The Rise and Fall of Siege Commanders in Rise of Kingdoms 2025: An In-Depth Analysis and What Players Should Expect

1. Siege Commanders in 2025: The Changing Meta Landscape

Throughout 2025, Rise of Kingdoms has largely been dominated by infantry units, earning the year the unofficial title of the "Rise of Infantry." Meanwhile, siege commanders—once a hot investment choice in 2024—have seen their dominance wane. Siege units like Cordova, Gaja, and Margaret were celebrated for their raw power, and many players heavily invested in them due to strong early reports.

However, the introduction of generation 9 commanders in 2024 failed to ignite new enthusiasm, as many were niche and underwhelming, especially in open-field combat. This, combined with game balance changes, has led to a noticeable decline in siege usage, with siege now primarily effective in specific niche situations such as choke point defenses rather than broad battlefield dominance.

2. Why Siege Is Struggling: Game Balance and Tech Changes

Several factors contribute to the siege meta’s current struggles:

• Generation 9 Commanders Underperformance: Recent siege commanders like Steven and John Hunyatti are solid but lack the meta-defining presence of previous legends like Cordova or Gajamata. This makes them less attractive for general field use.

• Crystal Technology Adjustments: Recent changes to crystal tech have shifted stats from attack to defense and health. While this benefits frontline troops such as infantry, cavalry, and archers, siege units, which depend on dealing damage from range without frontline durability, are disadvantaged. The reduction of the all-damage buff from 40% to 30%, and loss of attack bonuses, further hampers siege effectiveness.

• Slower Kill Point Farming: With battles lasting longer and players fielding more siege units, competition for kill points intensifies. Siege players find themselves farming kills more slowly due to saturation on the battlefield.

• Developer Monitoring: For the first time, developers publicly acknowledged monitoring ranged unit performance, signaling awareness of siege challenges and intentions to balance the class going forward.

3. The Promise of Combo Damage and Future Siege Commanders

Exciting changes may be on the horizon. Data mining and skill descriptions hint at upcoming siege commanders with "ranged combo attack damage," a mechanic not yet fully implemented but strongly suggested by the inclusion of terminology in commander skill texts.

King Arthur introduced combo damage as the newest damage type, offering massive burst potential, and the next siege commanders might follow suit with combo damage builds. This could potentially revitalize siege gameplay by providing powerful burst damage options previously unavailable.

However, the current lack of new formations supporting ranged or combo damage means siege’s future success also depends on new formations being introduced—something developers plan to do but have not yet included for ranged units.

4. The Tactical Realities of Siege Play

Playing siege effectively is far from "easy mode." Successful siege players:

• Must position their units strategically, often behind frontline troops, to maximize damage output while minimizing damage taken.

• Require attentive micromanagement, moving siege units when enemy advances threaten and repositioning as battlefield conditions change.

• Face challenges in PvP and PvE alike, as siege units do not benefit from buffs that frontline troops receive in many game modes.

• Need to invest heavily in rage regeneration accessories like war drums to maximize skill uptime, as siege units gain less rage naturally from taking damage.

Furthermore, an increasing number of players run siege in large numbers, leading to overcrowded kill zones and diminished returns per player.

5. Community and Competitive Feedback

High-level players and alliances are beginning to push back against over-reliance on siege units. Many top kingdoms emphasize the importance of "murder ball" marches (balanced infantry-cavalry-archer compositions) over pure siege to ensure territorial advancement and objective control.

Siege units excel in niche roles such as holding choke points and altar defense but are insufficient to carry the bulk of an offensive strategy in competitive play. Community figures like Dark Siege and Mr. Siege provide valuable content and strategies, reflecting this evolving siege meta and encouraging players to diversify.

6. Conclusion: Should You Invest in Siege?

Siege commanders remain a viable but situational tool in Rise of Kingdoms 2025. Players should carefully consider their role within their kingdom’s overall strategy. Investing heavily in siege as a main troop type may not yield optimal results under current conditions.

However, future updates featuring new siege commanders with combo damage, new formations supporting ranged attacks, and potential balance changes could reignite siege popularity.

Until then, players are advised to use siege as a supportive army alongside a strong murder ball composition and to keep abreast of upcoming game patches and meta shifts.