This page assumes you have just installed the game. If you have not picked a civilization yet, read the civilization guide first, then come back. For the big picture see the Rise of Kingdoms hub.
Before you tap anything: pick the right kingdom
New accounts are placed in a recently opened kingdom. That is what you want: everyone around you is new, the strongest players are only days ahead and alliances are recruiting. If you were placed in an older kingdom, or you are following friends, use a beginner teleport. According to the current guides on the mechanic:
- You receive two beginner teleports, the second one by City Hall 7.
- They can only target a kingdom that opened less than 10 days ago, and you land in one of its outer provinces.
- You must leave your alliance, have all troops at home and not be in combat.
- They disappear when your City Hall reaches level 8. Decide before you upgrade past 7.
Day 1: quests, City Hall and nothing else
The main quest chain is designed to keep your builder working on what the City Hall needs next. Follow it. The rule for the whole first week is simple: a builder should never be idle and the next City Hall upgrade should always be the target. Every other building is upgraded only because the City Hall requires it, or because it is cheap and finishes in under a few minutes.
- Tap the quest list after every upgrade. Main and side quests pay resources, speedups and gems for upgrades you were doing anyway.
- Queue the long build before you log off. Short upgrades are for when you are online; the longest City Hall requirement should run while you sleep.
- Open every free chest. The tavern has free silver and gold chests on timers, and the VIP chest refills daily.
- Send scouts out. Exploring the fog finds villages and caves, which pay resources, gems and items. It also shows you where good city spots are.
Day 2: the second builder and an alliance
A second builder is the biggest early boost in the game. VIP 6 unlocks it permanently. Until you reach VIP 6, a Builder Recruitment item gives you the second builder for two days at a time. Spending early gems on VIP points is one of the few gem purchases experienced players agree on, because VIP is permanent; it is the first step in most gem spending guides, and our gems guide explains the order.
Join an alliance on day 2 at the latest. Alliance help shortens every build and research timer, alliance territory speeds up gathering, and the alliance store sells teleports, shields and speedups for credits you earn by helping. Pick an alliance that is active in chat and has territory, and move your city next to it with the alliance teleport most alliances hand out. More in the alliance guide.
Day 3 and 4: research in the right order
The Academy has two trees: Economic and Military. In week one, Economic research wins, because it speeds up everything else:
| Priority | Research | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Building speed nodes (Masonry, then Engineering) | Every City Hall upgrade gets faster, and they stack |
| 2 | Research speed nodes (Writing, then Mathematics) | Makes the rest of the tree cheaper in time |
| 3 | Gathering nodes for the resource you lack | More resources per march |
| 4 | Military: tier 3 then tier 4 for your main troop type | Troop tier matters more than quantity in fights |
| 5 | Combat Tactics, Defensive Formation, Herbal Medicine | Core stat nodes that every troop type benefits from |
Use your universal speedups on research rather than on buildings. Building speedups are separate items you will get plenty of; universal ones are more flexible, and research is the slower queue.
Day 5 to 7: commanders, barbarians and troop type
Pick one troop type to focus on: infantry, cavalry or archers. Your research, your commanders and later your equipment should all point the same way. The common free to play paths are covered on the commander tier list and the pairings page; in short, current guides still recommend Scipio Africanus and Joan of Arc as starter picks, Sun Tzu for infantry and Baibars or Pelagius for cavalry.
Hit barbarians every day. They give commander XP and items, and they are how you level commanders before you have XP books. Use action points, do not let them cap, and attack barbarians at a level your march can beat without heavy losses. Lohar is the classic barbarian helper in the secondary slot.
The First March: 8 Tips You Wish You'd Known Earlier (official channel)Keep an eye on commander levels too. Commanders gain XP from every barbarian they beat, so the commander you send most often levels fastest. Send the pair you plan to keep, not whoever happens to be free.
The shield and when you become a target
New cities start under a beginner peace shield. Attacking another city removes it, so do not attack players in week one even if they look weak. When the protection ends, keep two habits: keep troops healed and inside, and use a peace shield (8 hour or 24 hour, from the VIP store or the alliance store) when you go offline before a known war. Storehouse upgrades protect part of your resources from being plundered.
Mistakes that cost new players weeks
- Upgrading every building. Only upgrade what the next City Hall level needs, plus farms and mills early on.
- Spreading XP across ten commanders. Two levelled commanders beat ten half levelled ones.
- Ignoring the alliance. No alliance help, no territory bonus, no teleport. A solo city falls behind in days.
- Training tier 1 troops in huge numbers. Train enough to gather and hit barbarians, then save for tier 3 at City Hall 16.
- Moving past City Hall 7 without thinking. Your beginner teleports go away at level 8.
- Skipping daily quests. They pay 100 gems a day plus resources. Over a year that is a lot of free VIP.
Once week one is behind you, the road ahead is City Hall 16 for tier 3 troops, City Hall 21 for tier 4 and finally City Hall 25. Plan it with the City Hall 25 guide.
Troop types and counters in one minute
Rise of Kingdoms has four troop types. Three of them form a circle: infantry beats cavalry, cavalry beats archers and archers beat infantry. Siege units are for attacking cities and structures, not for field fights. In practice this means two things for a new player. First, a march of the right type can beat a bigger march of the wrong type, so look at what you are attacking before you send. Second, build one main type and keep a smaller amount of the others, so you can answer what your enemies use. Barbarians on the map can be hit by any type; the commanders matter more there than the troops.
Your daily routine after week one
- Collect the VIP chest, the free tavern chests and resources from your buildings.
- Restart every queue: builder, Academy and troop training. An empty queue is lost time.
- Send gathering marches into alliance territory and use the rest of your action points on barbarians.
- Help the alliance and donate to the marked alliance technology.
- Finish the daily quests for the 100 gems and the activity chests.
- Check the event calendar before spending any speedups. See the events calendar for why.
That routine takes ten to fifteen minutes a day, and it is what separates accounts that reach City Hall 22 in the first KvK from accounts that do not.
FAQ
What should I do first in Rise of Kingdoms?
Follow the main quest chain, keep your builder busy on City Hall requirements, get a second builder and join an active alliance on day one or two.
How do I get a second builder in Rise of Kingdoms?
VIP 6 unlocks the second builder permanently. Before that, a Builder Recruitment item gives you a second builder for two days.
When does the beginner teleport expire?
Beginner teleports are removed when your City Hall reaches level 8. They only target kingdoms that opened less than 10 days ago.
What should I research first in Rise of Kingdoms?
Building speed and research speed nodes in the Economic tree first, then gathering. Move to Military research for your main troop type once the economy nodes are rolling.
When do I unlock tier 3 and tier 4 troops?
City Hall 16 unlocks tier 3 troops and City Hall 21 unlocks tier 4. Tier 5 needs City Hall 25, an Academy at 25 and the matching research.
Should I attack other players early?
No. Attacking another city removes your beginner shield, and early raids give little compared with the risk. Hit barbarians instead.