Richard I is a legendary commander in Rise of Kingdoms. He specializes in infantry and comes with an incredible powerful defensive skill set that will set your enemies back. Thanks to his built-in healing ability and bulwark defense value that increases the armor of his troops, allowing to withstand some of the hardest attacks in the game.
| Richard I |
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| Title: The Lionheart |
| Civilization: Britain |
| Base Power: 1,100 |
| Rarity: Legendary |
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Richard I Summary:
- Heals his army for 1,400 health points each time he activates active skill.
- Reduces up to 5 targets’ damage by 30% and march speed by 15% in a fan-shaped area.
- Reduces damage taken by 15%.
- Increases counterattack damage by 10%.
- Increases both Infantry defense and attack bonus by 15%.
- Increases healing received by 30%.
- Reduces watchtower damage taken by 30% when serving as garrison commander.
- Further reduces damage taken by 5% and increases infantry attack vs cavalry by 2%.
- Every 10 seconds, apply 50% march speed reduction on the target.
Why Richard I is the Best Commander?
- One of the best infantry commander in the game.
- Extremely tanky.
- Amazing self-healing ability.
- Can cushion massive blows and hold the frontline easily.
- Hits up to 5 targets, applying damage reduction and march speed.
- Increases amount of healing received, great when partnering with a support commander.
- Best infantry commander for wrangling cavalry commanders.
Background Information
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He was known as Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation ass a great military leader and warrior.
Richard was a central Christian commander during the Third Crusade, leading the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin.
Rather than regarding his kingdom as a responsibility requiring his presence as ruler, Richard has been perceived as preferring to use it merely as a source of revenue to support his armies.
Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects. He remains one of the few kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regal number, and is an enduring iconic figure both in England and in France.
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Introduction
Welcome to our in-depth Rise of Kingdoms guide for Richard I. This informative guide was created to help provide an overview of Richard 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 Richard I right and maximize strategic advantages.
Richard I is one of the powerful defender commanders in Rise of Kingdoms with a rarity rating of Legendary. He is affiliated with Britain and becomes available after your Kingdom turns 120 days old. Unlike Boudica and Edward of Woodstock, Richard I specializes in infantry and excels at providing a solid defense layer to your army as garrison commander and on the field.
To unlock Richard I, you will need to obtain 10 Richard I sculptures. Which can be done through unlocking chests, doing the wheel, and through special events. Now that we have the introduction part about this legendary commander done, I will talk about Richard I skills, talent builds and pairs further in detail next. Stick around with us to learn how you can make the most use out of this great commander.
Best Richard I Skills
In the next part of our best Richard I commander guide for beginners, we are going to talk about this legendary commander skills. As previously mentioned, he is a good defender commander, which means the majority of his skill set is focused on reducing the enemy attack, countering hard, and protecting your troops through increasing the defense value. Here’s a list of Richard I’s skills below:
| Soul of the Crusaders |
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Rage Requirement: 1000 Heals some of the slightly wounded units in Richard’s army. Adds a debuff to a maximum of 5 targets in a fan-shaped area. (Debuffs effect reduces damage dealt and march speed for 2 seconds.) Upgrade Preview: Healing Factor: 600 / 800 / 1000 / 1200 / 1400 |
This active skill heals some of your slightly injured troops upwards to 1,400 at max level. Additionally, it debuffs up to 5 targets in a fan-shaped range, causing the targets to do 30% less damage and reducing their march speed by 15%. A solid active skill for a defender commander if you ask me.
| Chivalry |
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Increases troop damage reduction and counterattack damage. The effect applies to all garrison troops when this commander is serving as a garrison commander. Upgrade Preview: |
Simply reduces the amount of damage taken by 15% and increases the damage of counterattack by 10% when serving as a garrison commander. A nice passive skill that provides an extra layer of protection.
| The Lionheart |
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Increases the attack of infantry units and defense of infantry units. Upgrade Preview: |
This passive skill is a must-have if you are rolling pure infantry build. Increases infantry attack and defense by 15%.
| Battle-Hardened |
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Increases healing effects received by troops and reduces watchtower damage taken by enemy troops. Upgrade Preview: |
Battle-Hardened is an interesting passive skill that gives Richard I some flexibility to work with offensive commanders. This passive skill increases the amount of healing which bolsters his active skill. When he is serving as the garrison commander, the watchtowers will take 30% less damage from the enemy troops. A very powerful passive skill that makes Richard I a popular garrison commander to pick.
| Tyrannical Lion |
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Reduces all damage taken by 5% and increases damage dealt to cavalry units by infantry units by 2%. In addition, every 10 seconds, decreases target march speed by 50% for 5 seconds. |
Gives a flat 5% damage reduction blanket buff. Does 2% more damage to cavalry via infantry and reduces the march speed of your enemy target by 50%. Which allows Richard I to lock down the target, making it possible for you to dispatch offensive commanders to finish off the remaining enemy force(s).
