Guan Yu Build – Best Talents, Pairings, Equipment & Skills

Guan Yu is a popular legendary commander who can be obtained during Season 3 and is one of the best infantry commanders available. Guan Yu is generally used in open-field battle by the majority of players as he possesses a powerful AOE (area of effect) skill that can deal devastating damage to multiple enemies. 

Whether you’ve recently acquired Guan Yu or are considering using him, this guide covers everything you need to know about how to best build Guan Yu to make him a powerful open-field Infantry commander. 

Guan Yu PVP Skill Talent Tree Build

There is one build for Guan Yu which makes the most sense. Guan Yu’s skills and talents are catered for open-field PVP battle so utilising the skill tree accompanies his skills well. 

Focus on building through most of the skill tree, aiming for Feral Nature to boost rage regeneration. Skip the Naked Rage talent in the skill tree since Guan Yu isn’t a tank and taking extra damage isn’t ideal. Use the remaining talent points to enhance infantry unit attributes in the infantry tree. This approach optimizes Guan Yu’s abilities for better performance. By using this build, you can confidently enhance your PvP performance and maximize the effectiveness of Guan Yu in battles.

Best Guan Yu Pairings

Guan Yu is pretty versatile in the fact he can be paired with most infantry commanders. However, for optimal synergy with his skills and talent builds, we’ve compiled a list of recommended pairings below. In each of these pairings, Guan Yu will serve as the primary commander since his talent tree is focused on dealing significant damage.

Scipio Africanus Prime (Best Pairing)

Since Scipio Prime’s release, he is by far the best pairing for Guan Yu. Scipio Prime’s kit offers various buffs, including damage, shielding, and march speed. If you expertise both Guan Yu and Scipio Prime, you’ll arguably have the best infantry pairing in the whole of Rise of Kingdoms, taking down even the toughest of meta marches.

Explore Scipio Prime Builds

Leonidas I 

Leonidas I is an excellent pairing for Guan Yu due to his substantial defensive attribute buffs, providing the extra survivability that Guan Yu benefits from. Additionally, Leonidas I’s third skill, Honorable Sacrifice, grants a shield, contributing to triggering Guan Yu’s expertise skill. 

Alexander The Great

Alexander The Great can be obtained in KVK 2 so by the time you obtain Guan Yu in KVK 3 you’ll have a solid infantry pairing to dominate that season. Alex provides a lot of attack damage buffs, so pairing with Guan Yu turns them into an absolute damage-dealing powerhouse. However, this pairing can be quite squishy, especially if you’re targetted in open-field battles.

Explore Alexander the Great Builds

Charles Martel

Charles Martel, known for his defensive capabilities and tanky role, is a fitting pairing for Guan Yu. Obtained from gold chests, Charles Martel is relatively easier to obtain and skill up compared to some other legendary commanders, making him a suitable choice if you lack harder-to-obtain legendary commanders.

Guan Yu Skill Levelling

Prioritize leveling up Guan Yu’s active skill, Saint of War, to level 5 before enhancing other skills. This skill is crucial as it deals area-of-effect (AOE) damage with a substantial 2000 damage factor.

For an optimal build, especially if you’re limited on legendary commander statues or don’t plan to expertise Guan Yu, go for the 5155 build. Achieving this may involve some luck or skill retraining, as maintaining his second skill at level 1 can be challenging due to random skill leveling.

If you intend to expertise Guan Yu, his expertise skill, Lone Rider, provides a 15% skill damage increase when he gains a shield. Since none of Guan Yu’s skills grant him a shield, pair him with another commander who does or equip the Scolas’ Lucky Coin accessory to ensure activation of this skill.

Best Equipment For Guan Yu

Below are the recommended equipment choices for Guan Yu, categorized for different stages of the game. The ultimate objective is to obtain late-game equipment gear, so as soon as you acquire the blueprints for any of the pieces, build them promptly.

Beginner Equipment

• Windswept War Helm (Helms)
• Windswept Breastplate (Chest)
• Gatekeepers Shield (Weapons)
• Sentry Breeches (Legs)
• Windswept Bracers (Gloves)
• The Scarlett Hounds (Boots)

Mid-Late Game Equipment

• Witches Lineage (Helms)
• Quinn’s Soul (Chest)
• Sakura Fubuki (Weapons)
• Karuak’s Humility (Legs)
• Seth’s Brutality (Gloves)
• Frost Treads (Boots)

Late-Game Equipment

• Helm of the Conqueror/God Helm of the Eternal Empire (Helms)
• Hope Cloak/Plate of the Eternal Empire (Chest)
• Hammer of the Sun and Moon/Shield of the Eternal Empire (Weapons)
• Eternal Night/Greaves of the Eternal Empire (Legs)
• Sacred Grips/Vambraces of the Eternal Empire (Gloves) 
• Shilo’s Return/Sturdy Boots of the Eternal Empire (Boots) 

Accessories

• Horn of Fury
• Ring of Doom
• Scolas Lucky Coin
• Concealed Dagger
• Call of the Loyal

Guan Yu Best Formation

The best formation for Guan Yu is the wedge formation, which increases skill damage by 5% – the primary source of Guan Yu’s damage.

Since Guan Yu typically serves as the primary commander in most pairings and utilizes the skill talent tree, there’s no other formation that surpasses the wedge formation. To maximize damage output, consider using armament inscriptions like Hunter or Combo, specifically designed to boost skill damage and make the most of the wedge formation.

How Do I Obtain Guan Yu?

Guan Yu is obtainable from the infantry Wheel of Fortune in Season 3. To fully unlock him, you’ll need ten Guan Yu commander tokens. After unlocking, you can invest universal legendary commander sculptures to further upgrade his skills.

Keep in mind, Guan Yu can only be used in kingdoms that have reached Season 3 or later. The wheel becomes available sometime in Season 3, allowing you to utilize Guan Yu for the remainder of that season and the Season of Conquest.

Summary: Is Guan Yu Worth Investing In?

Investing in Guan Yu is worthwhile for infantry players seeking an additional march. However, if you’re in the Season of Conquest, prioritizing newer commanders like Lui Che or Scipio Prime may be more advantageous given the current state of the game.

For an excellent infantry pairing, combining Scipio Prime with Guan Yu is highly recommended. Therefore, it’s suggested to invest in Scipio Prime before focusing on Guan Yu.

Guan Yu offers versatile pairings, making him a valuable investment, especially if you concentrated on commanders like Alexander The Great in Season 2 and are looking for a strong pairing moving forward.