Dynasty Warriors Origins: 10 Best Tips for Beginners

Dynasty Warriors Origins has officially launched on consoles and PC, once again rekindling its legacy as an iconic hack-and-slash force to be reckoned with. Alas, the latest installment in the saga isn’t quite the same as its predecessor; it brings new mechanics to the table, and not to mention an even more in-depth evolution system to explore, upgrade, and conquer. The point is, if you’re relatively new to the franchise, of Dynasty Warriors Origins in general, then you might want to take a moment to onboard a few useful tips and tricks.

To cut to the chase, if you’re looking to boost your game and make the most out of your time in Dynasty Warriors Origins, then be sure to read on for a few quick beginner tips. Here’s everything you shouldn’t know before taking to the battlefield in Dynasty Warriors Origins.

10. Master the Art of Parrying

It seems a little strange, given the fact that Dynasty Warriors’ whole “thing” is having players mindlessly mash buttons and tap the occasional Musuo attack, but the truth is, parrying is as equally important as the bread-and-butter hack-and-slash combos. What’s more, as it’s made to feel more like an integrated feature with far more weight than in earlier iterations from the series, it’s definitely worth looking into. And that brings us to the first of many Dynasty Warriors Origins tips: always remember to parry.

Learning to parry isn’t the issue; it’s figuring out how to time it correctly, and then using the momentum to counter your enemies in the bite-sized window of opportunity. If, however, you can master the art of parrying, then you shouldn’t have any major issues with cutting through most, if not all of the Officers.

9. Collect & Craft Gems

One of the valuable assets of Dynasty Warriors Origins’ inventory is its Gems—unique add-ons that harness the power to boost several of your skills, whether it’s HP, Attack, or Defense. Unfortunately, a lot of these Gems—particularly those that require a bit of crafting—are often neglected or overshadowed by other, slightly more prominent accessories. But, believe me when I say this: an upgraded Gem can elevate your game to a whole new level.

Thankfully, you can craft Gems at the Inn, and then upgrade their attributes by collecting additional resources whilst out on the road. It’s worth doing, too, doubly so if you’re looking to compete on a tougher level.

8. Never Turn Down a Fight

Skirmishes play a huge role in the grand scheme of things, as they not only allow you to increase your weapon Proficiency Level, but they also grant you the chance to earn Skill Points for your upgrade tree, several Items for your inventory, and oftentimes more perks for your character.

If you’re out roaming the overhead World Map, then be sure to participate in any Skirmish that you spot. You can identify Skirmishes from their glowing white cone markers. Note that there is also an Achievement for completing 30 Skirmishes — so you’d be right to consider onboarding as many as you can during the early portions of the campaign.

7. Never Rush Ahead

As tempting as it may be to storm ahead of the troupe and complete the primary objective as quickly as possible, such tactics can often affect your chances of earning a few nifty rewards along the way. In other words, if you’re not capturing all of the bases, and you’re not actively trying to defeat all of the Officers, then you’re essentially setting yourself up for an early defeat, which means there’ll be more work to do once you eventually reach the final portions of the story.

6. Don’t Neglect Your Companions

As you journey through the Han Dynasty and discover new regions, you’ll gradually begin to unravel new Bonds—relationships that you can upgrade, maintain, and evolve into ironclad alliances. To build these Bonds, you’ll either need to visit the Companion in question via the Overhead Map, or complete their Assignments. For a deeper insight into the Bond system and your progress, be sure to check in with the Retreat, which will unlock during the initial stages of Chapter 2. And remember, if you fail to build a couple of strong alliances, then you’ll have a tougher time tackling the latter half of the campaign.

5. Prioritize Attack & HP

When it comes to boosting your stats on the Skill Tree, you’ll want to consider evolving both your Attack and HP. And while this does come across as a bit of a no-brainer, the fact is, the Skill Tree has several unnecessary nodes to fall victim to; the amount of Meat Buns you can carry into battle, being one of the more redundant ones of the bunch. The point is, if you’re looking to develop your character, then you’ll want to save your hard-earned Skill Points for the more important branches on the tree. Sure, Meat Buns are great, but they’re hardly a necessity.

4. Switch Warriors!

Another feature that is weirdly overlooked is the ability to alternate between warriors out on the battlefield. By simply switching to your Companion, you will not only earn additional points that count towards your Bond Level, but also be granted the opportunity to explore fresh weapon types and other modes of play. It’s a simple mechanic, and one that won’t contribute massively to your overall score, but it’s still worth checking out if you’re hell-bent on boosting those all-important Companionship levels.

3. Take Your Time

It’s safe to say that, as far as campaigns go, Origins isn’t exactly lacking content; on the contrary, it boasts sixty or more hours of material. That is, of course,  provided that you take the time to experience it all with a fine-tooth comb. And it’s worth taking the time to explore, too; more missions equals more Skill Points, Proficiency Levels, Assignments, and Bond Points. In other words, if you happen to find yourself barely breaking the ten-hour milestone at the midway point in the campaign (that’s Chapter 3, by the way) —then you’re probably going a little too fast.

2. Acknowledge the Hints

There are three True Endings in Dynasty Warriors Origins, all of which require the player to fulfill a specific battle criteria during certain phases in the campaign. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t spell said criteria out for you, nor does it paint the steps for completing them in black and white, either. The only saving grace for the game’s lack of detail, thankfully, is that its warriors often vocalize their problems. For example, a key battle in Chapter 5 vaguely suggests that you defeat a certain warlord before another key warrior reaches an escape point. Granted, these suggestions aren’t always mandatory, but if it sounds important, then it’s worth taking an alternate route to ensure that the secondary objectives are met.

1. Prioritize Bravery Over Musuo During Battles

Bravery, which enables your Battle Arts abilities during battles, tends to accumulate a lot faster than Musuo. For this reason alone, you should aim to prioritize maxing out your Battle Arts over any other offensive skill on the board. Also, if you get the chance, you should try and experiment with several different Battle Arts attacks, as having more of these at a higher proficiency level will allow you to evolve your skill set and be the Chinese jack-of-all-trades, of sorts.

Looking for more Dynasty Warriors Origins tips and tricks? You can find more reading material here.