Zhao Yun Evony Guide 2026: Skills, Best Use & Build

Zhao Yun Evony Guide 2026

Zhao Yun is an attacking Mounted PvP General in Evony: The King's Return with strong secondary value for Monster Hunting.

He is best suited to:

• Mounted PvP

• Mounted rallies

• Monster Hunting

• Boss Monster rallies

• secondary Mounted marches

• Battlefield attacking

• players who already have him developed

His biggest strengths are:

• strong Mounted Troop Attack

• good Mounted Troop HP

• useful Mounted Defense

• Rally Capacity

• simple activation conditions

• strong fourth Specialty

• flexible use in both PvP and Monsters

Zhao Yun should primarily be built around Mounted Troops.

Is Zhao Yun Good in Evony?

Yes.

Zhao Yun remains a very usable Mounted General because his kit is simple and focused.

His Special Skill provides:

• Ground Troop Attack +30%

• Mounted Troop Attack +30%

• Mounted Troop HP +30%

when he is leading the army to attack.

That gives him:

• immediate Mounted damage

• useful Mounted survivability

• some secondary Ground support

His Ascension and Specialties increase his Mounted performance significantly.

Zhao Yun Best Role

Best Role: Mounted PvP

Secondary Role: Monster Hunting

Also Good For:

• Mounted rallies

• secondary Mounted marches

• Battlefield attacking

• Alliance War

Avoid Using For:

• Ranged PvP

• Siege PvP

• Subordinate City Mayor

• Duty Officer

• long-term Main City Defense

Mounted is clearly Zhao Yun's strongest troop type.

Zhao Yun Special Skill

Zhao Yun's Special Skill is:

Undefeatable General

When Zhao Yun is leading the army to attack:

• Ground Troop Attack +30%

• Mounted Troop Attack +30%

• Mounted Troop HP +30%

The important condition is:

• attacking

That means Zhao Yun is primarily an offensive General.

Zhao Yun Ascension

Ascending Zhao Yun improves his Mounted damage, survivability and rally value.

1 Star

When Zhao Yun is leading the army to attack:

• Mounted Troop Attack +15%

• Mounted Troop Defense +10%

This immediately strengthens his Mounted role.

2 Stars

When Zhao Yun is attacking:

• Enemy In-City Troop Wounded into Death Rate +10%

This makes successful city attacks more punishing by converting part of the defender's wounded troops into dead troops.

3 Stars

When Zhao Yun is launching an Alliance War:

• Rally Capacity +8%

This increases the total troop capacity of rallies he launches.

4 Stars

• Marching Ground Troop Defense +15%

• Marching Ground Troop HP +15%

• Marching Mounted Troop Defense +15%

• Marching Mounted Troop HP +15%

This gives a strong survivability boost.

5 Stars

When Zhao Yun is leading the army to attack:

• Mounted Troop Attack +25%

• Mounted Troop Defense +20%

The fifth star significantly improves his offensive Mounted performance.

Zhao Yun Specialties

Zhao Yun has four Specialties.

Mounted Troop Formation

• Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Mounted Troop Defense +10%

This directly supports his main troop type.

Annihilation

• March Size Capacity +6%

• Attacking Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Attacking Ground Troop Attack +10%

This adds both damage and March Size.

Mounted Troop Ares

• Mounted Troop Attack +10%

• Mounted Troop Defense +10%

• Mounted Troop HP +10%

This gives Zhao Yun a balanced Mounted increase.

Battle of Han River

• Mounted Troop Attack +45%

Battle of Han River is Zhao Yun's standout Specialty.

The huge Mounted Attack increase significantly improves his damage ceiling.

How Much Mounted Attack Can Zhao Yun Add?

Zhao Yun gains Mounted Attack from:

• Undefeatable General: +30%

• 1-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +25%

• Mounted Troop Formation: +10%

• Annihilation: +10% when attacking

• Mounted Troop Ares: +10%

• Battle of Han River: +45%

That gives:

145% Mounted Troop Attack

from his own fully developed attacking kit.

This is before Skill Books, equipment, refines and account-wide systems.

How Much Mounted Defense Can Zhao Yun Add?

Zhao Yun gains Mounted Defense from:

• 1-Star Ascension: +10%

• 4-Star Ascension: +15%

• 5-Star Ascension: +20%

• Mounted Troop Formation: +10%

• Mounted Troop Ares: +10%

That gives:

65% Mounted Troop Defense

from his developed kit.

How Much Mounted HP Can Zhao Yun Add?

Zhao Yun gains:

• Mounted HP +30% from Undefeatable General

• Mounted HP +15% from 4-Star Ascension

• Mounted Troop Ares +10%

That gives:

55% Mounted Troop HP

from his own developed kit.

How Much Native March Size Does Zhao Yun Get?

Zhao Yun gains:

• March Size +6% from Annihilation

If you also use a Lv4 March Size Skill Book:

• March Size +12%

his personal contribution becomes:

18% March Size

before account-wide systems.

Zhao Yun and Rally Capacity

At 3-Star Ascension, Zhao Yun gains:

• Rally Capacity +8%

when launching an Alliance War.

This is useful for:

• PvP rallies

• large Boss Monster rallies

• coordinated Alliance attacks

Rally Capacity is different from normal March Size.

It increases the maximum size of the entire rally.

Best Skill Books for Zhao Yun PvP

For Mounted PvP, a strong setup is:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack

• Lv4 Mounted Troop HP

• Lv4 March Size

This improves:

• Mounted damage

• survivability

• total troop volume

You can also consider:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Speed

instead of March Size if faster engagement is more important for your setup.

Best Skill Books for Monster Hunting

For Monster Hunting, use:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack Against Monster

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack

• Lv4 March Size

This maximises:

• Monster damage

• Mounted damage

• total troops in the march

This is a straightforward Boss Hunting setup.

Monster Loot Hybrid Build

If Zhao Yun can already defeat the target comfortably, you can use:

• Lv4 Mounted Troop Attack Against Monster

• Lv4 Luck

• Lv4 March Size

This sacrifices some raw combat value for:

• increased Double Item Drop Rate

That can improve farming efficiency.

Zhao Yun for Mounted PvP

Mounted PvP is Zhao Yun's best role.

His developed kit gives:

• strong Mounted Attack

• useful Mounted Defense

• good Mounted HP

• March Size

• Rally Capacity

• Enemy Wounded into Death pressure

This makes him particularly effective against Ground-heavy enemy formations.

Zhao Yun for Monster Hunting

Zhao Yun also works well as a Monster Hunter.

His attacking Mounted buffs are useful against Boss Monsters.

He benefits from:

• Mounted Attack

• Mounted HP

• Rally Capacity

• straightforward Skill Book compatibility

However, specialist Monster Generals may offer additional:

• Monster-specific Attack

• Monster Defense reduction

• Monster HP reduction

• Stamina efficiency

• Double Item Drop

Zhao Yun's advantage is flexibility.

Zhao Yun and Ground Troops

Zhao Yun also supports Ground Troops.

His base skill provides:

• Ground Attack +30%

Annihilation adds:

• Attacking Ground Attack +10%

and 4-Star Ascension adds:

• Ground Defense +15%

• Ground HP +15%

However, Ground remains secondary.

Use a dedicated Ground General for serious Ground PvP.

Zhao Yun for Main City Defense

Zhao Yun should not normally be used as a Wall General.

His base skill only works while:

• attacking

That means much of his value disappears on defense.

Dedicated Defense Generals provide much stronger:

• In-City buffs

• enemy debuffs

• defensive troop coverage

Use Zhao Yun as an attacker.

Best Assistant Generals for Zhao Yun

Current TEBA data highlights:

• Artemis

as a strong pairing direction.

Other Mounted Assistants can also work if their Special Skills remain compatible.

Look for bonuses such as:

• Mounted Attack

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• March Size

• Monster-specific buffs where relevant

Always test the exact Main and Assistant combination in-game before heavy investment.

Equipment and Refines

For Mounted PvP, prioritise percentage-based Mounted refines.

Spear

• Mounted Troop Attack % x4

Ring

• Mounted Troop Attack % x4

Armor

• Mounted Troop Defense % x4

Boots

• Mounted Troop Defense % x4

Helmet

• Mounted Troop HP % x4

Leg Armor

• Mounted Troop HP % x4

This gives Zhao Yun a balanced Mounted setup.

Zhao Yun vs Newer Mounted Generals

Zhao Yun still has a useful personal Mounted package.

However, newer Generals often provide:

• larger March Size

• stronger Mounted HP

• Covenants

• Skins

• enemy debuffs

• better rally scaling

• stronger Monster-specific bonuses

That means Zhao Yun remains useful, but his ceiling is lower than the latest premium Mounted releases.

Is Zhao Yun Still Relevant in 2026?

Yes.

His developed kit still offers:

• strong Mounted Attack

• decent Mounted Defense

• solid Mounted HP

• Rally Capacity

• March Size

• simple activation conditions

That makes him useful for:

• players who already have him developed

• secondary Mounted marches

• Monster Hunting

• Mounted rallies

Is Zhao Yun F2P Friendly?

Not especially.

Current specialist sources generally list Zhao Yun as a premium or event General rather than a normal Tavern General.

Some databases display Gold metadata, but that should not automatically be treated as proof of normal Tavern recruitment.

Check current:

• premium recruitment

• Historic General pools

• event rewards

• Trial of Knights-style rotations

before spending specifically for him.

How to Obtain Zhao Yun

Zhao Yun is typically obtained through premium or event-based General recruitment.

Availability can change over time.

Check the current live:

• Historic General pool

• premium recruitment events

• limited General events

before planning around him.

Is Zhao Yun Worth Ascending?

Yes, if he remains one of your main Mounted Generals.

His Ascension adds:

• Mounted Attack +40%

• Mounted Defense +45%

• Mounted HP +15%

• Rally Capacity +8%

• Enemy In-City Wounded into Death +10%

These are meaningful upgrades.

However, duplicate fragments can be difficult to obtain.

If Zhao Yun is only a secondary General, Blood of Ares may be better spent elsewhere.

Is Zhao Yun Worth Specialties?

Yes, if you use him heavily.

Battle of Han River provides:

• Mounted Attack +45%

while his other Specialties add:

• Mounted Attack

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• March Size

This is a strong Mounted Specialty package.

However, Runestones are expensive.

Compare Zhao Yun against newer Mounted options before maxing him from zero.

Is Zhao Yun Worth Investing In?

Zhao Yun is worth investing in if:

• you already own him

• Mounted PvP is important to your account

• you need another Mounted march

• you lead Monster rallies

• you value Rally Capacity

• you can obtain Ascension fragments

He is less attractive if:

• you are strictly F2P

• duplicate fragments are unrealistic

• you already own stronger modern Mounted Generals

• your Blood of Ares is limited

• your Runestones are limited

TEBA 2026 Reality Check

Zhao Yun is still usable, but he is no longer a cutting-edge Mounted General.

His fully developed personal Mounted package can reach roughly:

• Mounted Attack +145%

• Mounted Defense +65%

• Mounted HP +55%

• March Size +6%

• Rally Capacity +8%

before Skill Books and equipment.

That is still a solid attacking package.

His biggest weakness compared with newer Generals is:

• limited native March Size

• no modern Covenant or Skin scaling in his core kit

• lower total defensive ceiling

• premium accessibility

If Zhao Yun is already developed, he remains useful.

If you are starting from zero, compare him carefully against newer Mounted Generals first.

TEBA Verdict

Zhao Yun is a strong older attacking Mounted PvP General with useful Monster Hunting flexibility.

His base Special Skill provides:

• Ground Attack +30%

• Mounted Attack +30%

• Mounted HP +30%

when attacking.

His Ascension then adds:

• Mounted Attack

• Mounted Defense

• Mounted HP

• Rally Capacity +8%

• Enemy In-City Wounded into Death +10%

while his Specialties add:

• more Mounted Attack

• more Mounted Defense

• more Mounted HP

• March Size +6%

and Battle of Han River adds:

• Mounted Attack +45%

His biggest strengths are:

• strong Mounted Attack

• solid Mounted survivability

• useful Rally Capacity

• good Monster Hunting flexibility

• simple activation requirements

His biggest weaknesses are:

• limited native March Size

• no major modern scaling system

• premium/event accessibility

• stronger newer Mounted options now existing

For players who already own and have developed Zhao Yun, he remains a practical Mounted General in 2026.

For players starting from zero, newer Mounted Generals should be compared before committing large amounts of Blood of Ares, Runestones or premium resources.