Tariq ibn Ziyad Build – Best Talents, Pairings, Equipment & Skills

Tariq ibn Ziyad is a legendary infantry commander in Rise of Kingdoms. If you’ve just got him and need the best build, you’re in the right place. Tariq is known for his strong rallying capabilities whilst also proving to be a strong open-field commander.

Tariq ibn Ziyad Best Talent Tree Build

For the most effective talent tree builds for Tariq ibn Ziyad, prioritize the infantry and defense branches. Avoid investing in conquering talents as they offer little value.

Rally Talent Tree Build

To use Tariq ibn Ziyad as an infantry rally leader, you will want to invest heavily in the defense tree. Build up to Desperate Elegy collecting various damage reduction and rage regeneration buffs on the way. The Medicinal Supplies talent works well with Burning Blood, allowing the active skill to be activated more frequently and recover lost troops. Invest remaining points in the infantry talent tree for troop attribute boosts.

Open-Field Build

Tariq ibn Ziyad can also be used as an open-field commander. If you want to use him for this purpose, focus more on the infantry branch. Build towards Elite Soliders for a mixture of attack, defense and health boosts for infantry units. 

In contrast to the rally build, the open-field build prioritises march speed. Whilst less defensive, this build packs a punch and is optimal for dealing the most amount of damage.

Best Tariq ibn Ziyad Pairings

Alexander the Great is highly versatile and can be paired with almost any infantry commander in Rise of Kingdoms. However, for maximum effectiveness in battle, we’ve compiled a list of the best commander pairings.

Scipio Prime (Best Pairing, Rallying)

The best rally pairing for Tariq ibn Ziyad is Scipio Prime. This combination delivers a significant amount of damage for rallying and provides substantial infantry attribute boosts. In this pairing, use Scipio Prime as the primary commander. His talent tree builds outperform Tariq’s, and our testing revealed better battle reports with this setup.

Explore Scipio Prime Builds

K’inich Janaab Pakal (Rallying)

If you don’t have Scipio Prime or haven’t leveled him up much, K’inich Janaab Pakal is another good choice for rallying. Pakal’s skills offer additional rally damage along with a range of infantry stat boosts. Since he shares the same talent trees as Tariq, you can use either of these commanders as the primary.

Sargon The Great (Open Field)

The best open-field pairing for Tariq ibn Ziyad is Sargon the Great. Their synergy is excellent because both commanders offer significant boosts to infantry attack through their skills. You can use either of them as the primary commander.

Explore Sargon the Great Builds

Tariq ibn Ziyad Skill Levelling

As with all commanders, focus on leveling up Tariq ibn Ziyad’s active skill, Victory or Death, to level 5 before upgrading other skills. This skill serves as the primary damage dealer.

If you’re utilizing Tariq ibn Ziyad for rallying, expertising him is a must, no exceptions. If you aim to successfully burn flags or buildings, expertise is crucial to minimize troop losses. It’s highly likely that the garrison defender will also be expertised.

Best Equipment For Tariq ibn Ziyad

Here are the gear setups we suggest for Tariq ibn Ziyad at different game stages. If you struggle with blueprints or materials, it’s better to forge beginner or mid-game gear than to have no equipment at all.

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

• Greatest Glory
• Ring of Doom
• Horn of Fury
• Concealed Dagger
• Mora’s Web
• Scholas’ Lucky Coin
• Vengeance
• Call of the Loyal

Tariq ibn Ziyad Best Formation

The best formations for Tariq ibn Ziyad are either the wedge or arch formations. If paired with a skill damage commander, the wedge formation is better. However, when paired with a commander specializing in normal attacks like Sargon the Great, the arch formation would be more effective. The choice of formation depends entirely on the situation at hand.

How Do I Obtain Tariq ibn Ziyad?

You can obtain Tariq ibn Ziyad from the infantry-focused The Mightiest Governor event. To fully unlock him at once, you’ll need to rank in the top 15 of this event, acquiring the 10 sculptures required. However, you can also obtain fewer sculptures even up to rank 50. Once unlocked, you can further level him up using universal legendary sculptures.

Summary: Is Tariq ibn Ziyad Worth Investing In?

If you’re a free-to-play player, Tariq ibn Ziyad is not the best infantry commander to invest in. The reason for this is because he is primarily used for rallying, which requires significant investment in acquiring the best equipment and technology, which isn’t easily accessible for F2P players. 

However, if you are an infantry main pay-to-play player, then Tariq ibn Ziyad is a must-have for rallying in KVK or Ark of Osiris.