Rise of Kingdoms Halloween 2026: Radiant Rivalry, Lost Kingdom Changes, and Dreams of Phantasma

Rise of Kingdoms is about to welcome Halloween, and the update landing this year goes well beyond Halloween flair. Titled Dreams of Phantasma, Version 1.1.12 arrives on September 22, bringing with it a completely fresh kingdom-versus-kingdom competitive mode, a full slate of Halloween events, and major quality-of-life upgrades for the early-game seasons. So whether you're a seasoned governor pushing through Season of Conquest or still finding your way through a first Lost Kingdom, there's plenty in this patch to dig into.

Here's a comprehensive breakdown of everything included in the Dreams of Phantasma update.

Dreams of Phantasma: What Version 1.1.12 Adds

Three major pieces of content sit at the heart of the Dreams of Phantasma update: sweeping optimizations for Lost Kingdom and seasons, the Halloween event series, and the Radiant Rivalry event. Notable changes also land for combat quality-of-life features, alongside the Conquest Tavern and the Wheel of Fortune.

Several interconnected activities make up the Halloween event series, with Esmeralda's Prayer at its center. For a free-to-play way to collect the coins that the prayer event uses, Esmeralda's Collection fills that role. The seasonal lineup is rounded out by additional activities such as Race Against Time and In Search of Wonders, making for a busy schedule.

A New 1v1 Kingdom Showdown: Radiant Rivalry

Radiant Rivalry stands out as the biggest addition this patch brings: an all-new PvP mode built around a structured contest between two kingdoms of comparable power. Rather than following traditional Kingdom vs Kingdom events, which revolve around expanding territory on a shared map within the Lost Kingdom, Radiant Rivalry zeroes in on a head-to-head clash between two evenly matched sides.

How the Preparation Phase Works

Two separate stages make up Radiant Rivalry. Over several days of the Preparation Phase, the two kingdoms battle for points. Members of each kingdom contribute by finishing preparation quests, with scores added up every day. Whichever kingdom holds the higher cumulative total once the preparation phase ends earns a crucial edge.

Here's something worth weighing: similar formats from the past show that farm accounts can rack up point totals wildly out of proportion to their size. So if competing seriously is the goal, getting farm activity organized across your kingdom could turn into a strategic necessity.

The Battle Phase and the Radiant Spire

Once preparation wraps up, the victor earns the right to teleport into the losing kingdom's territory and fight for control of the Radiant Spire — a special structure that anchors the battle phase. Its Radiant Spire must be protected by the defending kingdom, while the attacking side tries to seize it. With combat taking place inside the losing kingdom's borders, the aggressor is the one invading the defender's home ground, a rare reversal of the usual KvK dynamics.

Finishing preparation quests and battle quests alike is how governors earn Radiant Emblems , and those emblems get redeemed for rewards inside the Radiance Shop . Whether the event turns out to be worth your time ultimately comes down to two things: how good those rewards are, and the way troop loss is calculated during the battle phase.

Early Impressions and Strategy Tips

Thanks to the Pioneer experience, Radiant Rivalry has already shown up in early-game kingdoms, so a number of governors have had hands-on time with the format. What those early impressions agree on: coordination across the whole kingdom is paramount. Each governor's contribution counts, and showing up consistently every day during the preparation phase beats a last-minute push.

Matched in Radiant Rivalry? Then these should be your priorities:

1. Complete preparation quests daily. Don't wait until the final day to contribute.
2. Coordinate across alliances. A fragmented kingdom will lose to a unified one.
3. Stockpile resources in advance. Depending on quest requirements, you may need extra troops, resources, or Action Points.

Esmeralda's Prayer and More — Halloween Event Series

Seasonal flair meets a structure you'll recognize in the Halloween event series. Spinning for rewards sits at the core of Esmeralda's Prayer , an event driven by luck. For free-to-play governors, Esmeralda's Collection is the route to collecting the coins that each spin requires.

The series also features these events:

1. Race Against Time: A time-limited challenge event.
2. In Search of Wonders: Focused on acquiring high-quality armaments.

Aligned with the wider Halloween celebration, these events give governors several paths toward seasonal rewards, and spending isn't necessarily required.

