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The first real decision in Rise of Kingdoms is your civilization. It sets your starting commander, your unique unit and a handful of permanent bonuses. The good news for new players: it matters less than it looks, and you can change it later. Here’s how to choose without overthinking it.

New to the game? Start with our look at whether Rise of Kingdoms is worth playing.

What a civilization actually gives you

Each civilization comes with:

  • A starting commander, such as Boudica for Britain or Sun Tzu for China.
  • A specialty unit type: infantry, cavalry or archers, plus a unique unit for that civilization.
  • Three bonuses, a mix of combat stats (attack, defense, HP) and economy (building speed, research, gathering, healing).

Combat bonuses help when you fight. Economy bonuses help you grow faster, which is what a new city needs most.

Every civilization’s bonuses

These are the bonuses as listed in Pocket Gamer’s civilization guide, updated October 2026. Values can change with game updates, so check them on the selection screen too.

Civilization Commander Troop focus Bonuses
Britain Boudica Archers +5% archer attack, +5% troop training speed, +20% ally garrison capacity
Egypt Imhotep Archers Archer attack, +1.5% building speed, +1.5% research speed, +5% rally damage
China Sun Tzu Mixed +3% troop defense, +5% action point recovery, +5% building speed
Germany — Cavalry +5% cavalry attack, +5% troop training speed, +20% action point recovery
Vikings Bjorn Ironside Infantry +5% infantry attack, +3% counterattack damage, +10% troop load
Greece Pericles Infantry +5% infantry HP, +5% rallied army damage, +10% stone gathering
Korea — Archers +5% archer defense, +15% hospital capacity, +3% research speed
Arabia — Cavalry +5% cavalry attack, +10% damage to barbarians and neutral units, +5% rallied damage
Japan — Infantry +3% troop attack, +30% scout march speed, +5% gathering speed
France Joan of Arc Mixed +3% troop HP, +10% wood gathering, +20% hospital healing speed
Spain Pelagius Cavalry +5% cavalry defense, +10% XP from barbarians and neutral units, +20% resource production
Ottoman Empire Osman Archers +5% archer HP, +5% march speed, +5% active skill damage
Byzantium — Cavalry +5% cavalry HP, +10% stone gathering, +15% hospital capacity
Rome Scipio Africanus Infantry +5% infantry defense, +5% march speed, +10% food gathering

A dash means the guide doesn’t name the starting commander.

The safest picks for a first city

Britain is the most common beginner recommendation. Faster troop training helps early, archer attack is useful in fights, and the extra garrison capacity makes you a better ally inside an alliance.

Egypt suits players who want to grow first. Building and research speed are small numbers, but they apply to everything you do in the early weeks.

China is a solid pick if you want a fast start: building speed and action point recovery (which you spend fighting barbarians) both speed up early growth.

Rome is gentle for complete beginners: infantry defense and extra food gathering make early mistakes less costly.

If none of that clicks, pick the one whose commander or look you like. You’ll be playing it every day.

Picks to understand before choosing

  • Japan’s scout speed bonus mostly helps exploring, which matters most at the very start.
  • Combat-heavy picks like Germany, Arabia or the Vikings shine when you fight a lot, which new players usually don’t yet.

Changing civilization later

You aren’t locked in. Pocket Gamer lists two ways to switch: buying the change with 10,000 of the premium currency, or using Civilization Swap tokens from the Alliance Shop for 2,000,000 Alliance currency. The Alliance Shop route is the free one, and another reason to join an active alliance early. Guides also report that a Civilization Change item is a reward along the City Hall upgrades.

When you switch, your civilization-specific units become the new civilization’s units. Your commanders stay with you.

A common plan: start with a growth-focused civilization like Egypt or China, then switch to a combat one once you begin fighting seriously.

Bottom line

For a first city, take Britain or Egypt, join an active alliance and focus on growth. Your civilization is a starting point, not a life sentence.

Sources

Checked in October 2026: