The various commanders that are available to use in Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade.
Commanders here are sorted alphabetically with the exception of Legendary Commanders from 2nd or 3rd generation where they're sorted according to their order of appearance, Wheel of Fortune first.
Advanced Commanders
"A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Most centurions commanded groups of centuries of around 80 legionaries but senior centurions commanded cohorts or took senior staff roles in their legion. Centurions were also found in the Roman navy. In the Byzantine Army, they are also known by the name kentarch. Their symbol of office was the vine staff, with which they disciplined even Roman citizens protected from other forms of beating by the Porcian Laws. Centurions had to be literate (to be able to read written orders), have connections (letters of recommendation), be at least 30 years of age, and have already served a few years in the military."
- Worker Unit: He has Gathering as his specialty and his Army Management skill increases his gathering speed and troop load. Ironically this pretty much makes him the most useful among the Advanced commanders.
"The city guard or city watch was a type of law enforcement and security organization found in many different countries and historical periods, usually subordinate to the local municipal government. "City keepers," on the other hand, were unofficial organizations (although they were authorized by their respective governments) committed to ensuring the safety of small cities. Historically, many big cities had their own guard forces, which doubled as policy and military forces in times of need, while small cities generally suffered from lack of permanent security forces. That is why city keepers came to be."
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Is shown wielding a shield in his render.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: While he'll obviously be outclassed due to being an Advanced rarity commander, City Keeper himself doesn't have any unique niche that other commanders couldn't do better. Centurion is a useful gathering commander, Dragon Lancer's march speed bonus makes him useful to traverse the map while Markswoman is useful as a Peacekeeping commander.
"A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance, while dragoons were elite forces consisting of veteran lancers. Lances were used in mounted warfare by the Assyrians as early as 700 BC and subsequently by Greek, Persian, Gallic, Han-Chinese, nomadic and Roman horsemen. The weapon was widely used in Asia and Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by armoured cavalry, before being adopted by light cavalry, particularly in Eastern Europe. In a modern context, a lancer regiment usually denotes an armoured unit."
- Boring, but Practical: While he seemingly appears to be a weak commander, he is however, considered to be the most useful Advanced rarity commanders thanks to his Fine Horse skill which increases cavalry march speed by 10%, something which no other commanders provide similar boosts besides other Legendary commanders. This makes him particularly useful in for instance, reinforcing a rally or a garrison, or even pick up a rune.
- Jousting Lance: His weapon although it looked more like a spear than a proper lance.
"A markswoman, as the name implies, is a woman who is skilled in precision shooting, using accurate projectile weapons to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-usual ranges. Within the military, markswomen/marksmen are sometimes attached to an infantry fireteam or squad where they support the squad by providing accurate long-range shots at valuable targets as needed, thus extending the effective tactical reach of the fireteam or squad. In the Middle Ages, the first use of the term 'marksman' was given to the royal archers, or bowmen, of a palace guard, which was an elite group of troops chosen to guard a royal palace or the royalty."
Elite Commanders
"Constance was the rightful heiress of the Norman kings of Sicily, but was not immediately recognized by the aristocracy following her father’s death. In 1186, she married Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI and took her place as Queen of Sicily. However, Henry’s Tyrannical rule over the kingdom lead to revolts in Catania and southern Sicily. Henry attempted to placate the rebels by having Constance rule in his stead, but the Sicilians considered the change to be of little substance. Infuriated by Henry’s neglect of her and mistreatment of her people, Constance herself joined the uprising. The rebels eventually besieged Henry and forced him to sign a treaty. In 1197, Henry died suddenly during a visit to Sicily—poisoned by Constance, according to some sources. The following year Constance arranged for her infant son Frederick II to be crowned King of Sicily with herself as Queen Regent, and broke the ties her late husband had formed between Sicily and the Holy Roman Empire. While retaining her status as Empress Dowager of the Holy Roman Empire, Constance was content to see her son succeed only the Sicilian throne, with no desire to claim kingship over the Germans. Constance died suddenly that November, and did not live to witness her son’s great achievements. In her will, Constance established the Council of Regency for Sicily and named Pope Innocent III as guardian to young Frederick, ensuring the safety of her son’s inheritance."
- Boring, but Practical: Pretty much her only use is for gathering resources. However, thanks to her Queen of Sicily skill, she is among the best commander for doing so since she is one of the very few commanders (alongside Matilda or Cleopatra) who innately receives extra resources upon completion.
- Worker Unit: She specializes in Gathering as one of her talents and 3 of her skills supplements it.
"Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the structure of the legions into separate cohorts. Marius defeated the invading Germanic tribes (the Teutones, Ambrones, and the Cimbri), for which he was called "the third founder of Rome." His life and career were significant in Rome's transformation from Republic to Empire."
- Fragile Speedster: His Conqueror of Numidia increases the march speed of siege units but in turn, he will have more slightly wounded units in combat.
- Worker Unit: He specializes in Gathering as one of her talents and 3 of his skills supplements it.
