Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the latest installment in the Dynasty Warriors series that released January 16th in 2025. It features a new take on the main series where the main focus will be on a new fictional nameless hero that the player will use to follow the three kingdoms period in ancient China.
This game plays through the events from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the Battle of Chibi.
Gameplay[]
Origins maintains the series trademark one versus a 1000 gameplay, with the player now able to give certain units commands such as ordering archer fire or ordering your troops to charge in a straight line. The player is also able to swap to the perspective of another general that they choose as a companion on the battlefield temporarily during the fight when certain conditions are met. Instead of a manual save, the game will automatically save at checkpoints during the battle. Should the player be defeated, they can choose to reload at one of the checkpoints.
The map now uses an overworld that the player can explore and interact with; picking up items or visiting cities as well as joining minor skirmishes or major battles. A bond system has been added for several unique NPCs who will reward the player with Skill Orbs and Old Coins. To manage both Bonds and Old Coins, the player can visit Shuijing's Retreat at Ji Province who will inform the player if there are currently events they may have missed as well as rewarding players when they have obtained enough of the 500 Old Coins scattered throughout.
The combat combines once again normal attacks with stronger charge attacks to break enemy blocks. Repeated attacks will increase Bravery which the player can unleash to use Battle Arts. Each weapon type has multiple different arts, which are unique powerful attacks, but the player can also unlock general Battle Arts that can be used all across. Levelling up in Origins now occurs by using weapons to defeat enemies in battle. Aside from stat boosts, increases in level reward the player with panels that they can use Skill Orbs given after battles to pay for a panel's perk.
Parrying from Dynasty Warriors 5 makes a return in the series, but is now activated when blocking certain attacks just before they reach the player. Alternatively, the dodge from Dynasty Warriors 9 returns, and can be used to avoid attacks that can't be blocked with a guard or a parry. Dueling from Dynasty Warriors 4 also returns, and officers that can duel are marked with a pair of crossed swords in the map. Unlike in its previous incarnation, the player cannot activate their Musou during a duel, losing a normal duel will not result in a game over but leaves them with 1 HP, and there is no morale drop should the player not accept the duel. Instead of depleting the opponent's health, a morale bar is displayed at the top of the screen, and the player must deplete the opponent's morale to win the duel and defeat them.
Enemy officers are protected by Wushu is marked by small yellow shield icons above the enemy officer's health bar. Wushu can be decreased by attacking them while recovering after an attack, using Battle Arts or Musou. Depleting the enemy's Wushu will temporarily stun them, and the player can activate an Assault, which deals massive damage and can be used as a decisive finishing strike. If a large enough group of enemies unite, they will form a Large Force, which increases the morale and difficulty in facing officers part of the Large Force. Occasionally, a large force, both allied or enemy, will attempt to use a Grand Tactic which can either cause heavy damage to the opposing side or create a large morale boost. Foiling enemy Grand Tactics will decrease their morale temporarily. Once a Large Force has been disbanded, officers become significantly easier to defeat outside exceptions.
Like in Dynasty Warriors 8, the Musou Bar is sectioned into three for a regular Musou. Rage is now activated when the bar is filled completely, allowing the player to perform an Awakening True Musou. The Aerial Musous have been removed. Battlefield Items have mostly been removed outside Meatbuns in fixed locations or rare drops from a weapon trait and Nectar Water, which provides 1 Bravery to the player.
Equipment has now been sectioned to the following parts: Gems, Accessories, and Portable Items. Gems serve as the replacement for Elements and provide the following bonuses:
- Oblivion - Range Bonus
- Vortex - Bonus Damage to airborne enemies
- Scorch - Bonus Damage in Parries
- Wellspring - Heals after every 100 kills
- Ascendance - Has a chance to autoblock against officers.
Gems can be upgraded up to level 30 by using Pyroxene from the overworld. Accessories serve as basic equipment for the player, providing different helpful stats, bonuses and cooldown reductions as in previous installments.
Portable Items return from Dynasty Warriors 9, but the player can only take a maximum of 3 portable items with one slot dedicated to the Meat Buns. Meat Buns and the Portable Items can be used at any point in stage but any item outside the Meat Bun can only be used once per battle. If the player reloads from a checkpoint after they use an item, they can no longer use that item. If they use an item then reload to a checkpoint before said item was used, then they will have consumed the item twice in their inventory. Certain portable items only have a fixed amount obtainable in the game, but the rest can be purchased from the Shop in towns.
The player will eventually unlock their own retinue of troops over time, and, similar to the Empires series, can activate tactics in-battle such as protecting certain allies or areas or attacking an enemy in a certain manner. Certain tactics may also result in a Dramatic Success, increasing the effects and damage that it deals. Only three tactics can be equipped at a time, however. Increasing the troop count will unlock new tactics to use, the player can replenish their lost troops by waiting inside an allied garrison or in special areas.
Weapons[]
Dynasty Warriors: Origins/Weapons
Characters[]
Unlike previous titles, the player uses the Nameless Wanderer primarily but can have a companion accompany them into the stage. Shu, Wei, and Wu each have three characters each that can serve as a companion, and Lu Bu can be unlocked upon clearing Chapter 5. Once their companion's Musou Bar is filled, the player can temporarily change into their companion for a short duration. Companions cannot be defeated in battle. Certain companions may change the player's starting location in the stage, and some companions may be locked out in certain stages.
Bolded indicates that the character can serve as a companion.
Gallery[]
.png "Countdown 1 - till TGS - Lu Bu (DWO).png (1.5 MB)")
Trivia[]
- Starting with this game, Masaya Onosaka no longer voiced Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang, and instead, he was replaced by Kohsuke Tanabe and Kazumasa Fukugawa respectively.
- Dynasty Warriors: Origins marks the final time Taiki Matsuno will voice Ling Tong before his death on June 26th, 2024
- This is the second Dynasty Warriors entry to not have new characters introduced into the series, the first is Dynasty Warriors 6.
- This is the first Dynasty Warriors entry to be co-developed by Arc System Works.
External Links[]
- Official European site
- Official American site
- Official Japanese site
- Official Chinese site
- Official Taiwanese site