Rise of Kingdoms Special Units Tier List 2026

Every Rise of Kingdoms civilization replaces one standard Tier 4 and Tier 5 Infantry, Archer, or Cavalry unit with a civilization-specific special unit. These units have different base-stat distributions, but they should always be evaluated alongside civilization bonuses, commanders, equipment, armaments, formations, and military technology.

This 2026 special-units tier list covers all 15 civilizations, including Vikings, Egypt, Greece, and Maya. Rankings are separated by troop type because an Infantry unit should not be compared directly with an Archer or Cavalry unit.

What Are Special Units in Rise of Kingdoms?

Special units replace the normal unit in one troop category when you reach Tier 4 and Tier 5.

For example, France uses:

• Throwing Axeman instead of the standard Tier 4 Long Swordsman
• Elite Throwing Axeman instead of the standard Tier 5 Royal Guard

A special unit mainly changes:

• Base Attack
• Base Defense
• Base Health
• Visual appearance
• The distribution of additional stat points over the normal unit

The civilization’s percentage bonuses are a separate system. France’s troop-health bonus, for example, is not included inside the Elite Throwing Axeman’s displayed base Health value.

Are There Special Siege Units?

No current civilization replaces the standard Tier 4 or Tier 5 Siege unit with a civilization-specific version. The special-unit list therefore covers Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry.

Do You Research Special Units Separately?

No separate Throwing Axeman, Mamluk, or Hwarang research tree is required. Complete the normal military research for the relevant troop tier while using the corresponding civilization.

For the complete final research path, read the guide to unlocking Tier 5 troops.

Complete ROK Special Units List

How Special Unit Stats Work

Special-unit tables show raw base-stat points. These should not be confused with percentage bonuses from civilizations, commanders, technology, equipment, or armaments.

Raw Stat Points

Suppose the standard Royal Knight has 220 Attack and the Elite Mamluk has 227 Attack. The Elite Mamluk has seven additional Attack points.

This does not mean it has seven percent more Attack.

Percentage Bonuses

Arabia separately provides a Cavalry Attack percentage bonus. That percentage is applied through the civilization system rather than included as seven raw points in the Elite Mamluk’s unit panel.

Is Health Always Better Than Attack?

No single stat is automatically best for every march.

• Health: Improves overall durability and can be valuable when the account already has large Attack bonuses.
• Defense: Supports sustained fighting and reduces the impact of incoming damage.
• Attack: Supports damage-focused marches, rallies, and builds that already have enough durability.

The best distribution depends on commander skills, equipment, armaments, formations, military technology, the enemy march, and the type of battle.

How This Special Units Tier List Works

This article ranks units within their own troop category. The ranking considers:

• The special unit’s stat emphasis
• The matching civilization’s combat bonuses
• Open-field usefulness
• Rally or garrison value
• March speed and healing efficiency
• Training, research, and Action Point utility
• How specialized the civilization is

The tiers mean:

• S Tier: Strong competitive choice for its intended role
• A Tier: Valuable but more specialized
• B Tier: Useful in certain stages or account types

Infantry Special Units Tier List

France: Throwing Axeman

The Throwing Axeman is France’s Tier 4 special unit, while the Elite Throwing Axeman is its Tier 5 version.

Its stat profile emphasizes Health, which works well with France’s troop-health and Hospital healing-speed bonuses. France is therefore a strong choice for active open-field fighters who expect to heal frequently.

Best for: General Infantry combat, open field, durability, and efficient healing.

Greece: Argyraspides

Greece combines an Infantry special unit with Infantry Health and rallied-army damage. This makes it particularly relevant for players leading Infantry rallies.

The stone-gathering bonus provides secondary economic value, but Greece becomes most useful when the account has the commanders, technology, equipment, and alliance role needed to lead rallies.

Best for: Infantry rally leaders and health-focused Infantry accounts.

Vikings: Berserker

The Berserker emphasizes durability compared with an attack-only unit profile. Vikings also provide Infantry Attack and counterattack damage.

This combination is most useful when the march expects to receive multiple attacks, defend an objective, or benefit from counterattack pressure.

Best for: Counterattack-focused Infantry and structure defense.

Read the Vikings and Berserker guide for the full civilization breakdown.

Rome: Legionary

The Legionary emphasizes Defense. Rome also provides Infantry Defense and troop march speed, giving it a useful balance of durability and mobility.

Rome can suit Infantry players who value faster positioning, but it lacks France’s healing efficiency and Greece’s rally damage.

Best for: Mobile Infantry marches and defensive stat profiles.

