Best Harald Sigurdsson Commander Guide: Skills, Talent Builds, Pairs & Roles

Harald Sigurdsson is a brand new legendary commander that becomes available to all kingdoms who are 310 days or older in Rise of Kingdoms. He is an incredible powerful infantry commander that specializes in raiding cities and delivering massive blows with his active skill. Harald Sigurdsson talents in infantry, conquering and skill.

Harald Sigurdsson Rise of Kingdoms Commander

Harald Sigurdsson

Title: Hardrada
Civilization: Other
Base Power: ???
Rarity: Legendary
Talent Abilities:

Harald Sigurdsson Summary:

Deals 1,200 damage towards an enemy.
Deals 1,500 damage toward enemies if surrounded.
Infantry troops damage increased by 20% for 2 seconds after using active skill.
Infantry attack increased by 10% while attacking enemy cities and strongholds.
Damage taken reduced by 30% while attacking enemy cities and strongholds.
Infantry attack increased by 30% and march speed increased by 10%.
Infantry attack increased by 5% and defense decreased by 5% per stack up to 15 times (75% increased damage and 75% decreased defense).
20% chance to trigger active skill for free at no additional rage cost.
Counterattack damage increased by 20% up to a maximum 40% increase if surrounded by 10 or more enemy armies.

Why Harald Sigurdsson is the Best Commander?

Incredibly strong infantry commander with ton of damage boosters.
Awesome for raiding enemy cities.
Great PvP commander, especially in KvK battles.
Harald Sigurdsson is one of the fewest commanders that gets stronger the more surrounded he becomes.
Packed with awesome counterattack ability for increased damage.

Background Information

When Harald Sigurdsson was 15 years old, he fought in the Battle of Stikelstad with his half-brother, Olaf Haraldsson. Olaf sought to reclaim the Norwegian throne which was lost to the Danish king. Both Harald and Olaf were defeated by forces loyal to the Danish king and was forced into exile. During that time, Harald spent his time serving in the army of Grand Price and obtained rank as Captain.

In 1034 when Harald moved to Constantinople, he quickly rose to become commander of the Byzantine Varangian guard and oversaw action on the Meiterranean Sea. Harald became rich during his time in the Byzantine Empire which he transferred wealth to Yaroslav for safe keeping. Then he left the Byzantines in 1042 to prepare for campaign of reclaiming the Norwegian throne.

As it turned out during his absence that the throne is ruled by Magnus the Good, Olaf’s illegitimate son. Harald prepared a force along with Magnus’ rival to reclaim the throne and defeated his army. Magnus was not willing to fight against his uncle and decided to share the kingship with Harald. A year later Magnus died and Harald became the sole ruler of Norway. He formed the North Sea Empire and spent every year raiding Denmark coast though he was unable to conquer the country.

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Introduction

Welcome to our in-depth Rise of Kingdoms guide for Commander Harald Sigurdsson. This informative guide was created to help provide an overview of Harald Sigurdsson skills, talent trees, gameplay, strategies, and guides in Rise of Kingdoms. The purpose of this overview guide is to help new and experienced players understand how to play Harald Sigurdsson right and maximize strategic advantages.

Harald Sigurdsson is a legendary commander that is being introduced in ROK Patch Notes 1.0.39. He has a quite similar set up to Guan Yu, one of the legendary commanders for China. Although Harald Sigurdsson has a much bigger emphasis on damage dealer role through bolster infantry troops’ combat effectiveness.

To obtain Harald Sigurdsson as a legendary commander in your roster, you will need to collect 10 Harald Sigurdsson Sculptures. Once you have the required materials navigate to the Commander Selection tab on the lower right corner. Tap on the button to summon Harald Sigurdsson.

Best Harald Sigurdsson Skills

In this part of our best Harald Sigurdsson commander guide for beginners, we will go over his skills. If you are looking for a solid starting commander to play pure infantry build and prefers to stay on the offensive side, Harald Sigurdsson is a great pick. He comes with several powerful punches that will quickly decimate your enemies.

