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There are a vast array of different unit types, or troop types, that you may unlock and recruit to fight for your Kingdom inThe King Is Watching. Most of these units function very differently from each other, and that complexity only increases when you look at how every unit can be upgraded throughout a run, too.
Not all of these units are equally beneficial. There’s no such thing as a useless unit, because all of them fit some kind of function, but there are some units that are either more niche, or less effective at their ceiling, than other units.
How These Units Are Ranked
The units in this tier list are ranked on a combination of factors, but it mostly comes down to these two:
Some units have a prettylow ceiling, but they’re easy to useand can be churned out with regularity. Other units areextremely good, but they’re so difficult or actively detrimental to makethat it’s not always entirely worth it.
This list is going to have some units in a higher tier than other, more powerful units because of this. It is not a static, unit vs. unit debate, because none of these units exist for free, in a vacuum.
S-Tier
These units arethe cream of the crop. They’re useful in nearly any kingdom build, and/or are easy to churn out for value that’s worth more than it costs to create them. They might be able to hold the line on their own, but they will always form a valuable part of that line.
400
11
Thisincreases the damage dealt by Champions on the battlefield. It has a ton of health, and is relatively easy to create, with it only costing Grapes after the Hive is built.
700
50
Thisincreases all units' HP. It requires a bit of setup, but the setup itself is useful, and is a very powerful unit in its own right.
70
19 (healing)
Thisincreases the HP for other Arcane troops. There are relatively few ways to heal other units, and this is one of the easiest to manage, without requiring an active gaze slot once they’ve been produced.
Druid of the Bear
290
43
Thisincreases the damage dealt by Rider troops. It has a good amount of health and damage, and if you’ve spent time focusing on grabbing iron, it’s pretty easy to upkeep.
380
42
Thisincreases Grunt’s attack speed. It has a tremendous amount of health and damage for a unit that only costs wheat to produce, once you’ve gotten the metal to build the Camp.
600
38
Thisdeals extra damage if you also have a Black Unicorn. Without a Black Unicorn this would be lower on the list, but both of them in tandem can be quite a force.
430
40
Thisincreases its own HP for each other Griffin you have out. With good stats and flying capability, this unit is more than capable.
Thisgains you three Crystals with each attack. On top of being very powerful on its own, this is an easy way to upkeep White Unicorns, which require Crystals.
1100
47
Increasesall units' damage. The Hydra has absurd health and gives a bonus to all other units, making it in the discussion for one of the best units in the game.
33
Dealsincreased damage if you’ve also got a White Unicorn. Like the White Unicorn, this is much more effective as a pair.
240
If you haveat least five Goose Riders, your troops apply weakness to enemies. These are necessary to create Goose Hydras, but are great troops in their own right.
1000
13
The Balloon Bomber is extremely expensive to upkeep, butit cannot be attacked, making it an outrageously valuable troop to have.
A-Tier
This is the busiest tier on this list, consisting of troops that are in the discussion for S-Tier, butusually just has a slightly lower ceiling. These are likely going to make up the bulk of many builds, and are going to be crucial to success for most, but not all, runs.
80
Each Swordsmandeals increased damage for each other Swordsman. They lack slightly in health, but they deal good damage for their cost.
Increase the HP of all Warrior troops. Without this bonus, they would be one tier lower, but if you are making heavy use of Warriors, combining them with a lot of these can make a big difference.
190
Significantly increases the HP of Grunts. Besides the good damage and upgrades available to the Assassin, the massive HP bonus to Grunts makes it a necessity for certain builds.
99
3
Increases the attack speed of Flying troops. Hunters deal more damage that it seems, with an ability that causes their attacks to deal poison damage over time, as well as the fact that they slow enemies.
46
8
This increases all other units HP. They aren’t too impressive in their own right, but they’re decent across the board, from their health, damage, and bonus. They won’t see you into the late game as the bulk of your force, but they can make a difference early on.
140
7
Each Militia has increased health in the presence of another Militia. While their damage isn’t impressive, Militia do have more health than their peers, making them a good tank-style troop in the early going.
Druid of the Badger
100
1
Increases the damage of all other Ranged troops. If you’ve got a good handle on wood production, these Druids are easy to keep kicking out and have decent stats. They’re especially helpful if you’ve got a bulk of Ranged units.
120
19
Increases the attack speed of Champion troops. Musketeers keep themselves pretty far from harm’s way, and are particularly useful if you’ve got a few Champions stomping around.
