Rise of Kingdoms begins by offering users the choice to choose from a total of eight different civilizations. This initial choice will set the foundation of your whole game. Even though there is a way to change your civilization later on but it comes at a cost. A colossal cost of 10,000 gems that is!
Each civilization comes with its own unique hero. Although you may factor in the hero while making the decision but it should not be the ultimate deciding factor. Heroes can be obtained later on in the game irrespective of the choice of civilization.
You may also like this Web Story about the Rise of Kingdoms Heroic Anthem Update for a quick overview of the changes that have come to the game as part of the 1.0.39 update.