Rival Kingdoms - getting started and FAQ (iOS / Android)

If you're already playing this game and just want the promotional codes, then check the earlier post. At the time of writing there's about 57K in gold codes up and available, which should get your Stronghold to level 4 in no time.

Currently the game is about a week old, it was released on May 9'th for iOS, and will be made available for the Android market on May 21'st 2015.

Some questions in Global chat will be repeated so and then, it's always a nice thing to just have a list of answers rather than having to find a wiki or listen to hours of Youtube chatter and end up with nothing.

FAQ and Tips

- Q: Where do I enter codes?
- A: At the bottom-left of your screen you'll notice 3 icons, press the one with 9 squares. This is called the "menu" button. Next, scroll right until you find "Redeem a Code". Now just enter a few of the codes that we've collected so far. You'll have a nice bunch of gold to start. Mind though, keep them in your inventory until you actually have storage space for it. Please note you can only use each code once.

- Q: What is a kingdom and why can't I join one yet?
- A: If you've played Clash of Clans (CoC) in the past, this is basically a Clan or Guild, a group of other players who are "on your side" so to say. You help each other, and as a group you fight PvP battles. You need to have a level 4 stronghold to join one.

- Q: Why should I join a kingdom?
- A: Simple reasons. 1: You get more troops, thus you earn more gold and can progress on battles better. 2: Kingdom raids earn you more rings as well as loyalty points. Every 5K LP you can buy a loyalty chest, these can contain junk, but also a LOT of gems (I had 500 from one, 150 from another). More gems means more builders. You will want to get into a kingdom as soon as you can, never start your own though - always join an existing one. Aside that, most kingdoms will rotate the raider position if you ask for it - meaning you'll get between 10-25% "extra" gold during raids.

- Q: When building my base, what buildings should I protect?
- A: Your stronghold is generally the most important building, if you lose that you'll have lost the battle and your attacker gains +15 mana. Aside that, there's the Troop Portal, which gives your attacker +4 bonus mana which will generally be enough to start casting his first spell, or the kingdom portal which gives +3. Gold Smelters and Gold Storage can be annoying to lose if you've hoarded a lot of gold as well, and may become juicy targets once you reach a high "win streak".

- Q: These ancients, how do I get more and can I make them stronger?
- A: As stated, you start with Sulric if you use the code "Samurai" you'll unlock the "Essence Master" as well. You'll be able to find more ancients when doing battles and getting a chest reward. You can also buy chests. If you get a duplicate ancient you will "convert" him or her to "primus" which you can then use to upgrade an ancient the same element. "Pure primus" may be used on any element.

- Q: Mana? Wtf is mana? CoC didn't have mana.
- A: Your ancients use mana, you'll start with a fire guy called "Sulric", and later on you'll unlock new ones. You can store up to 30 mana during a fight and use spells which cost 5, 10 or 15 mana to cast. Failing to protect these "high mana buildings" can change the outcomem of the battle quite quickly.

- Q: Walls are important to protect my buildings then, right?
- A: Yes and no. Until you reach Stronghold level 4+ you probably shouldn't even bother building walls, let alone upgrading them. This is because you won't have enough walls to really make a good fence, and early on most people will use the Warden (aka: archer) troop which will shoot right across your walls anyway.

- Q: What do I do with gems, how to I get more?
- A: Gems are the "special" currency in this game, it allows you to skip upgrade times, buy extra builders, rare chests and more gold. If you follow the tutorial and complete some of the achievement tasks you'll soon have 2000 saved up. I recommend buying an extra builder with that. You could buy a "rare ancient chest", but chances are big that you'll get a duplicate or one you'll replace or not even use.

- Q: Upgrading my Stronghold now requires rings, where do I get these?
- A: Once you start needing rings, you'll start getting them in battles, just save them up. You'll get 1 battle stone every 20 minutes up to the limit of 5. And you can get 10x5 free battle stones each time you run out. It's best to save those free battles until you also get rings that way.

- Q: Some guy with a high level base said I shouldn't build Gold smelters, what gives?
- A: Gold smelters are a building, and each building your attacker destroys gives him at least +1 mana, see above why that is bad. If you can't play the game more than once or twice a day though, gold smelters can be a good source of income for being able to build more stuff. You can't destroy them later on though. The reasons for not building them means you'd have to battle a lot to get the gold you need, not all players will have that luxury of time. But, most high players will tell you that the smelters barely provide you with any gold, and it costs a lot to upgrade them - so there is merit to the story.

- Q: Dragons? I want one! Why can't I build a Dragon roost yet?
- A: You'll most likely get your first dragon called "Foreveil" after completing "Tracking Forevail" in The Frozen North. It's an 8 piece quest which gradually increases in difficulty and costs a battle stone each time you make an attempt. I recommend doing it once you reach Stronghold level 4-5 and have upgraded your Wardens some. Foreveil will help you a LOT during battles.

- Q: What does the retreat button do?
- A: You don't "have" to wait for your troops to fully destroy the enemy base, and you don't "have" to use all your troops if you don't want to. Especially during kingdom raids it's advised to retreat as soon as you've destroyed the enemy stronghold. Press the button "X" at the top of your screen twice to end the battle.

- Q: What ancient should I use / level up?
- A: That is entirely up to you obviously, generally the Rare ancients will be a bit better than the Common ones, and the Epic ones will be better than the Rare ones. They still each have a different playstyle, and are good with different kinds of troops. High HP troops will benefit from healing more than low hp troops for example. Foreveil once you get him is a good one to start leveling - since you also increase your dragon's dps while in battle. Later on you may want to move to Nakhti for disabling defenses while doing damage, or Nyrax for the sheer number of cannon fodders and healing. It's all down to the playstyle you enjoy most - as well as how your enemy has set up their base. Experiment and find out what's best for you.

- Q: What is the best way to rank high in individual tournaments?
- A: You only get 10 fights, and you're rated by the amount of rings you've stolen. You get more rings at a higher win streak. So, if you expect to be able to get a 10 win streak at most - lose a battle, then start the individual tournament and get that 10 win streak. If you expect to be able to get a 20 win streak, then you get a 10 win streak started before starting the individual tournament. With greater win streaks comes the increasing risk of losing however, and possibly missing out on the number 1 spot for this tournament.

Have more questions? Don't fear to ask, they'll be answered in the comments or added to the article.

More Info
- The official RK Website
- The official Facebook page
- The iOS Store page