ROK Academy requirements normally follow your City Hall level until the final upgrade. Academy level 25 is different because it directly requires City Hall 25, Watchtower 25, Trading Post 25, large resource costs, and one Master’s Blueprint.
Upgrading the Academy permanently improves research speed and unlocks access to additional economic and military technologies. Academy level 25 provides a 25% research-speed bonus and access to the final Level V research nodes, but it does not automatically unlock T5 troops.
Prepare City Hall 25, Watchtower 25, Trading Post 25, one Master’s Blueprint, approximately 26.8 million Food, 36 million Wood, and 10.2 million Stone. You must also complete the broader nested building chain behind those direct requirements.
What Does the Academy Do?
The Academy manages two research trees:
- Economic technology: Improves gathering, resource production, building speed, research speed, troop load, and other development systems.
- Military technology: Unlocks troop tiers and improves troop Attack, Defense, Health, march speed, and combat efficiency.
Each Academy upgrade also provides a permanent research-speed bonus. The bonus begins at 0.5% and increases to 25% at level 25.
The Academy is one of the city’s most important buildings, but it does not replace City Hall. City Hall determines the maximum level of most structures, while the Academy controls research progression.
For a broader overview of every city structure, read the Rise of Kingdoms buildings guide.
Academy Research and Troop Milestones
Several Academy levels provide access to important troop-tier research. Unlocking access does not immediately provide the troops. You must still finish the required research node and its prerequisite technologies.
| Academy Level | Research-Speed Bonus | Important Military Milestone |
| 8 | 4% | Access to Tier 2 Infantry, Archer, Cavalry, and Siege research |
| 16 | 8% | Access to Tier 3 troop research |
| 21 | 12% | Access to Tier 4 troop research |
| 25 | 25% | Access to final Level V troop research nodes |
Your active civilization may replace the standard Tier 4 or Tier 5 unit with its civilization-specific equivalent. For example, France researches the same Infantry tier but uses the Throwing Axeman and Elite Throwing Axeman.
Compare the available civilization units in the ROK special units tier list.
ROK Academy Requirements by Level
The following table shows commonly documented base values before alliance help, runes, titles, civilization bonuses, VIP bonuses, kingdom buffs, and speedups.
Late-level values should be checked in the live Academy interface because building requirements and displayed timers may change.
| Academy | Required Building | Research Speed | Food | Wood | Stone | Base Time | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City Hall 4 | 0.5% | 500 | 800 | – | 6 seconds | 5 |
| 2 | City Hall 4 | 1% | 1,000 | 1,500 | – | 40 seconds | 11 |
| 3 | City Hall 4 | 1.5% | 2,000 | 2,800 | – | 2 minutes 40 seconds | 27 |
| 4 | City Hall 4 | 2% | 3,800 | 5,000 | 800 | 6 minutes | 61 |
| 5 | City Hall 5 | 2.5% | 6,800 | 9,000 | 1,500 | 20 minutes | 145 |
| 6 | City Hall 6 | 3% | 11,500 | 15,500 | 3,200 | 53 minutes 20 seconds | 336 |
| 7 | City Hall 7 | 3.5% | 17,300 | 23,300 | 5,000 | 1 hour 47 minutes | 688 |
| 8 | City Hall 8 | 4% | 26,000 | 35,000 | 8,000 | 3 hours 33 minutes | 1,346 |
| 9 | City Hall 9 | 4.5% | 39,000 | 52,500 | 12,800 | 7 hours 7 minutes | 2,591 |
| 10 | City Hall 10 | 5% | 58,500 | 78,800 | 20,500 | 14 hours 13 minutes | 4,975 |
| 11 | City Hall 11 | 5.5% | 90,000 | 120,000 | 32,500 | 17 hours 4 minutes | 7,970 |
| 12 | City Hall 12 | 6% | 135,000 | 180,000 | 50,000 | 20 hours 29 minutes | 11,679 |
| 13 | City Hall 13 | 6.5% | 202,500 | 270,000 | 75,000 | 1 day 1 hour | 16,387 |
| 14 | City Hall 14 | 7% | 305,000 | 405,000 | 112,500 | 1 day 5 hours | 22,391 |
| 15 | City Hall 15 | 7.5% | 457,500 | 607,500 | 170,000 | 1 day 11 hours | 30,127 |
| 16 | City Hall 16 | 8% | 687,500 | 912,500 | 255,000 | 1 day 18 hours | 40,207 |
| 17 | City Hall 17 | 8.5% | 1 million | 1.4 million | 382,500 | 2 days 3 hours | 53,497 |
| 18 | City Hall 18 | 9% | 1.6 million | 2.1 million | 575,000 | 2 days 13 hours | 71,227 |
| 19 | City Hall 19 | 9.5% | 2.3 million | 3.1 million | 875,000 | 3 days 1 hour | 95,369 |