Japan: Samurai

The Samurai emphasizes Attack. Japan’s bonuses apply troop Attack broadly and also support gathering and scouting.

Japan remains useful for mixed development and farm accounts, but it offers fewer specialized late-game Infantry benefits than France, Greece, or Vikings.

Best for: General Attack, gathering, and flexible secondary accounts.

Archer Special Units Tier List

Ottoman Empire: Janissary

The Janissary distributes additional points between Attack and Health. Ottoman bonuses add Archer Health, troop march speed, and active skill damage.

This is one of the strongest complete packages for traditional Archer open-field marches that rely heavily on active skills.

Best for: Skill-damage Archer marches and open-field mobility.

Egypt: Maryannu

The Maryannu has a health-focused special-unit profile. Egypt also provides Archer Attack, rallied-army damage, and a small building-and-research speed bonus.

Egypt is most valuable for Archer rally leaders, although the development bonus also gives it some value during account progression.

Best for: Archer rallies and combined development utility.

Maya: Spear-Thrower

The Spear-Thrower and Elite Spear-Thrower emphasize Defense and Health over pure Attack. Maya separately provides Archer Defense, normal damage, and Gold gathering speed.

Maya becomes more valuable when the account uses commanders or formations that benefit strongly from normal attacks rather than only active skill damage.

Best for: Normal-damage marches, Archer durability, and Gold-focused farm accounts.

Korea: Hwarang

The Hwarang emphasizes Defense. Korea adds Archer Defense, Hospital capacity, and research speed.

Korea is particularly useful during a major research push toward T5. It can later be replaced by a more combat-focused civilization after research is complete.

Best for: Research progression, Hospital capacity, and defensive Archer profiles.

China: Chu-Ko-Nu

The Chu-Ko-Nu distributes additional points between Attack and Defense. China provides troop Defense, building speed, and Action Point recovery.

China remains one of the best starting civilizations, but its late-game Archer package is less specialized than Ottoman, Egypt, or Maya.

Best for: Early development and balanced Archer statistics.

Britain: Longbowman

The Longbowman and Elite Longbowman emphasize Attack. Britain also provides Archer Attack, troop-training speed, and allied garrison capacity.

Use the correct name when comparing Britain’s unit. The civilization-specific Tier 5 unit is the Elite Longbowman, not the Elite Crossbowman. Royal Crossbowman is the generic Tier 5 Archer unit.

Best for: Archer training and specialized reinforcement or garrison support.

Cavalry Special Units Tier List

Germany: Teutonic Knight

The Teutonic Knight distributes additional points into Defense and Health. Germany also provides Cavalry Attack, troop-training speed, and Action Point recovery.

Germany is one of the strongest permanent civilizations for an active main account because its bonuses remain useful during combat, event preparation, Barbarian Fort farming, and troop training.

Best for: General-purpose main accounts and active Cavalry players.

Arabia: Mamluk

The Mamluk distributes additional points into Attack and Health. These are raw stat points, not percentage increases.

Arabia provides Cavalry Attack, damage against neutral units, and rallied-army damage. Its main value therefore appears when the governor is actively leading rallies.

Best for: Cavalry rally leaders and Fort-rally accounts.

Byzantium: Cataphract

The Cataphract emphasizes Defense. Byzantium also provides Cavalry Health and additional Hospital capacity.

This package improves Cavalry durability, but it lacks Germany’s training and AP bonuses or Arabia’s rally damage.

Best for: Durable Cavalry marches and players needing more Hospital space.

Spain: Conquistador

The Conquistador emphasizes Attack. Spain provides Cavalry Defense, additional experience from neutral units, and passive city resource production.

Spain can help during early commander leveling, but most developed accounts gain greater permanent value from Germany, Arabia, or another specialized civilization.

Best for: Early commander experience and auxiliary accounts.

Best ROK Special Units by Role

Should You Change Civilization for a Special Unit?

A special unit alone is rarely a strong enough reason to change civilization.

Before switching, compare:

1. Your main troop type
2. Your strongest commander pairing
3. Your equipment and special talents
4. Your armaments and formations
5. Your current military technology
6. Your open-field, rally, or garrison role
7. Training, research, healing, and AP bonuses
8. The cost of changing civilization

What Happens to Existing Special Units?

When you change civilization, eligible special units convert into the corresponding units of the new civilization at an equivalent tier and quantity.

For example, changing from France to Germany converts eligible Throwing Axemen into Teutonic Knights. Your original starting commander does not automatically change with the civilization.

