Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.0 February 11th, 2003 By Brian Nii (bnii@hawaii.edu) Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION II. VERSION HISTORY III. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DYNASTY WARRIORS 3 AND XTREME LEGENDS IV. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS V. FIFTH WEAPONS VI. ITEMS VII. WALKTHROUGHS VIII. MISCELLANEOUS IX. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --------------- I. INTRODUCTION --------------- Wei, Wu, and Shu... An age of 3 Kingdoms carved out of one vast land. Hidden within the epic history of this period are the stories of the vanquished. The mighty Hero, who could not see that his time had come, and gone. The noble General, whose bravery and valor earned him a glorious death. The lovely Enchantress, whose shining beauty landed her the leading role in a tragedy. The passionate Visionary, whose dreams grabbed people's hearts, and led them to ruin. In later years, many came to see amongst these tales, the seeds of their own dreams. Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends. But for the whims of fate, these stories, too, would have carved a place in history. - From the Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends manual Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends is an expansion disc for Dynasty Warriors 3. It contains seven new Musou Mode storylines involving the Free Mode exclusive characters (excluding Fu Xi and Nu Wa) from the previous game. It also features new weapons and items, as well as allowing customization of bodyguard units. By using a Dynasty Warriors 3 save file you can import your previous characters and play the new Xtreme battles and Challenge Modes. In order to play the Musou Modes for the other characters you need to have the original Dynasty Warriors 3 to load the data. This FAQ/Walkthrough assumes you've familiar with Dynasty Warriors 3 and doesn't go into detail about the basics. There are a few small changes from DW3 listed below, but the general game play remains the same as its predecessor. ------------------- II. VERSION HISTORY ------------------- Version 1.0 (2/11/03) - First completed version of this FAQ. Finished Diao Chan's and Zhu Rong's Musou Mode walkthroughs. Added comments on obtaining some of the fifth weapons. Version 0.3 (2/08/03) - After replaying a few battles over again, revised walkthrough for Yi Ling (Zhang Jiao) and Wu Zhang Plains (Yuan Shao). Finished Dong Zhou's Musou Mode walkthrough. Version 0.2 (2/07/03) - Completed the Walkthrough for Zhang Jiao's and Yuan Shao's Musou Modes. Began Walkthrough for Dong Zhou's Musou Mode. Added bodyguard items to the Items section. Reformatted the FAQ to make it a bit easier to read. Version 0.1 (1/31/03) - First version of this FAQ. Completed the Walkthrough for Lu Bu's and Meng Huo's Musou Modes. -------------------------------------------------------------- III. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DYNASTY WARRIORS 3 AND XTREME LEGENDS -------------------------------------------------------------- - Lu Bu, Diao Chan, Dong Zhou, Yuan Shao, Zhang Jiao, Meng Huo, and Zhu Rong are now playable in Musou Mode. - The seven new Mosou Modes feature Xtreme versions of previous battles with new events. - All characters are unlocked in Free Mode. - Two new difficulty levels have been added (Novice and Very Hard). - Four new Challenge Modes have been added. - Fifth weapons are now available to obtain in Very Hard difficulty. - A fourth weapon element has been added (wind). - New items are available. - Bodyguard customization is now available. You can select unit type (Shu, Wei, Wu, etc.), growth type (which abilities to concentrate on improving), and uniform color. - Bodyguards have 3 levels of each weapon type. They can also equip a special bodyguard item. - Bodyguards can now attack if given a Defense order and have two new orders (support and shield). - Bodyguards gain separate experience from the main character. Each unit type gains its own experience. - Bodyguards gain experience much more slowly. However, bodyguards are now shared between all the characters so you won't have to gain experience for each of them. - In Free Mode instead of having normal bodyguards you can choose to have a second character accompany you instead. This allows for the use of Double Musou attacks. - Losing a weapon deadlock now reduces your Musou gauge to zero. - A new combo rating system now evaluates high scoring combos. ------------------------------ IV. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ------------------------------ Q: I received a "Corrupt Data" message when I loaded the game! A: It seems that by either design or accident Dynasty Warrior 3 data that has been modified with either a Gameshark or Codebreaker cannot be read by the game. It's still under investigation as to what is actually causing this to occur. Q: I can't play Musou Mode for the other characters! A: In order to play Musou Mode for the other characters you need to load data from the Dynasty Warriors 3 disc. This allows you to play the Challenge Modes from the original game as well. You can load the DW3 disk by selecting the Original option in the game menu. Q: My game froze! What do I do? A: This is a much more common occurrence in XL than it was in the original game. Sometimes the gate freezes. At other times the game music stops and you are unable to finish the battle even after defeating the last officer. In either case, simply open and re-close the tray. If all goes well the music will start up again or the game will unfreeze. This has worked for me the few times this strange occurrence has happened to me. It seems to happen more often than not if you have been playing for an extended period of time and there are a lot of effects on the screen at once. ---------------- V. FIFTH WEAPONS ---------------- The weapon locations here were taken from Muni Shinobu's Fifth Weapon FAQ and are listed here for convenience. There are quite a bit of FAQs with strategies on getting fifth weapons, so I won't go into detail on them here. In order to obtain a fifth weapon you will need to play on Very Hard difficulty. As you might expect, playing on Very Hard difficulty isn't exactly a walk in the park. In fact, Very Hard difficulty makes Hard Difficulty look easy by comparison. In Very Hard difficulty the enemies both give and take extreme amounts of damage. Privates are unbelievably strong. Generals block your attacks 99% of the time. And even Real Musou attacks barely do any damage. Just surviving the battle is almost impossible let alone trying to get the requirements for the fifth weapon. It should be noted that the fifth weapons aren't necessarily any stronger than the fourth weapons, but some of them have a red item effect (such as Lu Bu's) that allows you to get the benefits of a special item without having to waste an equipment slot on it. Note that if you only have Xtreme Legends you will only be able to obtain fifth weapons for characters whose stages require the Xtreme version of the battle. When you've meet the requirement and the item appearance message appears on screen, you can check its location by using the history option in the start menu. ------------------------- Xtreme Legends Characters ------------------------- Lu Bu Stage: The Battle at Chi Bi (Xtreme) Side: Lu Bu's Forces Requirements: When the Wu forces arrive, defeat Gan Ning, Huang Gai, Lu Meng, and Taishi Ci. Diao Chan Stage: Diao Chan's Escape (Extreme) Requirements: Defeat Lu Bu and he will drop the weapon. Dong Zhou Stage: The Battle at Wu Zhang Plains Requirements: Keep Fan Chou alive until allied reinforcements arrive. Comments: Make sure to defeat Pang Tong to prevent the catapult attack. Yuan Shao Stage: The Battle at Hu Lao Gate Requirements: Defeat Diao Chan before the enemy ambush troops appear. Lu Bu, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian must be alive. Zhang Jiao Stage: The Nanman Campaign (Xtreme) Requirements: All civilians must escape (reach the gate at the bottom of the map). Comments: Clear a path to the bottom gate and the civilians should move. Zhu Rong Stage: The Siege of He Fei Castle (Xtreme) Requirements: Defeat Zhou Yu, Xiao Qiao, Cao Pi, Zhen Ji, and Diao Chan. Comments: The weapon should appear after the event where Zhu Rong and Meng Huo declare that they're the strongest couple. Meng Huo Stage: Assault on the Wu Territory (Xtreme) Requirements: Defeat in order Lu Xun, Taishi Ci, Gan Ning, and