Sun Tzu was a great Chinese military strategist and the author of the famous military art book “The Art of War”. As you might already know, he is one of the most popular epic commanders in Rise of Kingdoms since the beginning of the game.
He is a powerful nuker infantry commander, capable of doing some level of city defense. You can get access to Sun Tzu for free when you select China as your starting civilization.
This is a full guide on Sun Tzu with talent tree builds, commander pairings, Equipment setup, and Skill upgrade order.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.
Famous Sun Tzu Art of War Quote
Read Sun Tzu’s world-famous The Art of War book
Sun Tzu Skill Overview
Art of War(Active Skill)
Required Rage: 1000
Deals direct damage to up to 3 targets in a fan-shaped area (Damage Factor 450) and deals additional damage to the target(s) on the next turn (Damage Factor 150). Sun Tzu gains an additional 50 rage for each target hit by this skill.
Philosophy of War(passive)
While this commander is leading the garrison of your own city, garrison troops take 7% less damage.
Garrison Troops Damage Reduction: 1%/2%/3%/5%/7%
Master Strategist(passive)
Troops led by this commander take 10% less damage, and infantry units gain 10% increased health.
Damage Taken Reduced By: 4%/5%/6%/8%/10%
Infantry Health Bonus: 4%/5%/6%/8%/10%
Ever-changing Tactics(passive)
Troops led by this commander deal 20% increased skill damage.
Skill Damage Bonus: 5%/11%/15%/20%
Book of Aeons(expertise)
Art of War – Deals direct damage to up to 5 targets in a fan-shaped area (Damage Factor 800), and deals additional damage to the target(s) on the next turn (Damage Factor 200). Sun Tzu gains an additional 50 rage for each target hit by this skill.
Not sure which commander you should invest in right now? Check out ROK commander tier list to find the best commanders in the game.
Skill upgrade order
5-1-5-5
It should be pretty easy to max out Sun Tzu, given he is an epic commander. However, if you are a new player and wondering which is the right skill upgrade order then you can avoid a second skill. It’s only good for garrisoning a city and doesn’t help with open-field fights.
Pros
- High skill damage
- Decent AOE Damage
- Skill damage buff
- Small skill cycles when you hit multiple targets
- Pairs well with lots of commanders.
Cons
- Slow March speed
- Not very tanky
- In 2023, He is not powerful as he used to be due to better infantry commanders
What is Commander Sun Tzu good at?
Sun Tzu can be good at many things. He is a good replacement for legendary infantry, especially before the SoC KvK. You can use him in open fields, canyons, and Ceroli, and he can also be a decent garrison for the shadow of the legion. The arrival of new legendary infantry commanders surely undermines him in Season of Conquest; however, with the right pairing, he can still provide solid value in the early stage of the game.
Sun Tzu Talent Tree builds
Below, you will find some of the best Sun Tzu Talent Trees for Open-field and Garrison to use in 2023.
Open field – option 1(suitable for lost/sunset Canyons)
This build is focused on suitability and the ability to stay longer on the field. It’s suitable for murderball fights during alters and ruins. Aside from that, you can also use this build for Canyons.
Open field – option 2(Pure Nuking/Skill)
As the name suggests, this build entirely focuses on doing extensive skill damage to multiple targets. If you prefer to use a hit-and-run kind of playstyle, then this build will be appealing to you.
City Garrison
Sun Tzu isn’t the best option for the city garrison during actual city rallies. However, you can use this build during shadow legion events when there is an infantry damage boost.
As per the structure garrisoning (flags/fortress/pass), leaving it to the whales with the maxed legendary commander, Sun Tzu isn’t a good option.
Sun Tzu Commander Pairings
Sun Tzu is extremely versatile and can be used with almost every single Infantry as well as other high-skill damage commanders. Below, you will find all the good pairings for Sun Tzu.
Guan Yu
Guan Yu is a somewhat legendary version of Sun Tzu. Guan Yu and Sun Tzu can do serious offenses together. Both have high-skill damage and AOE.
The only downside is the lack of defense. You can use Sun Tzu as a secondary because of the restriction of Guan’s primary skill
Legendary Scipio Africanus
The new infantry commander, legendary Scipio Africanus Prime, has almost the same skills as Guan Yu, which syncs perfectly with Sun Tzu.
It’s safe to say that Legendary Scipio is currently the best infantry commander in the game.
Yi Seong Gye (YSG)
YSG is the ultimate nuking buddy of Sun Tzu. Both commanders have 5 targets AOE, High skill damage, and Skill damage boost. These two can do lots of skill damage together, but be careful; they can easily break down too due to lack of defense.
Sun Tzu should be used primarily to boost YSG’s damage further. This pairing is also good for the city garrison.
Alexander the Great
Alexander is a highly versatile commander and gives good results to every single infantry commander. Simply use him as primary, and you should be able to do lots of sustained damage.
Eulji Mundeok
Eulji can reduce the target’s defense by 30%. You can use Sun Tzu as a secondary to take advantage of that defense reduction and deal massive skill damage.
Bjorn Ironside
Another epic infantry commander is Bjorn Ironside. You can do decent skill damage with AOE with this pairing. Use Bjorn as primary for more damage.
Charles Martel
Sun Tzu is an offensive commander; that’s why he gets focused down any time on the field. Martel can solve this problem. He brings tankiness, and you can hide Sun Tzu behind him to survive longer.
Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus is a newly released legendary infantry, He is almost the same as Charles Martel, however, he will be a more offensive choice compared to Charles because of the high direct damage factor on his primary skill.
Pericles
Pericles is another infantry commander who was released alongside Pyrrhus. While he may not be the absolute best choice for Sun Tzu, you can surely use him in the absence of other legendary commanders.
Joan of Arc
If you like to play a support role, then you can use Joan as secondary to Sun Tzu. You will be a big help to your ally while dealing good damage.
Aethelflaed
Instead of Joan of Arc, you can also use Aethelflaed as a secondary. The only difference will be that instead of buffing allies, you will be debuffing enemies.
Sun Tzu Best Equipment Set
You won’t really use the ultimate equipment set for Sun Tzu, however, you can start building it for future infantry commanders.
Ultimate equipment set
- Weapon: Shield Of The Eternal Empire
- Helm: Golden Helm Of The Eternal Empire
- Chest: Plate Of The Eternal Empire
- Glove: Vambraces Of The Eternal Empire
- Legs: Greaves Of The Eternal Empire
- Boots: Sturdy Boots Of The Eternal Empire
Stat boost from the set:
Infantry Attack – 47%
Infantry Defense – 26%
Infantry Health – 0%
All troops Defense – 3%
March Speed – 10%
Medium equipment set
Stat boost from the set:
- Weapon: Gatekeeper’s Shield
- Helm: Helm Of The Conquerer
- Chest: Hope Cloak
- Glove: Seth’s Brutality
- Legs: Karuak’s Humility
- Boots: Frost Treads
Stat boost from the set:
Infantry Attack – 0%
Infantry Defense – 38%
Infantry Health – 16%
F2P equipment set.
- Weapon: Gatekeeper’s Shield
- Helm: Witch’s Lineage
- Chest: Quinn’s Soul
- Glove: Seth’s Brutality
- Legs: Karuak’s Humility
- Boots: Frost Treads
Stat boost from the set:
Infantry Attack – 16%
Infantry Defense – 11%
Infantry Health – 16%
Sun Tzu Best Formation
Sun Tzu primarily does AOE skill damage. So, the best formation for him will be the Wedge Formation. It can boost Sun Tzu’s skill damage by an extra 5%, which further increases offense capabilities.