When a Civilization Change Makes Sense

• Your main commander pairing has changed troop type.
• You are becoming a rally or garrison leader.
• You are beginning a major T5 research push.
• Your current bonuses no longer support your account role.
• A new civilization provides significantly better long-term utility.

When You Should Keep Your Current Civilization

• You only prefer another unit’s appearance.
• Your commanders and equipment do not support the new troop type.
• The change provides only a small raw-stat improvement.
• You expect to switch again shortly afterward.
• The account needs Gems or Individual Credits for a more important objective.

Do Special Units Make a Large Difference?

Special units provide a real advantage over the normal unit, but they are not the main factor deciding a battle.

The following systems usually have a larger impact:

• Commander skills and pairing
• Military technology
• Equipment quality
• Equipment special talents
• Armaments and inscriptions
• Formation selection
• Crystal technology during applicable KvK seasons
• Troop count and march capacity
• Positioning and target selection

A special unit cannot compensate for weak commanders, unfinished military technology, poor equipment, or an unsuitable troop composition.

Use the ROK commander tier list to compare commanders for your selected troop type.

Should You Mix Different Troop Types?

Do not mix Archers, Infantry, and Cavalry merely to create a balanced-looking march.

Many commander skills, talent trees, equipment sets, formations, and armaments reward a march containing one troop type.

Use mixed troops only when:

• The commander specifically supports mixed units.
• A rally or garrison composition requires several troop types.
• You are following a tested Leadership build.
• The selected formation or armament benefits the composition.

For normal open-field fighting, match the special unit to the troop type supported by both commanders.

Common Special Unit Mistakes

• Choosing only by appearance: Civilization bonuses matter more than the unit model.
• Confusing points with percentages: Seven additional Attack points do not equal seven percent Attack.
• Using an outdated list: Vikings, Egypt, Greece, and Maya must be included.
• Calling Britain’s unit Elite Crossbowman: The correct special unit is Elite Longbowman.
• Ranking all troop types together: Compare Infantry with Infantry, Archers with Archers, and Cavalry with Cavalry.
• Assuming Health is always best: Stat value depends on the complete march.
• Mixing troops without synergy: Many builds require one troop type.
• Ignoring commander compatibility: A strong unit needs the correct pairing.
• Changing civilization too frequently: Switching consumes valuable account resources.
• Expecting a special unit to fix weak technology: Complete military research remains essential.

FAQ

Which civilization has the Throwing Axeman in ROK?

France has the Throwing Axeman as its Tier 4 Infantry special unit. The Tier 5 version is the Elite Throwing Axeman.

What is the best special unit in Rise of Kingdoms?

There is no universal winner. France is excellent for general Infantry fighting, Ottoman suits skill-damage Archers, Germany provides broad Cavalry utility, and Arabia and Greece are strong for rally leaders.

What is the best Infantry special unit?

The Elite Throwing Axeman is one of the strongest general Infantry choices because of its Health profile and France’s healing bonuses. Elite Argyraspides is more suitable for an Infantry rally leader.

What is the best Archer special unit?

Elite Janissary is a strong general skill-damage choice. Elite Maryannu is better suited to Archer rally leaders, while Elite Spear-Thrower supports normal-damage builds.

What is the best Cavalry special unit?

Elite Teutonic Knight is a strong general option because Germany provides training and AP recovery. Elite Mamluk is more suitable for dedicated Cavalry rally leaders.

Do special units have better stats than normal troops?

Yes. They redistribute additional base stat points into Attack, Defense, Health, or a combination of those attributes.

What happens to special units when you change civilization?

Eligible special troops convert into the equivalent unit of the new civilization at the same tier and quantity.

Should you change civilization only for a special unit?

Usually not. Compare the complete civilization bonuses, commanders, equipment, technology, account stage, and battlefield role before switching.

Conclusion

Rise of Kingdoms currently has 15 civilization-specific unit lines across Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry. The Throwing Axeman belongs to France, while Vikings use Berserkers, Egypt uses Maryannu, Greece uses Argyraspides, and Maya uses Spear-Throwers.

Compare special units within the same troop category and separate raw base-stat points from percentage civilization bonuses. A unit with seven additional Attack points does not automatically provide seven percent more Attack.

France, Greece, Ottoman, Egypt, Maya, Germany, and Arabia can all be strong choices, but they serve different roles. Choose the civilization that supports your commanders, technology, equipment, formations, and alliance responsibilities rather than selecting one universal winner.

Looking for more Rise of Kingdoms tips and guides? Explore the Rise of Kingdoms category for civilization rankings, commander builds, T5 requirements, equipment advice, events, and migration strategies.