Harald Sigurdsson Rise of Kingdoms Commander Guide

Berserker
Rage Requirement: 1000 If not surrounded, troops led by this commander deal direct damage to the current target. If surrounded, troops deal direct damage to up to 3 targets within a circular area of effect. Damage dealt to each target is reduced for each additional target. After using this skill, troops gain increased damage for 2 seconds. Upgrade Preview: Direct Damage Factor: 600 / 700 / 800 / 1000 / 1200 Damage Factor (Surrounded): 600 / 900 / 1100 / 1300 / 1500 Damage Bonus: 10% / 12% / 14% / 16% / 20%

Berserker

Rage Requirement: 1000

If not surrounded, troops led by this commander deal direct damage to the current target. If surrounded, troops deal direct damage to up to 3 targets within a circular area of effect. Damage dealt to each target is reduced for each additional target. After using this skill, troops gain increased damage for 2 seconds.

Upgrade Preview:

Direct Damage Factor: 600 / 700 / 800 / 1000 / 1200
Damage Factor (Surrounded): 600 / 900 / 1100 / 1300 / 1500
Damage Bonus: 10% / 12% / 14% / 16% / 20%

Berserker is an incredibly strong active skill that increases damage the more surrounded Harald Sigurdsson becomes up to three targets. After using this active skill, his troops gain 20% damage bonus for 2 seconds.

Viking Battleaxe
When attacking strongholds and cities, infantry units led by this commander gain increased attack and whenever they take damage, they have a 10% chance to reduce that damage. This damage reduction effect can trigger once every 5 seconds. Upgrade Preview: Infantry Attack Bonus: 2% / 4% / 6% / 8% / 10% Damage Taken Reduced By: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30%

Viking Battleaxe

When attacking strongholds and cities, infantry units led by this commander gain increased attack and whenever they take damage, they have a 10% chance to reduce that damage. This damage reduction effect can trigger once every 5 seconds.

Upgrade Preview:

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

Damage Taken Reduced By: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30%

Gives a 10% flat damage bonus to infantry troops. When attacking enemy cities and stronghold, reduces damage taken by 30% which really helps a lot with improving troops’ survivability under Harald Sigurdsson‘s leadership.

Varangian Guard
Infantry units led by this commander gain increased attack and increased march speed. When this commander uses their active skill, all infantry units under their command gain more attack, but lose defense (This effect lasts 8 seconds, and can stack up to 15 times). Upgrade Preview: Infantry Attack Bonus: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30% March Speed Bonus: 2% / 4%/ 6% / 8% / 10% Infantry Attack Increase (Per Stack): 1% / 2% / 3% / 4% / 5% Troop Defense Decrease (Per Stack): 1% / 2% / 3% / 4% / 5%

Varangian Guard

Infantry units led by this commander gain increased attack and increased march speed. When this commander uses their active skill, all infantry units under their command gain more attack, but lose defense (This effect lasts 8 seconds, and can stack up to 15 times).

Upgrade Preview:

Infantry Attack Bonus: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30%
March Speed Bonus: 2% / 4%/ 6% / 8% / 10%

Infantry Attack Increase (Per Stack): 1% / 2% / 3% / 4% / 5%

Troop Defense Decrease (Per Stack): 1% / 2% / 3% / 4% / 5%

This is a very interesting passive skill. While it gives 30% flat damage bonus to infantry troops and increases march speed by 10%. Each stack increases infantry attack and decreases troop defense by 5%. This transforms Harald Sigurdsson’s force into a lethal killing machine that relies purely on attack at cost of weakening the defense.

Stamford Bridge
When troops led by this commander are on the map and deal damage, this commander has a chance to cast their active skill and grant their troops immunity to all defense reduction for 3 seconds. This skill can trigger once every 5 seconds. Upgrade Preview: Probability Chance: 3% / 8% / 11% / 15% / 20%

Stamford Bridge

When troops led by this commander are on the map and deal damage, this commander has a chance to cast their active skill and grant their troops immunity to all defense reduction for 3 seconds. This skill can trigger once every 5 seconds.

Upgrade Preview:

Probability Chance: 3% / 8% / 11% / 15% / 20%

Another awesome passive skill that gives a 20% chance to use active skill for free at no additional rage cost. Furthermore, troops under Harald Sigurdsson‘s leadership becomes immunity to incoming attacks for 3 seconds which is incredibly strong compared to other commanders. Though, this passive skill can be triggered once every 5 seconds.