Lu Meng. Comments: Taishi Ci is a bit past Gan Ning. Fu Xi Stage: The Battle at Wan Castle Requirements: Defeat Dian Wei, Xu Huang, and Xu Zhu. Nu Wa Stage: The Yellow Turban Rebellion Requirements: Defeat Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei in less than five (?) minutes. -------------- Shu Characters -------------- Zhao Yun Stage: The Nanman Campaign Requirements: Defeat all enemy generals. You do not have to defeat Meng Huo six times or any of the sub generals. Guan Yu Stage: The Battle at Fan Castle Requirements: Defeat in order Pang De, Lu Xun, Gan Ning, and Lu Meng. Comments: Defeating Lu Meng will cause Lu Xun and Gan Ning to retreat. When the Wu forces arrive Lu Xun is located to the southwest, and Gan Ning and Lu Meng are to the north. Zhang Fei Stage: The Battle at Mt. Ding Jun Requirements: Run down the center hill on a horse, and then defeat Cao Hong. Ma Chao Stage: The Battle at Cheng Du Requirements: Defeat the general on the center path before Pang Tong is killed. Huang Zhong Stage: The Battle at Yi Ling Requirements: Defeat Zhu Ran before the fire attack, then defeat Lu Xun. Wei Yan Stage: The Battle at Yi Ling Requirements: Defeat all enemy generals and gate captains. Jiang Wei Stage: The Battle at Yi Ling Requirements: Defeat all enemy generals and sub generals. Pang Tong Stage: The Battle at Chi Bi Requirements: After the fire attack, defeat Xiahou Dun. Zhuge Liang Stage: The Battle at Chi Bi Requirements: Get 1000 KO's. Liu Bei Stage: The Battle of Jie Ting Requirements: After Ma Su gets surrounded, defeat Xing Pi and rescue Ma Su. -------------- Wei Characters -------------- Dian Wei Stage: The Battle at He Fei Requirements: After Taishi Ci's death event, defeat Lu Xun then Gan Ning. Xu Zhu Stage: The Seige of He Fei Castle Requirements: Defeat all playable enemy generals. Zhang He Stage: The Battle of Jie Ting (Xtreme) Requirements: Defeat in order Xu Zhu, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, Cao Zhen, Dian Wei, and Xu Huang. Zhen Ji Stage: The Battle at Guan Du Requirements: Enter three camps that are not the supply depot, then defeat Chun Qiong at the supply depot. Comments: You must go through all four camps and the fourth one must be the supply depot. Before you enter a camp save the game. If it is the supply camp do a soft reset (L1 + R1 + Select + Start) and reload the save game. Then go and clear all the other camps before the supply depot (the supply depot position is determined at the start of the battle). Sima Yi Stage: The Seige of He Fei Castle Requirements: Defeat in order Lu Xun, Lu Meng, Sun Shang Xiang, and Gan Ning under nine minutes. Xu Huang Stage: The Battle at Tong Gate Requirements: Defeat all enemy generals except Han Sui and Ma Chao. Cao Cao must meet Han Sui and Han Sui defects. Zhang Liao Stage: The Battle at Guan Du (Xtreme) Requirements: When the arrow towers appear, before the north castle wall falls, eliminate all archers on the arrow towers. Comments: The Mountain Quiver is helpful here, as would be anything that powers up your arrow attacks (Huang's Bow, Fire Arrows, Lightning Bow). And no, using archer bodyguards won't work. Xiahou Yuan Stage: The Battle at Tong Gate Side: Cao Cao's Forces Requirements: Han Sui must defect. Xiahou Dun Stage: The Battle of Jie Ting Requirements: Defeat Wei Yan, Jiang Wei, and Ma Chao before Ma Su breaks through. Comments: Don't head up the hill towards Ma Su or he will break through. Cao Cao Stage: The Battle of Mt. Ding Jun Requirements: Defeat Huang Zhong. ------------- Wu Characters ------------- Zhou Yu Stage: Assault on the Wu Territory Requirements: Defeat Liu Yong before the Zhou Yu and Sun Ce divide their forces. Taishi Ci must defect. Lu Xun Stage: The Battle at You Ting Requirements: Zhou Fan must survive for 10 minutes. Cao Xiu and either Zhang Pu or Zhang He must be alive. Comments: Remember that Zhang Pu and Zhang He are enemy units. Taishi Ci Stage: The Battle at He Fei Requirements: After Zhang Liao's attack event, defeat Zhang Liao. Comments: When Sun Quan retreats to the southeast, follow him and he will jump across the broken bridge. Shortly after Zhang Liao will attack. Huang Gai Stage: The Yellow Turban Rebellion Requirements: Without defeating any other generals, defeat in order He Yi and Zhang Bao. Lu Meng Stage: The Seige of He Fei Castle Requirements: Defeat Zhang He and Xu Huang, enter the central area to trigger the archer event, then defeat Xu Zhu, then Man Chong and Cao Rui. Gan Ning Stage: The Battle at Yi Ling Requirements: Break through the Stone Maze, then defeat Zhuge Liang. Da Qiao Stage: Surprise Attack on Liu Biao Requirements: After Sun Jian's death event, defeat Cai Mao. Xiao Qiao Stage: Assault on the Wu Territory Requirements: Defeat Yan Bai Hu and Wang Lang. Sun Shang Xiang Stage: The Battle at Fan Castle Requirements: Defeat Guan Ping before the flood event. Sun Ce Stage: Surprise Attack on Liu Biao Requirements: After Sun Jian's death event, defeat Cai Mao. Sun Quan Stage: The Battle at He Fei Requirements: Before Taishi Ci is killed, defeat in order Zhang Liao and Xu Zhu. Sun Jian Stage: The Siege of He Fei Castle Requirements: After passing the arrow and wind trap halls, defeat Zhang He and Xu Huang. Defeat Man Chong and Cao Rui when they appear, then defeat Xu Zhu. --------- VI. ITEMS --------- --------- New Items --------- All of the battles listed refer to the Xtreme versions. Mountain Quiver Effect: Increases the number of arrows you begin a battle with. How to obtain: Dropped by enemies or found in boxes. Comments: The usefulness of this item depends on how much you use arrow attacks. It's not bad but there are much more useful items to choose from. It's a must have if you're going after Zhang Liao's fifth weapon though. Mountain Pouch Effect: Increase amount of health restored by meat buns. How to obtain: Dropped by enemies or found in boxes. Comments: Remember that not only does this item benefit you, but also your bodyguards as well. Bronze Flask Effect: Increases the power of charge attacks. How to obtain: Dropped by enemies or found in boxes. Comments: The effect of this item is barely noticeable. You're much better off using the Tiger Amulet instead. Divine Helm Effect: Prevents dizziness from strong attacks. How to obtain: The Battle of Chi Bi (Lu Bu's Forces) - Defeat all generals and sub generals for the item to appear. Comments: This item could be useful in Very Hard difficulty, where just about any enemy attack will likely end up stunning you. On other difficulty levels it's not as useful. Scroll of Accuracy Effect: When knocked down, attack power doubles but defense decreases. How to obtain: The Battle at Mt. Ding Jun - Defeat Huang Zhong for the item. Comment: This might seem great for the higher difficulty levels, but the fact that your defense drops puts you at considerable risk for the damage you will take if you're hit. Imperial Harness Effect: While riding a horse you can knockdown all enemies. How to obtain: The Battle at You Ting - Defeat Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang for the item to appear. Comments: Combined with the Red Hare Saddle and Musou Armor, this item can let you reach main generals in record time. Seven Stars Blade Effect: Increases points gained from combo attacks. How to obtain: Score over 1000 points in the Combo Mania Challenge Mode. Comments: This item is useful if you're trying to get the Musou Armor item (see below). Lightning Bow Effect: Allows you to shoot lighting arrows. How to obtain: The Battle at Yi Ling (Yellow Turban Forces) - Huang Zhong must survive for 10 minutes for the item to appear. Seal of Darkness Effect: Doubles the duration of the Imperial Seal. How to obtain: The Battle at Guan Du (Yuan Shao's Forces) - Enter the inner castle gate for the item to appear. Comments: Instead of depending on the Imperial Seal it may be a better idea to use the Elixir or Way of Musou items instead. Beast Harness Effect: Shows the location of the last ridden horse or elephant on the map. How to obtain: Clear the Speed Demon Challenge Mode in under 1 minute and 30 seconds. Comments: This item could be useful if you use Red Hare or other mounts frequently. Marching Drum Effect: Increases the rate at which your unit's morale increases. How to obtain: The Nanman Campaign (Yellow Turban Forces) - Defeat Zhuge Liang for the item to appear. Comments: This is a great item for the Xtreme Musou Modes, since the majority of the time you'll be playing as the main general. The