Rise Of The Ronin: The Best Build [Battle-Tested]

Rise of the Ronin allows players to test multiple weapon types to create the build that best suits their playstyle.

The build variety in Rise of the Ronin is amazing, and creating a powerful build depends not only on using the best weapons but also on the best sub-weapons, armor pieces, and accessories. I have come up with an extremely powerful build that players can start building upon from the early game.

Key Takeaways
  • Builds in Rise of the Ronin are much simpler to create than Team Ninja’s previous titles.
  • Every build is composed of main weapons, sub-weapons, armor sets, accessories, and skills.
  • Unlocking the best skills is essential to creating a strong build as a lot of mechanics are locked behind these.
  • Players can start creating my best build from the early game and it will remain viable until the end.
  • Author’s Note: I have over 20 hours in Rise of the Ronin and a lot of experience with multiple weapon types and builds, so you can trust the information provided in my guide.
Important: All weapons in the same category have the same moveset, and the only thing that differentiates them is their rarity and the damage that they can deal. So you can continue to play with a certain Odachi until you obtain one with a better rarity.

Best Build Summary 

The Best Damage Build.

Here is a summary of all the components that are included in my best build:

CategoryContent
Best WeaponsOdachi and Katana.
Best Sub-WeaponsRifle and Handgun.
Best ArmorYasuke's Armor Set.
Best AccessoriesBeckoning Cat, Medicine Case, and Bowstring Reel.
Best SkillsCounterspark, Auto-Life Recovery, Refill Increase, Max Health Increase, Grappling Rope Jump Attack + Throw + Assassination, Rapid + Full Sprint Assassinations, Ki Recovery Increase, Upgraded Allies, Handgun Critical Hit, and Upgraded Rifle Performance.
  • Strong offense.
  • Fast weapons with high damage.
  • Viable from the early game to the end.
  • Balanced set of skills.
  • Buffed party members.
  • Strong close + long range.
  • Weak defense.

Why I Chose This: I was able to lay down the foundations for this build from the early game and after upgrading my weapons and skills, I was beating bosses easily even on the hardest difficulty.

Best Weapons 

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The Best Weapons In Rise of the Ronin (Image Captured by Us)

The dual setup of the Odachi and the Katana is the best offensive setup in terms of main weapons. You can start wielding both of these weapons early on, and they also scale very well with the strength stat. Odachi deals with high damage and has a long-range as well, which allows you to pressurize bosses effectively. You can decrease not only the health bar faster but also the Ki bar by staying on offense with the Odachi.

As for the Katana, it is for those situations when you are facing a more mobile boss who has a faster moveset and frequently dodges your attacks. Katanas have extremely fast attack animations and also feature good damage, which just falls short of the Odachi. Having both the Odachi and the Katana equipped will cover you for all types of duels in Rise of the Ronin.

Sub-Weapons

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The Best Sub-Weapons In Rise of the Ronin (Image Captured by eXputer)

There’s no better choice than the Handgun and the Rifle for your sub-weapon combo. The Rifle is a better choice than the Bow, in my opinion, as I was able to deal much greater damage with bullets than arrows during the early game. And headshots gave me a guaranteed kill on fodder enemies, which allowed me to clear out enemy camps much more quickly around the map.

As for the Handgun, it is a must-have sub-weapon in Rise of the Ronin since it’s going to help a lot in your duels with the bosses. You can not only use the Hnadgun to interrupt attacks but also spam it to quickly decrease the Ki bar of bosses. The Handgun can also be used to execute a critical hit, which deals substantially more damage than normal critical attacks.

Armor

rise of the ronin best build
Yasuke’s Helmet In Rise of the Ronin (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)

As for the armor set, I wouldn’t really recommend going for a particular set on its own. Usually, I would equip the armor piece with the highest defense stat, and that would be enough to get me through every fight. However, I would recommend getting Yasuke’s Armor Set just because it’s strong, and you can easily obtain it in one of the story missions during the late game.

