Leonidas I is another legendary commander in Rise of Kingdoms that was released along with Guan Yu. Leonidas I is a unique commander due to a combination of skill set and play style. If you are looking for a fast infantry commander that does tons of damage and goes berserk, this commander is the right pick for game modes like Sunset Canyon and Ark of Osiris.
| Leonidas I |
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| Title: Indomitable Powerhouse |
| Civilization: Other |
| Base Power: 1,200 |
| Rarity: Legendary |
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Leonidas I Summary:
- Increases health of troops by 30% for 3 seconds after using active skill.
- Deals 600 damage up to 3 targets in a fan-shaped range. Does 50% extra damage if target is silenced.
- Increases defense by 30% and rage generation by 15%.
- Gains 800 shield points and increases attack by 15% when army strength is below 50%.
- Increases troops’ attack by 40% while on map.
- Deals 400% increased damage and reduces damage taken by 50% when army strength is below 10%.
Why Leonidas I is the Best Commander?
- Awesome damage-dealing skills.
- Fast rage generation.
- Final stand ability to pull off sucker punches.
- Good defense capability.
- Large health pool.
- Pairs well with commanders that can silence enemies.
Background Information
Leonidas I was a warrior king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the 17th of the Agiad line; a dynasty which claimed descent from the mythological demigod Heracles and Cadmus.
He was the husband of Gorgo, the daughter of Cleomenes I of Sparta.
Leonidas had a notable participation in the Second Persian War, where he led the allied Greek forces to a last stand at the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) while attempting to defend the pass from the invading Persian army; he entered myth as the leader of the 300 Spartans.
Introduction
Welcome to our in-depth Rise of Kingdoms guide for Leonidas I. This informative guide was created to help provide an overview of Leonidas I 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 Leonidas I right and maximize strategic advantages.
Leonidas I is a legendary commander released along with Guan Yu. He boasts an impressive combination of offense and defense capabilities, making him one of the popular commanders to play with. His active skill is very unique as it increases damage towards enemies who are silenced. A must-have debuff when pairing with commanders who have silence ability.
However, to unlock and summon Leonidas I in Rise of Kingdoms. Your kingdom must be at least 240 days old in order to unlock him. Then you have to gather Leonidas I sculptures and navigate to the commander selection screen to summon him. If you are playing Leonidas I for the first time, stick around with us to learn more about his skills, talent builds and pairs.
Best Leonidas I Skills
In this section, we will talk about Leonidas I skills and how you can use his abilities to max. This means playing the legendary commander right, picking the best talent builds and pairing him with good commanders in order to maximize Leonidas I’s combat effectiveness. Below is a list of his skills.
| King of Sparta |
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Rage Requirement: 1000 Increases the health of troops led by Leonidas I for 3 seconds. Deals damage to up to 3 targets a fan-shaped area. Targets under the effects of Silence or Attack Reduction will take an additional 50% damage. Upgrade Preview: Health Bonus: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30% |
This active skill increases damage by 50% when the target is silenced or has their attacks reduced. It hits up to 3 targets and when under these debuffs, the damage increases to 900 per target. Plus, the target’s health is reduced by 30%. A solid active skill when paired with debuffers.
| Three Hundred Spartans |
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When the army led by this commander contains only infantry units, increases defense and increases speed of rage gained. Upgrade Preview: Defense Bonus: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30% |
If you lead a full infantry unit under Leonidas I ‘s leadership then they gain a big, nice 30% defense bonus. Speed of rage generation is also increased by 15% which helps him maintain the health debuff and dealing heavy blows.
| Honorable Sacrifice |
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When the army led by this commander has been reduced to less than 50% strength, there is a chance to gain a shield when attacked that lasts for 3 seconds. While the shield lasts, increase the attack of own infantry troops by 3%. Upgrade Preview: Shield (Self): 600 / 650 / 700 / 750 / 800 |
This passive skill is basically like a last stand, which provides protection against enemy attacks temporarily. The troops also gain a 15% attack bonus for upwards to 3 seconds.
| Son of the Lion |
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While on the map, Leonidas I’s attack have a 25% chance to increase all damage dealth by his own troops, lasts for 5 seconds and stacks up to 4 times. Upgrade Preview: Damage Bonus: 5% / 6% / 7% / 8% / 10% |
Son of the Lion is an incredibly powerful passive skill that will increase the overall damage that your troops do upwards to 40% (stacks up to 4 times and has a duration of 5 seconds).
| Battle of Thermopylae |
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When the army led by this commander has been reduced to less than 10% strength, increase all damage dealt by 400% and increase damage reduction by 50%, lasts for 10 seconds. This effect can trigger only once per hour after the army has left the city. |
Battle of Thermopylae is an unique and interesting passive skill that increases all the damage done by 400%. During this skill is activated, the troops damage taken is reduced by 50%. Like Constantine I, this only can be triggered once every hour after leaving the city.
Best Leonidas I Talent Trees
Before we dive deep in the best Leonidas I talent builds, I want to point out that this legendary commander excels when playing on the map. Which means he doesn’t play that well as a garrison commander at all. Even though he is a very tanky commander, he is equipped with numerous powerful offensive capabilities and that goes even further when paired with debuffer commanders. Below is our top 2 recommended talent builds for Leonidas I :
PvP Talent Build
This is one of the best talent builds for PvP battling with the legendary commander. It focuses on increasing the troops’ march speed, attack, defense and health bonuses. Additionally, he gains improved rage generation that helps out with him dishing out his active skill as often as he can. Perfect for battling in the PvP arenas and out in the field as well.
