Rise of Kingdoms Commander List 2026: Which Tier, Which Commander?

Choosing a commander in Rise of Kingdoms is one of the most critical decisions that directly affects every stage of the game, from city building to open-field wars. A new player may feel confused when faced with dozens of different names, wondering which one to develop. In this guide, we’ve gathered all commanders in the game as of 2026 into a single list organized by rarity and specialization. Our goal is to help you understand where each commander can be used and direct your resources toward the right investments.

Why Is the Commander System So Important?

Every commander does more than just lead an army; they also offer the player a different playstyle. Some commanders fight on the front lines with infantry, while others use the range advantage of archer armies. Therefore, rather than simply choosing the strongest commander, you should choose the one that fits your current goal. For example, commanders with a Gathering specialization are more valuable for a player focused on resource collection, while Conquering or Skill specializations are more valuable for a battle-focused player. It’s not enough to evaluate commanders by rarity alone; you also need to consider their three specialization areas.

The right commander pairing can be decisive in many situations, from city defense to open-field battles. Placing two commanders with the same troop type side by side creates specialization synergy. Especially at mid to late game, having just one strong character is not enough; you need to choose commanders that complement each other.

Rarity Levels and How to Obtain Commanders

Commanders in Rise of Kingdoms are divided into four rarity levels: Legendary, Epic, Elite, and Advanced. This order also represents a power ranking. Legendary commanders are the strongest, while Advanced commanders represent the weakest tier. Of course, strong commanders are also harder to obtain, so it’s important to plan your in-game resources accordingly.

• Legendary: Can be obtained through gold keys, special events, and in some cases by paying. They are the commanders with the highest power potential in the game.
• Epic: Can drop from silver and gold key events. They sit just below the Legendary tier and offer strong options for mid-game players.
• Elite: Easily obtained from events. While not very effective in battle, they can be used for resource gathering or daily tasks.
• Advanced: Usually come from starter quests and are not recommended for combat or major events. They have very low stats; players often keep them out of their lineup.

In the tables below, you’ll find mostly Legendary, Epic, and Elite commanders. The Advanced class is excluded from this list because it doesn’t provide meaningful value in combat scenarios.

How to Read Specializations

The three specialization columns in the commander list show which troops a commander is strong with and in which tasks they excel. Terms like Infantry, Cavalry, and Archer directly indicate the troop type. Leadership, Integration, and Engineering describe the commander’s overall role. Terms such as Garrison, Peacekeeping, Gathering, Conquering, and Skill explain what kind of bonus the commander provides in gameplay activities.

For example, the Garrison specialization provides advantages in city and tower defense, while Peacekeeping increases effectiveness against barbarian camps and monsters on the map. Gathering supports resource collection speed, while Conquering provides strength in open-world objectives. Skill points to a playstyle based on skill damage, while Versatility shows that a commander can be used in multiple roles. Therefore, you should evaluate a commander’s value not just by rarity, but by how well their specializations fit your game plan.

Full Commander List

Below you can find the 2026 Rise of Kingdoms commander list in tables separated by rarity level. The tables also show each commander’s first, second, and third specialization. Keep in mind that different versions of some commanders may appear at different tiers; for example, the same commander can appear as both Legendary and Epic.

Legendary Commanders

Legendary commanders are the biggest source of power in the game. Experienced players prioritize these commanders for their long-term goals. If you have a strong Legendary commander, you can make them your primary commander and form the backbone of your army.