faster your main army's morale increases the better. Divine Gauntlet Effect: When attack is doubled attacks deal damage to blocking enemies. How to obtain: The Battle at Wu Zhang Plains (Dong Zhou's Forces) - Defeat Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Jiang Wei, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Ma Chao for the Supply Team to appear. The Supply Team moves from the northwest gate to the southwest gate. Comments: This could be useful in combination with the Scroll of Accuracy, but for all the trouble in getting this item it's not worth the effort. Master's Cloak Effect: Automatically recovers when knocked in air. How to obtain: Knock over 100 enemies in the Balancing Act Challenge Mode. Comments: This one is worthless, considering that it is very easy to recover manually just by tapping the L1 button. Legendary Scroll Effect: When using a Musou attack blocking enemies take damage. How to obtain: The Siege of He Fei Castle (Nanman Forces) - Defeat Zhuge Liang for the item to appear. Comments: This could be useful in Very Hard difficulty, considering that A) you're going to be using your Musou attack frequently and B) enemies block 99% of your attacks in that difficulty mode. Combine this one with the Way of Musou item and maybe an Elixir. Musou Armor Effect: Arrows will not stun you or knock you off a mount. How to obtain: Get either 12,000 combo points in a battle, or accumulate 99,000 combo points. Comments: So hard to get, but it's definitely worth it, especially in the harder difficulty levels where archers are everywhere. Combine with the Red Hare Saddle and Imperial Harness for record setting clear times. BG Healing Scroll Effect: Allows a bodyguard to heal once in battle. How to obtain: Clear Ironman Challenge Mode with more than 350 points. Comments: Since bodyguards only have one equipment slot, it would be a better idea to use the BG Peacock Urn or BG Tortoise Amulet to increase their durability instead. --------------- Bodyguard Items --------------- Bodyguards can now equip three different types of each weapon, as well as a single bodyguard item. These bodyguard items (indicated by the BG in the name) can be found in the various weapon boxes and item bags dropped by defeated generals and officers. As with character items, the odds of receiving a better BG item increases as the difficulty level increases, if the character's Luck rating is high, and/or if the enemy is defeated using a high scoring combo attack. BG Peacock Urn Effect: Increases the Life maximum of each bodyguard. Comments: Useful in the beginning when your bodyguards are low on Life. As they mature it should be replaced with either the Tiger or Tortoise Amulet. BG Dragon Amulet Effect: Increases the Musou maximum of each bodyguard. Comments: This one is pretty useless as it has very little effect on your bodyguard's Musou attacks. BG Tiger Amulet Effect: Increases the Attack of each bodyguard. Comments: Since the bodyguards in XL are much more aggressive than they were in DW3, an increase in Attack can certainly be useful. BG Tortoise Amulet Effect: Increases the Defense of each bodyguard. Comments: Since the bodyguards in XL are much more aggressive than they were in DW3, they will take a lot more damage. Increasing their Defense goes a long way to keeping them healthy in battle. This goes double for bow/crossbow bodyguards. Huang's Bow (BG) Effect: Increases the Arrow Attack of each bodyguard. Comments: If you plan to use bow/crossbow bodyguards exclusively, this item will prove to be useful. BG Shell Armor Effect: Increases the Arrow Defense of each bodyguard. Comments: Archers tend to target you rather than your bodyguards, so this item isn't very useful. BG Speed Scroll Effect: Increases the movement speed of each bodyguard. Comments: The Speed Scroll's effect is pretty negligible. Not that bodyguards need speed since they can pretty much teleport to your location. BG Wind Scroll Effect: Increases the attack range of each bodyguard. Comments: The Wind Scroll's effect is pretty negligible. BG Elixir Effect: Increases the Musou recharge rate of each bodyguard. Comments: The Elixir's effect is pretty negligible. BG Healing Scroll Effect: Allows each bodyguard to recover Life once per battle. Comments: Depending on how often your bodyguards get KO'd this can be quite useful. ----------------- Bodyguard Weapons ----------------- Swords: Good attack power and range. Types: Iron Sword, Long Sword, Elder Sword Comments: Attack style is similar to Huang Zhong, Zhou Yu, Xihaou Yuan, etc. Spear: Long reach and good attack power. Types: Spear, Dragon Spear, Crescent Blade Comments: Attack style is similar to Zhang Liao, Lu Meng, etc. Pike: Long reach and attack arc. Types: Long Pike, Heavenly Spear, Tiger's Chin Comments: Attack style is similar to Ma Chao, Jiang Wei, etc. Bow: Good range and attack power. Iron Bow, Steel Bow, Gale Bow Crossbow: High attack power but lowers defense. Iron Crossbow, Steel Crossbow, Wind Crossbow ----------------- VII. WALKTHROUGHS ----------------- Note: These walkthroughs assume that you are playing Normal difficulty. If you are playing Hard difficulty the enemy officers will be much tougher and your allies will die much more frequently. If you are playing on Very Hard difficulty you can pretty much throw strategy out the window, as even surviving the battle will be nearly impossible, much less getting your allies to survive. ------------------- LU BU'S WALKTHROUGH ------------------- "I am the lord of Musou!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, Lu Bu kills his lord and joins Dong Zhou after the latter presents him the magnificent steed Red Hare. With Lu Bu as his bodyguard, Dong Zhou begins a reign of terror that ends only after Lu Bu kills him, thanks to a plot by Diao Chan to drive a rift between the two of them using her beauty. Shortly after Lu Bu establishes himself as a lord of his own and fights against Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao. Unfortunately, Lu Bu is betrayed by his officers and is captured and killed by Cao Cao. What would have happened if Dong Zhou had not been killed by Lu Bu? What if Lu Bu had not been executed by Cao Cao? Would the mightiest warrior who ever lived have united the Three Kingdoms? ------------------------- The Battle at Hu Lao Gate ------------------------- The only major change in this battle from DW3 is that you are required to defeat Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian in addition to Yuan Shao. Other that that it's pretty much business as usual. Lu Bu starts out right in the center engaging Yuan Shu in front of the gate. When he's destroyed you can pretty much take your time hunting down and eliminating all the other generals on the map. Sun Jian starts right in front of the Hu Lao Gate, but unless you're playing on Hard or Very Hard difficulty they won't get anywhere near Dong Zhou for the entire battle. This gives you time to either go after Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in the north or Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan in the northeast. Both are not any particular threat, although Guan Yu will kill Hua Xiong instantly in an event when they meet up (and they will). Encountering Guan Yu with Lu Bu will also cause another event to occur. If you're trying to backtrack as little as possible, you'll probably want to kill Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Liu Bei/Gongsun Zan, and Sun Jian in a clockwise order on the map. --------------------- The Battle at Guan Du --------------------- Cao Cao faces a rather strange turn of events, as now he's the one attempting to siege the castle instead of Yuan Shao. What he doesn't know is that Dong Zhou is actually hiding in one of the outposts outside of the castle. The primary goal here is to prevent Cao Cao's forces from entering the inner gate and finding that the castle is empty. Fortunately with Lu Bu mowing down generals left and right that is not likely to happen anytime soon. Lu Bu starts outside the north wall of the castle along with Zhang Liao and a few other officers as backup. Xiahou Dun is the closest target so go ahead and take him out first. Then head on over to the east castle wall, engaging Cao Ren along the way. During this time arrow towers will appear on that side in an event, but they shouldn't be much of a problem (unless you are trying to get Zhang Liao's fifth weapon). Xu Zhu is in the area, and Xu Huang appears as reinforcements a while later from the