Rise of Kingdoms marked its eighth anniversary in late August with Version 1.1.11, a milestone update that added two new Legendary Commanders to the roster. Three weeks on, the celebration content built around that update is still active in many kingdoms, making this a good moment to catch up on what changed.
For a mobile strategy title that's been running since 2019, an eighth anniversary with fresh commanders and combat-formation changes is a sign Lilith Games is still treating Rise of Kingdoms as an active priority rather than a legacy product coasting on its playerbase.
What's new in Version 1.1.11
The update rolled out on August 27, with roughly two hours of scheduled maintenance. Its headline addition is a pair of Legendary Commanders built around combo mechanics with each other:
- William Marshal — a cavalry specialist geared toward rallies and structure attacks, dealing damage while applying debuffs to enemy forces.
- Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) — a more versatile, open-field commander whose decree abilities buff allies while inflicting a terror effect that cuts enemy attack and march speed.
Beyond the new commanders, the patch introduced a new Attack March Command for more precise targeting, and a Double Line Formation that grants a 10% march-speed bonus when moving against Barbarians. Lilith also adjusted Crystal Technology, lowering some upgrade requirements and cutting the gem cost of an instant return from 200 down to 80 — a meaningful quality-of-life change for anyone managing city relocations.
The anniversary celebration is still going
Version 1.1.11 wasn't just a commander drop — it shipped alongside a full slate of anniversary activities: an Art Festival for gathering materials, a Melon Market for trading, Arms Training combat challenges, an Alliance Quiz, Sphinx riddles, Desert Tracks escort missions, a Circus of Wonders event line, and a retrospective "RoK Yearbook" feature.
Anniversary sign-in rewards, yearbook content, and related reunion incentives have continued to roll out into September, though exact timing and availability still depend on each kingdom's age and the in-game event calendar.
What it means for players
If William Marshal or Ivan IV fit your current commander lineup, the anniversary window is a reasonable time to invest — rally and open-field metas are shifting as more alliances adopt the new combo pairing. Beyond the new faces, the Crystal Technology cost reduction is worth planning around even for players sitting out the anniversary events entirely, since it lowers the resource bar for city-management decisions long after the celebration ends.
The takeaway: Rise of Kingdoms' eighth year opened with real roster and system changes, not just cosmetic anniversary trimmings, and several of those celebration activities are still claimable — so it's worth checking your kingdom's event calendar before the window closes.