''"Sir Lancelot du Lac ("Lancelot of the Lake"), is one of the most well-known figures from the ancient British legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. As a child, Lancelot was taken away by the Lady of the Lake and raised in her fairy kingdom. He grew up to become the greatest warrior of his time.
Lancelot was renowned for his handsome, carefree nature and gentle attitude, and was loved by many maidens throught the land—including Queen Guinevere. Torn between his devotion to King Arthur and his adulterous love for Queen Guinevere, Lancelots inevitable downfall ended in the destruction of the Round Table."''
- This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Being an Elite commander, Lancelot's skills are obviously terrible, however since he specializes in mobility as well as increasing march speed for his cavalries, he has serves a role as a cheap speedy commander, useful to either reinforce rallies & garrisons, or pick up Runes.
''"Šárka first appeared in the traditional Bohemian tale of the Maidens' War.
In the 9th century AD, the Czech queen Libuše assembled a royal gyard composed entirely of young women. The captain of the guard was a renowned female Czech warrior, Vlasta. After Libuše's death, Vlasta led a troop of women ("The Maidens") against the patriarchal forces of Libuše's husband. Šárka served as Vlasta's deputy commander.
According to legend, Šárka set a trap by tying herself to a tree. When found by the enemy soldiers, she claimed that the Maidens had tied her there. After winning their trust, Šárka added a sleeping potion to a jug of mead and poured a cup for each man as a sign of thanks. Once the men were fast asleep, she signaled the resf of the Maidens to come out of hiding and slaughter the men."''
- Worker Unit: She specializes in Gathering as one of her talents and 2 of her skills supplements it.
''"Tomoe Gozen was a female samurai warrior known for her achievements during the Genpei War (1180-1185). She was the wife of famed general Minamoto no Yoshinaka and frequently accompanied her husband during campaigns.
Tomoe was distinguised by both her beautiful appearance and her military prowess. A skilled archer capable of firing arrows with deadly precision from horseback, her presence on the battlefield could easilt turn the tide of a battile, and it was even said that event he gods and demons feared her.
Tomoe escaped the Battle of Awazu following Yoshinaka's defeat there, but the details of what happened are apocryphal. Since then, Tomoe, has often been featured in Japanese history books and works of literature."''
- Overshadowed by Awesome: While she's obviously outclassed by Epic and Legendary commanders, compared to other Elite commanders, she is unfortunately completely outclassed without any useful niche; Šárka, Gaius and Constance are gathering commanders while Lancelot has a role as a cheap speedy commander while Tomoe is left only as a support for other commanders.
- Support Party Member: Her Beauty in Chaos provides more benefit when she serves as the secondary commander.
Epic Commanders
"Baibars was the fourth Sultan of Egypt and Syria during the Mamluk dynasty. In September 1260, he routed the invading Mongol army at the Battle of Ain Jalut - this was the first major defeat ever suffered by the Mongols. During the battle, Baibars implemented a strategy of hit-and-run tactics, which baited the Mongol forces into an devastating ambush. Baibars is renowned both for his victories against the Mongols and Crusaders, and for the administrative reforms he implemented within the sultanate. An ambitious military leader, Baibars organized an army and restructured the existing navy. He donated heavily to public works, including building roads, mosques, schools, and post offices, as well as irrigation projects to increase the country's grain production. Baibars' reign pushed the Crusader's out of Mamluk territory once and for all, and began a new age of Mamluk supremacy in the Eastern Mediterranean."
- Glass Cannon: A strong damage-dealing commander that gives a good amount of boost to cavalry units but he has no way of defending himself aside from running away.
- Tornado Move: His Sandstorm skill unleashes 3 tornadoes in front of his enemies
"Flavius Belisarius was a Byzantine general who lived during the 6th century AD. He is often regarded as one of the greatest generals of the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius is know for being one of the “last of the Romans” – one of the last individuals who embodied the virtues of the Roman Empire. Flavius played a key role in Emperor Justinian’s plan to reconquer the Mediterranean territory formerly controlled by the Western Roman Empire, leading imperial armies against the Sasanian empire (Persia), the Vandal kingdom of the North Africa, encroaching upon Constantinople. Originally a member of Justinian’s bodyguard, Flavius came to the emperor’s attention early on, and was given his first command at the age of 25. Not much is known about Belisarius’ personal life, but two primary I pulses guided his actions: loyalty to the Emperor and love for his wife, Antonia. Despite the inconsistent treatment he received from Justinian, Belisarius’ faithfulness never wavered, and his loyalty has gone down in history as one of the noblest elements of Justinian’s era."
- Lightning Bruiser: He has Mobility as one of his talents and his Bucellari skill allow him to gain a brief boost to march speed for 10 seconds after leaving battle. At the same time however, he is not squishy as said skill also gives cavalries up to 30% increased defense.
- Weak, but Skilled: Compared to other damage-dealing commanders, his Deception skill merely deals 450 damage which is rather low even compared to other Epic commanders and he lacks any damage boosts to himself. However, said active skill also lower the enemy's attack & defense while his immense mobility allows him to move in on weak targets while at the same time, flee from danger.
