DYNASTY WARRIORS 5: EMPIRES (XBOX 360)
GETTING STARTED TUTORIAL & GENERAL FAQ version 2.3
By jaycurl
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INTRO:
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DW 5 is a fun game, but it is different enough from previous versions in the
series to cause some confusion--even to veterans of the series. Unfortunately,
the game manual is lacking in some areas and there's a glaring omission of an
in-game tutorial.
This FAQ is intended to get you started with the basics of the game and
address some common questions that come up about this game. donthatemalek has
created a very good FAQ that includes a lot more details about things such as
item lists, etc. This FAQ doesn't go into those sorts of details, but is more
focused on getting started and strategies, etc.
If this FAQ is well received, I'll try to spend time to enhance some of the
details.
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CHANGE LOG
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1.0 Original release
2.0 A number of updates including 4th weapon list, character assessments,
combos and tips, and a number of little touch-ups here and there to fix
typos and add additional details to various sections.
2.1 Enhanced the strategy for obtaining 250 officers and cleaned up a few
grammatical inconsistencies, etc.
2.2 Filled in/updated some more character ratings and 4th weapons. All unique
officers' 4th weapons are now filled in. Only missing a couple of the
generic weapons (like Rapier). Added info about "Recruit" policy.
2.3 Finished all remaining 4th weapons (the basic non-character specific
ones).
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CONTENTS
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1.) Getting Started
A.) Free Mode vs. Empire Mode
B.) Starting your first Empire Mode game
C.) A basic turn in Empire Mode
2.) Giving Orders
3.) Policies
4.) Positioning officers
A.) The Strategy of Positioning Officers
B.) Positioning Your Officers
C.) Getting New Officers
5.) Research (Info)
6.) Proceed
7.) Invade/Defend/Skip Battle
8.) In-Battle
A.) Preparation
B.) Bases
C.) Enemy officers
D.) Ally officers
E.) In-Battle Commands
F.) Quick commands
G.) Using tactics
H.) Battle Strategy - Invade
I.) Battle Strategy - Defend
9.) General FAQ
A.) Weapons
B.) Items
C.) Characters
D.) History
10.) Combos and Other Tips
11.) 4th Weapons List
12.) Character Assessment
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1.) GETTING STARTED:
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FREE MODE vs. EMPIRE MODE
--------------------------
Free mode is somewhat similar to the previous DW games. It's "instant action"
where you jump directly into a battle of your choice without the strategic
elements and territory battle you have in Dynasty Mode. In free mode, you can
earn experience and stat-enhancements which can carry over to Empire Mode
(depending on the options you choose).
Empire mode is the real reason for playing DW5: Empires, because it's what
sets it apart from other DW games. In Empire Mode, the focus is still
ultimately on fighting, but there are strategic elements in-between. In
Empire mode, you have to manage troop placement and give orders to do things
like:
-Recruit troops for an officer.
-Enhance defenses in a territory.
-Create items to be used in battle.
-Improve proficiency of weaponsmiths to create better weapons.
-Etc.
STARTING YOUR FIRST EMPIRE MODE GAME
-------------------------------------
So, maybe some of this is obvious, but I was a little confused at first.
Here's what do do for your very first game:
1. Choose Empire Mode.
2. Choose New Game.
3. Choose one of the two scenarios. I'd recommend starting with Yellow
Turban Rebellion.
4. Select one of the territories to choose the force you want to start
with. (My personal favorite is the dark green Shu kingdom with Liu Bei.)
5. Now you can choose options, though most of them are disabled at this time.
You will unlock these options later after beating Empire mode.
6. Choose OK after you've picked your options.
7. Choose YES to begin.
8. Choose CONSULT.
9. Pick one of the options (for details, look at the Consult section below).
10. Assuming you have only one territory at this point, the STATION command
is fairly pointless. (If you chose a kingdom with multiple territories,
see the "Positioning Your Officers" section for details.)
11. Choose PROCEED.
12. Choose SKIP BATTLE for now.
13. At this point, choose YES to join the Yellow Turban Campaign.
14. Look at the appropriate sections for this guide for details about how to
battle, etc.
After you beat this stage, you get an accomplishment (for the XBox 360).
Woo-hoo. You're on your way to uniting China.
A BASIC TURN in EMPIRE MODE
----------------------------
At a very basic level, a typical turn in Empire Mode ("EM" from here on)
follows the steps below. I'll cover these in more detail in following
sections.
1. Give Orders.
2. Position officers.
3. Research (Info), if necessary.
4. Proceed.
5. Invade/Defend/Skip Battle.
6. Repeat above steps.
Each turn represents about 3 months, and is represented as one of the 4
seasons. Most EM games are set to last a maximum of 200 turns (50 years, if
my math serves correctly). Chances are you won't need nearly that much time
to beat a campaign, but you can choose to turn off that option and have
unlimited time as well.
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2.) GIVING ORDERS
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Orders cover a HUGE variety of areas, and I'll try to cover all of those in
detail coming up. You start by being able to give only one order per turn.
This number increases as you capture more territories, and the exact number
of orders per territory held is outlined in the game manual. In general,
however, you have the following options for assigning orders:
-Consult
-Delegate
-Assign
**CONSULT**
Consult is the method of giving orders that I tend to use most often. If you
choose consult, four of your officers will come up with suggestions for which
policy to carry out. Additionally, they each will list two policies to follow
through on. (The other assignment methods only give you one policy per order.)
The only disadvantage of this approach is that sometimes the officers won't
suggest the best ideas, or will suggest one good one and one that isn't a good
choice. In the worst-case-scenario, you can choose none of the suggestions,
and switch over to Delegate or Assign. After giving a different order type
and then returning to Consult, there will be different options.
NOTE: If you choose suggestions from the same officer enough, they may
eventually be given the title of Strategist. Apparently, this lets them use
tactics more often during battle.
IMPORTANT! Consult is also the way that you can get new policy choices. If you
see a "New!" icon on the suggested policy, it means that you do not possess
that policy yet. I highly recommend that you pick the New policies when they
come up, because you never know when it will come up again. When you gain a
policy, it carries over to other games.
**DELEGATE**
If you choose Delegate, you will pick an officer who will use all of your
available orders automatically this turn. I almost never use this option
because the officer will often make some choices that I don't want--like
making or canceling an alliance that I would not have chosen.
NOTE: Apparently, you can also get the Strategist title for an officer by
choosing him/her enough times in Delegate.
**ASSIGN**
Assign allows you to choose one specific policy to perform. Choosing this uses
one order. I use this option fairly often, especially if there is a specific
task I want to do (like produce a specific item), but none of my officers are
suggesting it in the Consult option.
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3.) POLICIES
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You can choose the following types of policies. I've included notes and tips
about some of the policies, where appropriate
NOTE: The first time you play, you have *very few* policies available to you.
You can get new ones by using the Consult option. Be patient--as you start
getting more turns and acquiring more officers, you'll start getting more. I
didn't really start gaining a lot of the policies until I had conquered about
1/2 of China in my first campaign.
GOOD VS. EVIL RULERS
--------------------
It is important to note that some policies will lead to you being regarded
as either a good or evil ruler. Though this distinction doesn't do a ton,
it will affect the game in the following ways:
-Affects the availability of some other policies.
-Affects the morale of your subjects. Good leads to no revolts, and help
from peasants in battle. Evil leads to more revolts.
-Leads to certain cutscenes and endings.
-I don't believe that natural disasters (floods, snowstorm, etc.) are
affected at all, though I have heard otherwise.
Though you may start out down one path, you can change during the game. For
example, in one campaign, I started out as evil--unlocking and using some
of the Evil policies along the way. After stocking myself up with items and
money from evil policies, I gradually started giving back to the people
by using Good policies. This caused me to lose some of the Evil policies and
gain some of the good ones.
COMMERCE
--------
These policies generally offer methods to get more gold or items. Some also
allow you to improve or damage your "approval rating" with the inhabitants of
the territories you own.
**Promote Craft**
Cost: 0
This is the initial commerce policy that allows you to get more gold.
Approximately 300 gold (or more). As soon as you get "Promote Craft+," this
one becomes pretty much obsolete.
**Promote Craft+**
Cost: 0
Use the policy "Promote Craft" often to get this policy in Consult.
Get 600 gold (or more) from trade. I've gotten different amounts for this.
Not sure if it's based on the number of territories you control or what.
However, it's usually around 600-700. Use "Promote Craft
**NOTE ABOUT ALL TRADE POLICIES**
A couple general notes about trade policies... There are different ways to get
them through Consult. However, even after you "unlock" them, you must control
certain territories in order to use them. So, if you don't see them when
starting a new campaign, that's why.
In general, trade will give you the *chance* at getting gold and items. Each
one costs 1000 gold to use, and you may lose money on the deal. In fact.
Promote Craft + is usually the safer bet. However, if you are lucky enough to
have a good trade, you may get both a profit of 600-900 gold, as well as an
item.
I can't seem to figure out what leads to getting an item or not. I don't think
that good/evil status plays a role. It may be totally random.
**Southern Trade**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult if you have control of the Jiao Zhi
territory.
**Western Trade**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult if you have control of the Xi Liang
territory.
**Nanman Trade**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult if you have control of the Nanman
territory.
**Northern Trade**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult if you have control of the Bei Ping
territory.
**Governance**
Cost: 300
This is the most basic policy on your path to being a "Good" ruler. Use this
policy frequently to open the "Charitable Aid" policy.
**Charitable Aid**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Governance a lot. Even after
initially unlocking it, it will not be available in new campaigns until you
use Governance enough. If you use "Evil" policies enough, this option will
disappear. You must then use Governance again to get it back.
Using this option enough will unlock the "Release" military policy.
**Emergency Tax**
Cost: 0
This policy guarantees you 500 gold on the spot. However, it sort've gets
people mad at you and leads to being an "Evil" ruler. Use it frequently to
unlock "Rob Grave."