Commander	Specialization 1	Specialization 2	Specialization 3
Alexander the Great	Infantry	Versatility	Attack
Cao Cao	Cavalry	Peacekeeping	Mobility
Charlemagne	Leadership	Conquering	Skill
Cleopatra	Integration	Gathering	Support
Edward	Archer	Versatility	Skill
El Cid	Archer	Versatility	Skill
Artemisia	Archer	Garrison	Defense
Frederick	Leader	Conquering	Skill
Richard	Infantry	Garrison	Defense
Aethelflaed	Leadership	Peacekeeping	Support
Mulan	Integration	Peacekeeping	Support
Leonidas	Infantry	Versatility	Defense
Charles Martel	Infantry	Garrison	Defense
Guan Yu	Infantry	Conquering	Skill
Attila	Cavalry	Conquering	Attack
Chandragupta	Cavalry	Conquering	Skill
Hannibal Barca	Leadership	Conquering	Defense
Constantine	Infantry	Garrison	Support
William	Cavalry	Versatility	Attack
Takeda Shingen	Cavalry	Versatility	Mobility
Harald Sigurdsson	Infantry	Conquering	Skill
Lu Bu	Leadership	Conquering	Skill
Theodora	Leadership	Garrison	Defense
Genghis Khan	Cavalry	Versatility	Skill
Ishida Mitsunari	Integration	Gathering	Support
Minamoto no Yoshitsune	Cavalry	Peacekeeping	Skill
Julius Caesar	Leadership	Siege	Attack
Mehmed	Leadership	Conquering	Skill
Ramesses	Archer	Versatile	Attack
Saladin	Cavalry	Conquering	Support
Seondeok	Integration	Gathering	Attack
Tomyris	Archer	Conquering	Attack
Wu Zetian	Leadership	Garrison	Support
Yi Seong Gye	Archer	Garrison	Garrison
Yi Sun-Sin	Leadership	Garrison	Defense
Zenobia	Infantry	Garrison	Support
Lapu Lapu	Leadership	Garrison	Skill
Gonzalo de Cordoba	Engineering	Versatility	Attack
Gajah Mada	Engineering	Versatility	Defense
Ashurbanipa	Archer	Conquering	Skills
Hermann Prime	Archer	Versatility	Support
Justinian	Cavalry	Conquering	Support
Gorgo	Infantry	Garrison	Defense
Dido	Archer	Versatility	Skill
Huo Qubing	Cavalry	Versatility	Skill
Pyrrhus	Infantry	Versatility	Defense
Margaret	Engineering	Versatility	Support
Heraclius	Leadership	Garrison	Defense
Zhuge Liang	Archer	Skill	Versatility
Babur	Engineering	Versatility	Attack
Joan Of Arc Prime	Cavalry	Versatility	Support
Jan Zizka	Cavalry	Garrison	Skill
Sargon the Great	Infantry	Skill	Versatility
Tariq ibn Ziyad	Infantry	Conquering	Defense
Boudica Prime	Archer	Versatility	Skill
Henry	Archer	Conquering	Support
Thutmose	Archer	Versatility	Support
Imhotep	Infantry	Versatility	Support
Flavius Aetius	Infantry	Garrison	Skill
Xiang Yu	Cavalry	Conquering	Skill
Nebuchadnezzar	Archer	Conquering	Skill
Artemisia	Archer	Garrison	Defense
Gilgamesh	Archer	Conquering	Skill
Pakal	Infantry	Conquering	Defense
Cyrus the Great	Archer	Versatility	Attack
Trajan	Infantry	Gathering	Attack
Cheok Jun-Gyeong	Infantry	Versatile	Attack
Honda Tadakatsu	Leadership	Versatility	Skill
Bertrand	Cavalry	Conquering	Defense
Alexander Nevs	Cavalry	Versatility	Skill
Suleiman	Leadership	Conquering	Attack
Ragnar Lodbrok	Leadership	Conquering	Attack
Jadwiga	Cavalry	Garrison	Mobility
Choe Yeong	Archer	Garrison	Defense
Shajar al-Durr	Archer	Versatility	Skill
Belisarius Prime	Cavalry	Versatility	Mobility
Eleanor of Aquitaine	Cavalry	Garrison	Defense
William Wallace	Infantry	Versatility	Smite
Scipio Aemilianus	Infantry	Conquering	Smite
John Hunyadi	Engineering	Versatility	Support
Stephen III	Engineering	Versatility	Skill
Ragnar Lodbrok Prime	Leadership	Versatility	Support
Philip	Leadership	Versatility	Support
Siyaj K’ak’	Archer	Conquering	Skill
Subutai	Cavalry	Conquering	Combo
Shapur	Archer	Conquering	Skill
Qin Shi Huang	Archer	Versatility	Skill
Tokugawa Ieyasu	Infantry	Garrison	Smite
Bai Qi	Infantry	Versatility	Smite
Afonso	Engineering	Versatility	Support
Matthias	Leadership	Garrison	Attack
Mary	Engineering	Versatility	Skill
Archimedes	Engineering	Versatility	Defense
Casimir	Integration	Gathering	Defense
Pepin	Integration	Gathering	Support
Sun Tzu Prime	Infantry	Versatility	Smite
Ivar the Boneless	Infantry	Conquering	Defense
Gang Gamchan	Cavalry	Versatility	Combo
Hector	Leadership	Versatility	Support
Achilles	Cavalry	Versatility	Combo
Elizabeth	Engineering	Versatility	Skill
Vercingetorix	Leadership	Versatility	Support
Hayam Wuruk	Archer	Garrison	Skill
Alp Arslan	Archer	Versatility	Skill

