Artemisia

This information is current as of August 2026.

History

Artemisia of Caria (Ancient Greek: Artemisia) was the ruler of the ancient Greek city-state of Halicarnassus and the neighboring islands of Kos, Nisyros, and Kalymnos. She was a vassal of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty. She lived in the satrapy of Caria around 480 B.C. When the Persian king Xerxes invaded Greece and attacked the independent city-states, Artemisia aided him. She provided the invading fleet with five warships and personally commanded them in the battles of Artemisium and Salamis in 480 B.C. She is remembered largely because of her correspondence with Herodotus, who was also born in Halicarnassus. Herodotus held her courage in high regard and wrote that Xerxes himself respected Artemisia.

Skill Overview

Active Skill: "Battle of Salamis"
Rage Required: 1
,000 Deals damage (damage multiplier 300) to her own troops and deals damage to enemies (up to 3 targets) in a wide arc in front of her.

Direct damage multiplier: 800 / 1000 / 1200 / 1500 / 1800

Passive Skill "On Horseback with a Bow"
Increases the defense and health of accompanied archers.

Archer Defense Bonus — 5% / 8% / 11% / 15% / 20%
Archer Health Bonus — 5% / 8% / 11% / 15% / 20%

Passive Skill "Xerxes’ Ally"
When leading a garrison, reduces damage taken from normal attacks; each basic attack has a 10% chance to disarm the target (preventing them from performing basic attacks); the effect lasts 1 second.

Damage reduction from normal attacks: 2% / 4% / 6% / 8% / 10%

Passive Skill "Queen of Caria"
: When Rage reaches 80%, there is a 50% chance to silence yourself for 3 seconds, but all damage dealt is increased for 5 seconds.

Damage Increase: 25% / 30% / 35% / 40% / 50%

Expert Skill "Rules of Survival": Passive
: Normal attacks have a 10% chance to deal continuous damage (damage multiplier: 400) to the target every second, but damage from the target’s skills is increased by 15%. The effect lasts 3 seconds.

Skill Leveling Priority

Artemisia’s 5-5-1-1 skill build is the minimum required, costing 190 sculptures. For these sculptures, you’ll gain substantial skill damage with a multiplier of 1,800, plus +20% to archers’ defense and health.

Optimal Skill Allocation:

First skill at level 5—the main source of damage (AoE up to 3 targets).
Second skill at level 5 — +20% defense and health for archers are critical for survivability.
Third skill at level 1—sufficient for basic disarm and reducing damage from normal attacks.
Fourth skill at 1—sufficient to activate the Silence mechanic and provide a damage bonus.

Why you shouldn’t level the third skill, “Xerxes’ Ally,” beyond level 1: a skill with a 10% chance isn’t worth 190 sculptures. Investing in the first and second skills provides a much better return.

Artemisia’s Best Skill Combinations in 2026

Top Pairing for Open Fields: Amanitore + Artemisia

In 2026, Amanitore became one of Artemisia’s best partners. Amanitore removes silence effects and makes Artemisia’s fourth skill much more effective—self-silence no longer prevents her from using her active skill. This combo works great against Guan Yu and other infantry setups in open terrain.

Top Garrison Combo: Yi Seong-Gye + Artemisia

Yi Seong-Gye (primary) + Artemisia (secondary) is a classic garrison combo. YSG provides AoE damage and crowd control, while Artemisia adds archer protection and disarms enemies. In the 2026 meta, this pair remains competitive for defending flags and cities.

Alternative Combinations

Artemisia + Yi Seong-Gye — if Artemisia leads the main force, YSG boosts skill damage to insane levels. But be careful: Artemisia’s self-damage combined with enemy focus will quickly fill up the hospital.
Artemisia + Tomyris — a good combo for field battles. Both archers synergize well, but their ceiling is lower than that of the top pairs in 2026.
Artemisia + Hermann — a budget-friendly option. Hermann adds disarm, silence, and rage generation, which compensates for Artemisia’s self-silence.
Artemisia + El Cid — Both commanders have disarm, making this pair a strong counter against Attila (who relies on normal attacks).
Artemisia + Genghis Khan — a “nuker” combo for those who want maximum skill damage. Khan cycles through active skills quickly, while Artemisia adds AoE.

Artemisia’s Role in the 2026 Meta

In 2026, the archer meta has changed significantly. The top combo for open-field combat is now Zhuge Liang + Hermann Prime, and for rallies, it’s Nebuchadnezzar + Gilgamesh. Artemisia is no longer among the absolute top picks, but she still holds a niche:

Garrison Specialist—the combo with YSG remains effective for defending structures.
Counter to Attila — a 1-second disarm with a 10% chance is effective against commanders who rely on normal attacks (Attila, Takeda).
Ark of Osiris — high AoE damage against 3 targets is valuable at key locations.

Important: Artemisia is a commander for paying players and experienced gamers. Her self-damage (a 300 multiplier on her own troops) quickly fills up the hospital in large-scale battles. F2P players are not recommended to invest in her—it’s better to spend your sculptures on Zhuge Liang or YSG, who are more versatile and safer.

Artemisia’s Talent Tree

Artemisia uses three talent branches: Archers, Garrison, and Defense.

Open-Field Build

Key talents in the “Archers” branch:

Full Quiver — increases firing speed.
Arrows Nocked — boosts archers’ attack power.
Thumb Ring — increases accuracy.
Razor Sharp — Armor Penetration.
Rapid Fire — increases the speed of normal attacks.
Venomous Sting — Increased poison damage.

Key talents in the “Defense” tree:

Master Armorer — +Defense.
Burning Blood — Rage generation.
No Weaknesses — Stat Balance.
Spiked Armor — Damage Reflection.
Loose Formation — Reduces AoE damage taken.
Testudo Formation — Defense in group combat.

Garrison Build

For the garrison, the focus shifts to the “Garrison” + “Defense” talent trees. Key talents:

Impenetrable Fortifications — Strengthens building defenses.
City Guardian — increases the garrison’s health.
Kings Guard — reduces damage taken by the garrison.
Master Armorer — provides additional defense.

Alternative Builds

Conclusions

Artemisia is a unique archer-nuker with self-damage and self-silence mechanics. In the 2026 meta, she falls short of more modern commanders in open combat but remains a strong garrison option and a specialist against Attila. Only invest in her if you already have YSG or Amanitore for synergy—otherwise, it’s better to allocate your sculptures to Zhuge Liang or Hermann Prime.