southeast. Killing Xu Huang seems to stop the arrow tower attacks. When the castle surroundings are cleared it's time to head up and destroy Cao Hong and Zhang He to the northwest. Be careful as you approach Cao Cao's camp as there are quite a bit of archers to make your life miserable. Then get some historical revenge for Lu Bu by killing Cao Cao once and for all. ------------------------ The Battle at Wan Castle ------------------------ This is pretty much the same battle as last time, except Dong Zhou is the one in trouble instead of Cao Cao. And the fact that Zhang Xiu has Liu Bei helping out this time. Lu Bu starts out in the southeast corner of the map where he will quickly encounter Zhang Fei in an event. When that is taken care of go help out Diao Chan with Hu Che Er at the front gate where Dian Wei was in DW3. From there head for the inner compound by going around counter clockwise and deal with Liu Bei and company. Liu Bei must be defeated to finish the stage, so you might as well head for him now. When he's retreated, head for Zhao Yun who is probably engaged in heated battle with Zhang Liao. With Zhao Yun and Liu Bei out of the way the path is clear for Dong Zhou to make a break for it. Although having Dong Zhou escape also finishes the battle you may as well deal with the rest of the officers while you're here. Guan Yu puts up some smack talk when you meet him in the northwest, but will quickly fold under Lu Bu's wrath. All that leaves is Zhang Xiu in the southwest, who for some reason is much harder to defeat than Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were. Nevertheless, he shouldn't be too much of a problem for a warrior of Lu Bu's stature. ----------------------- The Battle of Chang Ban ----------------------- It's time to payback Liu Bei for his impudent attack at Wan Castle. The only thing separating him from Lu Bu are a few generals and a whole lot of soldiers. Unlike the previous Chang Ban scenarios in DW3, this time you don't need to worry about killing innocent peasants (although you can if you want to). All you have to worry about is Liu Bei escaping from the map. Liu Bei seems to move a whole lot faster this time around, and if you worry about eliminating everyone that crosses your path he will end up slipping through your fingers. Lu Bu starts out in the northeast of the map and will have to mow a path south through the massive Shu army. You can attempt to take the western path, but there are fewer generals to kill along the way. Besides it's just more fun. Anyway, heading south to engage Zhang Fei will give you a neat event before you beat him over the head with your halberd. Crossing the bridge on a horse on the other path to Zhao Yun gets you another event. After killing the Tiger General of your choice you can mosey on over in Liu Bei's general direction, perhaps beating on Zhuge Liang along the way if you meet him. The only other thing you need to be aware of is that Guan Yu will arrive to the southeast with reinforcements, but if you're taking the south path you can just backtrack a bit and take him out without missing a beat. -------------------------- The Siege of He Fei Castle -------------------------- In yet another twist of fate, Lu Bu commandeers He Fei Castle and now the Wu forces are laying siege to it. Unfortunately for you, 99% of them start out already in the castle and seem to have inconsiderately locked all the gates to the castle. Adding to the mess is that Lu Bu starts outside and Diao Chan is holding them off on the inside (if Diao Chan dies you will lose the battle). This is somewhat of a difficult battle, but it isn't too bad if you know what to do. And what to do is to head immediately over to the east area of the castle and help Zhang Liao with Lu Meng. If you head to the west area to confront Gan Ning and work your way from there Zhang Liao _will_ be killed. When Lu Meng has been defeated the east gate will open and you can engage Lu Xun and Sun Shang Xiang in the center. Whichever general you decide to go after, be aware that you will need to backtrack all around the front of the castle to reach the other general as their respective gates will not open until they are defeated. During the battle reinforcements will come on both sides, but