Most new players spend their first two weeks doing things in the wrong order. They rush buildings, ignore their alliance, and split their commander experience across five different heroes at once. By the time they realize what went wrong, they're a month behind players who started on the same server. This guide exists to make sure that doesn't happen to you.
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Before you play your first session, there are three choices that will define your first month. Get them right and you'll grow faster than most players on your server. Get them wrong and you'll spend weeks trying to recover.
Your civilization determines your starting commander, your special unit, and the bonuses that will accelerate your early game. If you're new and don't have a specific playstyle in mind yet, start with China. The building speed bonus and action point recovery are genuinely useful, and Sun Tzu is an excellent early commander who stays relevant for a long time. If you already know you want to play a competitive role in alliance warfare, Arabia gives you the foundation for becoming a rally leader.
You get one free civilization change after the tutorial, so your choice isn't permanent. But it's still worth getting right the first time, since switching later costs resources that are better spent elsewhere.
For a deeper breakdown of every civilization and which one fits which playstyle, check our Rise of Kingdoms complete guide.
Rise of Kingdoms servers age. A server that's been running for eight months has entrenched alliances, established power hierarchies, and players with fully developed accounts. As a new player joining that server, you're starting from zero against people who've had months of head start. Try to join a server that opened recently — ideally within the past two to four weeks — where the playing field is still relatively even.
This is not optional. An alliance gives you protection when you're offline, access to the alliance shop, help points that dramatically speed up your buildings and research, and real players who will answer your questions and tell you what to prioritize. The single most common mistake among new players is either skipping the alliance entirely or staying in an inactive one. Find one that communicates, and join it before you do anything else.
The first seven days set the pace for everything that follows. Here's where to put your attention.
Everything in your city has its level capped by your City Hall level. The moment you can upgrade it, do it. Focus your speedups and resources on City Hall upgrades above everything else. Every other building follows from there.
Action points regenerate over time and cap out. Any AP you don't spend before hitting the cap is wasted. Use your AP to farm barbarians — it gives you commander experience, resources, and alliance credits all at once. Open the game twice a day and spend your AP every time.
The game will give you access to many commanders quickly. Resist the temptation to develop all of them. Pick one gathering commander and one combat commander, and put every XP book into them until they're fully built. A maxed Sun Tzu beats five half-built commanders in almost every situation.
The Event Calendar is the fastest source of free resources, speedups, and commander experience in the early game. Log in, check what events are active, and complete the ones that align with what you're already doing. Most events reward actions you'd take anyway.
Tribal villages scattered across the map contain free resources and sometimes rare items. Scout them before attacking to make sure your troops are strong enough to win. Early losses set your troop count back significantly.
One habit that separates good beginners from great ones: always have something building, something researching, and something training at the same time. The players who grow fastest are the ones who never let their queues sit empty.
The right building order depends on your City Hall level, but the general principle stays the same throughout the early game. City Hall comes first. Then the buildings that unlock your next City Hall upgrade. Then everything else.
In practice, this means you'll often be upgrading two or three specific buildings to meet City Hall requirements, then upgrading City Hall itself, then starting the cycle again. Don't get distracted by buildings that feel important but aren't prerequisites. Decorative upgrades and secondary military buildings can wait.
Research follows a similar logic. The technology tree is large and it's easy to spread thin. In the early game, prioritize research that directly improves your troop power and resource production. Economic and military research both matter, but troop capacity and training speed will feel the most impactful in your first month.
The most common building mistake: upgrading multiple military buildings to the same level when only one is needed for City Hall requirements. Check the upgrade prerequisites carefully before spending resources on buildings that aren't on the critical path.
Joining an alliance is only the first step. Using it well is what separates players who grow quickly from those who stagnate.
The most valuable thing your alliance offers in the early game is help points. Every time an alliance member requests help on a building or research, every other member can click a button to reduce the timer. These reductions stack, and in an active alliance they can cut hours off of long upgrades. Get in the habit of helping your alliance members every time you log in — they'll return the favor.
