Honda Tadakatsu is a Legendary Leadership, Versatility, and Skill commander in Rise of Kingdoms. His defining features are a high-damage AOE active skill, mixed-troop scaling, increased troop capacity, and strong normal-attack protection after expertise.
Honda can still function on an account that already has him at 5-5-5-1 or expertise. However, most players starting from 1-1-1-1 in a mature kingdom should prioritize a newer open-field commander.
- New player: Skip.
- F2P or low spender starting from 1-1-1-1: Usually skip.
- Existing 5-5-5-1 owner: Use as a legacy field or Canyon option.
- Existing expertised owner: Keep for situational mixed-troop use.
- Player seeking a first Season of Conquest march: Choose a newer commander.
- Modern rally leader: Use a current rally specialist.
- Talent-tree correction: Honda does not have the Mobility tree. His current talent trees are Leadership, Versatility, and Skill.
Is Honda Tadakatsu Still Good in ROK?
Honda remains usable as a legacy mixed-troop commander. Dragonfly Cutter delivers high AOE damage when Honda is primary, while Tokugawa Heavenly King rewards marches that lose units during sustained combat. His expertise also provides substantial protection from normal attacks on the map.
Nevertheless, several limitations reduce his modern investment value. Dragonfly Cutter requires 1,350 Rage, mixed troops complicate equipment optimization, and his active damage is cut in half when he serves as secondary.
| Player Situation | Recommendation | Reason |
| New account | Skip | Honda is not an efficient early investment |
| F2P starting from 1-1-1-1 | Skip | His complete build requires too many Legendary Sculptures |
| Existing 5-5-5-1 Honda | Use situationally | The first three skills provide his core field package |
| Existing expertised Honda | Keep as backup | Expertise improves protection from normal attacks |
| Canyon-focused account | Potentially useful | Capacity and AOE can contribute during longer fights |
| Modern rally account | Use another commander | Honda lacks the complete modern rally package |
Before spending Universal Legendary Sculptures, compare Honda with current choices in the updated Rise of Kingdoms commander tier list.
Honda Tadakatsu Quick Overview
| Attribute | Honda Tadakatsu |
| Rarity | Legendary |
| Nickname | The Deer of Tokugawa |
| Origin | Japan |
| Talent trees | Leadership, Versatility, and Skill |
| Preferred position | Primary for maximum active-skill damage |
| Recommended troops | Purpose-built mixed troops or one optimized dominant troop type |
| Main roles | Legacy field combat and Sunset Canyon |
| Main strengths | AOE damage, capacity, mixed-troop scaling, and normal-attack protection |
| Main weaknesses | High Rage cost, equipment complexity, and declining investment priority |
| Practical breakpoint | 5-5-5-1 |
How to Get Honda Tadakatsu
Honda is associated with Wheel of Fortune availability in eligible kingdoms. Exact commander rotations can vary by kingdom phase and event version, so check the current Wheel before planning gems or sculptures.
Before investing:
- Confirm that Honda is the current Wheel commander.
- Calculate the cost of reaching 5-5-5-1.
- Review whether the account has suitable mixed-troop technology.
- Check which equipment set will support the march.
- Compare Honda with newer commanders available to the account.
Best Honda Tadakatsu Skill Order
Dragonfly Cutter should reach level five before Honda gains additional stars. Samurai of the East is the second priority because it provides Attack and March Speed, while Samurai Among Samurai completes his main field package.
Recommended Progression
- Keep Honda at one star until Dragonfly Cutter reaches level five.
- Raise him to two stars and maximize Samurai of the East.
- Continue toward 5-5-5-1 for a complete legacy field build.
- Evaluate Tokugawa Heavenly King before spending additional sculptures.
- Expertise Honda only when he still has a defined field or Canyon role.
| Skill Build | Assessment |
| 5-1-1-1 | Maximum active damage but missing most supporting statistics |
| 5-5-1-1 | Usable unfinished build with Attack and March Speed |
| 5-5-5-1 | Best practical stopping point for existing owners |
| 5-5-5-5 | Suitable only for committed legacy accounts |
Honda Tadakatsu Skills Explained
Dragonfly Cutter
Rage requirement: 1,350
Dragonfly Cutter deals direct damage to as many as three enemies in a forward-facing fan.
- Maximum damage factor as primary: 2,500
- Maximum damage factor as secondary: 1,250
- Damage is reduced by 15% for each additional target
The secondary-position penalty is significant. As a result, Honda should normally lead when Dragonfly Cutter is the main reason for using the pairing.