Druid of the Owl
20
Increases the damage dealt by Flying troops. They aren’t terribly impressive on their own, but supported by the right build, they can have an important part to play.
200
17
Increases damage dealt by Rider units. Pumpkin Warriors are one of few units produced exclusively by water, and since water is an infinite resource dictated only by the time it takes to obtain it, these can be, too.
220
Increases the attack speed of other Arcane units. These require a couple of different resources to upkeep, but they’re sturdy and can form a good backbone for your forces.
25
Increases the attack speed of other Ranged units. Longbowmen keep their distance and deal solid damage, with really the only drawback being slightly obtrusive production costs.
130
Increases the HP of Flying units. Ballista would be higher if they weren’t so expensive to produce. But as they are, they deal very good damage and keep their distance; as long as your front line holds, the Ballista will deal significant damage to the enemy.
860
48
Increases attack speed of Arcane units. Rams have incredible health and damage, and would be easy S-Tier material if not for their absurd production and upkeep costs, including needing to produce Black Sheep, first.
Increase Winery production. Horseman aren’t too difficult to upkeep if you’ve got grapes going, and they’re especially helpful if you’re looking to mass-produce Wine.
Give Ranged troops the ability to poison enemies if there are five Fairies present. Fairies are the last that would be easy S-Tier units, if not for prohibitive costs; in this case, bonemeal.
160
34
Increases Champion units' HP. Worm Riders are inexpensive overall to upkeep, and buff Champions, making them a very good choice for inclusion in many builds.
B-Tier
These units can still be great, fundamental parts of certain builds. Butthey are either more niche, more costly for lower return, or simply pack a bit less of a punchthan those above them.
45
10
Increases the damage dealt by other Undead units. The advantage of Small Bones is that they only cost water to produce once the building is built. They are crucial to Undead builds, but in any other situation, they’re generally going to be outshined.
Provide extra morale to units. Madmen have their uses and are more difficult to put down than other melee units because of their running around. They also poison enemies, which makes them more useful than it may seem. But, they don’t synergize too well with most builds.
Black Sheep provide morale to other units, and that’s it.They do not deal damage to enemies. But, they’re necessary for certain other buildings; in the case of other units, you need Black Sheep to create Rams, which are quite powerful.
250
These areself-destruct machines, dealing heavy damage at the cost of losing one every time it explodes. It does deal good damage and can take out huge groups of enemies, but the cost for it is a bit steep.
29
Increases the damage dealt by other Arcane units. Fire Mages can be crucial components of an Arcane build, and are good units. But in builds that aren’t heavily focusing on Arcane units, you’ll often find a better alternative, especially for their high wheat cost.
550
35
Increases the odds of Arcane units stunning enemies. Giants are actually very cheap to produce; the issue is, each time you produce one Giant, you damage your Castle by 20 HP. If you’ve got the ability to heal your Castle regularly, this isn’t too problematic. But, it’s quite a bit of upkeep overall.
27
Increases spell damage. Lightning Mages are once again great for Arcane builds, or builds focusing heavily on casting a lot of spells. But outside of that, they’re a bit expensive for what you get.
150
Increases the HP of Grunt units. At a slightly higher cost than a Ballista, which is already prohibitively expensive to create, Catapults do create good value, but only if you’ve got metal readily available.
Increase production. Peasants aren’t going to get the job done on their own. But, they’re a crucial part of the early game, and you’ll be relying on them heavily for the first few attacks. They’re cheap, and it’s easy to keep churning them out as needed.
Increases the damage and attack speed of all units. Flour Dragons are very powerful, and if you have an easy path to creating a lot of flour, they’re a good addition. The problem is that flour can be difficult to produce consistently without running out of wheat.
C-Tier
There aren’t many units in this tier. It’snot as if these units are useless, it’s just that they’re so niche that most builds that incorporate them are going to be actively harming their build, as opposed to enhancing it.
30
Increases the morale of other units. Gnomes just have so little health that you’re going to need a lot of them to make any measurable difference. With an upgrade they’re less expensive to produce, but in many situations, you’ll be better suited using something else. Anything else.
60
Whipmendeal no damage on their own, but increase the attack and movement speed of other units. It is a nice buff for other units, but with that bonus only being three percent per Whipman, you’ll need a few of them to make a substantial difference. At that point, many builds would be better suited simply using a different unit entirely.
