Rise of Kingdoms commander pairings tier list (November 2026)

How to read this tier list

In Rise of Kingdoms, a commander is only as good as the pairing it is in. Every march has a primary commander, whose skills and talents lead, and a secondary, who adds their skills. So this list ranks pairings for open-field fighting, the battles between marches that decide KvK, rather than single commanders.

• Z tier: Defines the meta.
• S tier: Top pick.
• A tier: Strong.
• B tier: Solid.
• C tier: Situational.

Order matters. Hermann + Alp Arslan and Alp Arslan + Hermann are listed separately, because the primary commander's talent tree changes the whole march. Best per troop type right now: archer, Qin Shi Huang + Zhuge Liang; infantry, Sun Tzu + Yi To; cavalry, Ivan IV + Achilles. The commanders that appear most in Z and S tier are Sun Tzu (5), Ivan IV (4), Liu Che (3), Achilles (3).

Where the ranking comes from

We don't invent placements. The pairings and tiers are RokHub's open-field tier list, which is checked against the meta twice a day. We copy it as published and add the tools: the filter by commander and the "your best pairing" checklist, so you can see what to run with the commanders you actually have.

Using it well

• Skill levels beat tier. A 5-5-5-5 A-tier pairing usually beats an S-tier one stuck at 5-1-1-1.
• Stick to one troop type. Equipment and many talents favour a single troop type, so a full set for one type beats half-sets for three.
• Field, not rally or garrison. Rally and garrison commanders follow different rules, so don't use this list for those.
• Planning how long your speedups will last for the next upgrade? Try the speedup calculator.

Portraits shown where we have them from the Rise of Kingdoms Wiki; newer commanders use initials.