Valhalla
Counterattack damage dealt on the map is increased by 20%. If surrounded, counterattack damage dealt will be further increased (Bonus Damage = number of surrounding enemies X 2%, with an upper limit of 10 surrounding enemies).

Valhalla

Counterattack damage dealt on the map is increased by 20%. If surrounded, counterattack damage dealt will be further increased (Bonus Damage = number of surrounding enemies X 2%, with an upper limit of 10 surrounding enemies).

While on the map, Harald Sigurdsson’s army will deal 20% counterattack damage increased. If surrounded by 10 enemies, then Harald Sigurdsson’s army will deal up to 40% counterattack damage which is very strong and useful in massive PvP battles.

Best Harald Sigurdsson Talent Trees

In this section, we will talk about the best talent builds for Harald Sigurdsson. There are four viable talent builds to choose from. Although, it depends on your preferred gameplay and current strategy, one of these talent builds might be particularly appealing to you. However, you can always switch to a different talent build at any given time. Below is a list of top 4 best talent builds for Harald Sigurdsson:

Conqueror Talent Tree Build

Harald Sigurdsson Conqueror Talent Build Tree

The Conqueror talent tree build focuses on strengthening Harald Sigurdsson’s core ability: attacking enemy cities with swift and brutal force. This talent build improves his already powerful attacks against enemy cities and strongholds by increasing the overall damage. In addition to that, when serving as the rally commander, he will do even more damage towards enemy garrisons. No governors is safe from the Harald Siggurdsson’s wrath.

PvP Talent Tree Build

I absolutely love the PvP talent tree build for Harald Sigurdsson. While he is a very strong infantry commander for attacking enemy cities, he is also a very powerful commander in PvP battles like Sunset Canyon and Ark of Osiris. He get all of the damage bonuses mainly from being surrounded by enemies, which in exchange causes his active skill to do more damage against them. Pair Harald Sigurdsson with Sun Tzu and you get a wrecking ball right in the arena.

Field Talent Tree Build

Harald Sigurdsson Field Talent Build Tree

If you need a strong legendary commander to handle multiple enemies, the Field talent tree build works pretty well with Harald Sigurdsson. As mentioned before, he gets the most damage boost from his active skill. Invest talent points into improving his skills will increase overall damage. Which will turn him into a powerful beast that will make a quick work out of his enemies in matter of seconds. Absolutely must-have talent build for PvP wars such as KvK battles.

Blitz Talent Tree Build

Harald Sigurdsson Blitz Talent Build Tree

The Harald Sigurdsson blitz is a brand new talent tree build that focuses on speed for mobility. It also comes with speed movement that slows down your enemies which is awesome if you want to chase down high-valued enemy commanders like gathering commanders and such. The Blitz talent tree build improves Harald Sigurdsson’s active skill damage which helps a lot with killing enemy commanders quickly.

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Star Level & Talent Point Upgrade Priority

In the next part of our Best Harald Sigurdsson commander guide, I am going to talk about star level & talent point upgrade priority to maximize your commander’s combat potential. Here’s how to prioritize your Harald Sigurdsson effectively:

Conqueror Talent Tree Build:

Keep Harald Sigurdsson at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
Level Harald Sigurdsson to 2 ⭐ and max out his second skill.
Level Harald Sigurdsson to 4 ⭐ and max out all of his skills.

PvP Talent Tree Build:

Keep Harald Sigurdsson at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
Level Harald Sigurdsson to 4 ⭐ and max out all of his skills.

Field Talent Tree Build

Keep Harald Sigurdsson at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
Level Harald Sigurdsson to 3 ⭐ and max out his third skill.
Level Harald Sigurdsson to 4 ⭐ and max out all of his skills.

Blitz Talent Tree Build

Keep Harald Sigurdsson at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
Level Harald Sigurdsson to 4 ⭐ and max out all of his skills.

Best Commander Pairs

There are plenty of good commanders to pair with Harald Sigurdsson. However, if you are looking for the best of all, this is where you can find all the best secondary commanders to pair. Since Harald Sigurdsson focuses on infantry build and specializes in dealing direct damage and obliterating enemy cities to rubbles. You want to find a commander that will further amplify the effects and cover his weakness — mainly with debuffing enemies.