| 20 | City Hall 20 | 10% | 3.5 million | 4.7 million | 1.3 million | 3 days 16 hours | 128,424 |
| 21 | City Hall 21 | 12% | 5.2 million | 7.1 million | 2 million | 6 days 5 hours | 174,240 |
| 22 | City Hall 22 | 14% | 7.9 million | 10.6 million | 3 million | 5 days 17 hours | 239,921 |
| 23 | City Hall 23 | 16% | 11.8 million | 15.9 million | 4.5 million | 8 days | 336,515 |
| 24 | City Hall 24 | 18% | 17.8 million | 24 million | 6.8 million | 12 days | 481,806 |
| 25 | City Hall 25, Watchtower 25 and Trading Post 25 | 25% | 26.8 million | 36 million | 10.2 million | 25 days 9 hours | 783,449 |
Academy 25 material: The final upgrade also requires one Master’s Blueprint. The Blueprint is an upgrade material, not an automatic reward for reaching level 25.
Academy Level 25 Requirements
The most important distinction is the difference between direct requirements and nested requirements.
Direct Academy 25 Requirements
These requirements are commonly displayed directly on the Academy upgrade screen:
- City Hall level 25
- Watchtower level 25
- Trading Post level 25
- One Master’s Blueprint
- Approximately 26.8 million Food
- Approximately 36 million Wood
- Approximately 10.2 million Stone
- An available builder
Nested Academy 25 Requirements
Reaching those three direct building requirements requires a much broader progression chain.
Common nested bottlenecks include:
- Castle level 25
- Books of Covenant
- Wall level 25
- Hospital level 25
- Storehouse level 25
- Alliance Center level 25
- Military training buildings
- Required resource buildings
- Scout Camp
- Additional Master’s Blueprints
This is why Castle progress can prevent Academy 25 even when Castle does not appear as a separate line on the Academy screen.
Use the ROK City Hall requirements to review the wider building chain.
Castle and Books of Covenant
Castle level 25 is one of the most difficult nested requirements because the complete Castle path requires 20,095 Books of Covenant.
Barbarian Fort rallies are the main repeatable free source. Direct Gem purchases and selected VIP or alliance rewards may also provide Books.
Review the complete costs in the Books of Covenant and Castle requirements guide.
Watchtower and Arrows of Resistance
Watchtower level 25 requires Arrows of Resistance. These are commonly collected through Barbarian activities, Lohar-related events, and other eligible rewards.
Begin accumulating both Books and Arrows long before Academy level 24. Waiting until the Academy upgrade is blocked creates a much longer late-game delay.
Academy 25 Preparation Checklist
| Requirement Type | What to Prepare |
| Direct buildings | City Hall 25, Watchtower 25, and Trading Post 25 |
| Nested bottleneck | Castle 25 and the required Books of Covenant |
| Upgrade material | One Master’s Blueprint for the Academy upgrade |
| Resources | Food, Wood, Stone, and protected resource items |
| Construction support | Building rune, Architect title, kingdom buff, and Alliance Help |
| After completion | Research prerequisites and the selected Level V troop branch |
Best Academy Research Order
The best research order depends on account age, troop specialization, kingdom season, and current bottlenecks. However, several principles apply to most accounts.
Early-Game Research Priorities
Early research should improve development while unlocking the next usable troop tier.
Prioritize:
- Writing and other available research-speed technologies
- Economic technologies required for further progression
- Gathering speed for the resource limiting your account
- Building-speed technologies
- Required troop-tier technologies
- Basic troop Attack, Defense, and Health
Do not max every resource-production technology before progressing. Research the requirements that improve long-term speed or remove an immediate bottleneck.
Mid-Game Research Priorities
During the Tier 3 and Tier 4 stages, balance development with combat readiness.
Important priorities include:
- Engineering for building speed
- Mathematics for research speed
- Tier 3 and Tier 4 troop research
- Combat Tactics
- Defensive Formation
- Herbal Medicine
- Technologies supporting your main troop type
- Gathering and resource technologies needed for major upgrades
Engineering and Mathematics provide long-term value because their bonuses affect many future timers.
Late-Game Research Priorities
The late-game objective is usually completing the prerequisites for one Level V troop type.
A practical order is:
- Complete the required economic technologies.
- Finish shared military prerequisites.
- Select one main troop type.
- Complete its Attack and Defense branches.
- Finish the required Health and shared technologies.
- Research the final Level V unit.
- Return to the remaining troop branches afterward.
Do not divide months of research equally between Infantry, Cavalry, and Archers without a clear plan. Prioritize the troop type supported by your best commanders, equipment, armaments, and alliance role.
Technology Unlock Tables Can Conflict
Community Academy tables do not always agree about the exact Academy level required for the final levels of Stone Saw, Shaft Mining, Machinery, Carriage, and other late economic technologies.
For that reason, use the following process instead of relying on one static table:
- Open the technology you want to research.
- Select the next technology level.
- Review its Academy requirement.
- Follow the prerequisite arrows backward.
- Record any economic or military technology blocking progress.
- Use the live interface as the final authority.
The Academy level only provides access. Individual technologies can still require earlier technologies at specific levels.
How to Increase Research Speed
Upgrade the Academy
The Academy’s building bonus rises with each upgrade, reaching 25% at level 25. Upgrade it whenever the required City Hall and resources are available.
Research Writing and Mathematics
Writing and Mathematics improve research speed. Completing them earlier reduces the time required for many later technologies.
Collect a Research Rune
Collect the best available research-speed rune immediately before starting a long technology. The bonus is normally calculated when the research timer begins.
Request the Scientist Title
Ask kingdom leadership for the Scientist title before beginning a major technology. You normally do not need to keep the title for the entire research duration.
Use Kingdom Research Buffs
Coordinate major research with scheduled kingdom buffs when waiting does not leave the Academy idle for too long.
Maximize Alliance Help
Start the research first, then wait for alliance members to provide available help before using speedups.
An active alliance can also provide research bonuses through alliance technology and controlled holy sites.
Review VIP and Civilization Bonuses
Some VIP milestones and civilizations provide research-related bonuses. Compare the benefit with the cost of changing civilization or investing additional Gems.
Use Dedicated Research Speedups First
Use research speedups on technology. Preserve universal speedups for whichever progression area is currently blocking the account.
Should You Save Speedups Until Academy 25?
You should preserve a large stockpile for late-game technologies, but saving every research and universal speedup until Academy 25 is too restrictive.
Use Speedups Before Academy 25 When
- You need to unlock an important troop tier.
- Engineering or Mathematics is blocking progression.
- A valuable event milestone is achievable.
- The technology is needed before KvK.
- The Academy would otherwise remain idle.
- The research unlocks a major account function.
Save More Speedups When
- You are approaching Academy 25.
- Late military technologies have extremely long timers.
- You plan to push one T5 branch.
- No valuable event currently rewards the research.
- Your building progression remains the main bottleneck.
Best rule: Do not leave important research unfinished solely to preserve every speedup for Academy 25. Apply all available bonuses before long technologies and spend according to the account’s current bottleneck.
Why Am I Stuck at Academy Level 24?
Academy 24 is where the nested building chain becomes most visible. Check each item below before assuming that the Academy itself is the problem.
Academy 25 Troubleshooting Checklist
- City Hall has not reached level 25.
- Watchtower has not reached level 25.
- Trading Post has not reached level 25.
- Castle progression is blocked by Books of Covenant.
- Watchtower progression is blocked by Arrows of Resistance.
- A nested level 25 building requirement is incomplete.
- The Master’s Blueprint is missing.
- Food, Wood, or Stone is insufficient.
- No builder is available.
- Protected resource items have not been opened.
Open the Academy upgrade screen and select each missing requirement. Continue following the required building chain until you reach the actual bottleneck.
Does Academy Level 25 Unlock T5 Troops?
No. Academy level 25 gives you access to the final troop research nodes, but it does not immediately provide Level V units.
After reaching Academy 25, you still need to:
- Complete the required economic technologies.
- Complete shared military prerequisites.
- Finish the chosen troop-specific branch.
- Research Royal Guard, Royal Knight, Royal Crossbowman, Trebuchet, or the civilization-specific equivalent.
- Train new T5 troops or upgrade existing T4 units.
Each troop type is researched separately. Unlocking T5 Infantry does not automatically unlock T5 Cavalry, Archers, or Siege.
Use the complete Level V troop requirements for the full building and research path.