Samurai of the East
At maximum level, Samurai of the East provides:
- 10% troop Attack
- 20% March Speed
- 30% additional Attack when fighting enemy troops
The bonuses apply broadly rather than requiring one specific troop type. This flexibility supports Honda’s mixed-troop identity.
Samurai Among Samurai
At maximum level, Honda’s march takes 5% less damage. When the skill’s active-skill condition is triggered, the target receives damage over time and a temporary March Speed reduction.
- Damage factor: 200
- March Speed reduction: 50%
- Duration: two seconds
- Trigger cooldown: five seconds
Before publication, confirm in the current English tooltip whether the effect can be triggered by either commander’s active skill when Honda is secondary.
Tokugawa Heavenly King
Tokugawa Heavenly King increases troop capacity. It also allows Honda’s skill damage to increase as the march loses units.
A march containing multiple troop types receives stronger scaling than a single-type march, while the total skill-damage increase is capped at 60%.
This creates an unusual combat curve:
- A full march begins with more troop capacity.
- Honda’s skill damage rises as troop strength falls.
- Mixed troops can improve the scaling.
- The march still becomes less durable as units are lost.
Verify the exact unit-loss thresholds and per-threshold percentages in the current English game client before adding them to a table.
The Undefeated
The Undefeated is Honda’s expertise. While his march is on the map, it takes 30% less normal-attack damage.
Current skill wording also limits the effect to 57 triggers per hour after the march leaves the city.
This is not universal all-damage reduction. It does not automatically reduce active-skill, smite, combo, counterattack, or other separately classified damage.
Best Honda Tadakatsu Talent Tree
Talent image update recommended: Replace the existing generic rally image with a verified Honda Leadership and Skill talent tree captured from the current English client.
Mixed-Troop Open-Field Route
- Start in Skill and reach Rejuvenate. Honda’s 1,350-Rage requirement makes additional Rage especially important.
- Continue toward Feral Nature. The extra Rage chance improves sustained skill cycling.
- Add Tactical Mastery and useful skill-damage talents.
- Move into Leadership for Hidden Wrath. Receiving attacks generates additional Rage.
- Take Fresh Recruits. More troop capacity complements Tokugawa Heavenly King.
- Add Strategic Prowess. Active-skill use provides temporary Defense.
- Use Armored to the Teeth and Armed to the Teeth when running at least three troop types.
- Spend remaining points on durability or general troop statistics.
Versatility usually provides less value than completing the Skill and Leadership core for Honda’s standard field role.
Single-Troop Alternative
A single-troop build can simplify equipment and technology, but it sacrifices part of Honda’s mixed-troop scaling and makes mixed-troop Leadership talents unusable.
For this alternative:
- Keep the core Rage and skill-damage talents.
- Avoid Armored to the Teeth and Armed to the Teeth.
- Use the account’s strongest troop technology.
- Match all equipment to the chosen troop type.
- Choose a secondary commander with compatible troop-specific skills.
Primary commander rule: Honda’s talents apply only when he leads. As secondary, his passive skills still work, but Dragonfly Cutter deals only half damage and none of his Leadership, Versatility, or Skill talents affect the march.
Should Honda Be Primary or Secondary?
| Position | Main Advantage | Main Limitation |
| Primary | Full 2,500 Dragonfly Cutter factor and access to Skill and Leadership talents | Requires Honda to provide the march’s talent tree and troop plan |
| Secondary | A stronger primary can provide better talents, durability, or troop-specific bonuses | Dragonfly Cutter is reduced to a maximum factor of 1,250 |
Use Honda as primary when his AOE skill is the march’s main damage source. Use him as secondary only when his passive capacity and damage effects are more valuable than the lost active damage.
Best Honda Tadakatsu Pairings
| Pairing | Primary | Best Use | Main Limitation |
| Honda and Tomyris | Honda | Target-focused legacy field combat | Poison setup is slow and both commanders are older |
| Honda and Harald | Honda | Grouped open-field fighting | Limited modern durability |
| Honda and YSG | Honda | Legacy AOE field or Canyon march | High Rage requirement and fragile setup |
| Strong modern primary and Honda | Modern commander | Backup march using Honda’s passives | Honda loses half of Dragonfly Cutter’s damage |
Honda and Tomyris
Tomyris builds poison stacks that increase the skill damage received by one target. Honda can then deliver Dragonfly Cutter while the amplification is active.