Best Richard I Talent Trees
If you are just starting off with Richard I and want to know what’s the best talent build to use for this legendary commander. Then look no further, because there are at least 3 viable talent builds to choose from, depending on your gameplay, strategy and the purpose of these builds. Below is our recommended Richard I talent builds to use in Rise of Kingdoms:
Bulwark Talent Build
Thanks to Richard I’s unique skill set, doing a Bulwark talent build is possible. Basically, this build focuses on increasing the defense of your troops to make them even harder to get killed on the battlefield. What it does is transform Richard I into one of the most powerful frontline commanders to channel all of the incoming damage while your offensive commanders do the heavy lift. His already solid healing effects, solid damage reduction and increased defense makes him an ideal choice for holding the frontline.
PvP Talent Build
PvP talent build is another solid pick for this legendary commander. Majority of the points are invested in improving infantry’s attack, defense, health, and march speed. The speed of rage generation is also improved which makes this talent build a viable option for PvP battles like Arenas and Sunset Canyon. If you ever need a commander to hold the front, Richard I makes it easy to do so for PvP battles.
Garrison Talent Build
By default, the Garrison talent build is one of the best choices to use for this commander. What it does is increase the troops’ defense value and reduces the damage taken when Richard I is serving as the garrison commander. Unlike the other 2 talent builds, the speed of rage generated is also greatly improved. Which means Richard I can do even more damage, heal more and maintain debuff on the enemy targets. Additionally, your watchtower takes 30% less damage from the enemy troops.
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Star Level & Talent Point Upgrade Priority
In the next part of our Best Richard 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 Richard I effectively:
Bulwark Talent Build:
- Keep Richard I at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
- Level Richard I at 3 ⭐ until you max out his third skill.
- Level Richard I at 4 ⭐ until you max out all of his skills.
PvP Talent Build:
- Keep Richard I at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
- Level Richard I at 3 ⭐ until you max out his third skill.
- Level Richard I at 4 ⭐ until you max out all of his skills.
Garrison Talent Build:
- Keep Richard I at 1 ⭐ until you max out his first skill.
- Level Richard I at 2 ⭐ until you max out his second skill.
- Level Richard I at 4 ⭐ until you max out all of his skills.
Best Commander Pairs
Before we list out the best commanders to pair with Richard I, it is important to keep it in your mind that he specializes in infantry. Which means he will perform the best and get the most out of pairing when you pair him with another commander who also specializes in infantry. It is also possible to pair with commanders who have strong leadership ability as long as they don’t have conflicting skills that require mixed troops. Below is our recommended commanders for pairing:
Alexander the Great
If you are looking for a commander to further enhance your Bulwark talent build, Alexander the Great is one of the best commanders to pair with. He comes with the ability to put up a shield and increase defense. When the shield is down, increase attack.
Plus, he is a great support since his active skill also gives a small shield to nearby friendly commanders to offset some of the incoming damage. So, in summary, Alexander the Great and Richard I together makes one of the best frontline combos in game.
Charles Martel
Don’t underestimate Charles Martel, for his skills he is one of the best commanders to further improve Richard I’s Garrison talent build. Unlike Alexander the Great, Charles Martel prefers to stay in your city. He also can provide shield and increase attack temporarily.
Infantry under his leadership also gain massive bonuses to health, attack and defense. Which makes this combo one of the best picks to garrison your city, alliance fortresses and flags as well.
Guan Yu
Alternatively, if you are looking to pair with an offensive commander like Guan Yu who could use some extra defense to make the troops harder to die on the battlefield. Guan Yu typically takes the position as primary role since his active skill will cause more damage.
However, Richard I can provide some defense value along with Guan Yu — especially with increasing the amount of healing received and reducing the damage taken from the watchtowers. This combo is great for both PvP battles and when attacking enemy cities.
Wu Zetian
Another good commander to pair with is Wu Zetian. She serves as the anti-nuker role in Rise of Kingdoms and reduces the amount of damage taken by skills. Additionally, she increases the troops’ defense when serving as the garrison commander.
Every time she uses her active skill, troops get healed and the enemy targets get moderate amounts of damage. If you pair Richard I with Wu Zetian, not only you get the best self-healing effects in the game but increased damage towards incoming troops and an extra 10% towards rallied armies when serving as the garrison commander.
Best Richard 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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| Total | Set Bonus:
| Overall Stats:
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| Equipment | Name | Stats |
|---|---|---|
 | 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:
| Overall Stats:
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| Equipment | Name | Stats |
|---|---|---|
 | 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:
| Overall Stats:
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