Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires: 5 Best Tips for Beginners

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires' fictionalized spin on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms period is, at least for now, the closest we'll get to being sewn into the tapestry of Chinese history. In spite of Koei's long-standing history of igniting the same wick with chargrilled fingers, the latest flame still burns all the same, and actually boasts more features than any of its previous chapters in the timeline.

Of course, when all's said and done, the goal remains mostly the same: conquer Ancient China, and unify the country under one banner. Question is, how do you go about doing that when you have little to no experience in governing an army that's anything but sprightly? Well, here's everything you should know before launching your conquest.

5. Play the Ruler

When you begin your journey to unify the lands, you will be presented with a choice of characters, along with a wheel of roles that said character will play for the duration of the game. To start, you're going to want to select a premade character, preferably one of the more prolific rulers or generals that pack a higher punch than custom characters; Guan Yu, Lu Bu, Zhang Fei, to name but a few. Selecting the right character at the very beginning will give you an immediate advantage as you lay the foundations for your War Council.

Secondly, the role you play in the game will determine the goals that you will eventually adhere to. As Rulers, you will control the monopoly and devise the strategies for your kingdom. If you'd much rather take a backseat for the game, then you can either play a general, or go rogue and play as a free officer, which will allow for you to drift between kingdoms and fight when needed. However, if you'd rather keep a hand over the entire board and control the pieces, then aim to play the Ruler from the get-go.

4. Build Temporary Alliances

From time to time, you'll have the opportunity to establish alliances with other kingdoms on the map. Your goal here is to create temporary alliances with the larger, more threatening armies while you assemble your own, and gradually work to eliminate the smaller factions along the way. Once you have acquired enough territory and put yourself on par with your temporary ally, you will have the freedom to make a move on their turf.

Unfortunately, alliances don't always last, as you'll come to learn the more you progress and burn other bridges. Chances are, you'll be betrayed by your allies partway through the year, which could lead to being invaded. To counter this, aim to have at least two alliances while working to whittle down the smaller factions that only have one or two biomes on the board. In most instances, it will end up being a 1v1 standoff between you and one other key player.

3. Allocate Your Generals Strategically

As you begin to conquer more chunks of land on the board, you'll have to assign generals to guard them. The problem is, it's easy to lose sight of where your generals end up—especially if they're always on the move. To stop this from happening, you will need to make sure there are two or three quality generals protecting each chunk of the map.

Of course, this becomes a lot easier as the story progresses and you hire more generals for your army. Until you've amassed an army with enough generals to fend off your enemies, though, you will need to allocate whatever generals you have to the biomes that are more likely to be invaded. To give you a clearer idea, you should always aim to post generals at either isolated locations, or locations surrounded by enemy kingdoms with higher ranking generals.

2. Play the Field — Don't Get Greedy

Apart from invading other territories, you'll also be spending a lot of time building alliances, managing your resources, and operating the general day-to-day via the in-game interface. And as tempting as it may be to jump right into the deep end and invade just about every biome on the map — it isn't the most concrete tactic in the book, and therefore shouldn't be entertained when first starting out.

The thing you'll need to remember is this: Empires is not a sprint, but more of a jog, with plenty of sky-high hurdles between your anchor point and the hierarchy. If you're planning on becoming the next Emperor, then you're going to need to play the field and alternate between items on the agenda. If you're able to, learn to build your kingdom and increase its revenue and statistics before going toe-to-toe with your neighbors. The bottom line is this: don't assume that other players are making greater progress than you just from the land they own; one sturdier piece of turf is twice as powerful as ten plots combined. Double up on the land you own, and the rest will come to you over time.

1. Conquer Catapult Bases

When it comes to invading other territories for the sake of building your empire, you're going to need to source valuable assets that'll help you expand your regions. Catapult bases, in this case, will automatically seize surrounding enemy biomes once captured. Your goal, then, is to prioritize capturing these types of bases before branching out to conquer anything else on the board.

Of course, seizing control of anything on the board will help you gain a foothold on the monopoly. To maximize your chances of beating the opposition, though, you should look to eliminate whatever Catapult bases you can find beforehand. Once claimed, have you generals defend them, and then utilize their perks to divide and conquer the local enemy biomes.

So, what's your take? Do you have any tips for newcomers to the Dynasty Warriors Empires saga? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.