This is a target-focused legacy pairing, not a modern universal recommendation. It also needs enough time to build poison before producing maximum value.
Honda and Harald
Harald adds AOE and counterattack pressure in grouped battles. Honda should normally lead to preserve Dragonfly Cutter’s full damage.
Both commanders are older investments, so this combination is most appropriate for an account that already owns them.
Honda and Yi Seong-Gye
YSG adds circular AOE and a large skill-damage bonus. However, both active skills depend on a reliable Rage cycle, while the march has limited modern durability.
Mixed Troops, Equipment and Formation
Should Honda Use Mixed Troops?
Mixed troops can strengthen Tokugawa Heavenly King and activate Leadership talents that require several troop types. However, random troop mixing is not an optimized build.
Before choosing the composition, evaluate:
- The account’s strongest military technologies
- The dominant troop type supported by the equipment
- The secondary commander’s troop requirements
- The minimum troop types required for the selected talents
- The slower movement caused by the march’s slowest troop type
Equipment Priorities
- Troop Health
- Troop Defense
- Skill damage
- March Speed
- Troop Attack
- General damage reduction
ROK equipment normally favors one troop type. Therefore, use the dominant troop type or the account’s strongest complete equipment set rather than dividing equipment across several weak sets.
Formation
Wedge is a practical starting formation for a Honda-led skill-damage march. Nevertheless, the final choice should account for the secondary commander, armament statistics, inscriptions, and whether the march uses mixed or single-type troops.
Common Honda Tadakatsu Mistakes
- Listing Mobility as a talent tree: Honda has Leadership, Versatility, and Skill.
- Calling him a current universal top-tier commander: His strongest role is now legacy or situational.
- Using Honda secondary without mentioning the penalty: Dragonfly Cutter deals half damage.
- Mixing random troop quantities: Equipment, technology, and the secondary commander must support the composition.
- Ignoring the 1,350-Rage requirement: Rage talents are central to his build.
- Building only Attack: Honda needs Health and Defense to survive while his fourth skill scales.
- Using an old rally build in open field: Build for the actual activity.
- Calling expertise universal damage reduction: It reduces normal-attack damage on the map.
- Targeting Idle Huntress queries: That is a different game and character.
FAQ
Is Honda Tadakatsu still good in ROK?
Honda remains usable for existing owners in open field and Canyon. He is usually not worth starting from 1-1-1-1 on a mature account.
What is the best Honda Tadakatsu talent tree?
Use Skill for Rage and active-skill support, then Leadership for capacity, durability, and mixed-troop bonuses. Versatility is normally a lower priority.
Is Honda good at 5-5-5-1?
Yes. A 5-5-5-1 Honda has his main active damage, Attack, March Speed, damage reduction, and follow-up effect without paying the full expertise cost.
Should Honda Tadakatsu be expertised?
Only consider expertise when Honda is already highly developed and still has a clear role. New accounts should prioritize a more current commander.
Should Honda be primary or secondary?
Use Honda as primary for full Dragonfly Cutter damage and access to his talents. As secondary, the active skill’s maximum damage factor falls from 2,500 to 1,250.
Does Honda need mixed troops?
Mixed troops improve parts of his fourth skill and Leadership tree, but they also complicate equipment, technology, movement speed, and pairing choices.
Who should pair with Honda Tadakatsu?
Legacy options include Tomyris, Harald, and YSG. A stronger modern commander can also lead with Honda secondary, although Dragonfly Cutter then deals half damage.
How do you unlock Honda Tadakatsu?
Honda is associated with Wheel of Fortune availability in eligible kingdoms. Check the live commander rotation before spending gems.
Comparing developed mixed-troop rosters? Honda is now most useful on accounts that already have his skills, compatible technology, equipment, and Leadership marches developed. Players comparing ROK accounts for sale should also review commander skills, troop technology, equipment, formations, resources, migration eligibility, and kingdom status.
Conclusion
Honda Tadakatsu remains a usable legacy Leadership commander, especially for existing 5-5-5-1 or expertised owners. His full-value role is normally primary because Dragonfly Cutter loses half of its damage in the secondary position.
For his talent tree, prioritize Skill and Leadership. Rage generation is essential because his active skill requires 1,350 Rage, while mixed-troop Leadership talents can support Tokugawa Heavenly King.
Mixed troops are both Honda’s main advantage and his main practical complication. Build the march around the account’s technology, equipment, secondary commander, and dominant troop type rather than adding random units.
Explore more commander, event, alliance, and progression content in the Rise of Kingdoms guide collection.
