🌟 COMPLETE GUIDE: BAI QI & TOKUGAWA – NEW INFANTRY COMMANDERS IN RISE OF KINGDOMS
This month, Rise of Kingdoms officially introduces two brand-new legendary infantry commanders: Bai Qi, a fearsome general from China’s Warring States period, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shogun who unified Japan and founded the Edo era.
Both come with the powerful Smite Damage mechanic—first introduced with commanders like Gorgo—and promise to shake up the current meta. But are they worth investing in? Let’s break down each skill, their strengths and weaknesses, and the best commander pairings for both PvP and garrison defense.
⚔️ BAI QI – THE STRONGEST AOE INFANTRY COMMANDER SO FAR
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Role: Open Field, Infantry, Smite Damage
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Talent Trees: Infantry – Smite – Versatility
🔥 Skill 1 – Devastating AoE Smite (Active Skill)
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Deals Smite damage to up to 5 targets in a fan-shaped area
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Damage factor: 2,400 (reduced by 15% per additional target)
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30% chance to debuff targets, making them take +15% extra damage
➡️ This is currently the highest AoE skill damage in the game, surpassing King Arthur’s 2,320 on 3 targets. A built-in debuff makes it ideal for large-scale field battles.
🧠 Skill 2 – Elite Stats Boost
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+20% march speed
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+10% infantry health
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+40% infantry attack
➡️ This combination of stats is rarely seen—offense, survivability, and mobility—all in one skill. Extremely valuable in open-field scenarios.
💥 Skills 3 & 4 – Malice Mechanic and Bonus Smite Damage
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Gain 10 stacks of Malice when entering battle
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Gain 10 more with each active skill use and every 10% troops lost
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If your Malice stacks > enemy's remaining troop %, Bai Qi consumes 10 stacks to:
→ Deal 300 bonus smite damage
→ Apply +10% severe wounds
→ Boost rage generation by 20% for 1 second
➡️ Skill 4 also grants +10% normal attack damage and increases bonus smite damage as your troop health drops—up to +30%.
⚠️ Malice requires time to stack, making Bai Qi more effective in prolonged engagements.
⭐ Expertise – Comeback Mechanic
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After inflicting 400,000 severe wounds: gain +5% normal damage
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When troop count drops below 50%:
→ +60% damage dealt
→ -30% damage taken -
Below 15%:
→ +100% damage
→ -50% damage taken
(Triggers once every 60 minutes)
➡️ A “last stand” mechanic that can turn the tide in extended battles.
📌 BAI QI – STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| 🔥 Best AoE infantry commander so far | ❌ No passive damage reduction |
| 🔥 Excellent stat buffs | ❌ Malice stacks slowly over time |
| 🔥 Unique Malice-based bonus damage | ❌ No combo damage synergy |
| 🔥 Flexible with many commanders | ❌ Vulnerable to focus fire |
🤝 BEST PAIRINGS FOR BAI QI
| Pairing | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bai Qi + Leuce | Double AoE | Smite synergy and burst potential |
| Bai Qi + Philip II | High DPS + defense | Great for sustained combat |
| Bai Qi + William Wallace | Shield + damage rotation | Shorter cooldown combos |
| Bai Qi + Ragnar | Tankiness | Helps Bai survive longer |
| Bai Qi + Alexander the Great | Combo hits | But less efficient without proc synergy |
🏯 TOKUGAWA IEYASU – GARRISON COMMANDER WITH ANTI-DEBUFF POWER
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Role: Infantry, Garrison, Smite Damage
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Talent Trees: Infantry – Garrison – Smite
🛡 Skill 1 – Solid Single Target Damage
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Deals 2,400 smite damage to one enemy
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Reduces their defense by 10% for 3 seconds
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Grants a 600 damage shield for 2 seconds
➡️ A standard active skill with good defensive utility.
⚙️ Skill 2 – Attack Boost & Stat Buffs
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25% chance to gain +30% attack for 4 seconds on each normal/counterattack
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+10% march speed
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+10% infantry defense
➡️ Great for garrison battles where consistent triggers happen through counterattacks.
🧼 Skill 3 – Anti-Debuff & Health Stacking (Garrison Only)
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+10% all damage when garrisoned
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When dealing smite damage:
→ 25% chance to remove 1 debuff (slow, poison, exhaustion...)
→ Gain a “Toou” stack: +5% infantry HP (max 4 stacks, refreshed every trigger)
➡️ Great counter to debuff-heavy enemies like Gorgo or Zenobia.
🛡 Skill 4 – Shield-Based AoE
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When receiving a buff: 50% chance to gain a 1,200 shield (7s cooldown)
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While shielded:
→ 30% chance on attack/counter to deal 300 AoE smite damage (10s cooldown)
➡️ Synergizes well with shield or buff-heavy commanders like Martel, Hera, or Flavius.
✅ TOKUGAWA – STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| ✅ Can cleanse debuffs – rare mechanic | ❌ Not suitable for open-field play |
| ✅ HP stacking & reactive shields | ❌ No burst or huge base stats |
| ✅ Strong synergy with Gorgo & Martel | ❌ Limited use outside of garrison |
🤝 BEST GARRISON PAIRINGS FOR TOKUGAWA
| Pairing | Strengths |
|---|---|
| Tokugawa + Gorgo | Double smite, anti-debuff, AoE combo |
| Tokugawa + Charles Martel | Reactive shielding and tankiness |
| Tokugawa + Hera | Buff-based synergy and sustain |
| Tokugawa + Flavius | High DPS & control garrison meta |
🎯 FINAL VERDICT
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Bai Qi is set to become a top-tier open field infantry commander thanks to his high AoE damage, impressive stats, and Malice synergy.
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Tokugawa is a specialized but powerful garrison commander, especially effective in anti-debuff setups and defensive synergy pairings.
💡 Pro Tip: Wait for community testing and content creator reviews before investing max resources. Smite commanders can be strong—but require proper synergy and context.