Summary
- Dynasty Warriors: Origins features a variety of characters, each with unique playstyles, enhancing gameplay diversity.
- Swappable heroes like Huang Gai wield the same weapon differently, making them more enjoyable to control briefly.
- Characters like Guo Jia and Zhang Fei bring distinct strengths and personalities, enriching the gameplay experience.
Some naysayers don’t like the Dynasty Warriors games or any Musou spinoff because the gameplay can be repetitive. Hacking and slashing thousands of enemies can get old admittedly but the one thing these naysayers can’t deny is the variety in characters. Each Musou game typically comes equipped with a variety of heroes who play differently and Dynasty Warriors usually has the most choices.
8 Beginner Tips For Dynasty Warriors: Origins
For newcomers to the Dynasty Warriors series, or those struggling with the gameplay changes to Dynasty Warriors: Origins, these beginner tips can help
That’s not the case with Dynasty Warriors: Origins as players will primarily play through the game as one character, The Wanderer. Certain battles or side missions will hand over the controls of other heroes though, so let’s go over the best ones.
7 Xiahou Dun
A Heavy Smasher
- Mission Examples: Battle of Yu Province and Rebellion of the Ten Attendants
Xiahou Dun, despite being one of Cao Cao’s men, will follow The Wanderer in a few different factions. He tries to keep the peace between dynasties because he sees the value in The Wanderer as a warrior.
Xiahou Dun is no slouch in battle either as he wields the heavy Podao sword which has enough force to cause the earth to explode in fire. It can be fun to use but slow as well even in the hands of Xiahou Dun. He has one of the more striking character arcs in the game, leading to an eye patch incident which makes Xiahou Dun look a bit like Big Boss from the Metal Gear series.
6 Huang Gai
A Fistful Of Bricks
- Mission Examples: Battle of Sishui Gate and Assault on Nanyang
Huang Gai is a big beefy man who enjoys big beefy brawls in the dirt. The Gauntlet weapons will turn The Wanderer into a nimble warrior monk but in the hands of Huang Gai, they’re anything but nimble.
Ways To Upgrade Your Characters In Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Make The Wanderer the greatest hero of The Three Kingdoms in Dynasty Warriors: Origins with these upgrade tips.
It’s an interesting switch that shows characters can wield the same weapon differently which makes swappable heroes like Huang Gai more fun to control briefly. It would be boring if this Sun warrior played the same, especially with his physical build.
5 Zhang Fei
An Energetic Brawler
- Mission Examples: Battle of Hulao Gate and Battle of Xu Province
Zhang Fei is part of Liu Bei’s crew and he is hungry for a fight whenever one comes to town. Also, he has one of the biggest mouths, literally, in the game who looks like he could take Kirby on in an eating match.
Be it through teeth or his trusted Lance-type weapon, Zhang Fei will control the battlefield with ease. The Lance otherwise is not that exciting to wield outside of Zhang Fei but at least the developers didn’t totally make the weapon useless. And even though he’s a big talker, Zhang Fei will have an ally’s back no matter what.
4 Zhou Yu
The Best Weapon With An Average Hero
- Mission Examples: Siege of Fan Castle and Battle of Niuzhu
The Staff is the best weapon in Dynasty Warriors: Origins as it has versatility from attack power to range. Players can wield it deftly with The Wanderer even better than Zhou Yu. It’s a bit odd that a hero character would be weaker than The Wanderer.
He’s not bad with the Staff but other companion units seem to elevate weapons more especially the lower-tier ones. Comparisons aside, Zhou Yu is still useful on the battlefield as a power-up if players are ever in a pinch.
3 Sun Shangxiang
Wheeling And Dealing
- Mission Examples: Siege of Fan Castle and Suppression of Jing Province
Sun Shangxiang is part of the Sun dynasty and players can take on her role in most of their missions. Sun Shangxiang is armed with Wheels which are called Chakrams in other video games like Kingdom Hearts and the character Axel.
Wheels are one of the better weapons of Dynasty Warriors: Origins as they have a decent range and attack power. The player can wield them well enough but Sun Shangxiang is a real whiz, hopping around the battlefield like some feudal breakdancer.
2 Guo Jia
Master Of The Blade
- Mission Examples: Battle of Xu Province and Battle of Puyang
The Sword is a versatile weapon in the game as that’s what players start with. The Wanderer uses Swords like an extension of his body which players can see makes him a gifted swordsman. However, Guo Jia makes The Wanderer seem like a chump comparatively because his swiftness with his Sword is mesmerizing.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins - Best Early Battle Arts To Unlock ASAP
Players can make enemies quake in their boots early on in Dynasty Warriors: Origins thanks to these Battle Arts.
He can tear through the battlefield as part of Cao Cao’s army like he’s wielding a butter knife and fighting butter in the field. Weird analogies aside, there aren’t as many early opportunities to play Guo Jia, but he sure is a blast to swap with in the later portions of the game.
1 Guan Yu
A Noble Tree
- Mission Examples: Suppression of Jing Province and Battle of Beihai
Guan Yu is a real powerhouse who belongs to Liu Bei’s group. He’s the first swappable partner that players can use in Dynasty Warriors: Origins and he will be available in most Liu Bei missions. He’s built like a tree and swings like one too with his trusty Crescent Blade.
It’s a strong weapon but slow as players have to build momentum to get its true power out. Guan Yu makes wielding it easier as he dominates the battlefield with Battle Arts that will destroy hundreds of men with a single attack.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins
- Released
- January 17, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Omega Force
- Publisher(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Engine
- Omega Force
- Franchise
- Dynasty Warriors
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
- PC Release Date
- January 17, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- January 17, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- January 17, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
- Genre(s)
- Action, Hack and Slash
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
