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Rise of Kingdoms best civilizations - Every nation ranked

Rise of Kingdoms best civilizations - Every nation ranked
Updated on May 9, 2023 - re-checked the list

If you want to learn what are some of the best civilizations in Rise of Kingdoms, then I'm here to help you pick the best one for you to quickly advance in the game and build a powerful empire.

But wait - why does it matter which civilization I pick in Rise of Kingdoms?

Well, my dear friend, that's all up to you. Are you a casual player and want to pick based on looks, history, and the famous characters associated with it? Or are you a hardcore player, dedicated to picking the absolute best civilization for the early game, then switching to another one that excels at a specific task, and finally change once more for the late game?

If you're easily overwhelmed by everything I just mentioned, don't worry. It's actually a lot easier than you might think. No matter what nation you pick, you're going to do well if you just keep progressing at a steady pace and constantly upgrade your kingdom.

Is there a best civilization in Rise of Kingdoms?

To tell you the truth, some will argue that there is such a thing as the best civilization in Rise of Kingdoms, although you will only start seeing a major difference in the endgame.

Of course, there are so many factors that determine what would make a good nation that it's not even funny. Take your role in your Alliance for example - what do you plan to do, what should your main focus be? Do you want to choose one based on that?

Or maybe you want to choose a nation based on what your friends need (let's say if you play RoK with a couple of friends). No matter what, there are some nations that excel at specific tasks and others that are generally good. I didn't even start getting into the f2p or premium-play style - if you plan to use real money in the game, that can also have an effect on what civilization you should play!

So yes - it's quite a complicated process, to say the least. But taking all of that into consideration, let's take a look at the best civilizations in Rise of Kingdoms.

Rise of Kingdoms Civilizations Tier List

S-tier Civilizations

rise of kingdoms - britain Britain

Why?

  • You will get Boudica
  • You'll get increased Archer Attack by 5%, increased troop training speed by 5%, and increased ally garrison capacity by 20%.
Egypt

Why?

  • You'll get Imhotep
  • You will get all the best default stats - 1.5% increased building speed, 1.5% increased research speed, and on top of that your archers also have increased attack and 5% increased rally damage, making it a really, really good pick at any point throughout the game. 
rise of kingdoms best civilization Germany

Why?

  • You'll get increased cavalry Attack by 5%, increased troop training speed by 5%, and increased action points recovery by 20%.
best civilizations - China China

Why?

  • You will get Sun Tzu
  • You'll get 3% increased troop defense, 5% faster action point recovery, and 5% increased building speed (which is super good in the late game)
Vikings

Why?

  • You will get Bjorn Ironside
  • You'll get 5% increases infantry attack, counterattack damage increased by 3% and troop load by 10%, as well as the special unit Berserker. 

A-Tier Civilizations

rise of kingdoms- korea Korea

Why?

  • You'll get 5% increased archer defense, 15% increased hospital capacity, and 3% increased research speed. The increase in research speed is amazing in the late game when everything starts taking a very, very long time to develop.
rise of kingdoms - arabia Arabia

Why?

  • You'll get 5% increased cavalry attack, 10% more damage dealt to barbarians and other neutral units, and 5% increased damage dealt by rallied armies. This is great if you want to focus on barbarian hunting and cavalry units.
Japan Japan

Why?

  • You'll get 3% increased troop attack, 30% faster scout march speed, and 5% increased resource gathering speed. These passives are overall amazing, and they will help you greatly in the late game.
rise of kingdoms - france France

Why?

  • You'll get 3% increased troop HP, 10% faster wood gathering speed and 20% increased hospital healing speed. The healing speed is great, so that might be a reason why you should consider France in the late game if you plan on being quite PvP focused.

B-tier Civilizations

rise of kingdoms best civilization Spain

Why?

  • You'll get 5% increased cavalry defense, 10% more experience gained from barbarians and other neutral units, and 20% increased resource production. These passives are quite okay-ish, but they tend to fall off in the late game.
best civilization - ottoman Ottoman Empire

Why?

  • You'll get 5% increased archer HP, 5% faster march speed and 5% increased active skill damage

C-tier Civilizations

RoK Byzantium civilization Byzantium

Why?

  • You'll get 5% increased cavalry HP, 10% faster stone gathering speed and 15% increased hospital capacity. This is all pretty 'meh' in the late-game unless you are heavily gathering-focused.
Rome

Why?

  • You'll get 5% increased infantry defense, 5% faster troop march speed and 10% increased food gathering speed. This will fall off in the late game, but as a complete beginner, the increased infantry DEF is quite okay, as well as the food gathering speed.

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How to switch civilizations in Rise of Kingdoms?

Now that we've covered all the best civilizations a thought might cross your mind, and that is changing the nation. If you want to switch to another nation, there are two main ways to do it:
  1. Use 10,000 Crystals (which is quite expensive if you ask me)
  2. Spend 2,000,000 Alliance Currency in the Alliance Shop for Civilization Swap Tokens (this is the recommended way, which is why you should join a good and active Alliance).

What's the take?

To sum up, here is what you need to remember when it comes to the Rise of Kingdoms to pick the best civilization that suits your playstyle:

  • Britain: It's a great nation for beginners, it is good for both PvP and PvE, it's archer-focused, and Boudica is great for farming barbarians.
  • Byzantium: it's a good civilization for PvP and PvE alike, it has good cavalry units and cavalry focus, it's good for farming stone.
  • Vikings: It's a great civilization for infantry and melee fighters, amazing at PvP and not too shabby in PvE. It's a good, well-rounded choice (and a really, really cool one too!)
  • Rome: it's good for PvP, it's focused on infantry units, it is great for farming food.
  • France: it's good for development, is great if you plan to be a premium player, it gives Joan of Arc, the increased hospital healing speed is nice.
  • Japan: it's a good infantry-focused nation, it's great for actively farming resources, it looks really really good!
  • Germany: it's a cavalry-focused civilization, it is great for the troop training speed and especially good in the late game for the action point recovery.
  • Arabia: it's also cavalry-focused, it's good for hunting and farming barbarians.
  • Spain: it's a cavalry-focused nation, it's great for passively producing resources and increased EXP gained from neutral objectives.
  • Korea: it's an archer-focused civilization, it's great for development, especially research, has really cool-looking buildings.
  • Ottoman Empire: it's a great archer-focused civilization, really good if you want a nation benefitting from being a premium player, it's focused on active skill damage in battles.
  • China: it's a very good overall nation to pick, it gives Sun Tzu and it's great given the increased action point recovery speed and increased building speed.
  • Egypt: it's a great nation for completely new players and players who want to switch their civilization too, since the increased building speed and research are among the best for PvE. 
Download Rise of Kingdoms from the Play Store | Download Rise of Kingdoms from App Store Original article by Cristina Mesesan, updated by Artur Novichenko