Until then, use the armor pieces that have the highest stats and experiment with the transmog system to make your character look cooler.

Accessories

rise of the ronin best build
The Best Accessories In Rise of the Ronin (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
No.AccessoryDescription
1Beckoning CatIt increases the drop rate of medicinal pills and coins whilst also boosting the Ki recovered after executing a critical hit.
2Medicine CaseAllows you to recover a small amount of health after performing a Counterpsark and also increases the drop rate of medicinal pills and Karma.
3Bowstring ReelIncreases Ki recovery from critical hits and the Blade Flash ability whilst allowing players to recover health after executing a Counterspark.

Since the defense of my build is a bit weak, I tried to compensate for it by using special accessories. As you can read in the table above, these accessories increase the drop rate of medicinal pills, which allows me to survive for longer on missions. The Counterspark health recharge and the quick Ki replenish allow me to stay on the offensive for longer as well.

Skills

rise of the ronin best build
The Best Skills In Rise of the Ronin (Image Captured by Us)
No.SkillStat TypeDescription
1CountersparkStrengthAllow you to perfect parry bullets and arrows which not only damages your enemy but also buffs your blade with the element of the incoming projectile.
2Auto-Life RecoveryStrengthIt restores health back to full after a battle is complete and you are back in the open world which helps exploration.
3Refill IncreaseVarious StatsGet the refill upgrades for the medicinal pills as soon as you can as it will increase the number of heals that you can replenish at banners.
4Max Health IncreaseStrengthIncreases the overall health of your character and has four upgrade levels.
5Grappling Rope Jump AttackDexterityAllows you to use your grappling rope to jump your enemies from distance.
6Grappling Rope ThrowDexterityUse your grappling rope to throw staggered enemies to either kill them or to deal damage to other foes in vicinity.
7Rapid AssassinationsDexterityAn extremely useful stealth skill that allows you to kill two enemies simultaneously with a stealth atttack.
8Full Sprint AssassinationDexterityYou can now sprint to an enemy and finish them off with a single stealth attack without getting noticed.
9Grappling Rope AssassinationDexterityFrom an elevated position, you can pull enemies towards you and assassinate them using the grappling rope.
10Ki Recovery Increase (Blade Flash)CharmIncreases the amount of Ki that you can gain back by using the Blade Flash ability in Rise of the Ronin.
11Upgraded AlliesCharmAn essential skill which decreases the damage taken by uncontrolled party members and also increases the damage that they can deal.
12Handgun Critical HitIntellect A must-have skill which allows you to execute a much stronger critical hit using your Handgun.
13Upgraded Rifle PerformanceIntellectActs like an upgrade for your Rifles by not only increasing the bullet speed but also the damage dealt.

I have chosen the best skills in each type of stat in Rise of the Ronin. Most of these skills can also be purchased during the early game, which is why my overall build remains viable from start to finish. Some of the skills on my list are also necessary to unlock the true potential of Rise of the Ronin’s combat system.

My Take On The Best Build

I love how Rise of the Ronin has simplified creating builds without sacrificing build variety. I can literally change to different weapon types without losing much damage if I want. The developers want the players to experiment with everything to find the weapons that suit their playstyle. My best build will also allow you to play with other weapon types since you’ll have enough upgrades in all stat types.

This concludes my guide on the best build in Rise of the Ronin. I have enlisted the complete build with all of its components in detail. I hope that the guide allowed you to become the strongest Ronin in Japan. Let me know if you’re having fun with Team Ninja’s latest release in the comments below!


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Haris Umer is a Guides Writer on eXputer who can be seen torturing himself by playing FromSoftware’s offering of Souls games. He speaks about games with overwhelming passion, which readers can spot in his guides. Haris has been avidly playing video games for 15+ years now. You can learn more about his gaming experience through his PSN and Steam profiles.

Experience: 3+ Years || Education: Bachelors In Medicine And Surgery.

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