MEDIEVAL REAL TIME STRATEGY Unit ranks for Medieval RTS
Castle line, Barracks line, siege crews, and specialists scored by gold and role.
This page ranks living units in MEDIEVAL REAL TIME STRATEGY, not walls. Mills, towers, ports, and the Spell factory sit on the sibling structure value ranks page. Names without grades sit on the full troop roster. Ranks below are community consensus from public matches and videos, not official Spling patch notes.
You still win by destroying every enemy castle. Cheap troops that die on a Watchtower line do not count. Time the first minute with the opening gold plan, then crack walls with the siege push walkthrough.
How this list is scored
Gold, speed, and role beat damage screenshots. A Crossbower you can field in a pack outranks a Wizard you can afford once. Timing matters: Swordmen spike in the first minute, Wizards into packed ranged, Trebuchets into buildings, balloons when a tower maze would waste the clock.
The King is free. He is not S-tier DPS. He is S-tier presence because his radius buffs heal, attack, and build speed. Park him on the fight you care about; stance notes live on the King radius and army page.
Castle line
Builder (about 10 gold) - S for the economy. Send them to farms immediately. The Builder Hut caps at 6, with Armory as the extra path.
Swordman - S in the opening, B later. Community still treats the early rush as real. The Legion badge tracks 15 Swordmen in one match. After Barracks exist, Knights take the tank job.
Archer - B. Stopgap until Crossbowers exist.
Repairman - B. Keeps walls alive while the King is elsewhere. Not a win condition.
Barracks line
Barracks cost about 35 gold and are generally not upgraded. Spend the rest on bodies.
Crossbower - S. Community consensus calls this the efficient cheap ranged floor. Default Barracks buy in a tight match.
Knight - S as a tank. Holds the front so Crossbowers and siege live. Knights plus King radius is the boring, winning core.
Longbower - B. Situational beside Crossbowers, not a default replace.
Mage - A inside a package. Mage plus War Wagon plus Medic is the push the community repeats. Mage alone is a gold sink.
Wizard - A into packed ranged, C into buildings. Splash deletes clumps. Expensive. Weak versus buildings unless Trebuchets already chew the line. Do not buy a Wizard to knock a keep down.
Siege, hospital, and skippers
Catapult - S versus clumps of troops. Community prefers Catapult over Ballista when the enemy stacks bodies.
Trebuchet - S versus buildings. The keep-breaker. Pair with Wizards only after walls are already taking hits.
Ballista - B. Single-target and fire arrows. Worse than Catapult into clumps.
War Wagon - A. Press Q to load units. Delivery tool for Mage plus Medic, not a lone ram.
Medic (Hospital) - A. Keeps the wagon package alive through tower fire.
Balloon - A as a skip, C as a fight. Community uses balloons to skip tower lines, not to win a fair ranged trade.
Specialists
Spearman - C except versus cavalry. Dismounts horses. Weak otherwise.
Robber / thief - B if you walk home. Stealth steals about 25 percent of castle funds. Gold is not yours until the thief returns. A dead thief is a donation.
Ships and fishing crews - A on water, unused inland. Ports unlock that line. Do not force ships on dirt.
Spend order
Minute one: Builders on farms, then a Swordman rush or mills. Then Barracks if the rush did not end it. Then Knights and Crossbowers, then Catapult or Trebuchet depending on blob versus wall. Keep the King in radius. Allies should not all buy the same Wizard; the alliance teamwork page covers that split.
Clicks sit on the control map. Ranked unlocks after level 7 with buckets 1-5 and 6+; see Ranked queue notes. The parent map is the tier list hub. Do not copy a late screenshot into minute one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for codes, ranked, windmills, and siege fights.
What is the single best unit to buy?
There is no single buy. Community consensus starts with Builders, then Crossbowers and Knights once Barracks exist, then Trebuchets into buildings or Catapults into clumps. Role plus timing beats a screenshot.
Is the Swordman rush still real?
Yes, as community consensus. Cheap Swordmen punish players who mill forever. The Legion badge for 15 Swordmen in one match is the game hinting that swarm is intended. It is not the whole Ranked plan after Barracks appear.
Why does Wizard feel weak on keeps?
Community notes say Wizard splash is expensive and weak versus buildings unless Trebuchets already chew walls. Use Wizard into packed ranged, not as a castle-killer.
Catapult or Ballista?
Catapult for clumps of troops. Ballista for a single target and fire arrows. Details sit in the siege push walkthrough as well as this list.
Where does the thief cash the steal?
A Robber in stealth takes about 25 percent of castle funds, then must return home to cash. Dying on the walk donates the gold back. It is a specialist, not a core Barracks unit.
How do Mage, War Wagon, and Medic fit?
Community treats them as one push: load with Q, keep a Medic in the pack, walk under King radius. Split buys waste the wagon. See the King radius and army page.