B | B |
| Xiang Yu(XY) | D | C |
| Yi Seong-Gye(YSG) | A | S |
| Yi Sun-sin(YSS) | S | S |
| Zenobia | S | S |
| Zhuge Liang | S | A |
We have a new Archer Garrison commander Dido and she is absolutely insane right now, destroying every rally, which makes her garrisoning meta. Jan Zizka on the other hand is getting destroyed by the Archer rally, resulting in a rating drop for the garrison.
Best commanders for sunset and lost canyons
Now, this might not be a popular part of the game because rewards in Sunset Canyon and Lost Canyon aren’t that good unless you are in the top ranking. However, if you play that particular game mode then this is the commander tier list for canyons.
| Commander Name | Rating for Canyons |
|---|---|
| Aethelflaed | A |
| Alexander Nevsky | S |
| Alexander the Great | A |
| Amanitore | A |
| Artemisia | A |
| Attila | B |
| Babur | F |
| Baibars | C |
| Belisarius | D |
| Bertrand du Guesclin | B |
| Bjorn Ironside | C |
| Boudica | F |
| Boudica Prime | S |
| Cao Cao(CC) | B |
| Chandragupta Maurya | B |
| Charlemagne | C |
| Charles Martel | S |
| Cheok Jun-gyeong(CJ) | A |
| Cleopatra | F |
| Constantine I | S+ |
| Cyrus the Great | A |
| Diaochan | F |
| Dido | B |
| Edward of Woodstock | C |
| El Cid | C |
| Eulji Mundeok | C |
| Flavius Aetius | C |
| Frederick I | C |
| Genghis Khan | C |
| Gilgamesh | B |
| Guan Yu | S |
| Hannibal Barca | C |
| Harald Sigurdsson | A |
| Henry V | S |
| Heraclius | C |
| Hermann | D |
| Honda Tadakatsu | S |
| Huo Qubing | S |
| Imhotep | D |
| Ishida Mitsunari | F |
| Jadwiga | C |
| Jan Zizka | B |
| Joan of Arc | S |
| Joan of Arc Prime | S |
| Julius Caesar | B |
| Justinian I | A |
| Keira | B |
| Kʼinich Janaabʼ Pakal | A |
| Kusunoki Masashige | C |
| Leonidas I | A |
| Lohar | D |
| Lu Bu | C |
| Margaret I | F |
| Matilda of Flanders | F |
| Mehmed II | S |
| Minamoto no Yoshitsune | A |
| Moctezuma I | F |
| Mulan | S |
| Nebuchadnezzar II | S |
| Pericles | C |
| Pyrrhus | A |
| Osman I | C |
| Pelagius | D |
| Queen Tamar of Georgia | F |
| Ragnar Lodbrok | B |
| Ramesses II | B |
| Richard I | S |
| Saladin | A |
| Sargon the Great | S |
| Scipio Africanus | C |
| Scipio Africanus prime | S |
| Seondeok | F |
| Suleiman I | C |
| Sun Tuz | B |
| Takeda Shingen | B |
| Tariq ibn Ziyad | S |
| Theodora | A |
| Thutmose III | C |
| Tomyris | B |
| Trajan | S |
| William I | S |
| Wu Zetian | C |
| Xiang Yu(XY) | S |
| Yi Seong-Gye(YSG) | S |
| Yi Sun-sin(YSS) | B |
| Zenobia | C |
| Zhuge Liang | S |
Overall best commanders in Rise of Kingdoms for F2P
Dido is a great garrison captain, however, She wouldn’t be that useful in other situations like an Open field, Canyons, Ceroli bosses, fort rally, etc. So, if you are a F2P or low spender then you probably won’t get much value out of her.
As an F2P player, you want to get the most out of your single legendary commander because you might not be able to max out multiple legendary commanders. There are some commanders who can give you good results in multiple situations. Below there is a list of commanders that you should consider maxing out before any other commanders.
Zhuge Liang – Best archer commander After SoC
If you are currently in Season of Conquest and wondering which commander is the best and you should upgrade first, Zhuge Liang is the answer for you.
Currently, He is the best open field commander and defeats every other open field commander including cavalry. While New Huo might defeat him in a 1v1 situation, he will still give you more value during massive field fights with AoE damage.
Scipio Africanus Prime (Legendary Scipio) – Best Infantry commander After SoC
For some reason, Lilith doesn’t like infantry very much, that’s why most infantry commander is defeated by cavalry. However, Scipio Prime is an exception, He is great against the Cavs in open-field scenarios.
Legendary Scipio offers everything that you need for open field fights, High skill damage, AoE damage, shield, tankiness, and march speed. if you are an infantry main player then Scipio Prime is your best option.
Joan of Arc Prime – Best cavalry commander After SoC
Cavalry is the best troop type for F2P players. why? Because as a F2P player, you won’t be doing rallying and garrison. So, your main job is the open-field fight. And for open field fights cavalry commanders have been best since the beginning of the rise of kingdoms.
As a Cavalry commander, Joan of Arc has everything you need to do well in the Open field. She has mobility, debuffs, buffs, heavy skill damage, and AOE damage. Joan won’t only do lots of damage for yourself but also support your ally heavily.
Yi Seong-Gye (YSG) – Best archer commander Before SoC
YSG should be the first legendary commander to max out for any ROK player. He is good from day one to all the way to SoC(season of conquest).
There are multiple pairing options for him and he can be used in almost every single situation. After the release of new commanders like Boudica Prime and Zhuge Liang, his value falls off a bit, but he still has 5 marches AOE damage in a circular area, which is quite powerful.
Charles Martel – Best Infantry commander Before SoC
Martel is a really strong infantry commander. He is a great garrison and open-field fighter during KvK 1/2/3. In the SoC, Charles loses some value because of the availability of better commanders but he still gives good results.
Yes, it will be a long time before you can max him using gold keys, but if you are patient enough to wait then you can probably get him for free. Now he is even stronger with the second relic buff that difference between the new commander and him is almost gone.
Saladin – Best Cavalry Commander Before SoC
As mentioned before, cavalry is the best troop type for F2P and low-spenders. Saladin is an exceptional commander. He is just as good in SoC as he is in KvK 2/3.
Earlier he can be paired with YSG and Aethelflaed and later with Nevsky, Xiang Yu, and other powerful cavalry commanders. Saladin can do a lot of skill damage while providing some help for ally with his debuffs.
He is really old commander now and can be obtained from MGE, So if you are patient enough you might get his sculptures for free.
Aethelflaed – Great Debuffer at any point of the game
Aethelflaed pairs really nicely with YSG during the early game and with mighty commanders like Trajan during SoC. You can get her for free from the Sunset Canyons shop.
She is a strong debuffer and you will be helping out your allies a lot by using her. The second relic boost and formation method further boosts her damage output and debuff capabilities.
