In last year’s analysis of Kings of War unit cost-effectiveness, I ranked armies based on the combat efficiency of their units. This time, I’ve revisited the analysis using the latest rules from the Clash of Kings 2025 update. This post walks you through the updated methodology, highlights key findings, and provides an updated ranking of army cost-effectiveness.
Before diving in, a quick reminder: this is not a ranking of the best armies overall. Instead, it focuses on cost-effectiveness for combat, which means armies reliant on synergies or scenario-focused playstyles (like Twilight Kin, Goblins, or Halflings) may appear weaker here than they are on the tabletop. Likewise, armies with strong individuals are not represented accurately in this analysis.
A Quick Recap: How Does the Elo Simulator Work?
To perform this analysis, I used a custom-built Elo combat simulator, which you can learn more about here. This tool runs head-to-head matchups between units across armies, simulating millions of combat interactions to generate Elo ratings for each unit. Elo ratings reflect a unit’s relative combat performance: higher scores indicate better combat effectiveness.
The Elo simulator also accounts for factors like:
- Unit size (e.g., Regiments vs. Hordes)
- Expected performance based on points cost
- Standardization across different unit categories
This approach ensures a level playing field, where units are judged strictly on their ability to deal and withstand damage.
Updated Methodology for Clash of Kings 2025
The 2025 update brings balance changes to many units, making it the perfect time to refresh the analysis. Here’s how I determined each army’s cost-effectiveness:
1. Unit Selection
For each army, I selected:
- The top 3 regiments based on cost-effectiveness
- The top 2 hordes
- The top 2 highest-rated units from other categories (e.g., troops, monsters, titans, war engines, or legions)
2. Metrics Used
The analysis relies on a Combined Cost-Effectiveness metric, which blends:
- Elo per Point: Measures how much value a unit provides per point spent.
- Elo Difference: Reflects how much better (or worse) a unit performs compared to expectations based on cost and size. That is, Kings uses an internal balancing system of various unit footprints, so some portion of a unit’s effectiveness is calculated based on how it compares to other units of its size.
3. Faction Scoring
For each faction, the total cost-effectiveness was calculated by summing the scores of its selected units. This provides a single metric to compare armies.
4. What’s Excluded?
To maintain focus on combat performance:
- Individual units (like heroes) are excluded from the rankings.
- Scenario play and synergies (e.g., inspiring effects or specific faction rules) are not accounted for. This means armies that excel in objective-based gameplay or depend on complex unit interactions may be underrepresented here.
The Rankings
Without further ado, here are the updated rankings for Clash of Kings 2025:
Key Observations
- Undead and Empire of Dust: These factions dominate the rankings with cost-effective and versatile units, excelling in combat regardless of context. That said, the shambling is a big negative from a scenario play standpoint.
- Dwarfs and Abyssal Dwarfs: Both factions maintain strong positions, highlighting the efficiency of their core regiments and hordes. Perhaps Ronnie will buff them again in CoK 2026?
- Synergy-Dependent Armies: Armies like Twilight Kin and Halflings are underrepresented here, as their strength lies in synergy play rather than raw combat efficiency.
- Goblins and Ratkin: These armies, known for flooding the board with cheap units, rank lower in cost-effectiveness for individual combat but may perform better in scenario-based games.
Conclusion
This analysis provides a snapshot of combat-focused cost-effectiveness for each faction in Kings of War, as updated for Clash of Kings 2025. While these rankings are insightful, remember that actual gameplay depends on far more than raw combat power. Factors like synergies, scenario objectives, and player strategy play a crucial role in determining which army wins on the battlefield.
Want to learn more about the Elo simulator behind this analysis? Check out my Elo Combat Simulator Overview. What do you think of the new rankings? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
