In the latest update of Rise of Kingdoms, Stephen III—the third-generation engineering commander—has officially arrived. He is a versatile engineering commander focused on ranged attacks, with a skill set featuring several interesting effects. However, does Stephen truly stand out compared with the current engineering commanders? Let’s take a detailed look in the analysis below.

1. Stephen III’s Skill Set

Stephen is designed to focus on dealing ranged damage and supporting his formation in prolonged battles. Here are the details of his skills:

Skill 1: The Conqueror

Rage requirement: 1000.
Damage:
Ranged: 800.
Melee: 1500.
Effect: Enemies are affected by "Exposed" for 2 seconds, while Stephen’s army is healed for 300 damage factor when attacking an Exposed target.

Review:

The damage dealt by this skill is fairly basic. Although it provides healing, the "Exposed" effect lasts only 2 seconds, which is not enough to make a significant impact. In particular, its stronger melee damage may conflict with a ranged playstyle.

Skill 2: Encirclement Defense

Effect:
Increases defense for siege units by 35%.
Increases march speed by 20% when not in combat.

Review:

The defense boost is advantageous when holding a position, but requiring the commander to be out of combat to activate the march speed boost is a major drawback. This makes it difficult for Stephen to escape situations where enemies close in on him.

Skill 3: Counterattack Damage Reduction

Effect:
Reduces ranged counterattack damage by 15%.
Basic attacks have a 10% chance to grant an additional 25% ranged damage for 3 seconds.

Review:

Although the increase in ranged damage is beneficial, the 10% activation chance makes this skill unreliable in battles where consistency is important.

Skill 4: Everyone Must Serve

Effect:
Each basic attack has a 40% chance to increase attack by 2%, stacking up to 15 times.
Loses 0.5% defense with each stack.

Review:

This skill allows Stephen to grow stronger over time, but reaching the maximum of 15 stacks takes quite a while—approximately 1 minute. Its effectiveness is most apparent in prolonged battles.

Expertise Skill: Cosmin Forest

Effect:
Deals 10% additional ranged skill damage.
Has a 20% chance to deal AOE damage with a factor of 500 to up to 3 targets.

Review:

The AOE effect is a plus, but the 20% chance and 10-second cooldown reduce the skill’s overall effectiveness.

2. Comparison With Other Engineering Commanders

Gonzalo de Córdoba

Advantages:
Deals powerful AOE damage, up to a factor of 1200.
Does not require any activation condition for the march speed boost.
His skills focus on increasing skill damage and counterattack damage.

Margaret

Advantages:
A versatile skill set with the ability to reduce enemy speed and defense.
Provides consistent ranged damage and strong team support.

Barbarossa

Advantages:
High direct damage, reaching a factor of 2400 in melee range.
Increases ranged damage and provides comprehensive defense boosts.

Verdict:

Compared with previous-generation engineering commanders, Stephen does not offer any significant improvement in power. His skill set lacks a defining strength, while commanders like Gonzalo and Margaret provide better overall support and damage.

3. Should You Use Stephen III?

Stephen is suitable for players who want to build an additional ranged army and experiment with a new playstyle. However, if you already own strong engineering commanders such as Gonzalo, Margaret, or Barbarossa, Stephen is not the optimal choice.

Advantages:

Grows stronger over time, making him suitable for prolonged battles.
The "Exposed" effect can support allies in certain situations.

Limitations:

His skill set is not very effective in short battles.
His low activation rates make him heavily dependent on luck.
He offers little difference compared with previous-generation engineering commanders.

Rise of Kingdoms | Review of the New Engineering Commander – Stephen III