**Rob Grave**
Cost: 0
Unlock this policy through Consult after using "Emergency Tax" a lot. This
policy will give you a random amount of gold an a random item. The item
may be one that you don't have the ability to produce on your own. Using
this policy will lead to being an "Evil" ruler, and can also unlock
Conscript and Despotism.
EQUIPMENT
---------
These policies allow you to improve weapons and produce or research new items.
**Production**
Cost: Varies per item.
Use this policy to create one of any availabe item in your inventory. When
you initially start, most items are unavailable. To make more items available
for production you can capture more territories and/or use the "Development"
policy.
**Upgrade**
Cost: 300
This policy allows you to increase the level of items that have an associated
value (like the Tiger Amulet or Tortoise amulet). Usually boosts the item
by +1 to +2).
**Upgrade+**
Cost: 500
Unlock this policy through Consult after using "Upgrade" a number of times.
This policy is like "Upgrade," except it usually boosts items by +4 or +5.
**Development**
Cost: 800
When you look at the info for an Area, you may notice that some of the items
listed there are unavailable (grayed-out) or totally hidden (only showing as
???). Use of this policy will unlock the next one in the list, allowing you
to use the "Production" policy for this item.
**Bladesmith**
Cost: 500
This policy increases the level of swords by 20. (For more information
about smithing, see the 4th Weapons section.)
**Spearsmith**
Cost: 500
Same as "Bladesmith," but increases spears and pikes (etc.).
**Weaponsmith**
Cost: 500
Same as "Bladesmith," but increases anything that isn't a sword or spear.
**All Smith**
Cost: 2000
Unlock this policy through Consult after using the other smith policies
often. As soon as you get this one, I wouldn't even bother using the other
smithing policies at all. This route is pricier, but less time consuming.
**Philanthropy**
Cost: 2000
Unlock this policy through Consult after using the Release (or other Good
policies) enough. In addition to shelling out the cost of this item, you
also donate your entire stock of whichever item you have most of. Hurts
your item stock, but the peasants love you for it. Tip: produce a lot of
whichever cheap-cost item you don't use much of. Then, when you give
this up for philanthropy, it doesn't really hurt you much.
***Despotism**
Cost: 0
Unlock this policy by using the evil policies (especially Grave Rob and
Conscript) enough. Though this quickly makes you loathed by your subjects,
you will quickly get jacked up with items and money. You will notice a
lot of peasant uprisings during battle. I've heard rumor that it affects
natural disasters and officer deaths, too, but have never witnessed this
correlation firsthand.
PERSONNEL
---------
These polices allow you to recruit/hire additional officers.
**Search Local**
Cost: 400
Use this policy to randomly recruit an officer. Using this often will lead to
"Search Wide." Though I've heard some say that you're more likely to get an
officer with this one, I personally have had the opposite experience.
Occasionally, though you may find an officer, he/she may refuse to join you.
**Search Wide**
Cost: 600
Unlock this policy through Consult after using "Search Local" frequently.
To me, it seems like I have more luck finding officers with this policy
than "Search Local, though I've heard the contrary from others. Occasionally,
though you may find an officer, he/she may refuse to join you.
**Hire Local**
Cost: 500
Use this policy to try and "buy" an officer's services by giving them items.
The higher the officer's rank, the more items you'll have to give up. Level
16 officers usually require only one item. A MAX officer might require 5 or
6 of a given item. I think that the item that they require is random, but
I'm not sure.
**Hire Wide**
Cost: 700
Just like Hire Local, but you can use it to try and hire any officer on the
map--even those currently employed by a different force.
**Train**
Cost: 600
Unlock this policy through Consult if you have an officer that has a rank
of 5 or above. Use train to give an officer experience without necessarily
taking them into battle. Amount of experience given seem to be somewhat
random.
**Recruit**
Cost: 500<?>
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Hire a lot. (Taishi Ci
gave me this policy, but I'm not sure if that was random.) This policy
is similar to the Search policies, except that you are given a list
of officers from which you can choose one to hire.
FOREIGN
-------
These polices are varied, but generally include items for forming alliances,
requesting aid from allies, etc.
**Short Alliance**
Cost: 400
Use this policy to become allies with another force for a period of 1 year
(four turns). You cannot Invade an ally, nor can they Invade you. (However,
you can still help a different ally in Joint Attack or Aid Ally against
this ally.)
**Long Alliance**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult by using Short Alliance frequently. This
alliance lasts for 3 years (12 turns).
**Request**
Cost: 500
Unlock this policy through Consult after having at least two alliances. This
policy requests aid (either for attacking or defending) from one of your
allies. This policy does not guarantee that you will get assistance. The
reinforcements will show up mid-battle, if at all.
**Surrender**
Cost: 400
Unlock this policy through Consult after having at least five long alliances.
This policy requests another force to surrender to your force. If they do
surrender, I believe that all officers in that force instantly join you. This
policy fails most of the time, but seems to work most frequently when the
force has only one territory and was just defeated in a previous battle (low
morale).
**Annul Alliance**
Cost: 300
Unlock this policy through Consult. I'm not sure what triggers this. It seemed
to show up for me when I had only one or two remaining opponent forces with
whom I was currently allied. This policy dissolves a current alliance,
allowing you to attack the opposing force again.
**Entice Enemy**
Cost: 800
Unlock this policy through consult when you have items that an opposing officer
wants (as if you were going to Hire them). When you use this policy, you must
go to battle with the force that has the opposing officer. Shortly into the
battle, the officer will defect to your side, fighting for you for the
remainder of the battle. After the battle, you'll have the option to hire the
officer. This policy is not guaranteed to work (the officer may turn down your
attempt to Entice them).
**Cause Uprising**
Cost: 300
Unlock this policy through Consult if your Ruler is far on the "good" side.
This causes peasants to revolt in the territory, making them likely to join
your side when you invade
**Cause Revolt**
Cost: 400
Unlock this policy through Consult (not sure what triggers it). This policy,
if effective, will cause at least one officer to leave his current ruler.
**Invite Attack**
Cost: 600
Unlock this policy through Consult (not sure what triggers it). This will
cause an enemy to attack you. I don't really see the benefit of this tactic,
except that it's a good way to keep getting battles if you want to level
up characters, but only have a couple of territories left to take over. I'm
sort of suspicious that it might make it easier to capture enemies, but that
might have just been coincidence.
**Hard March**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult if you have territories controlled on the
map that are NOT directly adjacent to one another. This allows you to attack
any area that is not directly adjacent to you during this turn.
MILITARY
--------
These policies allow you to supplement the armies of your generals.
**Reinforce**
Cost: 200
Use this policy to restore 1000 troops to an officer's unit.
**Reinforce+**
Cost: 500
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Reinforce often and having
officers with some higher experience levels. Restores 2000 troops to a
single officer's unit.
**Reinforce++**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Reinforce+ often and having
officers of a high rank (above 7?). This restores a single officer's unit
to it's current maximum capacity (20,000 for a MAX officer, for example).
**Replenish**
Cost: 500
Use this policy to restore 500 troops to all units you control.
**Replenish+**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Replenish frequently. This
policy restores 1000 troops to all units you control.
**Replenish++**
Cost: 2000
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Replenish+ frequently. This
policy restores 2000 troops to all units you control.
**Defense**
Cost: 400
Unlock this policy through Consult after being attacked at least once. I'm
not totally sure what defense really does, but I have a couple theories. I
think that more defense gives you more officer respawns. Also, I think it
may actually increase the defense stat of your computer-controlled
characters (officers and grunt troops). I don't know for sure, though.
**Defense+**
Cost: 1600
Unlock this policy through Consult after being attacked and using Defend.
This policy increases the defense of all territories you currently control.
**Release**
Cost: 300
Unlock this tactic through Consult after getting your "good" rating up
relatively high (Use Charitable Aid frequently). Using this enough may unlock
Philanthropy. This policy releases 20% of the soldiers from every unit you
control. (For example, if an army had 10,000 soldiers, it would be reduced by
2,000.) This quickly boosts your "good" rating.
**Conscript**
Cost:<?>
Unlock this tactic through consult after getting your "bad" rating up high
enough. (Use Rob Grave a lot.) This tactic recruits new army members each
turn. This tactic further increases your "bad" rating.
STRATEGY
--------
These policies can be equipped as tactics when you invade or defend but BEFORE
you actually start the battle. These tactics apply throughout the battle and
require no further action.
**Hinder**
Cost: 300
Unlock this through Consult (not sure what triggers it). When you destroy a
group of troops that hang with an enemy officer, they respawn out of thin air
after a period of time. This policy delays the replacement of these troops.
**Expedite**
Cost: 400
Unlock this through Consult (not sure what triggers it). This almost the
opposite of Hinder, except that it speeds the respawn of soldiers in your
armies.
**Local Aid**
Cost: 500
Unlock this policy through Consult by using Cause Revolt often. This may cause
unhappy peasants to join in on your side when you invade an opponent. This
policy is not guaranteed to work--if you invade a "good" ruler, his/her
peasants will generally not rebel. How do you tell if an officer is good?
Ummm... Good question. I'm sort've making an assumption here, honestly.
**Blockade**
Cost: 800
Unlock this policy through Consult after attacking a territory that belongs to
a ruler you were once allied with. This policy prevents the opponent from
receiving any reinforcement officers during battle.
**Equal Start**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult. Use this policy to begin the battle with
approximately 1/2 of the bases already under your control, instead of the
two or three you normally start with.
**Neutral Start**
Cost: 1500
Unlock this policy through Consult after using Equal start a number of times.
When you use this policy, you and the opponent each start with only one base
under your respective control. You can take over new bases simply by having an
officer enter the base (use the Attack Base order to send your computer-
controlled officers to a base). This policy is great when combined with the
Red Hare saddle and the Unicorn Hoof item.
