Koei Tecmo's Omega Force team released DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS on 16 January 2025, dropping the huge playable roster for one nameless protagonist the game calls the Wanderer and later names Ziluan, a member of the Guardians of Peace. He can pick up all 10 weapon types, from Sword through Podao to Halberd, and carries two of them into any battle. The campaign runs five chapters from the Yellow Turban Rebellion through Sishui Gate, Hulao Gate, Xiapi and Guandu to Chibi, and the faction you commit to in Chapter 3 decides which battles you fight and which ending you get.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Battle of Guangzong | Bravery and Battle Arts basics | Spear | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Battle of Hulao Gate | Parrying and perfect evasion mastery | Spear | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Battle of Xiapi | Grand Tactics and army morale + gear | Sword or Spear | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Battle of Guandu | Build optimization | Sword | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Battle of Chibi | Min-max | Sword or Halberd | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Battle of Guangzong)
The Yellow Turban campaign's big set piece and the first time the Large Force system shows what it can do. Thousands of Yellow Turban troops fill the field, morale swings decide how fast the allied line advances, and Zhang Jiao's forces run Grand Tactics you can foil by hunting the officer behind them.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 1, the Yellow Turban Rebellion Key Rewards: First real Grand Tactic practice, early weapon grade upgrades, the run in to the Zhang Jiao confrontation
What to Do in Battle of Guangzong
- Learn Bravery and Battle Arts. Battle Arts are the weapon skills bound to your face buttons, and every one of them spends Bravery points. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Spear as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- Bravery is the whole combat system. You start with 4 points and the rank cap takes it to 10, and a single parry counter refills a full unit, so treat parrying as a resource generator rather than a defensive option.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Dragon Spear or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Bravery and Battle Arts fundamentals
- Spear selected and functional
- Battle of Guangzong main content cleared
- Ready for Battle of Hulao Gate
Phase 2: Early Game (Battle of Hulao Gate)
Unlocked straight after the Battle of Sishui Gate, and the fight everyone remembers. The coalition throws itself at the gate while Lu Bu holds it, and the duel against him is the game's first hard check on whether you have learned to parry rather than block.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 2, The Rise of Chaos Key Rewards: The Lu Bu duel, coalition officer bonds, high grade weapon drops from the gate defenders
What to Do in Battle of Hulao Gate
- Work on Parrying and perfect evasion. An officer's attack can be blocked, parried, evaded or perfect evaded. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Dragon Spear if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Attacks that flash red cannot be parried under any circumstances. Learn the two or three officers who use them heavily and default to perfect evasion in those duels instead of trying to time a block.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Battle of Xiapi.
- Consider whether Sword might suit your playstyle better than Spear.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Parrying and perfect evasion integrated into gameplay
- Dragon Spear acquired
- Battle of Hulao Gate fully cleared
- Ready for Battle of Xiapi
Phase 3: Mid Game (Battle of Xiapi)
Cao Cao's forces deal with Lu Bu by opening the floodgates and drowning most of the castle. Enemy morale collapses as the water rises and several of Lu Bu's officers defect outright, which turns the second half of the map into a mop up rather than a siege.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 4, The Height of Conflict Key Rewards: A second Lu Bu fight, defecting officers, a large morale swing you can exploit for a fast clear
What to Do in Battle of Xiapi
- Master Grand Tactics and army morale. Both armies periodically commit to a Grand Tactic, an army wide move such as a fire attack or a cavalry charge that either damages the opposing force heavily or hands it a large morale swing. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward General's Sword. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- The second weapon slot is not decoration. A Spear and Gauntlets pairing covers both crowd clearing and single target damage, and swapping mid fight costs almost nothing compared with fighting a duel with the wrong weapon.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Ten weapon types on two slots for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Grand Tactics and army morale mastered
- General's Sword acquired or in progress
- Battle of Xiapi fully cleared
- Ready for Battle of Guandu
Phase 4: Late Game (Battle of Guandu)
Cao Cao against Yuan Shao, and the clearest example of why foiling Grand Tactics beats grinding soldier counts. Yuan Shao's numbers are overwhelming on paper, so the map is won by cutting supply objectives and morale rather than by kill count.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 4, after Baima and Yanjin Key Rewards: Cao Cao faction bonds, late chapter weapon grades, the route into the 1,000-Li March of Guan Yu
What to Do in Battle of Guandu
- Finalize your build. You should be running Sword or Spear with optimized gear.
- General's Sword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Foiling an enemy Grand Tactic drops enemy morale temporarily. On Guandu and Chibi that morale drop moves the front line further than twenty minutes of killing rank and file soldiers will.
- Companion bonds and ally calls optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Battle of Chibi.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- General's Sword upgraded to max
- Battle of Guandu fully cleared
- Ready for Battle of Chibi
Phase 5: Endgame (Battle of Chibi)
The climax. Cao Cao's navy swarms the Sun Quan and Liu Bei alliance from both sides of the map, and the fire attack Grand Tactic decides the outcome. Sanjiangkou and the Huarong Path follow it, closing out Chapter 5.
Level/Difficulty: Chapter 5, The Final Showdown Key Rewards: The Chibi fire attack, endgame weapon grades, the branch into your chosen ending
What to Do in Battle of Chibi
- Battle of Chibi tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Perfect evasion beats regular evasion by enough Bravery that it is worth practising in an easy battle before Hulao Gate. Regular evasion keeps you alive, perfect evasion pays for your next Battle Art.
- The endgame loop: run Battle of Chibi, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Halberd for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Companion bonds and ally calls mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Battle of Chibi fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Blocking officer attacks instead of parrying them, which keeps you alive but generates no Bravery and stretches every duel to several minutes.
- Carrying two weapons of similar reach, so both slots fail in the same situation and the swap button does nothing useful.
- Ignoring Grand Tactics and trying to win by kill count, which works on early maps and stalls badly at Guandu and Chibi.
- Spending Bravery on Battle Arts while the officer is still guarding, rather than saving it for the assault window after a stagger.
- Running ahead of your companions to clear objectives solo, which stops bonds building and leaves you without ally calls in the late chapters.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Bravery is the whole combat system. You start with 4 points and the rank cap takes it to 10, and a single parry counter refills a full unit, so treat parrying as a resource generator rather than a defensive option.
- Attacks that flash red cannot be parried under any circumstances. Learn the two or three officers who use them heavily and default to perfect evasion in those duels instead of trying to time a block.
- The second weapon slot is not decoration. A Spear and Gauntlets pairing covers both crowd clearing and single target damage, and swapping mid fight costs almost nothing compared with fighting a duel with the wrong weapon.
- Foiling an enemy Grand Tactic drops enemy morale temporarily. On Guandu and Chibi that morale drop moves the front line further than twenty minutes of killing rank and file soldiers will.
- Perfect evasion beats regular evasion by enough Bravery that it is worth practising in an easy battle before Hulao Gate. Regular evasion keeps you alive, perfect evasion pays for your next Battle Art.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Guides
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Overview
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Best Builds
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Tier List
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Beginner's Guide
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Tips & Tricks
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Weapons Guide
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Combat Guide
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Boss Guide
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Maps & Locations
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Crafting Guide
- DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Classes & Characters
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