Combining Cao Cao and Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Rise of Kingdoms creates one of the fastest and most effective cavalry pairings for open-field combat, hit-and-run tactics, and PvE farming. This duo is a favorite among cavalry-focused players due to their mobility, strong nuking potential, and march speed bonuses. Whether you’re a free-to-play player with Minamoto unlocked through daily chests or a low spender with both commanders upgraded, understanding the best Cao Cao Minamoto build can significantly boost your battlefield performance and farming efficiency. This build is especially useful for early and mid-game stages, but remains relevant even later with proper talent trees and synergy.
Why Pair Cao Cao with Minamoto?
Complementary Skills
Both Cao Cao and Minamoto are legendary cavalry commanders that specialize in fast attacks and high burst damage. Cao Cao provides excellent march speed, healing, and debuffs, while Minamoto offers devastating active skill damage and increased cavalry bonuses. Together, they make a versatile cavalry pairing that is great for raiding, farming barbarians, and hit-and-run PvP tactics.
- Cao Cao Support, Peacekeeping, Cavalry
- Minamoto Cavalry, Peacekeeping, Skill
This means they’re both strong against barbarians, fast on the field, and capable of heavy skill damage, especially when talents and equipment are aligned properly.
Best Roles for Cao Cao and Minamoto Pair
Open Field Combat
While not the best for long, drawn-out fights due to their lower tankiness, Cao Cao and Minamoto shine in open-field skirmishes. They are excellent at picking off isolated enemies and escaping before reinforcements arrive. Their speed gives them a strong tactical advantage in open-field movement and positioning.
Barbarian and Fort Farming
This pair is especially effective for PvE content. Their peacekeeping skills allow them to deal bonus damage to barbarians and neutral units, making them a top choice for players who want to farm barbarian kills, gather resources from forts, and complete events like ‘Lohar’s Trial’ or ‘Mighty Governor’ objectives.
Fast Response Force
Because of their superior march speed, they can be used as a fast response unit getting to rallies, objectives, or flags quickly to assist allies or interrupt enemy formations.
Cao Cao as Primary Commander
Talent Tree Focus
When using Cao Cao as the primary, your goal is to maximize cavalry mobility, debuffs, and PvE capabilities. The best talent paths include Peacekeeping, Mobility, and Cavalry. A common and effective build for Cao Cao emphasizes:
- Rejuvenate (Peacekeeping) Restores rage after casting active skill
- Insight (Peacekeeping) Reduces action points for barbarian battles
- Hasty Departure (Mobility) Boosts march speed after leaving structure
- Charge (Cavalry) Increases march speed of cavalry
- Emblazoned Shield (Peacekeeping) Reduces damage from neutral units
This talent tree allows Cao Cao to move fast across the map, use skills frequently, and excel at barbarian farming while providing healing and slowing debuffs during open-field combat.
Skill Upgrade Priority
When investing in Cao Cao, skill priority should be:
- First Skill Dragon Rider: Excellent for single-target damage and debuffing enemy defense.
- Second Skill Warhorse: Boosts march speed significantly for cavalry.
- Fourth Skill Götterdämmerung: Provides rage regeneration and healing over time.
- Third Skill Great Warrior: More niche; increases defense but less impactful than the others.
Minamoto as Secondary Commander
Why Minamoto Works Well Behind Cao Cao
Minamoto is extremely skill-focused, meaning he doesn’t benefit much from being primary unless you want to use his skill tree. However, when used as secondary, his powerful nuking ability activates immediately after Cao Cao’s skill, often resulting in a deadly burst of damage. Since secondary commanders don’t need to invest in a talent tree, you can save resources and focus on maximizing skill impact.
Skill Priority for Minamoto
- First Skill Kyohachiryu: Deals high direct damage; core of his nuking power.
- Second Skill Yamato Takeru: Increases damage to neutral units.
- Fourth Skill Way of the Warrior: Adds a chance for extra damage over time.
- Third Skill Cavalry Mastery: Boosts cavalry stats, very helpful in both PvP and PvE.
Ideally, you want Minamoto at 5-5-1-1 or 5-5-1-5 depending on how much you invest. This gives you the best value early on, especially for free-to-play or low-spender builds.
Equipment and Relics
Suggested Gear
Because this is a cavalry pair, equip gear that boosts cavalry attack, march speed, and defense. Some of the best early and mid-game equipment includes:
- Windswept Set Great for early game, adds march speed and attack
- Revival Set (for cavalry) Offers more survivability
- Eternal Night (accessory) Reduces enemy rage gain
- Silent Trial (accessory) Also useful for rage suppression
Relics and Museum Buffs
Once you unlock the museum, both commanders benefit from relics that enhance their core stats. Prioritize relics that boost cavalry attack, skill damage, and march speed. Museum upgrades can give a significant edge in both PvP and PvE scenarios.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- High march speed for mobility and map control
- Strong burst damage against barbarians and enemy players
- Effective in early and mid-game PvP and PvE
- Low action point cost makes them efficient for farming events
Weaknesses
- Less effective in large-scale, drawn-out wars due to low sustainability
- Vulnerable to swarm attacks and infantry-focused marches
- Fall off in late game compared to meta commanders like Nevsky
Best Situations to Use Cao Cao Minamoto
Farming Events
This pair excels in events like ‘Barbarian Chain’, ‘Ceroli Crisis’, and ‘Lohar’s Trial’ due to their peacekeeping bonuses and AP efficiency. Their speed also helps chase down targets and reach event bosses quickly.
Fast Open-Field Kills
In KvK or Arc of Osiris, Cao Cao and Minamoto can harass backlines, chase down retreating troops, and snipe vulnerable targets before dashing out of combat. Use their speed to stay mobile and avoid getting trapped by slower enemy forces.
Supplementary Cavalry March
While not a meta march, this pairing still works well as a second or third cavalry group in open-field battles, especially if your primary cavalry commanders are engaged elsewhere.
The Cao Cao Minamoto build in Rise of Kingdoms is a versatile and efficient cavalry pairing that delivers high damage, fast movement, and strong PvE performance. While not the top-tier combo in late-game meta, this duo remains extremely valuable in early and mid-game content, especially for players looking to dominate barbarians and enjoy flexible open-field combat. With the right talent trees, gear, and usage strategy, this classic cavalry pair can still carve out a respected spot in any commander roster.