Tip: Use the combo mentioned above, and run straight for the open bases that
are closest to your opponent's starting base. If you can take them over fast,
you may be able to hold onto them while your computer-controlled officers
take over the rest. This will really cripple your opponent and help you win
quickly.
**Extend Time**
Cost: 400
Unlock this policy through Consult after losing or quitting a battle. This
policy adds 10 minutes to the battle time. This is most useful on huge maps
when you don't have a horse, or when you want to try to get your 500/1000
kills marks.
**Shorten Time**
Cost: 1000
Unlock this policy through Consult after you've won a battle where you
choose to Defend. This policy decreases the battle time by 5 minutes.
**Point Increase**
Cost: 600
Unlock this policy throuch Consult (not sure what triggers it). This policy
doubles the experience that the officer who you control receives during this
battle.
**Scout Report**
Cost: 100
Unlock this policy through Consult by using Neutral Start. This tactic allows
you to see what orders enemy officers currently have (check via Unit Info on
the battle pause menu.
SPECIAL
-------
These policies are also equipped as tactics. They allow for use of special
types of units during battle (such as a Nanman armored unit, for example).
**Juggernaut**
Cost: 500
Unlocking Juggernauts is a little different than unlocking most policies.
To do so, you must control Zhuge Liang, Yue Ying, and the Nanman territory.
Station both of these officers in that territory. After doing so, you'll see
a little "cut scene" (so to speak), which will unlock the Juggernaut and
the Wood Ox.
Juggernauts are huge wooden machines with a carved tiger head. They spit
fire like a flamethrower, and have a TON of health.
**Sorcerers**
Cost: 300
Unlock this policy through Consult when you control Zuo Ci, Sun Shang
Xiang, Lu Xun, Zhang He, or Zhou Yu. Sorcerers shoot out blasts that have
an effect equivalent to ice arrows.
**Beastmasters**
Cost: 200
Unlock this policy through consult when you have Meng You or Ahui Nan
under your control. Beastmasters are very weak characters defensively, but
they come into battle with two tigers under their control. Tigers do a
pretty good amount of damage, and cannot be defeated themselves. The tigers
run away when their beastmaster is defeated. (Beastmasters can also throw
bombs that have the fire effect on any enemies they hit.)
**Armor Troops**
Cost: <?>
Unlock this policy through consult when you have Wu Tugu, Jihan Sanjie,
Sha Moke, or King Mulu. Armor troops are Nanman troops with high defense.
**Bandits**
Cost: 100
Unlock this policy through Consult when you control Zhang Jiao, Dong Zhou,
or Lu Bu. The Bandits are pretty generic fighters. They have large axes
(so maybe they do more damage?--just guessing). It is a very inexpensive
tactic, though, and it basically gives you more fighters in your army at
a given time, so it can help.
**Wood Ox**
Cost: 500
See the Juggernaut policy for information about unlocking the Wood Ox.
The wood ox is a wooden machine that, when destroyed, reveals an item.
(Most often a meat bun.) It's a good tactic to use when you use the
Green Scroll, for example, because you can probably replenish your
heatlth frequently enough to offset the defensive hit.
**Fire arrows**
Cost: 200
Unlock this policy through consult. I got it from Zhou Yu (who was a
part of the Chi Bi fire tactic), though it may just be random. This
tactic doesn't add any additional units to your armies, but it does
give fire arrows to any archers in your army.
**Ice arrows**
Cost: 300
Same as above policy except that archers have ice arrrows. Not sure
what causes it to show up in Consult.
TACTICS
-------
These policies are used during battle to achieve a special effect. In addition
to being equipped before battle, you must also activate them at an appropriate
time during battle (pause > choose Tactics > choose tactic to activate).
**Raze Grounds**
Cost: 1600
Unlock this tactic through Consult from Zhou Yu. This is a GREAT tactic that
causes all of your enemies to lose approx 1/2 of their health (includes both
officers and grunt troops). Troops in a base can get their health back from
the periodic guard captain bonuses. Defeated officers have full health when
they respawn.
**Capture**
Cost: 1600
Unlock this tactic through Consult from Dian Wei. After activating this
tactic, you will capture any officers you defeat for a limited time. However,
your character's attributes are reduced (attack for sure) during the time
that the tactic is active.
Tip: Don't use it until you've significantly beat up on an enemy officer,
and then use it shortly before finishing them off. HOWEVER, you must wait
until your character chimes in with their little "It's time to use a tactic,"
speech. Otherwise, you can actually defeat the opponent before the tactic
takes affect.
**Call Reserves**
Cost: 1200
Unlock through consult (not sure what triggers it). Use this tactic to
restore your troops back to maximum in-battle.
**Poison Enemy**
Cost: 1200
Unlock this policy through consult after taking control of at least one
southern territory. This policy decreases the number of troops in each
enemy unit.
**Set Ambush**
Cost: 600
Sets an ambush that causes damage to one enemy unit.
**Charm enemy**
Cost:<?>
I have heard of this policy, but have not yet unlocked it so I can't offer
much. I believe that you unlock it through consult when you have Diao Chan
or one of the Qiao sisters under your control.
**Rally Troops**
Cost: 400
Unlock this policy through Consult from Xu Huang or Zhang Fei. This policy
increases ally moral during battle.
**Force March**
Cost: 500
Unlock this policy through consult (not sure what triggers it). It raises
the speed of allied units for a set time. Raise speed of allies.
**Slow March**
Cost: <?>
Unlock this policy through consult (when controlling Wei Yan?). It slows
the speed of enemy units for a set time.
**Demoralize**
Cost: 300
Unlock this policy through consult when you control Guan Yu. It lowers
enemy morale.
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4.) POSITIONING OFFICERS
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Positioning officers seems to be very confusing for people, so I'll try to go
over it in detail here. You can have up to 6 officers stationed in any
territory at a given time: 3 Generals and 3 Lieutenants. (There aren't a ton
of differences between Generals and Lieutenants. The main ones that I've
noticed are that Lieutenants can't be used for Consult or Delegate. Also,
when aiding an ally in either Joint Attack or Aid Ally, you can only select
a General.)
THE STRATEGY OF POSITIONING OFFICERS
------------------------------------
When you look at the map, you'll see lines connecting the various territories.
These lines indicate the routes that armies can take when invading a
neighboring territory. In some cases, even though a territory may be directly
adjacent to another one, it may not have a route into that territory. Pay
special attention to these routes, because they are very important when
positioning officers.
Typically, you want your strongest officers on the "front lines." For example,
let's say that I have a number of territories. If I have some territories that
are surrounded only by "friendly" territories (my own territories or those of
allies), it isn't too important to have powerful officers there. In fact, you
can even have them totally empty of officers because they won't be invaded.
However in areas where you are bordering with an enemy that has a route into
your territory, you want to put strong officers there so that you have
someone to defend in case they invade. I'll talk about this more in the
Invade/Defend/Skip Battle section.
POSITIONING YOUR OFFICERS
-------------------------
To position your officers, follow these steps. The steps assume that you are
positioning from the main menu. If you are positioning after capturing or
hiring a new officer, start at step 3.
1. Choose "Station" from the menu.
2. On the map, choose either the source or destination territory.
Two (or three) tables are shown. These tables indicate the source/
destination territories (and the "unplaced" officers, in some cases).
3. In the second table, select the top row.
4. Choose the territory that you want to move the officers from/to.
5. To move the officer, select the officers name, then highlight the empty
row in the other table to move them. If you choose a row with a character in
it, you'll swap the two characters.
GETTING NEW OFFICERS
--------------------
You can get officers in a few ways:
-Capturing in battle then hiring them.
-Using Search Local or Search Wide policies from the Personnel category.
-Using Hire Local or Hire Wide policies from the Personnel category.
-Using the Entice policy successfully before going into battle.
**CAPTURING OFFICERS**
This might be a little confusing, because we haven't discussed battle yet.
However, during battle, you may capture an officer when you defeat them.
This usually happens when the officer is in an area that is shaded blue on the
map (an area you have taken over). After the battle, you have the option to
Hire, Release, or Execute the officer. (Execute is only available if you
choose the Officer Death option for the game, which you must unlock by beating
one Empire mode campaign.)
NOTE: Each officer has a Gold value listed when you attempt to hire them. If
you do not have enough gold, the Hire option is disabled (grayed out). The
higher the experience rank of the officer, the more gold they cost to hire.
Tip: Here's a good way to capture an officer. Get a fast horse (Red Hare or
any horse with Unicorn Hoof), and wait for your enemy to attack one of your
bases. Run past the enemy and take over a base that "sandwiches" the enemy
between one of your bases and the new base you just captured. Usually, this
will turn the area between those two bases blue. The enemy will usually try
to run back the closest "friendly" base. Just catch up to him and keep him
in the blue area while you defeat him.
**Search Local/Wide**
These policies allow you to find unemployed officers in your territories.
Generally, they join you without problem. Occasionally, though, you'll find
an officer that won't join right away. (This may be because of the $$$
factor.)
**Hire Local/Wide**
These policies allow you to try to hire officers that won't join you, or are
employed by other Rulers currently. These policies often DO NOT work. The
trick is that you have to have a lot of items. Sometimes, the officer will
request items to join you. The number of items is based on the officer's
level. Level 16s usually need 1 of an item. MAX officers may request as
many as 8 of an item.
**Entice**
I just recently got this policy. It allows you to arrange a betrayal with an
enemy officer. If the officer accepts, you must go to battle in the territory
where this officer is located. During the battle, the officer will then defect
to your side. If you win the battle, you'll have the option to permanently
hire the officer. In the couple of times that I've used this, I had to use it
twice each time before the officer agreed to defect. Rumor has it that you
may need to have certain items to get this to work (the same as if you were
trying to hire the officer).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.) RESEARCH (INFO)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I won't spend much time, here. However, during your turn at any piont, you can
select Info to look at various bits of information. I mainly use this to
review the status of my Allies, or to look at the officers or troops at a
particular territory.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.) PROCEED
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a very brief step, but very important. You can choose to Proceed
through your turn at any point, but generally you do it after you've used up
all of your orders.
