Rise of Kingdoms: Honda Tadakatsu Talent Tree Build and Guide Update 2025

[tintuc]

Honda Tadakatsu History:

Honda Tadakatsu (1548–1610), also known as Honda Heihachiro, was one of the most famous samurai, generals, and daimyos of Japan from the late Sengoku period to the early Edo period, sometimes referred to as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa” or the “Seven Great Spearmen of Japan”. His early years were spent in the service of the Tokugawa clan, with whom he first distinguished himself as a capable samurai on the battlefield at the age of 15. He further distinguished himself at the Battle of Azukizaka, the Battle of Anegawa, the Battle of Nagashino, and many others.

Honda Tadakatsu's bravery earned him praise from many of his powerful opponents. Oda Nobunaga called him "Zhang Fei of Japan" and "a samurai among samurai" and according to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, among the greatest warriors of Japan were "Honda Tadakatsu of the east and Tachibana Muneshige of the west". Honda Tadakatsu was promoted to daimyo of the Otaki han in his later years as a reward, and then apparently went into seclusion.

Honda Tadakatsu's ability to survive virtually unscathed in no less than 57 major engagements earned him the nickname "The Warrior Who Surpassed Death Himself." He was particularly famous for his famous helmet decorated with deer antlers and his "Dragonfly Cutter" spear, an unusual sight that helped to cement his legendary reputation.

Honda Tadakatsu Review:

Ways to get Commander Honda Tadakatsu Sculpture: Lucky Spin

Honda's active skill deals damage to up to 3 targets in a forward fan-shaped area, delivering massive area-of-effect (“AoE”) damage in open-field battles. His active skill deals a 2500 damage multiplier if Honda is the main commander and a 1250 damage multiplier if Honda is the sub-commander.

However, Honda's rage requirement to activate his active skill is 1350, which is 35% higher than most commanders in Rise of Kingdoms. This means that Honda deals active skill damage to enemies much slower than other commanders.

When attacking troops in outdoor battles, Honda's second skill increases troops' attack power by up to 40% and increases march speed by 20%, both of which are very useful in outdoor battles.

Honda's third skill increases survivability while marching with a maximum damage reduction of 5%. When an active skill is cast while marching, Honda's third skill also deals a total of 400 Damage Multiplier to enemies over 2 seconds. You can use Honda as a sub-commander and pair him with a commander who requires less rage to activate the active skill (e.g. Xiang Yu) to take advantage of this skill.

Honda Tadakatsu's command skills:

Active Skill: Dragonfly Cutter

Rage Required: 1350

Deals direct damage to up to 3 targets in a forward fan-shaped area (Damage multiplier 1500 or 750 when sub-commander). Damage dealt to each target is reduced by 15% for each additional target.

Upgrade:

Direct damage coefficient: 1500/1700/1900/2200/2500

Damage Factor (When Sub Commander): 750/850/950/1100/1250

Passive Skill 1: Samurai of the East

Troops commanded by this commander gain 3% increased march speed and 2% increased attack plus 10% when attacking troops.

Upgrade:

Attack Bonus: 2%/4%/6%/8%/10%

March Speed Bonus: 3%/6%/10%/15%/20%

Increases attack power by 10%/15%/20%/25%/30%

Passive Skill 2: Samurai among Samurai

Troops commanded by this commander take 1% less damage. Casting an active skill will cause the target to take damage over time (Damage Multiplier 100) and reduce their march speed by 20% for 2 seconds. This effect can trigger up to once every 5 seconds.

Upgrade:

Damage taken reduced: 1%/2%/3%/4%/5%

Direct damage coefficient: 100/120/140/160/200

March Speed Reduction: 20%/25%/30%/40%/50%

Passive Skill 3: Tokugawa Heavenly King

Troops commanded by this commander gain 2% increased troop capacity and deal 1% additional skill damage for every 8% (or 5% with 2 or more different unit types) units lost; the skill damage bonus cannot exceed 60%.

Upgrade:

Military Ability Bonus: 2%/4%/6%/8%/10%

Skill Damage Bonus: 1%/2%/3%/4%/5%

Expertise: The Invincibles

Whenever a normal attack is received on the map, troops commanded by this commander will take 30% less damage from that attack. But this effect can trigger up to 57 times per hour after you leave the city.

Best pairings for Honda Tadakatsu

Open field: Xiang Yu (Xiang Yu is the main commander) – Xiang Yu frequently uses his active skill and this works well with Honda's third skill, which gives a damage multiplier of 400 when using the active skill.

Xiang Yu

Open field: Yi Seong-Gye (Honda as the main commander) – YSG’s fourth skill (Fate) increases skill damage by 50%, greatly amplifying Honda’s high active skill damage when Honda is the main commander. YSG’s second skill (Art of Archery) gives a 10% chance to gain additional rage on each normal attack, allowing Honda to unleash high-damage active skills earlier. To maximize the effectiveness of this pair, you should position Honda’s troops primarily as archers.

Yi Seong Gye

Open field: Tomyris (Honda as the main commander) – Honda’s flaw is the high rage requirement to activate his active skill (1350 Rage). The increased skill damage effect on enemies (3% extra skill damage per poison stack, up to a total of 15 poison stacks) from Tomyris’ fourth skill (Massatae’s Counter) makes waiting for Honda’s active skill to activate worthwhile. However, be aware that enemies can simply avoid prolonged combat with your Honda/Tomyris march.

Tomyris

Open field: Harald Sigurdsson (Honda is the main commander) – Like Honda, Harald’s active skill deals AoE damage (if your troops are surrounded). Additionally, while on the map, Harald’s fourth skill (Stamford Bridge) has a 20% chance to trigger Harald’s active skill when troops Harald commands are on the map and using their basic attack. This, combined with Honda’s “Rejuvenation” talent (since Honda is the main commander here), gives Honda 20 rage every time he uses a skill, allowing Honda to trigger his high-damage active skill sooner. Finally, the 5% damage reduction on Honda’s third skill matches the 20% counterattack damage increase on the map in Harald’s Expertise skill.