The alliance shop is the second major benefit. You earn alliance credits by helping members and by defeating alliance bosses. Spend those credits on resource packs, speedups, and eventually on commander sculptures for the free-to-play commanders you're developing. Boudica and Sun Tzu sculptures are available in the alliance shop and are worth prioritizing.
Finally, read the alliance mail. Leaders send information about alliance events, KvK timing, and coordination instructions. Players who ignore the mail miss out on the moments where alliance effort is concentrated — and those are the moments that determine whether your server performs well in KvK.
If you're exploring strategy games for the first time and want to see what else is worth your time alongside Rise of Kingdoms, we put together a guide covering the top free strategy games available for PC right now — including two titles that experienced players are running in parallel with RoK.
Read: The Best Free Strategy Games for PC Right Now →Most of these mistakes are easy to make because they feel logical on the surface. Knowing them in advance will save you significant time.
Attacking other players too early. In your first 30 days, you're protected by a beginner's peace shield. The moment you attack another player, that shield disappears. You're not ready to defend yourself in the early game. Farm barbarians, gather resources, and build your city until you're confident in your troop power and alliance backing.
Spending gems on speedups. Gems are the premium currency in Rise of Kingdoms and they're hard to accumulate without spending money. The one place free-to-play players should consider spending gems is on VIP levels — specifically VIP 6, which unlocks the second building queue and makes a significant difference in your growth rate. Everything else can wait.
Ignoring the barbarian fortress. Alliance barbarian fortress events give every contributing member significant rewards. Participate in these as soon as your alliance starts running them. The rewards are among the best free resources available in the early game.
Staying in a dead alliance. If your alliance has fewer than ten active members and nobody is helping requests, leave and find a better one. A mediocre active alliance is worth far more than a large inactive one.
Rise of Kingdoms plays well on mobile, but a desktop setup gives you a larger map view, keyboard shortcuts, and more precise control during war events. If you want to play on PC, here's the quickest way to get set up.
Download BlueStacks from the official site and install it on your computer. It's a free Android emulator and takes about five minutes to set up. Once it's running, open the Google Play Store inside BlueStacks, search for Rise of Kingdoms, and install it. Log in with your existing account — your progress syncs automatically between mobile and desktop.
For best performance, allocate at least 4GB of RAM to BlueStacks in the settings. During large war events, the game renders a lot of simultaneous activity on the map, and more memory keeps the frame rate smooth.
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Continue Reading
Once you've got your first week sorted, these guides will help you take the next step:
Rise of Kingdoms: The Complete Guide — Full overview of every game system, from civilizations to KvK.
Best Civilization in Rise of Kingdoms — Full tier list to pick the right nation for your playstyle.
Best Commanders Tier List — Which commanders to invest in first, from beginner to KvK veterans.
Best Free Strategy Games for PC Right Now — Other free games worth playing alongside Rise of Kingdoms.
How long does the beginner's peace shield last?
The beginner's protection shield lasts until you attack another player's city, or until a certain number of days have passed — whichever comes first. Avoid attacking players until you're confident in your troop power and have a strong alliance behind you.
What is the best civilization for a complete beginner?
China is the most recommended starting civilization for new players. The building speed bonus accelerates your early growth, and Sun Tzu is a strong, versatile epic commander that remains useful well into the mid-game.
How many commanders should I develop at the start?
Focus on two: one gathering commander and one combat commander. Put all your XP books into them until they're fully developed before moving on to others. Spreading experience thin across many commanders is the most common mistake new players make.
Can I catch up if I start on an old server?
It's possible but difficult. On a server that's been active for several months, established players have a significant structural advantage. If you have the option, start on a newer server where the playing field is more even.
Is it worth spending money as a beginner?
If you're considering any spending, VIP levels are the most efficient investment for new players — particularly VIP 6, which unlocks a second building queue. Beyond that, the game is fully playable and competitive without spending anything.
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