This step is important because, once you proceed, you cannot reposition
officers before you choose to invade or if you are attacked. So, be sure that
you have all of your officers properly organized before you choose to Proceed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.) INVADE/DEFEND/SKIP BATTLE, etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INVADE
------
After you have chosen to proceed, you then have the option to Invade. I
generally recommend that you save before you choose to invade, just in case
things don't go too well. When you invade, you can choose three generals,
three lieutenants, a relief general, and a relief lieutenant to perform the
invasion. However, these officers must be in adjacent territories that have a
path to the territory.
DEFEND
------
If an opponent is attacking one of your territories, you'll have the Defend
option. This allows you to actively participate in the battle and try to hold
off the enemy from taking your territory. You can choose generals similar to
how you would for invading.
You are most likely to be attacked in an area that has few troops.
JOINT ATTACK
------------
An ally may solicit your assistance when attacking one of their opponents. If
so, you will have the Joint Attack option. If you partake in the Joint Attack,
you get to pick one of your generals to aid the ally. Even though you're just
sent in for support, you still get to give orders to the ally officers and
victory/defeat hinges upon your character. If you aid your ally to victory,
you generally get 5,000 gold. However, you don't get any other spoils of war
(you don't get to hire captured officers, for example).
AID ALLY
--------
If an ally is attacked, he may solicit your assistance to help in the defense.
This is much like Joint Attack, except that the conditions for defense still
apply. If you aid your ally to victory, you generally get 3,000 gold as a
thank-you.
SKIP BATTLE
-----------
If you don't want to invade, you can choose Skip Battle. If you are being
attacked and choose this option, the battle is instantly simulated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.) IN-BATTLE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you've played Dynasty Warriors before, you'll find that much of the actual
battle period is the same as previous versions. Ultimately, you control one
officer with the goal of achieving the objectives for this scenario. When
invading, this involves taking over the enemy Main Base or defeating the enemy
leader. When defending, you can usually do the same, or simply protect your
base or leader until time runs out.
However, there are some differences this time around, including the ability to
give commands to other officers in-battle and using tactics and items before
battle.
PREPARATION
-----------
As you start a battle, you get the option to prepare for battle. In this
phase, you can choose a weapon to use, choose any items to use, and choose
any tactics to use.
NOTE: When you choose a tactic or item, it is used up and removed from
your inventory.
**Equipping Weapons and Items**
Before you actually choose Start to begin the battle, you can equip your
weapons and items. Just choose Prepare > Weapon (or Items) and then
select the weapon or item to use.
**Equipping tactics**
Before you choose Start to begin the battle, you can equip the tactics
(strategy, special, or tactic) that you want to use. Just choose the
Tactics option and then choose the items you want to use (up to two).
BASES
-----
Spread throughout the battlefield you'll find a number of bases. They're
specifically highlighted on the detail map. Bases are protected by Defense
Captains, who you must kill in order to take over the base. However,
there's also a little meter (indicated by circles in the upper-right corner
of the screen) that indicates who has control of a base. This only shows up
when you're within the borders of the base. You will not be able to take
over an enemy base as long as they have a circle on that meter (indicating
a defense captain or officer).
Bases act as a spawn point for soldiers as well as a place where you can find
power-ups, like meat buns, 2X armor or 2X attack, and so on. NOTE: Taking
these items will subtract some soldiers from your officer's army. I guess
it's a penalty so you don't rely too much on the items.
Also, controlling bases is usually necessary for the end goal of conquering
a battle. You have to have a "supply route" to the enemy main base, in most
cases. These routes are indicated on the detailed map (pause map) by the
lines drawn between bases. Basically, you have to conquer bases so that you
own a path to the enemy main base.
ENEMY OFFICERS
--------------
Enemy officers are indicated on the detailed map with the little red/pink
"tetris piece." As an officer gets low on health, they may run away to one
of their bases in an effort to heal. Therefore, it's a good idea to try and
corner an enemy when they get low on health.
Both you and your enemy's officers are allotted a certain number of respawns.
These are indicated in the upper-right corner of the screen. I think the
maximum is 10 respawns. I also think this may be affected by the defense
level in the territory you're located in, but I have not confirmed that. Also,
I don't know if the respawn time is based solely on a timer or if it is
somewhat random.
Defeating an enemy officer will cause the remainder of his on-screen solders
to retreat. Also, defeating the officer earns you experience points after the
battle, as well as certain power up items which may give you gold, apply a
permanent boost to your stats, or allow you to modify your weapon.
ALLY OFFICERS
-------------
Your ally officers are indicated on the detailed map with the blue "tetris
piece" icon. Ally officers are usually best at simply defending, though can do
an okay job of taking over an enemy base under the right conditions (high ally
morale--low enemy morale--no officer at base).
Ally officers generally stink at taking on enemy officers, but it is sort of
dependent on the other factors of morale, etc.
The good news is that now, you can give in-battle commands to your allied
officers!
IN-BATTLE COMMANDS
------------------
To issue commands to an ally officer, choose Unit Info from the pause menu,
select the officer you want to command, then select the order. Options
include:
ATTACK UNIT: Specify an enemy officer for this officer to attack.
ATTACK BASE: Specify an enemy base for this officer to attack.
AID BASE: Specify an allied base for this officer to defend.
AID UNIT: Specify an allied officer for your officer to accompany and protect.
None: Allow computer AI to dictate what to do.
**OFFICER RETREAT**
If an allied officer is getting his/her butt kicked, he may retreat to an
allied base. At this point your commands are pretty much meaningless, as the
officer will put their wellbeing ahead of your orders.
QUICK COMMANDS
--------------
In addition to the commands above, you can also issue quick commands for all
ally officers to follow. To do so, just push the appropriate direction on the
D Pad.
UP: Attack nearest enemy base.
DOWN: Defend nearest ally base.
LEFT: Regroup to the location of your officer.
RIGHT: Let the AI dictate what to do.
USING TACTICS
-------------
If you choose a special unit or strategy during the preparation phase, that
item is used automatically. However, if you choose a tactic, you can activate
that at the appropriate time during battle. Just pause, choose Tactics, and
choose the appropriate tactic.
BATTLE STRATEGY - INVADE
------------------------
There's no single "right" way to do a battle. However, I'll share a couple
strategies that I tend to use. For the most part, strategy isn't as important
for battles early in the game, but can become more important later.
**PRE-BATTLE**
When invading, try to station your officers so that you will outnumber the
enemy forces. Even if you have a total badass officer that you're using, it
can be hard to win if all of your allies get their butts kicked by being
totally outnumbered. Also, as soon as you are able, create the "harness" items
to get one of the horses. Getting around the battlefield fast is TOTALLY
invaluable.
**DECIDE WHICH BASES TO DEFEND**
After starting the battle, take a look at the makeup of the battlefield and
where your bases are located. Figure out which of your bases are on the "front
lines," so to speak. That is, can the enemy get to the base directly without
going through one of your other bases first? On the Normal difficulty level,
at least, an enemy will only rarely pass through a base to get to another one.
Normally, they'll just stop at the first one. What this means is that you
should only worry about protecting the bases at the front lines. Usually, I
try to put my generals at the front-line bases.
**SEND LIEUTENANTS IN FOR AID**
Next assign a lieutenant to aid each main general (including at least one for
yourself).
**ATTACK THE NEAREST OFFICER!**
I immediately head for the officer nearest to the officer I'm controlling. The
exception is if there's an unguarded front-line base--I may go there first.
The first part of the battle, I usually focus on taking out the enemy officers
first, being sure to protect my allies when they're getting attacked. If I'm
close to an enemy base, I'll try to take that over too. If that becomes my new
front-line base, I move my characters up to it. I keep doing this until the
enemy reinforcements slow a bit.
**SEND ALLIES TO ATTACK**
After most/all the officers are cleared out, I start sending my allied forces
in to attack bases. If the situation seems okay, I may even send all of my
allies after the same base. Usually, at this point, it is unnecessary.
However, I think it may help with their experience if they take over the base
on their own. I have to confirm this still.
**WIPE OUT THE REST--KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE TIMER!**
Finally, I try to capture every base, just to get extra experience. However,
you have to keep your eye on the timer. If you're running low, just worry
about making a path to the Main Base.
**LATER LEVELS THAT ARE HARDER**
As you progress through a campaign, you'll probably find that the battles are
getting harder and strategy becomes more important. This is especially true if
you're playing your 2nd or 3rd campaign and you've chosen to maintain
experience. In this case, you'll usually be playing against some officers who
are at high levels and your opponent will likely have many officer respawns
available, which means you'll have to kill a lot of officers.
One option is to just use one officer mainly and level him/her up so that
he/she's just unstoppable. This tactic works, but if you're like me, you want
to try and level up as many people as possible. Therefore, at some point,
you're going to use a character that cannot just go in and destroy the
opposition single-handedly.
In those scenarios, you may want to advance more slowly, and/or let the enemy
come to you. It's a lot easier to sit in your base and plug away at an enemy
officer than to attack an officer in one of his bases and be surrounded by
enemies.
BATTLE STRATEGY - DEFEND
------------------------
When defending, I don't do much differently than when I'm attacking. However,
on some of the more difficult later levels, I don't worry much about taking
over enemy bases. Instead, I just worry about keeping my bases from falling.
When defending, if you keep the enemy from accomplishing the battle conditions
(taking over your base or defeating your leader) until time runs out, you
actually win the battle.
**TACTICS/STRATEGIES**
Strategies such as Neutral Start, Equal Start, or Shorter Time are really good
for defensive battles. With Neutral Start is especially effective if you have
a mount with the unicorn hoof. You can sprint around the battlefield and take
over a number of bases before the opponent can even get there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.) GENERAL FAQ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following items are a hodgepodge of the most common questions I've seen
about this game.
Weapons
-------
Q: How do I get the 4th weapons?
A: First, you must get the appropriate smith up to level 4. (You do this by
using the various smith policies during your Orders phase.) After the smith
is at the appropriate leve, then you must use the character for whom you
want to get the weapon and get 500 kills in battle. After that battle, you
are awarded their 4th weapon.
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Q: How do I get 500 kills to get the 4th weapons? (It seems I always beat the
level before getting 500.)
A: There are a few ways to do this. However, I find this to be the easiest...
When you invade a territory, first, try to defeat many or all of the enemy
officers as quick as possible. DO NOT take over any enemy bases that are
adjacent to their main base. Their must be a one-base "buffer" between your
bases and the enemy base so you don't capture it. Then, directly attack the
main base. You'll continually get the message something to the effect of:
"Cannot capture the main base without a supply route to the base." In this
case, this is a GOOD thing. Just keep defeating enemies in the main base
and the enemies will keep respawning very quickly.
As an additional tip, you may want to use the Extra Time policy to make
sure that you have enough time to rack up kills AND win the level.
Also, in general, be sure to attack the peons before you attack guard
captains or officers. If you defeat the officer or captain before defeating
the peons, the peons will run away and you won't get the kills for them.
Items
-----
Q: How do I get items?
A: You must use the Production policy and then select the item you want to
create.
Q: Why can't I manufacture many (or any) items?
A: Certain territories have the ability to produce certain items. Therefore,
you have to control many territories before you can create the majority of
items.
Additionally, you can use the Development policy to research new items for
certain territories. (They are disabled at that territory until you do
this.)
Q: How do I unlock the items that are listed as "????" It doesn't let me
use Development on them.
A: These items are found in the same territories that you unlock the trading
policies in. To unlock them, you must unlock all the other items before
them in that territory's list by using Development. After that, use the
appropriate trading policy for that territory. Though it doesn't always
happen right away, eventually you will unlock the policy during a
successful trade.
Q: I see an item on my list, but I can't produce it. Why?
A: Check the cost to produce the item. Even though the Production policy just
lists "----" as the cost, each individual item has its own cost associated
with it.
Q: Which orb is the best?
A: Each orb has it's advantages. In general, I think I like the fire orb the
best. A good strategy is to hit an enemy officer with the fire attack, and
then try to use juggle combos to keep them in the air. They'll keep burning
for a while, which steadily saps their energy. This is especially useful
against high-defense officers, because it kills them a lot quicker.
The shadow orb was better in early installments (DW 3 & 4) but not quite so
powerful now. However, it can still do some good damage with the power hit.
Some characters are bettr suited for this orb; for example, some characters
have moves that do multiple "power hits." Cao Cao's C6+ move is a good
example--it can totally tear down an opposing officer.
The light orb is useful for later levels when guys block like crazy, but
it's benefits aren't as high up there, in my view. Only the power hit breaks
through defense. The normal attack won't.
If the ice orb had a guaranteed freeze, it would be better, since it
doesn't, I'd actually put it at the bottom of the list. However, if you can
freeze someone with it, their defense is decreased while they are frozen.
This means you'll do a lot more damage than normal.
Q: I chose to keep experience in this campaign, but my items are all reset to
a low level. Why?
A: Unfortunately, the item levels don't carry over in Dynasty Mode (though
they will be maintained in Free Mode). The experience carry-over option
only pertains to officers.
Q: Can I unlock more item slots for my officers?
A: One way to unlock an additional item slot is to get 1000 K.O.s during
battle. This unlocks a special cut-scene where you are applauded for being
"A true dynasty warrior." Afterward, you'll notice the extra item slot and
a little *1000* icon by the character.
Characters
----------
Q: How do I get new officers?
A: See the Positioning Officers > Getting New Officers section of this guide.
Q: How do I get 250 officers for the XBox achievement?
A: donthatemalek's FAQ addresses this with a good strategy. Because this is
such a frequently-asked question, I'm going to list my strategy here,
which is an offshoot of donthatemalek's mentioned above.
1. Play through at least 2 campaigns. (Yellow Turban and Dong Zhou, for
example.) By just doing regular recruiting/hiring/capturing, you'll
probably get at least 1/2 of the 250 officers.
NOTE: If you're not in a hurry, just play through all campaigns
except for "A Gathering of Heroes." This will probably get you
very close to the goal of 250.
2. Start a new campaign in the "A Gathering of Heroes" scenario. This
scenario has ALL officers available in it.
- Turn officer death OFF (to make sure that none of the officers that
you need are killed during the progression of the game).
- For your starting territory, you may want to pick your best officers
This will help you plow through the game.
3. As you play, use the Evil policies so you can get the Despotism policy.
4. When you get down to having only 1 opposing territory remaining, make a
Long Alliance with that opponent.
5. If you haven't already, keep using Development to unlock all items.
6. Use Despotism to quickly get 9 of each item.
7. Use Hire Wide to hire any officer that does not have "Get!" next to
their name. If you have 9 of each item, you should have no problem
hiring any officer.
*Note:* I know that the whole "Get!" thing does not make
sense. My best guess is that this is a translation error. "Get!" means
that you have hired this officer at one time. No "Get!" means you have
never hired this officer.
8. As necessary, keep using Long Alliance to renew your alliance and
Despotism to replenish your item supply.
NOTE: Also, another "cheap" way to get some guys is to start a new
campaign (scenario may vary depending on who you actually need)
select the territory with the guys you need your the starting
territory, then Save the campaign and repeat the process. You can
get many officers this way, but probably not all of them.
Q: How do I move characters to different territories?
A: See the Positioning Officers > Positioning Your Officers section of this
guide.
Q: I captured an officer, but the option to hire him is grayed out. Why?
A: Each officer costs a certain amount of gold to recruit, even if captured.
Check to see if you have enough gold to pay for this officer--I'm betting
you don't. (This is one good reason to save some money before you go into
battle!)
Q: Why do I only have the option to Hire or Release an officer? If I release
him, an opponent will just pick him up!
A: Well, after defeating your first campaign, you will unlock other options
such as "Officer Death." This actually allows you to execute an officer
instead of hiring or releasing them. Executing an officer keeps him/her
away from your opponent, but also means you will have no chance to get him
later in this campaign. (Personally, I wish it also had some impact on your
ability to hire new officers. I know I wouldn't want to go work for a guy
who was lopping off heads.)
Q: Who is the best officer?
A: Well, this one is sort of subjective. And, since I haven't used all of the
officers yet, this answer might be somewhat skewed. However, of all the
officers I've used so far, Lu Bu is by far the best. His regular moves have
a huge range--even somewhat behind him--which makes it very hard to get
attacked. Plus, he is just a mega-power in general. His charge move has
built-in fire attack, which is just devastating against enemy officers.
And, when you get his 4th weapon--game over man, game over. He slices, he
dices, he's Lu Bu.
Ma Chao on horseback and Zuo Ci are also at the top of my list. See my
"Character Assessment" section for my brief reviews of each character.
Q: Who has good charge moves?
A: Again, this one is subjective, but here's what I've noticed:
*Lu Bu: Powerful w/ built-in fire attack. Nightmare for enemy officers.
*Huang Zhong and Xiahou Yuan: His multi-arrow attack has very good range
and can quickly clear a crowd in front of you. Also has pretty decent
power. Very handy.
*Various Wu officers (Lu Meng, Zhou Yu, Huang Gai, etc.): Many of these
guys have a fireball attack that explodes after a set amount of time.
I use this after knocking down an enemy officer, often when they get up,
they get hit by the fire (which stuns them)--then I start a juggle combo
and watch the health drain away.
Tip: Fairly easy officer level-ups.
To level up your officers fairly easily, play through a campaign until
only one opponent remains. Then, use Long Alliance. After that, keep
using Train to eventually max out your officers. (If you've been an
Evil ruler, chances are you'll have a lot of money from Despotism and
Grave Rob.)
HISTORY
-------
Q: Did the events in Dynasty Warriors really happen?
A: Dynasty Warriors is based on a real period in Chinese history. Though I
don't know for sure, I suspect that most of the "facts" in the game are
actually based on the "Three Kingdoms" novel by Luo Guanzhong. This was a
semi-factual account that was written many years after the actual events. I
think that the level of fact vs. fiction in this novel is the subject of
some debate, but there are definitely many factual elements. There are
some good English translations of this novel. If you are interested in the
period, I highly recommend the translation by Moss Roberts. It's very long
(over 1,000 pages), but relatively easy to read with a lot of action.
Q: Was [officer name] really like he was depicted in the game?
A: Probably not. Most of the characters in Dynasty Warriors are definitely a
charicature of the real-life officers that they are based on. Some of the
officers character models are based on actual illustrations of the
real-life persion (such as Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, to name a couple). In
fact, Guan Yu is often regarded as a god in Chinese culture, and can be
seen in many sculptures and artwork to this day. (He is often referred to
as Guan Gong or Kwan Kong as well.)
In many cases, I think that Koei went a *little* overboard with their
characters in order to make them very stylized. For example, nothing that
I ever read indicated that Zhang He was effeminate. In fact, it was
probably quite the opposite, if anything. However, I think he did make some
comment about the beauty of battle in the novel, and I think that Koei sort
of ran with that when creating his character. (Similar scenarios occurred
for other officers.)
Q: Where can I get more information about this period?
A: You'll get a lot from a simple Web search. I'd recommend
http://www.3kingdoms.net/ and
http://www.kongming.net as good resources.
You can also read one of the translations online at
http://www.threekingdoms.com/.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.) COMBOS AND OTHER TIPS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following are lists of character, item, policy, weapon (etc.) combinations
that can lead to superb results, or general tips for the game.
QUICKLY TAKE OVER (MOST OF) AN AREA
-----------------------------------
Neutral Start + Red Hare + Unicorn Hoof
The above combo will allow you to sprint all over the map, taking over
bases before your opponent can even bat an eye.
GUNSLINGER DEVASTATION
----------------------
Huang Zhong (or Xiahou Yuan) Charge move + Huang's Bow + Fire (or Ice) arrows.
(Tiger Amulet optional)
The single charge moves (just hammer the charge button alone) for Huang Zhong
and Xiahou Yuan shoot a horizontal barrage of multiple arrows. Well, these
attacks are counted as bow attacks, so they are affected by the Huang's Bow,
and Fire/Ice Arrows items. (You can also equip the Tiger Amulet for an
additional, general attack upgrade.) When you use all these items, you can
get some major devastation going on.
SUPER ELEPHANTS
---------------
Elephant (or Mammoth) Harness + Kirin Hoof + Unicorn Hoof
I don't use elephants much, but this combo can make them fairly useful (and
powerful). Admittedly, though, it's more of a novelty than anything. You
can generally get more bang for your buck with a good horse and the Horned
Helm.
"FREE" +ATK, +DEF MODIFIERS
---------------------------
Start a Free Mode game on Chaos difficulty. Even if you get your @$$ kicked
before beating any officers (and you probably will), you'll still get
two or three modifier bonuses for doing nothing. If you do manage to beat
an officer or two (or more), you'll probably get some NICE modifiers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.) 4th WEAPONS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I dive into the list of 4th Weapons (well, those that I've gotten so
far, at least), I want to touch on a few weapon basics, first.
**SMITHING POLICIES - GETTING BETTER WEAPONS**
Each time you start a new campaign, you start with your first, or Level 1,
weapons. In order to unlock better weapons, you must use the various
"smithing" policies. (Typically, I only bother using "All Smith" to upgrade
all weapons at once).
At each time you get to 100 weapon/smith points, you go up 1 level. At level
2 and 3, you'll automatically unlock new weapons. At level 4, you are then
able to unlock the 4th weapons (with additional steps). At level 5, you don't
unlock any new weapons, though you unlock the ability to earn certain
weapon attributes for level 3 weapons that you can't normally get.
**UNLOCKING LEVEL 4 WEAPONS**
After getting your smiths up to level 4, you must then follow these steps
to unlock the level 4 weapon:
1. Go into battle using the officer for whom you want to get the 4th weapon.
2. Equip your level 3 weapon.
3. Get 500 K.O.s/kills with the character before time runs out.
4. After the battle, you'll get the 4th weapon.
Even after unlocking the 4th weapon, it is not immediately available during
your next campaign. To get your 4th weapon again during a subsequent
campaign. You must again raise your smiths to level 4, then go to battle
with the appropriate officer and their level 3 weapon. However, this time
you don't need to get 500 KOs. I'm not sure if you need any specific number,
but I've gotten it with as few as 250, for sure.
**LEVEL 5 SMITHING**
After getting your Smiths to level five, you'll be able to receive some
weapon power-ups that you could not normally get. To get these power ups
you must be using the level 3 weapon for the respective officer in battle.
These power ups are random (like other weapon scrolls). However, you can
get power ups that: change weapon power, change weapon weight, and add the
evolution attack ability. Also, it *seems* like the more general power-
ups tend to be of a higher value.
In fact, because of the special power ups you can get, you can actually
make your third weapon BETTER than your 4th weapon. I have personally
done this with Zhuge Liang. I was able to get power ups to make my 3rd
weapon have 36 power, an evolution attack, and various +19/+20 attributes.
Note: The evolution attack basically adds on additional attacks by
continuing to hit the normal attack button after the 6th attack.
CAO CAO
-------
Wrath of Heaven
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, ATK 17, BOW 15, HORSE 17, CHARGE 17
CAO PI
------
Chaos
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 19, ATK 15, DEF 15, SPD 19, FILL 15
CAO REN
-------
Roc
PWR: 32
WGHT: Light
LIFE 19, ATK 15, DEF 18, BOW 15, FILL 15
DA QIAO
-------
Qiao Beauty
PWR: 32
WGHT: Heavy
LIFE 15, MUSOU 19, ATK 16, DEF 15, LUCK 18
DIAN WEI
--------
Mad Bull
PWR: 38
WGHT: Light
LIFE 17, MUSOU 17, ATK 18, FILL 15, CHARGE 15
DIAO CHAN
---------
Diva
PWR: 32
WGHT: Heavy
MUSOU 18, DEF 16, SPD 19, LUCK 18, FILL 18
DONG ZHUO
---------
Horror
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, ATK 18, DEF 15, HORSE 17, LUCK 17
GAN NING
--------
Viper Blade
PWR: 38
WGHT: Light
MUSOU 15, ATK 19, SPD 15, LUCK 18, CHARGE 15
GUAN PING
---------
Young Dragon
PWR: 36
WGHT: Light
LIFE 15, ATK 17,BOW 15, LUCK 15, CHARGE 16
GUAN YU
-------
Blue Moon Dragon
PWR: 38
WGHT: Light
LIFE 18, ATK 18, DEF 17, HORSE, 16, CHARGE 16
HUANG GAI
---------
Dark Shadow
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, ATK 17, DEF 17, LUCK 16, CHARGE 15
HUANG ZHONG
-----------
Oracle Sword
PWR: 36
WGHT: Light
MUSOU 15, DEF 15, BOW 20, HORSE 15, FILL 18
JIANG WEI
---------
Blink
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, MUSOU 18, ATK 16, SPD 15, LUCK 15
LING TONG
---------
Dragon Fury
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, ATK 17, SPD 19, LUCK 16, CHARGE 16
LIU BEI
-------
Gold Moon Dragon
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 15, DEF 18, SPD 18, HORSE 15, LUCK 20
LU BU
-----
Sky Scorcher
PWR: 40
WGHT: Med
LIFE 19, MUSOU 19, ATK 20, DEF 20, HORSE 20
LU MENG
-------
White Tiger
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, DEF 17, BOW 15, HORSE 16, CHARGE 15
LU XUN
------
Falcon
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 19, ATK 15, SPD, 20, LUCK 18, FILL 15
MA CHAO
-------
Stallion Fury
PWR: 38
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, ATK 17, DEF 16, SPD 15, HORSE 20
MENG HUO
--------
King of Beasts
PWR: 36
WGHT: Light
LIFE 19, ATK 18, HORSE 15, FILL 15, CHARGE 15
PANG DE
-------
Heavenly Halberd
PWR: 36
WGHT: Light
LIFE 18, ATK 16, DEF 15, HORSE 17, LUCK 15
PANG TONG
---------
Tornado Staff
PWR: 32
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, DEF 17, BOW 16, LUCK 15, FILL 18
SIMA YI
-------
Dark Feather
PWR: 32
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 19, ATK 15, DEF 16, FILL 15, CHARGE 15
SUN CE
------
Overlord
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, MUSOU 15, ATK 18, SPD 18, CHARGE 15
SUN JIAN
--------
Savage Tiger
PWR: 34
WGHT: Light
LIFE 15, MUSOU 15, DEF 16, HORSE 16, FILL 18
SUN QUAN
--------
Master Wolf
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 18, ATK 16, BOW 15, FILL 15, CHARGE 17
SUN SHANG XIANG
---------------
Sol Chakram
PWR: 32
WGHT: Heavy
LIFE 15, DEF 17, SPD 19, BOW 15, LUCK 19
TAISHI CI
---------
Tiger Slayer
PWR: 38
WGHT: Med
LIFE 18, DEF 17, BOW 15, HORSE 15, CHARGE 16
WEI YAN
---------
Comet Strike
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 15, ATK 18, DEF 16, LUCK 15, CHARGE 16
XIAHOU DUN
----------
Kirin Fang
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 16, ATK 17, DEF 17, HORSE 16, CHARGE 17
XIAHOU YUAN
-----------
Enforcer Rod
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, MUSOU 17, ATK 16, BOW 19, CHARGE 16
XIAO QIAO
---------
Qiao Grace
PWR: 32
WGHT: Heavy
MUSOU 15, DEF 15, SPD 19, FILL 15, CHARGE 17
XING CAI
--------
Ambition
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, MUSOU 17, DEF 17, SPD 16, HORSE 15
XU HUANG
--------
Marauder
PWR: 36
WGHT: Light
LIFE 18, ATK 17, SPD 15, LUCK 15, FILL 15
XU ZHU
------
Stone Crusher
PWR: 38
WGHT: Light
LIFE 20, DEF 19, BOW 19, LUCK 15, FILL 17
YUAN SHAO
---------
Sword of Kings
PWR: 34
WGHT: Medium
MUSOU 17, DEF 18, BOW 15, HORSE 15, FILL 15
YUE YING
-----------
Oblivion
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 16, DEF 17, BOW 16, HORSE 15, CHARGE 15
ZHANG FEI
---------
Viper Blade
PWR: 39
WGHT: Light
MUSOU 17, ATK 19, DEF 15, HORSE 16, FILL 16
ZHANG HE
--------
Phoenix Talon
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 19, ATK 16, SPD 19, FILL 15, CHARGE 15
ZHANG JIAO
----------
Volcano Staff
PWR: 32
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 17, ATK 15, LUCK 15, FILL 9, CHARGE 16
ZHANG LIAO
----------
Gold Wyvern
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, ATK 17, HORSE 18, LUCK 15, FILL 16
ZHAO YUN
--------
Fierce Dragon
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, MUSOU 17, ATK 17, DEF 17, CHARGE 16
ZHEN JI
-------
Dark Moon Flute
PWR: 32
WGHT: Med
LIFE 17, DEF 18, BOW 18, HORSE 17, FILL 20
ZHOU YU
-------
Ancients Sword
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 18, ATK 16, DEF 15, BOW 16, CHARGE 17
ZHOU TAI
--------
Dusk
PWR: 36
WGHT: Med
LIFE 15, MUSOU 18, ATK 17, SPD 15, FILL 16
ZHUGE LIANG
-----------
Peacock Feather
PWR: 32
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 20, DEF 18, BOW 15, FILL 15, CHARGE 18
ZHU RONG
-------
Inferno
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MuSOU 18, DEF 15, BOW 15, FILL 17, CHARGE 16
ZUO CI
------
Trump Deck
PWR: 40
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 20, DEF 15, BOW 15, FILL 20, CHARGE 15
GREAT SWORD
-----------
Fu Xi's Sword
PWR: 38
WGHT: Medium
LIFE 17, ATK 16, DEF 16, FILL 16, CHARGE 16
RAPIER
------
Nu Wa's Rapier
PWR: 34
WGHT: Medium
ATK 19, SPD 15, BOW 16, FILL 19,CHARGE 15
SWORD
-----
Phoenix Tail
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
Atk 16, SPD 16, BOW 15, LUCK 15, CHARGE 19
SPEAR
-----
Typhoon
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
MUSOU 18, SPD 16, HORSE 15, FILL 20, CHARGE 16
PIKE
----
Eclipse
PWR: 34
WGHT: Med
ATK 20, BOW 15, HORSE 19, LUCK 17, CHARGE 15
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.) CHARACTER ASSESSMENTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following are my OPINIONS about various characters. I'm sure that not
everyone will agree with me, but that's why they're opinions. My rating is on
a fairly arbitrary 1-10 scale.