Bjorn Ironside

One of the most powerful epic commanders that is being introduced in the Rise of Kingdoms Vikings Update is Bjorn Ironside. This Vikings commander is armed with powerful offensive skills and talent trees. If you are looking to enhance Harald Sigurdsson’s combat capabilities, then you may want to consider pairing him with Bjorn Ironside. He can debuff up to three targets and cause them to take 15% extra skill damage. In addition to that, all infantry troops gain 10% passive attack and defense bonus which is super nice to have.

Sun Tzu

Hands down, Sun Tzu is one of the best commanders to pair with Harald Sigurdsson. Both have a very similar skill set and Harald Sigurdsson can use the 20% skill damage bonus — which will be absolutely a massive boost. Sun Tzu on the other hand will be able to gain benefits from Harald Sigurdsson’s infantry, conquering and skill focuses.

Sun Tzu brings splash damage that can hit up to 5 targets, which is a nice addition to have as Harald Sigurdsson only can hit up to 3 targets. In addition to that, Harald Sigurdsson only can get stronger as he fights against multiple enemies. A very good commander pair to roll with if you are looking to boost active skill damage and gain splash damage active skill.

Guan Yu

If you are looking for another commander to pair with Harald Sigurdsson to get the most damage out of all, Guan Yu is an incredibly strong commander to work with. His active skill deals massive damage up to 3 targets up to 2,000 each when serving as the primary commander. Which benefits Harald Sigurdsson a lot because he performs equally well as a secondary commander.

This allows Guan Yu + Harald Sigurdsson combo to work together extremely well. Guan Yu will get big infantry attack boost, while the pair will benefit from self-healing ability — an important game mechanism that extends the army’s survivability in battles. Not to forget to mention that this combo will get 100% march speed for 3 seconds after leaving structure which is useful to have for PvP battles.

Alexander the Great

One of the best legendary commanders that you need to pair with Harald Sigurdsson is Alexander the Great. If you are looking for additional defense capabilities and to support nearby friendly allies, this is where Alexander the Great comes into play. His shield is capable of absorbing massive amount of damage. With Harald Sigurdsson’s improved rage generation, Alexander the Great will be able to maintain high shield uptime to withstand heavy blows with ease.

High shield uptime also means this pair will be able to maintain 30% increased defense more often. Which is really important in countering Harald Sigurdsson’s weakness where more stacks means lower defense capabilities. Alexander the Great is a nice counter to weaken defense in exchange for improved offensive capabilities.

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Best Harald Sigurdsson Equipment Set

Equipment	Name	Stats
	Gatekeeper’s Shield	+8% Health
	Windswept War Helm	+4.5% Attack +3% Movement Speed
	Windswept Breastplate	+4.5% Defense +3% Movement Speed
	Calvin’s Hand	+4% Attack +1% HP
	Sentry’s Breeches	+6% Attack
	The Scarlet Hounds	+4% Health
Total	Set Bonus: +2% Attack	Overall Stats: + 16.5% Attack + 4.5% Defense + 13% Health + 6% Movement Speed

Equipment	Name	Stats
	Sakura Fubuki	+13% Attack
	Witch’s Lineage	+8% Attack
	Quinn’s Soul	+8% Attack
	Seth’s Brutality	+5.5% Defense
	Sentry’s Breeches	+8% Health
	The Scarlet Hounds	+4% Health
Total	Set Bonus: No Set Bonus	Overall Stats: + 29% Attack + 5.5% Defense + 12% Health

Equipment	Name	Stats
	Shield of Eternal Empire	+20% Attack
	Gold Helm of the Eternal Empire	+11% Defense
	Plate of the Eternal Empire	+11% Attack
	Vambrace of the Eternal Empire	+7.5% Defense
	Greaves of the Eternal Empire	+11% Attack
	Sturdy Boots of the Eternal Empire	+7.5% Defense
Total	Set Bonus: +3% Defense +10% March Speed +5% Attack	Overall Stats: + 47% Attack + 29% Defense

Best Harald Sigurdsson Strategies and Tips

We have assembled a comprehensive list of best Harald Sigurdsson strategies and tips to maximize this commander’s combat effectiveness in Rise of Kingdoms. Be sure to take advantage of our strategies and tips: