Cyrus the Great in Rise of Kingdoms: Comprehensive Guide to Skills, Talent Builds, and Strategies

How to Obtain Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great becomes available in kingdoms that have been established for over 310 days. Players can unlock him through the Wheel of Fortune event, where they have the opportunity to obtain his sculptures. Additionally, Universal Legendary Commander Sculptures can be used to upgrade his skills.

Skills Overview

The Immortals Active Skill	Rage Requirement: 1000 Deals direct damage to current target and causes them to take increased additional damage for 3 seconds. Upgrade Preview: Damage Factor: 600 / 800 / 1000 / 1200 / 1400 Additional Damage Taken Increase: 10% / 12% / 14% / 16% / 20%
Battle of Thymbra Passive Skill	Archer units led by this commander gain increased march speed and increased attack. Upgrade Preview: Archer March Speed Bonus: 3% / 6% / 9% / 12% / 15% Archer Attack Bonus: 10% / 15% / 20% / 25% / 30%
Persian Bow Passive Skill	When troops led by this commander consist only of archers, their normal attack gains a 10% chance to deal additional damage over time for 3 seconds. While the damage over time is in effect, the target deals reduced skill damage. This effect can trigger at most once every 5 seconds. Upgrade Preview: Additional Damage Factor: 100 / 130 / 160 / 200 / 250 Skill Damage Reduction: 20% / 25% / 30% / 35% / 40%
The Cyrus Cylinder Passive Skill	When attacked on the map, troops led by this commander have a 10% chance to deal damage over time in a circular area of effect to up to 3 targets for 2 seconds. This effect can triggered at most once every 5 seconds. Upgrade Preview: Additional Damage Factor: 150 / 180 / 210 / 250 / 300
King of the World New Skill: Passive Skill	After using an active skill, archer units led by this commander gain 20% increased attack and 20% increased defense for 3 seconds, and gain an extra 50 rage per second. This effect can trigger at most for every 5 seconds.

Cyrus’s skills are tailored to enhance archer unit performance, inflict significant damage, and debuff enemies to increase their vulnerability. His abilities make him a formidable presence in open-field engagements.

Optimal Talent Builds

Cyrus’s talent trees focus on Archer, Skill, and Versatility paths. However, the Versatility tree is less effective for his role, so it’s advisable to concentrate on the Archer and Skill trees.

Open Field – Skill Build

Skill Build: This build emphasizes rapid rage generation and skill damage enhancement.

• Skill Tree:
  • Prioritize “Rejuvenate” to boost rage restoration.
  • Invest in “Heraldic Shield” to reduce skill damage taken.
  • Unlock “Clarity” to increase skill damage after using an active skill.
• Archer Tree:
  • Focus on “Venomous Sting” to enhance active skill damage.
  • Allocate points to “Arrows Nocked” for increased attack when army strength is above 80%.

This build maximizes Cyrus’s skill damage output and allows for frequent activation of his powerful active skill.

Open Field – Archer Build

Archer Build: This build provides a balanced approach, enhancing both offensive and defensive capabilities of archer units.

• Archer Tree:
  • Maximize “Archer Attack” and “Archer Defense” to bolster unit stats.
  • Invest in “Full Quiver” to increase attack when the army is at full strength.
• Skill Tree:
  • Allocate points to “Tactical Mastery” to boost active skill damage.
  • Consider “All for One” to enhance the active skill damage of the secondary commander.

This build ensures that Cyrus’s archer units are formidable in both offense and defense, making them resilient in prolonged battles.

Effective Commander Pairings

Pairing Cyrus with commanders who complement his strengths can significantly enhance battlefield performance. Here are some recommended pairings:

	Nebuchadnezzar II: Combining Cyrus’s single-target damage and debuffs with Nebuchadnezzar’s area-of-effect (AoE) damage creates a versatile pairing effective in both rallies and open-field battles. Their combined skills can decimate multiple enemy targets efficiently.
	Yi Seong-Gye (YSG): YSG’s powerful AoE damage and rage generation synergize well with Cyrus’s abilities. This pairing can unleash devastating skill damage, making it ideal for open-field engagements. However, caution is advised due to their combined vulnerability to swarming attacks.
	Ramesses II: Ramesses offers durability and consistent damage output, complementing Cyrus’s offensive capabilities. This pairing provides a balance between offense and defense, making it effective in various combat scenarios.

Strategies for Maximizing Cyrus the Great’s Potential

• Army Composition: Ensure that armies led by Cyrus consist exclusively of archer units to fully benefit from his skills and talents.
• Engagement Tactics: Utilize hit-and-run tactics to capitalize on Cyrus’s high damage output while minimizing losses. His increased march speed aids in executing these maneuvers effectively.
• Skill Timing: Monitor Cyrus’s