I tried to think of it like this when doing ratings: If I *had* to win one
battle, how likely would I be to pick a given character? (Pretend I had
choice of any items I wanted.) So, a 10 means that I'd use those characters
first, if possible. If I couldn't use any of those, I 'd use 9s next, and so
on. The 1 is the last person I'd use.
**GLOSSARY**
I use "A" to refer to a general attack, and "C" to refer to a charge attack.
For example, A5 would mean hitting the attack button five times. "C2" would
mean hitting the charge attack on the second hit (A,C). C4 would mean the
4th hit (A,A,A,C), and so on.
C+ means hitting the C button repeatedly. For example, C6+ means
(A,A,A,A,A,C,C,C...).
**WHICH ITEMS TO EQUIP?**
Whether I'm playing Normal or Hard difficulty, I try to use the Red Hare
Harness and the Tiger Amulet, if I can. The ability to get around the
battlefield quickly and inflict major damage on an opponent is critical.
When playing on Hard, I almost always equip the Tortoise Amulet as well.
So when I mention items to use for specific characters, you can assume
the above items apply to everyone.
CAO CAO
-------
Synopsis: Solid character with decent speed and moves. C6+ attack with
the shadow orb can totally devestate a single character. Servicable
musou attack.
Rating: 7
CAO PI
------
Synopsis: Another all-around solid character. Nice C5 move. Nothing to write
home about, though.
Rating: 7
CAO REN
-------
Synopsis: Slow as a tortoise with very good defense. Is pretty
tough to use until you get his 3rd weapon--then the C6+ attack is very
good. Not one of my favs. Definitely use a Speed Scroll with this guy.
Arm Guards can be useful, too.
Rating: 5
DA QIAO
-------
Synopsis: Quick but weak character with some solid moves. Her C3+ is fast
and good for draining a single enemy. Her C6 has a decent pop and good range,
though it had a substantial delay afterward. Her jump C has a fire effect
built-in. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of her musou. There's a slight delay
from the time you hit the button to the time it starts.
Rating: 5
DIAN WEI
--------
Synopsis: Very slow with long delay between some moves. Is pretty
tough to use in general. However, if he is equipped with a Shadow Orb,
his C6 is pretty good. Also, his C4 has good range (he throws his axe)
and you can actually adjust the direction he is facting during the throw,
to hit a larger group of enemies. I recommend using a Speed Scroll and
Arm Guards with this character.
Rating: 3
DIAO CHAN
---------
Synopsis: Okay, I'm changing my rating. She has decent running speed, but
has a surprising delay, even in-between her normal moves (this may have
to do with the weapon I was using with her, though--it may have been a
heavy weapon). No matter what, I regularly take a pretty heavy beating
when using her. I'm not a fan of hers.
Rating: 3
DONG ZHUO
---------
Sort of a bigger, slower version of Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and the like. He
is certainly a serviceable character, but doesn't have any fabulous
moves.
Rating: 6
GAN NING
--------
Synopsis: Offensive beast with very good C3+ attack. Also very solid C6+
attack. Decent speed to boot. His musou is hard to connect, but does very
significant damage when it does connect. In general, I shy away from
items that boost his Musou attacks, and instead use items that boost
his normal attack like the Green Scroll and Wind Scroll.
Rating: 8
GUAN PING
---------
Synopsis: Another offensive powerhouse with good C3+ moved against single
foes, and good crowd-clearing C4+ move. C6 is hard to connect. Musou is
very good crowd clearer, and can be good against single foe. In general
some moves are a little tricky to control because they reflect the
momentum generated by his huge sword.
Rating: 7
GUAN YU
-------
Synopsis: One of my all-time favs who seems to have taken a bit of a hit
in his abilities for this version. His C4 and C6 moves are good crowd-
clearers, though. His Musou is an excellent crowd-clearer and he has a
pretty strong attack, by default. His C 3+ is pretty solid against
single foes.
Rating: 8
HUANG GAI
---------
Synopsis: Decent character whose attacks are sometimes difficult to
connect with. He has a pretty strong attack, though. His jumping
C and plain C moves are good, with built-in fire effect. He is a
bit slow, though. I recommend using a Wind Scroll to improve his
range.
Rating: 5
HUANG ZHONG
-----------
Synopsis: Slow-ish character with all around good moves. His C3+ and C+
moves with the bow give him very good range. His moves can be well-
supplemented with the Huang's Bow, Fire Arrows, and Ice Arrows items. His
musou is decent, but it's hard to keep juggling a single character throughout
it, which means you can't always get maximum damage.
Rating: 8
JIANG WEI
---------
Synopsis: Though not the fastest runner, his moves are incredibly quick with
little lag before charge moves. His C+ move throws a fireball, which is always
a great setup for juggle moves and rapid life-drain on a single enemy. Some
moves seem a little too quick and erratic, but all-in-all a very good
character.
Rating: 6
LING TONG
---------
Synopsis: Just changing my rating a bit, now that I've used him more. Ling
Tong is LIGHTNING quick--sometimes to the point that it's almost difficult
to pull off the right charge move because he's going so dang fast. His
C6 has a built-in fire attack, and is an excellent crowd clearer. However,
it leaves you in an awkward position with a slight delay afterwards, so
beware of that. His C4 is a bit goofy, but a decent crowd-clearer as well.
His C3+ is sort of hard to control, and doesn't do much damage. His
Musou does decent damage against a single foe. You probably will just do
his C4 and C6 moves exclusively. But, he is SO dang fast, enemies will
have a tough time getting a hit in on him before they've got a nunchuck
in the grill.
Rating: 7
LIU BEI
-------
Synopsis: Decent character with moves similar to Cao Cao, but not quite as
good. No major holes in his game, but nothing overwhelmingly strong, either.
Rating: 7
LU BU
-----
Synopsis: Almost too good for his own good. Ridiculously powerful with
good defense. Also has some very quick moves and decent speed. His C3+ move
is great against crowds and single opponents. His C6 is powerful as well.
His musou is solid. His C move has a built-in flame effect and is a great
way to kill opposing officers--even if they have very high defense.
I hate to admit it (becuase he's not one of my favorite characters from
the book), but he's probably the best overall character in the game.
Rating: 10
LU MENG
-------
Synopsis: All-around very solid character with good range and power. A hair
on the slow side, but not too bad. His C attack is the fireball. His musou,
though innocent looking, does a surprising amount of damage, especially to
a single enemy. His C6 does pretty decent damage in the close vicinity.
Rating: 9
LU XUN
------
Synopsis: Fairly quick character with decent moves. Not many holes in his
game, but not fantastic. However, his C4+ move is very good when coupled with
the shadow orb. His musou is pretty darn good against a single opponent.
Rating: 7
MA CHAO
-------
Synopsis: When on a horse, this guy is pretty much unstoppable. He leans the
right side of his horse, and does rapid sweeping blows that are great in a
crowd (on your right, at least) and a single foe. Hook him up with a Horse,
Horned Helm, Tiger Amulet, and Ginseng, and he is completely unstoppable.
His off-horse moves are pretty solid, but not fabulous. However, his
horsemanship power is so fantastic, that it earns him his high rating.
Rating: 10
MENG HUO
--------
Synopsis: Seems like ol' Meng Huo has been toned down a bit in this version.
He is pretty much the same, but doesn't seem to be quite as powerful without
extra powerups. Also, he has some VERY noticable delay before his charge moves
which leaves him pretty vulnerable. (However, Arm Guards might offset this
enough to make him tough again. Hmmm.... I should try that!) His musou
is pretty darn good, but not enough to put him high in my book. His very slow
speed also hurts him.
Rating: 3
PANG DE
-------
Synopsis: Slow, tank-like, and a 1-on-1 killa! His musou is very good against
a single foe, and his other moves are all pretty good. Nothing fantastic, but
solid and strong.
Rating: 7
PANG TONG
---------
Synopsis: His musou is devastating... period. Pang Tong simply spins a little
tornado that pops and juggles any enemies stupid enough to not block or walk
into the typhoon. Couple this with the True Musou scroll, and he packs a major
wallop. He's a little tough to use until you get his 4th weapon, then the C5
(and eventually C6) moves are very good. His C move shoots an explosive ball
that does a decent amount of damage (though does leave him open for attack
with the length of the delay). Also, his jump C move is a great escape move
(he sort of "surfs" on his cane).
Rating: 8
SIMA YI
-------
Synopsis: Another musou mastermind. He does not have an innately strong
attack or defense, but he does have some very good moves. C3 does a straight
laser shot that does decent damage and dizzies an enemy. C5 does decent
damage, and C6 shoots a series of laser shots in a sporadic forward fan.
