Part of the Mechanics Series:
- Mechanics Hub: How the game works (Start Here).
- City Hall Requirements: What actually drives your progress.
- Troops Guide: The tier gates people confuse with ages.
Quick Answer
Rise of Kingdoms has five ages: Stone, Bronze, Iron, Dark and Feudal. You advance by upgrading your City Hall — level 10 enters the Iron Age, 16 the Dark Age, and 21 the Feudal Age. Each age unlocks buildings, technologies and units. Honestly though: ages are a label on your City Hall progress, not a separate system to plan around. An active player reaches the final age quickly, and nothing about your strategy should change because of the name.
The Five Ages
| Age | Entered at |
|---|---|
| Stone Age | Start |
| Bronze Age | Early City Hall levels |
| Iron Age | City Hall 10 |
| Dark Age | City Hall 16 |
| Feudal Age | City Hall 21 |
Each transition unlocks new buildings, technologies and units, and typically an additional building slot or queue — the Dark Age brings a third gold mine and a fourth march queue, the Feudal Age a fourth hospital, and both come with long build timers measured in days.
Why Ages Confuse People
Two reasons, and both are worth clearing up.
First, the age names sound more important than they are. They are cosmetic milestones layered over City Hall progression. You do not choose an age, you do not strategise around one — you upgrade City Hall and the age changes with it. Plan around City Hall requirements, not around ages.
Second, ages get muddled up with troop tiers. They are related but not the same, and plenty of sources state this wrongly. The verified troop gates:
| Troop tier | City Hall |
|---|---|
| T2 | 8 |
| T3 | 16 |
| T4 | 21 |
| T5 | 25 |
So the Dark Age (City Hall 16) coincides with T3, and the Feudal Age (City Hall 21) coincides with T4. T5 needs City Hall 25, which is past the last age transition — see how to unlock T5 troops.
Every troop tier also requires the matching Academy research, per troop type. The age alone unlocks nothing military.
What Actually Matters at Each Stage
Rather than thinking in ages, think in the milestones that change your day:
- City Hall 5, 11, 17, 22 — march queues. Each one is a permanent multiplier on your gathering.
- City Hall 8, 16, 21, 25 — troop tiers.
- City Hall 10 — the Lyceum of Wisdom.
- City Hall 12 — the Trading Post, which is how a farm account feeds you.
- City Hall 16 — the Blacksmith and equipment forging.
- City Hall 21–25 — the long grind, where stone becomes your bottleneck.
That list is a far more useful mental model than "I am in the Dark Age".
FAQ
What are the ages in Rise of Kingdoms?
Stone, Bronze, Iron, Dark and Feudal — five in total, advanced by upgrading your City Hall.
What City Hall level is the Dark Age?
City Hall 16. The Feudal Age begins at City Hall 21 and the Iron Age at 10.
Do ages unlock troop tiers?
Not directly. Troop tiers are gated by City Hall level plus Academy research — T2 at 8, T3 at 16, T4 at 21 and T5 at 25.
How long does it take to reach the last age?
Not long for an active player. Ages front-load early and the real grind is the City Hall 21–25 stretch afterwards.
Should I plan my account around ages?
No. Plan around City Hall milestones, march queues and troop tiers. Ages are labels on that progress.
Key Takeaways
- Five ages, driven entirely by City Hall level.
- Iron at 10, Dark at 16, Feudal at 21.
- Ages do not unlock troop tiers — City Hall plus Academy research does.
- T2/8, T3/16, T4/21, T5/25 is the ladder that matters.
- Think in milestones, not ages.