Season of Conquest stories are getting a new Camp Treaty system, delivered through the Pioneer experience. When a coalition takes a Crusader Fortress, its leader may act as a delegate and start treaties for their camp. Those treaty terms decide how the two camps split rewards once the Ziggurat is finally occupied, with items such as Arch Testimonies, Legendary Testimonies, and the Star of Champions included. In practice, this turns what used to be informal alliance negotiation into a proper in-game mechanic.

Season Optimizations and Lost Kingdom

Substantial adjustments to the early-game experience arrive in this patch, and their impact stretches across Seasons 1 through 3.

Chronicle Unlock Timing

A fixed schedule now governs when key chapters in the Chronicles unlock: Fridays through Saturdays at 12:00. Players who have long wanted major progression milestones to fall on weekends will find this a welcome change.

Pass Protection Changes

Season 2 turns the Level 4 Pass into semi-protected. When a pass is semi-protected, only alliances from the home kingdom tied to the matching outer province may attack it — governors from other kingdoms are barred from attacking those passes and from entering another kingdom's outer provinces. Similar adjustments come with Season 3, which is King of All Britain: its Level 4 Pass becomes semi-protected, while the Level 8 Pass opens.

Acclaim Feature and Eve of the Crusade

Seasons 1 and 2 gain a new Acclaim feature that lets governors earn acclaim by fighting governors from other kingdoms. In Season 3, battling governors from other camps is how acclaim is earned.

Instead of running as its own phase ahead of the Lost Kingdom, the Eve of the Crusade event now launches alongside it. That overlap lets governors collect credit from both systems at the same time, which is a real efficiency win. Season 3 also scraps starting province selection; placement now happens automatically, decided by camp buffs pulled from total points and Eve event rankings.

Past Glory and Speedup Consumption

Speedups are now required for Stage 2 of Past Glory . Spend a set amount of them and you'll receive the Crusader Resource Chest, while construction of your Crusader Fort speeds up as well. Only kingdoms that enter Season 1 preparation — or Seasons 2 and 3 matchmaking — after the update are affected. Early-game players gain one more resource puzzle to manage: burning speedups during KvK prep now sits on the expected progression path.

Domain Matchmaking Adjustment

Domain matchmaking rules have been adjusted, allowing different domains of the same kingdom to be assigned to the same Lost Kingdom. Very large kingdoms that register multiple domains of accounts stand to benefit — previously, those domains could be split across separate KvKs, making coordination a headache.

Individual Season Rankings

Rank rewards are now part of individual season rankings, and they may include limited-time titles or nameplates earned through Lost Kingdom performance. The kingdom-level competition remains, but a personal progression layer now sits on top of it.

Updates to the Conquest Tavern and Wheel of Fortune

Cy, Shajar, John, Phillip, and Steven — five commanders have joined theSeason of Conquest Conquest Tavern. They'll presumably be exchangeable, opening up extra ways to obtain commander sculptures via the tavern's currency system. Phillip is a solid choice for those who don't have him yet, though the current meta generally regards him as declining rather than rising.

Season 1 delivers a meaningful change to the Wheel of Fortune . Spin tickets are now consumed with every spin, and you can get them straight from gems or through bundles. This brings the Season 1 wheel in line with the endgame wheel structure, which may make gem-spending math easier for newer players.

Optimizing Clash of Divine Isles

Adjustments to the Clash of Divine Isles event broaden the ways governors can earn points. In the past, invasions were the main source of individual points. Now, defending your territory while fighting invading governor troops can earn you defense points . Roaming troops and statue sentries still award Invasion points when defeated, and so do enemy defending troops. Conquering statues remains another way to earn them.

With this tweak, aggressive attackers won't be the only ones who feel rewarded — active defenders get their due too, making the event less one-dimensional.

Final Thoughts: Priorities for Dreams of Phantasma

Rise of Kingdoms has rolled out plenty of patches lately, but The Dreams of Phantasma update ranks among the most substantial. Radiant Rivalry's arrival marks a real shift for kingdom-versus-kingdom competition: a tight 1v1 format built around preparation and coordination, culminating in one decisive fight over a single strategic objective.

Halloween has long been one of Rise of Kingdoms' busiest stretches, and Dreams of Phantasma appears ready to make this one stand out. So ready your blades, gather your speedups, and prepare yourself — the Radiant Spire is waiting.