Epic Commanders

Epic commanders are powerful alternatives that don’t reach Legendary level but still get the job done for a large portion of the game. They are especially effective in resource gathering, barbarian clearing, and defense missions. Since they can drop from silver and gold key events, they’re also easier to upgrade.

Commander	Specialization 1	Specialization 2	Specialization 3
Pericles	Infantry	Garrison	Support
Baibars	Cavalry	Conquering	Skill
Belisarius	Cavalry	Peacekeeping	Mobility
Boudica Prime	Integration	Peacekeeping	Skill
Diaochan	Integration	Peacekeeping	Support
Hermann	Archer	Garrison	Skill
Joan Of Arc Prime	Integration	Gathering	Support
Keira	Archer	Peacekeeping	Skill
Kusunoki	Archer	Garrison	Skill
Lohar	Integration	Peacekeeping	Support
Matilda of Flanders	Integration	Gathering	Defense
Osman	Leadership	Conquering	Skill
Pelagius	Cavalry	Garrison	Skill
Scipio Africanus	Leadership	Conquering	Attack
Sun Tzu	Infantry	Garrison	Skill
Imhotep	Archer	Garrison	Support
Bjorn Ironside	Infantry	Conquering	Skill
Eulji	Infantry	Garrison	Attack
Catherine de’ Medici	Engineering	Versatility	Skill
Narses	Engineering	Versatility	Defense
Wak Chanil Ajaw	Integration	Gathering	Defense

Elite Commanders

Elite commanders are names that beginners can easily obtain in the early game. While their combat power is low, they help with daily tasks such as resource gathering and completing missions. The best move is to replace them with stronger commanders as you progress.

Commander	Specialization 1	Specialization 2	Specialization 3
Šárka	Integration	Gathering	Skill
Lancelot	Cavalry	Versatility	Mobility
Tomoe Gozen	Archer	Versatility	Attack
Gaius Marius	Leadership	Gathering	Skill
Constance	Integration	Gathering	Skill
Markswoman	Archer	Peacekeeping	Skill
Dragon Lancer	Cavalry	Peacekeeping	Skill
City Keeper	Infantry	Versatility	Attack
Centurion	Integration	Gathering	Attack

Which Commander Should You Choose?

Choosing based on your goal is the best approach. If you’re a new player and want to progress quickly, you can start with commanders who have strong Integration or Gathering specializations for resource collection. If you want to focus on combat, it makes more sense to invest in commanders with Skill, Conquering, or Attack specializations. If city defense is your priority, commanders with Garrison and Defense specializations stand out.

Remember that commander selection is not the only criterion; skill levels, equipment, and troop composition are just as important as the commander themselves. The specialization columns in this list can guide you, but you should make the final decision based on your own playstyle.

Conclusion

Commanders are the fundamental building blocks of Rise of Kingdoms. Legendary commanders serve as long-term goals for those seeking maximum power, while Epic and Elite commanders are useful during the early and mid game. Through the tables above, you can compare all commanders in one place and plan your own roster based on their specializations.

In your next step, decide which specialization to prioritize when developing your commanders. Combat, resources, or defense? The answer to this question will also determine which commanders you invest in. New commanders continue to be added along with the game’s evolving meta, so it’s worth checking this list from time to time.