His musou, though, shoots a series of laser blasts both front and back. If
you pull it off close to an opposing officer, you can completely mess him
up fast.
Rating: 7
SUN CE
------
Synopsis: His tonfa have a very short range and only a decent strength,
but the moves are fairly useful. His C5 has a built-in fire attack, which
is always helpful. His C6 does multiple rapid strikes to a single foe,
though they aren't terribly powerful strikes. He's solid, but not great.
Rating: 6
SUN JIAN
--------
Synopsis: Another sword wielder in the vein of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
His C5 has a built in fire attack and is good for knocking down a crowd
when surrounded. His musou is also fairly strong against a single opponent.
However, most of the rest of his moves are fairly bland.
Rating: 7
SUN QUAN
--------
Synopsis: Yet another sword guy like his pops (Sun Jian), Liu Bei, or
Cao Cao. He has some pretty nice moves, including a built-in fire attack
on his C5. When I equipped him with a tiger amulet and the true way of
musou item, he kicked some major butt. His musou is pretty strong against
single opponents.
Rating : 7
SUN SHANG XIANG
---------------
Synopsis: A fan-favorite of many who I never enjoyed using much. She
doesn't have much power by default, but is stronger than many of the other
female characters. She has decent range with some of her moves. She has
a good running speed and a couple decent moves (namely C6+ and C4). Her
musou is only so-so in my book.
Rating: 4
TAISHI CI
---------
Synopsis: Slow but very devastating against single foes. His C attacks seem
to pack an extra punch. Also his musou is very powerful and can crush the
crap out of a single officer. Crowds can be a problem, but luckily his Defense
is pretty high by default, so he can usually take a decent beating without
getting stunned or knocked down.
Rating: 8
WEI YAN
---------
Synopsis: Some of his moves aren't terribly useful, but all you need to know
is C3+. He does a spinning breakdance move and swings his weapon along with
him. Add a shadow orb onto this, and this is the only move you have to do to
clear crowds and single foes. His C6+ is also pretty solid.
Rating: 8
XIAHOU DUN
----------
Synopsis: Good all around character. He doesn't have any really fantastic
moves, but nor does he have any major deficiencies. His musou is good against
single characters.
Rating: 7
XIAHOU YUAN
-----------
Synopsis: Pretty much a mirror of Huang Zhong with just a few different moves.
However, his musou might be a little bit better. All-in-all, a very solid
character capable of applying a beatdown.
Rating: 8
XIAO QIAO
---------
Synopsis: My preferred of the two Qiao sisters. She is also very fast and
quick. Her C+ move does a lot of rapid blows against a single character. I
personally like her musou better than her sister's.
Rating: 6
XING CAI
--------
Synopsis: Completely horrible. Her set of moves don't do much damage, nor do
they do a good job of clearing a crowd. She doesn't have much defense by
default, either, so she'll take a heavy beating. By far the worst character
that I've used in the game. Not a fan at all. Her only potentially redeeming
trait is that her musou is okay against a single foe.
Rating: 1
XU HUANG
--------
Synopsis: Though formerly a character I liked a lot, he doesn't seem all that
tough now. Some of his moves don't pack too much of a punch (like his C3+
and his C moves). His C6 is pretty strong, but there's a fair delay before it
that leaves you open to hits a lot. He's also fairly slow to go along with it.
Rating: 6
XU ZHU
------
Synopsis: Another character I used to like a lot who doesn't seem quite so
tough now. His C3+ move is decent against a single foe, but sometimes hard to
aim. HIs C4 is pretty strong. Unfortunately, he is slow as heck and also has
a fair amount of delay before his charge moves. His musou is very good as
crowd control, though.
Rating: 4
YUAN SHAO
---------
Synopsis: Yet another sword-swinging Ruler. He reminds me a fair amount of
Sun Jian. Nothing too breathtaking, but his moves are pretty respectable.
Rating: 7
YUE YING
-----------
Synopsis: Though I haven't used her much, I have been pleasantly surprised
with her long range and crowd-clearing ability. Her C3+ is a little
awkward, but good against a single foe. Her C6+ is an excellend crowd-
clearing move with solid range. She also packs a good punch compared to
many of the other women characters.
Rating: 7
ZHANG FEI
---------
Synopsis: An offensive juggernaut who lacks a little in the defense
department, by default. His C3+ move rivals Lu Bu's, and can devastate a
single opponent or crowd. His C6 is pretty powerful, and his Musou packs a
pretty significant punch, too. He's a little slow, but I think his other
abilities more than compensate.
Rating: 9
ZHANG HE
--------
Synopsis: Swift character with some slightly awkward moves. However, most
of his moves put the hurt on. He is especially deadly with a Shadow Orb.
His C3+ move is a stationary repeated clawing motion that is really good
against a single opponent, but is also good at hitting a crowd in front of
you. His C6+ is sort of a side to side "skating" slash that is really
deadly against a single opponent when you have the Shadow Orb (it does
multiple "power" hits). His C move is sort of a wierd jumping/flipping
slash, but it does good damage.
Rating: 8
ZHANG JIAO
----------
Synopsis: On the good side, his C3+ is a pretty nice move against
enemies in front of you. Its finishing charge also emits a shockwave
that hits in a full circle. (Tip: If you're surrounded, start this move
but stop hitting C to release the charge move earlier.) His C4 and
C6 are very similar, and both act like a sweeping flamethrower. His
musou is also a fire attack. Unfortunately, he has a lot of lag
before his charge moves and will take a lot of hits. The Arm Gaurds
can help a lot.
Rating: 4
ZHANG LIAO
----------
Synopsis: A very solid character with good moves and good range. His musou
attack is strong, and his normal and C attacks are all quite good.
Rating: 8
ZHAO YUN
--------
Synopsis: I might be biased because he's my favorite character from the
novels, but... He is a good mix of speed and power. His C4 and C6 are
good crowd-clearers. His musou is very good with crowds and can be very
damaging against a single opponent. His C move is sort of hard to connect
with, but can do decent damage.
Rating: 8
ZHEN JI
-------
Synopsis: I feel like Zhen Ji has been toned down a bit, unfortunately.
Most of her moves don't do too much damage, but she's fairly well-rounded
otherwise. Her strong point is really her musou, which knocks any opponent
nearby into the air and juggles them. Her C attack launches an explosive
orb that does decent damage. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much range
with her moves--a wind scroll can be a big help.
Rating: 5
ZHOU YU
-------
Synopsis: Fairly solid, fairly quick character with some decent moves. His
C3+ move is pretty good against a single opponent, with some short-range
crowd control. His C attack launches a fireball, which is always nice.
He's got a good (but not great) musou.
Rating: 7
ZHOU TAI
--------
Synopsis: Pretty nice character who also has an above average horse attack.
His C3+ is pretty good against one character, though a little tough to aim.
His musou is pretty good. I don't hold him in as high regard as some others
do, but he's definitely very good.
Rating: 7
ZHUGE LIANG
-----------
Synopsis: He's tough to use, but his Musou can be totally devastating. His
C3 is a guaranteed "guard-break," which can be useful. His C6+ shoots out
a number of explosive orbs, which can do a sizeable amount of damage. However,
it doesn't seem like hits from these orbs charge the musou meter at all.
His musou shoots a series of straight laser blasts that do a TON of damage,
but are sort of hard to aim/control. If you can get next to a wall with an
enemy officer, you might be able to unload all the blasts into the officer,
which is often enough to kill him (or do some massive damage, at least).
Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang will take a ton of damage, because of the short
range of his attacks, and the amount of delay after his charge attacks. In
fact, if I'm in a crowd, I almost never use any of the charge attacks (unless
I have the Arm Guards). I really like playing this character, but he is a bit
unbalanced in some ways.
Rating: 6
ZHU RONG
-------
Synopsis: Another great musou with a lackluster set of normal moves. I like
playing Zhu Rong, but her moves leave something to be desired. However, her
musou is really quite good. She sprays a barrage of darts to her front and
back (mostly to her front) which do decent damage to a crowd. If you execute
the attack right next to an officer, you may be able to do some massive
damage with the musou.
Rating: 5
ZUO CI
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Synopsis: This small old man is a devastating monster. Almost all of his
normal attacks are very good. I use his C4 a ton, as he shoots out an array
of laser blasts in all directions that do a lot of damage. His C6 is also
pretty good. However, his musou is really where he excels. The musou starts
with a spinning shield of cards that can dice up any nearby opponents (it
works very well against a single opponent). Also, the end of his musou
includes a wide-diameter lightning storm that can blast a crowd around you.
Rating: 10
GREAT SWORD
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Synopsis: A big ol' broadsword that the carrier drags near the ground
because of its weight. It is faster than one would expect, though,
without too much delay between moves. Decent crowd clearing moves.
The musou is okay, and good against a crowd, but not great against
a single opponent.
Rating: N/A
RAPIER
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Synopsis: A great weapon against single opponents that isn't too hot
against a whole crowd. The C4 is okay to bust up enemies around you.
Otherwise, most of the moves (especially C6+ are pretty great against
a single opponent). The musou is FABULOUS against a single opponent...
the characther just rapidly sweeps the rapier back and forth for what
will amount to a 25-hit combo if you connect all the hits. (If you get
the 1st, you'll likely connect all of 'em.)
Rating: N/A
SWORD
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Synopsis: The basic sword has a moveset similar to Sun Jian, Liu Bei,
etc. It's better suited for 1 on 1 combat than crowd-clearing.
Rating: N/A
SPEAR
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Synopsis: A spear with a moveset that plays a lot like Jiang Wei.
Nothing too phenomenal, but it is very solid. Also, it seems to be
very powerful on horseback--not even counting any modifiers.
Rating: N/A
PIKE
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Synopsis: The pike wielder has a move set that is very comparable to Lu
Meng's. It is a solid all-around weapon with decent range and power.
Rating: N/A
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