ROK Best Commanders Tier List July 2025

Rise of Kingdoms “Commander Tier list” outlines the best commanders per different game attributes. Keep in mind that every single commander is good at something. Depending on your goal and current in-game situation you’d want to invest in a best commander in ROK that has the biggest return on your time investment. Especially if you are a “free to play” type of player

The list you’re about to see was designed purely on endgame outcomes.
Most of them have been tested by players that play on very high-end accounts. However, due to the lack of official data I’d be lying if I said that this list doesn’t include a slight subjective bias from my end.

While some of the ratings are definitely debatable, please keep in mind that the main goal of the list was intended to give you an insight into key attributes and values of every commander.

If you’re interested in finding the best talent tree builds and commander pairings, we encourage you to check our guides on talent tree builds and commander pairings. For those who also play Age of Empires Mobile, you’ll find similar commander options and strategies covered in our guides on AOEMobileGuides.

Rise of Kingdoms Commander Tier Lists Explained

Overall rating

Simply put, the overall rating is nothing more than a combination of all ratings. This rating is very important for “free to play” players, because it signals the commanders you should invest your sculptures in to get the most value.

Rallying Objectives

Rallying Objectives rating highlights the overall ability of a given commander when it comes to rallying flags, forts and Ark of Osiris objectives. The grades have been issued by testing all commanders against top tier defenders.

Open Field

Open Field will give you an insight on how commanders are performing during open field battles. It’s determined by survivability, damage and the overall contribution when participating in major battles.

Defending Objectives

Defending Objectives rating will give you an insight into which commanders are best for defending flags, forts and Ark of Osiris objectives. It was measured and computed against the top tier rallying commanders.

Tier System and grades:

Tier S+ – Very Overpowered
Tier S – Overpowered
Tier A – Balanced
Tier B – Slightly Underpowered
Tier C – Underpowered
Tier F – The Worst

Tip for mobile users: Flip your phone sideways for a better view of the tier list table.

Rise of Kingdoms Tier List

Tier List for New Kingdoms

Best Commanders in Rise of Kingdoms

Currently, the best commanders in Rise of Kingdoms are Xiang, Nevsky, Nebu, YSG, Yi-Sun-Sin, Alexander and Guan Yu.

In the game ‘Rise of Kingdoms’, getting the best commanders can turn out quite costly. The amount of money you’re going to invest in order to come out on top amongst all the players in the game is remarkable. 

Investing a notable amount of money is the key to becoming one of the best players and staying at the top as the game keeps getting incredibly fierce and intense. This is due to more commanders joining the game with each passing day, resulting in increased competition. 

This game is highly based upon the idea of paying to win, which doesn’t necessarily mean that free-to-play players (F2P) should be hopeless. F2P players certainly have as much of an impact on the battlefield as pay-to-play players (P2P), if not more. Both groups of payers are crucial and equally affect the game. 

The question that arises is: how can one greatly affect the battlefield? Well, the answer is pretty simple. If you know all the legendary commanders and exactly how to pair them up, you should be good to go.

The following article is a comprehensive guide on how to find the best commanders to invest in. Read it thoroughly and then, invest your money wisely.

Below are some of the best and legendary commanders of ROK that can take you really far in the game.

YSG

One of the most functional commanders in Rise of Kingdoms is YSG. This commander is extremely helpful in all sorts of situations, from open fields to rallies, barbarian chains, events, and Garrison. His bow’s power is enormous during both damage and AOE. 

Possessing exceptional skills in PVE and PVP, YSG is an incredibly talented and versatile commander. What makes him stand out amongst other commanders is his high DPS. 

Therefore, every Rise of kingdoms player should max their YSG and consider him as their first choice of legendary commander.

Alexander the Great

Another great commander you should highly consider maxing out is Alexander the Great. He is one of the most powerful and legendary commanders in the game. Pairing him up with Charles or Alexander should be your best bet. 

Alexander would also make an outstanding pair with YSG in the initial stage as the complete infantry would really work in their favor. In addition, pairing him with Harold later on, is also an amazing option. 

Alexander the Great has outstanding shield ability, which makes him a part of the very few commanders in ROK who possess incredible acting skills of defense. However, his talents tend to confine his abilities due to him being an infantry commander. 

Ramesses

You can easily get your hands on Ramesses II with the help of the wheel of fortune, as he is a new commander in the game. What makes Ramesses II such a legendary commander is that once you achieve his maximum skills, he can turn out to be the best fit to counter Richard I.  

Ramesses II has good attack buffs and defend de-buffs, which are rendered extremely useful for flags and rallying buildings. However, he isn’t that good when it comes to combat in the field. He is playable at 5-5-1-1, so bringing him out on the field then is a good option. 

Now, you can use Ramesses with YSG and Alexander the Great with Yi Seong Gye. We suggest you max all of them out in order to increase your chances of winning the game.

GUAN YU

Yet another commander who’s extremely powerful and has command over some amazing skills is Guan Yu. He is an infantry commander, and you can unlock him based on your kingdom. With such a diversified skill set, Guan Yu is hard to defeat. Whether it’s ‘Conquering’ or ‘Open Field,’ he is extraordinary in both kinds of games. 

Along with having the factor of troop healing, Guan Yu is great at beating up a large number of enemies due to his robust AOE ability of damage. We suggest bringing him out at 5-5-1-1. However, his conquering skill should be left at 1. 

The reason behind this is that it is not needed in the open field. If by any chance, you don’t get lucky, your safest option would be maxing out Guan Yu.

A great improvement at this point, apart from your Guan, would be having Leonidas as an infantry commander. But be extremely mindful, as this improvement will stick with you the entire game.  

Pairing Artemisia up with a secondary commander like Tomyrisis also a good option at this point.

Cavalry Best Commanders 

Saladin is one of the very few commanders who have the skill of decreasing 30% damage along with counterattack reduction. Keeping all this in mind, he should be your best pick if you want to win against commanders like Mehmed II. 

William and Zhang Yu are the two best options to be paired up with Saladin later. Moreover, you can save 310 sculptures per commander if you keep William and Saladin at 5-5-5-1.

Best Garrison Commanders:

Having a heavy wallet is extremely crucial if you want to become a Rally or a Garrison leader, as that position requires some specific pieces of equipment. This highly depends upon your level of spending. 

Choosing Zenobia as the leader of the Garrison should be your best option if you really want to take this direction. Another decent investment would be to appoint Wu Zetian as the leader but make sure to use Saladin and Artemisia as primary commanders with him. 

During the initial stages of Rise of Kingdoms, Saladin, Artemisia, and Wu Zetian are your best bets for a good Garrison leader. 

Best Rally Commanders

Leonidas will serve as the best possible option for a secondary commander with Guan if you are willing to take the route of Rally. Another great option for this would be a pair of Takeda and Attila. 

Attila and Takeda are 2 commanders that are must-haves for rallies. However, bringing them out on an open field is something we wouldn’t really suggest.

Great Commanders to have

Following is a list of some of the most skillful and powerful commanders, fit for all sorts of situations 

1. Guan Yu
2. Saladin 
3. William 
4. Ramesses 
5. Aethelflaed
6. Zhang Yu 
7. Nebuchadnezzar
8. Artemisia
9. YSG 
10. Harold 
11. Alexander the Great 

ROK is without a doubt one of the most well-known and highly engaging games all around the world. Through this guide, you have an idea of all the legendary commanders in Rise of Kingdoms PC and know where to invest. We would recommend getting the absolute best of the game by trusting our suggestions.

Just be extremely mindful and ensure to be certain before you invest, as it can really turn the entire game upside down. Also do not forget to redeem codes.