Every team needs someone who starts the fight. In Honor of Kings, few heroes do it with as much style as Sun Ce: he jumps into a ship, sails it across the map at growing speed and slams it into the enemy backline before anyone realises where it came from.
But the ship is only the opening. Behind it is a sturdy clash laner who stacks armor every time he is hit, heals with every empowered swing and chops through enemies with a three-step combo. Learn to steer the boat and land the follow-up, and Sun Ce becomes one of the most reliable ways to swing a match.
This guide breaks down his kit, the best build and arcana, the combos and boat tricks worth practising and a complete game plan for the clash lane.
⚓ Who Is Sun Ce?
Sun Ce is the Marquis of Wu, a young sailor-warlord who fights with a giant anchor and leads from the front. In-game he is a warrior/tank who plays in the Clash Lane, though some players also take him into the jungle.
His identity comes down to three things:
- A long-range engage ultimate that can also carry a teammate
- A passive that stacks physical defense and heals him in long trades
- Two knock-ups and a stacking slow to keep enemies locked in place
He is strong early, scary in the mid game and turns into a pure engage tool late. That makes him a great pick for players who like setting the tempo rather than farming.
📜 Skill Breakdown
Passive – Raging Tide
Every few seconds, Sun Ce’s next basic attack is empowered: it deals bonus physical damage and heals him, and the heal is bigger when he is low on health. It even works on towers. On top of that, every time he takes physical or true damage, or lands a skill, he gains a stack of Undaunted, which raises his physical defense. The stacks go up to ten.
One detail worth remembering: magic damage does not give stacks. Against physical laners, Sun Ce simply gets tougher the longer the fight lasts.
Skill 1 – Wave Render
Sun Ce charges in a chosen direction, damaging enemies on his path. At the end of the dash he slams the area, and after a short delay the same area is hit again and enemies inside are knocked up for one second. Do not cast it point-blank: the slam lands at the end of the dash, so you need some distance. A neat trick is to aim it into a wall that Sun Ce cannot pass through, so the slam lands right where you stand.
Skill 2 – Typhoon
Sun Ce steps forward and slashes three times. Each slash deals more damage than the last and stacks a slow on the target. Every cast resets his basic attack timer, so the right rhythm is slash, attack, slash, attack. Because he steps forward with every slash, angle it sideways in head-on fights instead of walking past your target.
Ultimate – Set Sail!
Sun Ce takes the helm and sails forward for up to twelve seconds, picking up speed and staying immune to crowd control the whole time. The ship explodes when it hits a wall, a structure, a hero, a big jungle monster such as the Tyrant or Overlord, or when time runs out. The explosion deals heavy damage and knocks enemies up, and the knock-up lasts longer the farther the ship has travelled.
You can jump off in any direction while the ship keeps going a short distance, and one nearby teammate can hop on board. Landing the explosion also gives you five Undaunted stacks at once.
⚔️ Best Sun Ce Build
Most players run a semi-tank build: enough damage to punish squishy targets after the boat lands, plus enough defense and cooldown to stay in the fight.
| Slot | Item | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boots of Resistance | Shorter crowd control for a hero who must stay in the middle of fights |
| 2 | Axe of Torment | Attack, cooldown and health, the classic first item for burst warriors |
| 3 | Pure Sky | Attack, cooldown and temporary damage reduction when you dive |
| 4 | Frostscar’s Embrace | Your basic attack after a skill hits harder and slows, perfect with Typhoon |
| 5 | Succubus Cloak | Magic defense, since your passive only protects you against physical damage |
| 6 | Starbreaker | Penetration to cut through tanks in the late game |
Situational Swaps
- Overlord’s Might – more burst on low-health targets when you play aggressively
- Ominous Premonition – against physical carries who focus you
- Longnight Guardian – when the enemy mage deals too much damage
- Full tank route – Boots of Fortitude, Frigid Charge, Spikemail and Blazing Cape when your team already has enough damage
🔮 Arcana and Battle Spell
| Arcana | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Mutation ×10 | Physical attack and pierce |
| Stealth ×10 | Physical attack and movement speed for early pressure |
| Eagle Eye ×10 | Physical attack and pierce |
Because the passive already gives Sun Ce plenty of toughness, most players go for a full damage page to win lane harder. If you want more sustain, replacing Stealth with a mix of Hunt and a few Reaver for lifesteal is a common alternative.
