DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS Weapons Guide: Best Weapons Ranked

Q: Who is the protagonist in Dynasty Warriors Origins?

He is a nameless amnesiac martial artist the game refers to as the Wanderer, whose real name is revealed to be Ziluan. He is a member of the Guardians of Peace, an original character created for this game rather than a figure from the Three Kingdoms records, and he is the only character you directly control in the main story.

Q: How many weapon types are there in Dynasty Warriors Origins?

Ten: Sword, Spear, Gauntlets, Wheels, Podao, Staff, Twin Pikes, Lance, Crescent Blade and Halberd. You equip two at a time and can swap between them freely during a battle, and each type carries its own grade, attack value and Battle Art set.

Q: What is Bravery used for?

Bravery pays for Battle Arts. You start with 4 points and the cap rises to 10 as your rank increases. It refills from landing hits, from parry counters, from perfect evasions and from assaulting a staggered officer. In Rage Mode, Battle Arts spend Musou instead of Bravery.

Q: Does the game cover the whole Three Kingdoms story?

No. The five chapters run from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the Battle of Chibi, ending with Sanjiangkou and the Huarong Path. The later Shu, Wei and Wu wars that other Dynasty Warriors games cover are outside this game's timeline.

Q: Which faction should I join in Chapter 3?

There is no wrong pick, but the choice changes which battles you play and which companions fight beside you. Nine of the ten companions serve under Cao Cao, Sun Jian or Liu Bei, and the game supports multiple endings, so replaying with a different allegiance is the intended way to see the rest.

Complete DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS weapons guide. Every weapon ranked with stats, best builds, and how to get them.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated August 12, 2026.

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.

Your choice of weapons defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.

Weapons Rankings

Weapon	Tier	Best For	Notes
General's Sword	S	First playthroughs, players still learning parry timing, and any battle where you are switching between crowds and officers constantly.	A mid tier Sword with the most balanced numbers in the game and the shortest recovery on its combo finisher.
Dragon Spear	A	Crowd control at gates and bridges, keeping mounted officers at range, and any player who wants one weapon that never feels wrong.	A Spear whose thrust reaches past the first rank of a shield line and whose sweeps knock pikemen off their feet.
Fists of Divine Flux	A	Officer duels, the Lu Bu fights at Hulao Gate and Xiapi, and finishing a stagger before it recovers.	High grade Gauntlets with the shortest reach and the highest damage per second against a single target in the game.
Crushing Falchion	B	Large Force clashes, packed infantry formations, and clearing a path to an objective marker rather than duelling.	The entry Podao, a slow two handed blade that cuts an arc through a full line of soldiers.
Sky Piercer	B	Aggressive players, surrounded fights, and any map where multiple officers arrive at once.	The starting Halberd, derived from Lu Bu's style, with wide sweeping arts that interrupt officers mid attack.

S-Tier: General's Sword

A mid tier Sword with the most balanced numbers in the game and the shortest recovery on its combo finisher. Swords are the type the tutorial hands you, and the whole family from Longsword up to Lurking Luan Sword keeps the same forgiving parry window.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	S
Best For	First playthroughs, players still learning parry timing, and any battle where you are switching between crowds and officers constantly.
Key Mechanic	Bravery and Battle Arts
Recommended Role	Sword

How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.

Best builds using General's Sword: Pairs naturally with Sword thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.

A-Tier: Dragon Spear

A Spear whose thrust reaches past the first rank of a shield line and whose sweeps knock pikemen off their feet. Spears bridge distance better than anything except the Lance, and the family runs from Recruit's Spear up to Flying Luan Spear.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	A
Best For	Crowd control at gates and bridges, keeping mounted officers at range, and any player who wants one weapon that never feels wrong.
Key Mechanic	Parrying and perfect evasion
Recommended Role	Spear

How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.

Best builds using Dragon Spear: Pairs naturally with Spear thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.

A-Tier: Fists of Divine Flux

High grade Gauntlets with the shortest reach and the highest damage per second against a single target in the game. Every hit lands close enough that a mistimed evade is punished immediately, which is the trade for how fast an officer's health bar falls.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	A
Best For	Officer duels, the Lu Bu fights at Hulao Gate and Xiapi, and finishing a stagger before it recovers.
Key Mechanic	Grand Tactics and army morale
Recommended Role	Gauntlets

How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.

Best builds using Fists of Divine Flux: Pairs naturally with Gauntlets thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.

B-Tier: Crushing Falchion

The entry Podao, a slow two handed blade that cuts an arc through a full line of soldiers. Wind up and recovery are both long, so it punishes button mashing, and it rewards players who read the crowd before committing to a swing.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	B
Best For	Large Force clashes, packed infantry formations, and clearing a path to an objective marker rather than duelling.
Key Mechanic	Ten weapon types on two slots
Recommended Role	Podao

How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.

Best builds using Crushing Falchion: Pairs naturally with Podao thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.

B-Tier: Sky Piercer

The starting Halberd, derived from Lu Bu's style, with wide sweeping arts that interrupt officers mid attack. It rewards standing in the middle of a formation instead of picking at its edges, because every arc connects with several enemies and refills Bravery quickly.

Attribute	Detail
Tier	B
Best For	Aggressive players, surrounded fights, and any map where multiple officers arrive at once.
Key Mechanic	Companion bonds and ally calls
Recommended Role	Halberd

How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.

Best builds using Sky Piercer: Pairs naturally with Halberd thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.

Weapons Progression Path

The order you should acquire weapons as you progress:

Starting gear → Enough to clear Battle of Guangzong
Dragon Spear → Your first real upgrade, available early
Fists of Divine Flux → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
General's Sword → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous

Weapons Tips

Always upgrade your primary weapon before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
Match your weapons to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
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.
Check our tier list for how weapons rankings affect overall build effectiveness.

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