Rise of Kingdoms Sculptures Guide: Who Deserves Your Commander Upgrades

In Rise of Kingdoms, sculptures are used to unlock and upgrade commanders’ skills. They’re one of the scarcest resources in the game, so every sculpture you spend should go where it makes the biggest difference.

Types of sculptures

Type	Used for
Commander-specific sculptures	Upgrading one particular commander
Universal sculptures (by rarity)	Upgrading any commander of a matching rarity

Universal sculptures are the most valuable because they’re flexible – treat them like gold.

Why skills matter so much

A commander’s skills often define their whole role. Upgrading skills can:

• Increase damage or healing dramatically.
• Unlock stronger effects at higher levels.
• Lead to “expertise”, a powerful bonus when all skills are maxed.

Choosing who gets sculptures

1. Your main field commander – the one leading your strongest army.
2. Your main Peacekeeping commander – for barbarians and forts. See our barbarians guide.
3. Your main garrison commander – if your alliance relies on you to defend.
4. Gathering commanders – usually last, unless a skill directly boosts gathering.

Universal sculptures: spend carefully

• Use them on commanders you’ll use for a long time.
• Avoid using them on temporary commanders you’ll replace soon.
• Plan which skills to upgrade first – often the first skill or a key passive.

See our commander pairings guide for building around your main commanders.

Common mistakes

• Spreading sculptures across many commanders.
• Spending universal sculptures impulsively.
• Upgrading skills that don’t matter for the commander’s role.

Sculptures are slow to collect, so every decision matters. Focus them on a few key commanders and your armies will feel the difference.