Battle spell: Flash is the safest pick for surprise engages and escapes. Some players prefer Execute in the clash lane to secure kills after the boat lands.
🔥 Combos and Boat Tricks
1. The Lane Combo
Skill 1 ➝ Skill 2 ➝ Basic Attack ➝ Skill 2 ➝ Basic Attack ➝ Skill 2 ➝ Basic Attack
Dash in for the knock-up, then weave basic attacks between the three slashes. Every slash hits harder and resets your basic attack, so this is far stronger than mashing the skill.
2. The Full Engage
Ultimate ➝ jump off ➝ Skill 1 ➝ Skill 2 + Basic Attack (×3)
Sail toward the target, hop off just before impact so the ship hits on its own, then add Skill 1 for a second knock-up. With the target locked down, unload all three slashes with attacks in between. Chain the two knock-ups back to back and your target barely touches the ground.
3. The Triangle Jump
Jump off the ship to the side ➝ Skill 1 toward the target
This is the trick every Sun Ce player should learn. If you, the ship and your Skill 1 landing spot form a triangle, you avoid walking straight into enemy damage and you rarely waste Skill 1 at point-blank range. Jump forward to chase through walls, and jump back to save a teammate or set up a counter-attack.
🌙 Game Plan: Early, Mid and Late
Early Game
Level Skill 2 first and use its attack reset to clear the wave and win lane priority. Against melee opponents, keep trading: your armor stacks and passive heal win long exchanges. Against ranged laners, dodge their poke and farm safely until level 4. Do not over-push without vision, because the enemy jungler will be looking for you.
Mid Game
Level 4 is Sun Ce’s power spike. If your lane has no kill opportunity, push the wave and sail to the mid lane or jungle to create a numbers advantage. Taking your mid laner on board for a gank is one of the most devastating plays in the game. Try to arrive just before the Tyrant or Overlord spawns.
Late Game
Your job is to engage, not to carry. Keep pushing side lanes to pull enemies away, then look for a hidden approach from a bush or behind a wall and aim the ship at the enemy backline. If the boat misses, jump off early and fight from the front with Skill 1 and Skill 2. A lonely boat launched far from your team is the most common way Sun Ce throws a game.
🛡️ Strengths and Weaknesses
✅ Strengths
- One of the best long-range engages in the game
- Strong early trading thanks to armor stacks and passive healing
- Can bring a teammate along for surprise ganks
- Two knock-ups back to back with the ship and Skill 1
❌ Weaknesses
- The ship explodes on walls, so one steering error wastes the engage
- Very little crowd control left if both the ship and Skill 1 miss
- His passive does nothing against magic damage
- Falls off as a damage dealer in the late game
🎯 Counters and Teammates
Sun Ce struggles against heroes who punish divers. Xiang Yu can answer your engage with his own control the moment you land. Da Qiao is another headache: her Sea of Fate can send the teammate you just knocked up straight back to base. Mages with heavy magic damage also ignore your passive armor, so build magic defense early when you face them.
On your own team, Sun Ce loves heroes who follow up quickly. Nezha can dive alongside you, and teleport-style supports such as Liu Bang help your team arrive right after the ship lands. Any hero with extra crowd control makes your boat engage almost impossible to escape.
💡 Final Thoughts
Sun Ce is easy to understand but hard to master. The lane combo is simple, the passive is forgiving, and the real skill lies in the boat: where to launch it, when to jump off and which target to hit.
Plan your route before you sail, aim for the backline and always bring your team with you. Get that right and every fight will start on your terms.