Comparing developed research accounts? Academy level is an important progression signal, but it does not show the complete strength of an account. Players comparing developed ROK accounts should also review completed economic and military research, unlocked T5 troop types, Castle and Watchtower progress, commanders, equipment, armaments, VIP level, resources, Passport Pages, and current kingdom status.
How to Prepare for a Long Research Project
Complete this checklist before starting a major late-game technology:
- Upgrade the Academy as far as practical.
- Collect a research-speed rune.
- Request the Scientist title.
- Check whether a kingdom research buff is scheduled.
- Confirm alliance research technology and holy-site bonuses.
- Review event scoring and reward thresholds.
- Verify that the correct technology supports your main troop type.
- Start the research.
- Wait for available Alliance Help.
- Use research speedups before universal speedups.
Avoid using a large speedup stockpile before collecting the available bonuses. Research-speed bonuses reduce the original timer, while speedups remove time from the remaining timer.
Academy Resource Planning
Late Academy upgrades and technologies require large amounts of Food, Wood, Stone, and Gold.
Improve resource planning by:
- Developing gathering commanders
- Gathering on alliance territory
- Maintaining farm accounts
- Saving protected resource items
- Avoiding unnecessary troop losses
- Checking the complete technology cost before starting
- Keeping enough resources for the next building prerequisite
Do not open every resource item as soon as it is received. Protected items remain safer in inventory until the upgrade or research is ready to begin.
Use the Rise of Kingdoms gathering guide to improve resource income and troop load.
Common Academy Mistakes
- Leaving the research queue idle: Keep one technology active whenever possible.
- Ignoring nested prerequisites: Academy 25 depends on a broader building chain.
- Waiting too long to collect Books: Begin Barbarian Fort farming early.
- Forgetting Arrows of Resistance: Watchtower 25 is a direct Academy requirement.
- Expecting a free Master’s Blueprint: One is required for the final upgrade.
- Copying an outdated technology table: Verify late prerequisites in the current client.
- Assuming Academy 25 immediately gives T5: Final troop research remains.
- Researching every troop branch equally: Prioritize one developed troop type.
- Saving every speedup: Important earlier research may justify using some.
- Using speedups before applying bonuses: Collect the rune, title, buff, and Alliance Help first.
- Opening resources too early: Keep items protected until needed.
- Starting research without checking events: A small timing adjustment may provide extra rewards.
FAQ
What are the ROK Academy requirements?
Academy levels 1 through 24 generally require the corresponding City Hall level. Academy 25 directly requires City Hall 25, Watchtower 25, Trading Post 25, one Master’s Blueprint, and substantial Food, Wood, and Stone.
What is required for Academy level 25?
The direct requirements are City Hall 25, Watchtower 25, Trading Post 25, one Master’s Blueprint, approximately 26.8 million Food, 36 million Wood, and 10.2 million Stone.
How much research speed does Academy 25 provide?
Academy level 25 provides a 25% building-based research-speed bonus.
Does Academy 25 automatically unlock T5 troops?
No. Academy 25 opens access to the final research nodes. You must still finish the prerequisites and research each Level V troop type separately.
Why am I stuck at Academy level 24?
Check City Hall, Watchtower, Trading Post, Castle, nested building prerequisites, Master’s Blueprint inventory, resources, and builder availability.
Should I save research speedups until Academy 25?
Save a large portion for late technologies, but use some earlier when an important troop tier, development technology, event milestone, or progression bottleneck justifies it.
What should I research first in the Academy?
Prioritize research-speed and building-speed technologies, necessary gathering improvements, the next troop tier, shared combat technologies, and one troop-specific late-game branch.
Does the Academy require a Master’s Blueprint?
Yes. The level 24-to-25 Academy upgrade requires one Master’s Blueprint. It is an upgrade material rather than a reward for completing Academy 25.
Conclusion
ROK Academy requirements are straightforward through level 24, but the final upgrade depends on City Hall 25, Watchtower 25, Trading Post 25, a Master’s Blueprint, resources, and the nested level 25 building chain.
Upgrade the Academy whenever practical, keep the research queue active, and prioritize technologies that improve long-term building and research efficiency. In the late game, concentrate on the economic and military prerequisites for one developed troop type.
Academy level 25 provides a 25% research-speed bonus and access to final Level V research, but it does not automatically unlock T5 units. Each troop branch must still be completed separately.
Looking for more Rise of Kingdoms tips and guides? Explore the Rise of Kingdoms category for building requirements, research strategies, T5 progression, commander guides, events, and migration advice.