Conqueror Talent Build
Let’s be real, Leonidas I is good at conquering your enemies with ease. If you go with this talent build, not only will he be able to do extra damage against enemy cities, it also dramatically increases the speed of rage generation when his army strength falls below 30%. The conqueror talent build is good for warding off enemy defenders while crippling the defenses with ease.
Star Level & Talent Point Upgrade Priority
In the next part of our Best Leonidas I 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 Leonidas I effectively:
PvP Talent Build:
- Keep Leonidas I at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
- Level Leonidas I to 2 ⭐ and max out his second skill.
- Level Leonidas I to 4 ⭐ and max out all of his skills.
Conqueror Talent Build:
- Keep Leonidas I at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
- Level Leonidas I to 2 ⭐ and max out his second skill.
- Level Leonidas I to 3 ⭐ and max out his third skill.
- Level Leonidas I to 4 ⭐ and max out all of his skills.
Best Commander Pairs
As I pointed out that Leonidas I is a solid secondary commander. Which means we will share the best primary commanders who are equipped with debuff abilities in order to maximize the pair combat effectiveness. That being said, let’s find out the best primary commanders for Leonidas I to pair with:
Guan Yu
Any serious player will want to pair Guan Yu with Leonidas I. That’s mainly because Guan Yu has an active skill which silences up to 3 targets and deals massive amounts of damage. This debuff will increase Leonidas I active skill damage by 50%, a massive boost to his combat capabilities.
Many players prefer to do Guan Yu & Leonidas I combo because Guan Yu is focused on conquering and improves active skill damage. At the same time, he specializes in infantry. Which makes him one of the best commanders to pair with, hands down.
Alexander the Great
If you want to be able to gain a 15% attack bonus when the army strength is below 50% at a much consistent rate, then pair Leonidas I with Alexander the Great. This pair focuses on playing both offense and defense wars the best.
Alexander the Great can pull up a shield to delay the incoming attacks while Leonidas dishes out moderate amounts of damage. If you don’t have Alexander the Great, you definitely can play Leonidas with Charles Martel on the defensive field side.
The only downside with this pair is that you do not get the 50% damage bonus to active skill in contrast to Guan Yu combo.
Charles Martel
One of the best commanders that will bolster the defense of your troops, absorb incoming attacks and at the same time, boost infantry attack. Charles Martel is an excellent commander that will further strengthen Leonidas’ combat potential while increasing the defense value of troops.
He brings a perfect balance of attack, defense and health, which is something that Leonidas I really needs to gain from in addition to his already superior combat capabilities. If you want to soften the blows while doing more damage, Charles Martel is a good commander to roll with.
Richard I
On the other side, if you want to go full defense with Leonidas I then you can pair him with Richard I. Though Richard I is similar to Charles Martel, he comes with a significant advantage by lowering the overall damage taken. In addition to that, Richard I delivers amazing self-healing capabilities which truly extends his lifespan on the battlefield.
One of the main reasons why you would want to pair Leonidas with Richard I is because he can apply damage reduction up to 5 targets. Also he increases all infantry troops attack and defense by 15%, a nice boost to the pairing’s combat potential.
Sun Tzu
Finally, if you do not have any legendary commanders as stated above. Do not worry because Sun Tzu is easily one of the best freemium commanders that will have no issue pairing with Leonidas I. Sun Tzu is a very strong commander that hits up to 5 targets and does a massive amount of damage. He also comes with a passive skill which increases active skill damage by 20%.
Whenever you need a solid commander that encompasses attack, defense and speed. Sun Tzu is easily the best epic commander to pair with Leonidas I. Not to forget to mention that Sun Tzu is quick to level up. Perfect choice.
Best Leonidas I Equipment Set
| Equipment | Name | Stats |
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Gatekeeper’s Shield |
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Windswept War Helm |
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Windswept Breastplate |
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Calvin’s Hand |
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Sentry’s Breeches |
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The Scarlet Hounds |
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Set Bonus:
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Overall Stats:
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| Equipment | Name | Stats |
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Sakura Fubuki |
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Witch’s Lineage |
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Quinn’s Soul |
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Seth’s Brutality |
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Sentry’s Breeches |
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The Scarlet Hounds |
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| Total |
Set Bonus:
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Overall Stats:
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| Equipment | Name | Stats |
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Shield of Eternal Empire |
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Gold Helm of the Eternal Empire |
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Plate of the Eternal Empire |
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Vambrace of the Eternal Empire |
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Greaves of the Eternal Empire |
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Sturdy Boots of the Eternal Empire |
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| Total |
Set Bonus:
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Overall Stats:
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Best Leonidas I Strategies and Tips
We have assembled a comprehensive list of best Leonidas I strategies and tips to maximize this commander’s combat effectiveness in Rise of Kingdoms. Be sure to take advantage of our strategies and tips:
- Leonidas I and Guan Yu are the perfect commander pairs since both stands to benefit the most from each other.
- While paired with Guan Yu, Leonidas assumes the role as primary commander.
- Talent in rage generation rate to increase the speed of rage, which will allow Leonidas to keep multiple targets silenced.
- Leonidas I can keep several nukers at bay when using his active skill properly and with fast rage generation.
- Go pure infantry with Leonidas I to get 30% defense bonus, which will help a lot with him soaking damage.
- Leonidas I’s defense capabilities increases when his total army strength falls below 50%.