won't be much of a factor in the battle unless you are losing. You should also know that going to Diao Chan's location will trigger an event and increase her morale. Sun Ce will not move from the center area the whole time, so you will have to trigger the archer ambush in order to get to him. Fortunately for you, Sun Ce is a horrible fighter. Not only will his erratic attacks miss you half the time, but his Musou tends to cause him to overshoot his opponent. Make sure you have the appropriate amount of hurt waiting for him when he lands. ------------------ Diao Chan's Escape ------------------ Diao Chan's Revenge is more like it. This stage is exactly the same as Guan Yu's Escape from DW3, except for the fact that you're Lu Bu chasing after Diao Chan. And the fact that all the remaining Shu, Wei, and Wu forces are slighting irked that you killed their lords and have all come out wanting a piece of your ass. I hope your bodyguards are pretty buff for this one. Anyway, this one is pretty straightforward. Just head north and kill everything that crosses your path. At the first gate you'll run into two of your own officers who will try to stop you with a little more than words. Show these two, soon to be dead, officers why it's not a good idea to get in your way. Next up at gate two are Huang Gai and Gan Ning. Dispose of them and head for gate three where Dian Wei and Xu Zhu will accost you. At gate four you'll be double-teamed by the Peach Garden Oath brothers, minus Liu Bei whom you squashed all the way back at Chang Ban. Finally Zhang Liao will wait for you at gate five. Interestingly Zhang Liao's dialog glitches here and comes out sounding rather weird. Oh well. Just smack him around a few times to jog his memory. He'll come around after you defeat him and retire from the battle. All that's left is Diao Chan. Diao Chan must have learned something from Lu Bu cause she's got a huge amount of life and a rock solid defense. Not to mention she has 8 very skilled bodyguards who aren't too proud to smack you if your back is turned to them. If you're not built up considerably you're going to be in for a tough fight. Note that if you're fast enough you can catch up to Diao Chan before she reaches the third gate. Not that it matters much, but you can get some time points for beating her quickly. -------------------- The Battle at Chi Bi -------------------- Now that Diao Chan and Zhang Liao are back with us, it's time to finish off Dong Zhou once and for all. Lu Bu's forces will in be north where Cao Cao was in the original, while Dong Zhou's forces will be in the south where Sun Quan was. Diao Chan will stay at the base camp while Lu Bu attacks from the west while Zhang Liao attacks from the east. Not much will happen for the first part of the battle, but as you approach Dong Zhou's position to the south Li Ru will begin his nefarious plan. When you reach the bottom half of the map, Li Ru will sink all the ships in the middle, cutting you off from the north. I don't think killing Li Ru will prevent this from happening. DW3 players will note that the map changes to the pre fire attack layout of the original Chi Bi battle. To make matters worse, shortly thereafter the Wu remnant forces of Huang Gai, Gan Ning, Lu Meng, and Taishi Ci will arrive in the northeast to attack Diao Chan. Get back there ASAP to help her out, as once again if she is defeated you will lose the battle. Once the former Wu generals have been completely wiped out all that remains is to eliminate Dong Zhou. ----------------------- DONG ZHOU'S WALKTHROUGH ----------------------- "For my dreams! I will prevail!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, Dong Zhou was an ambitious Han officer who plotted to usurp power from the Emperor. After the Yellow Turban rebellion threw the Han into disarray he quickly seized power and under the pretense of protecting the young Emperor ruled the kingdom with an iron fist. With the mighty Lu Bu at his side Dong Zhou committed countless atrocities. He held banquets at which he entertained guests by having people tortured or executed. He raided a nearby village and proclaimed it as a victory over bandits. Although many people tried to assassinate Dong Zhou (including Cao Cao), in the end they all failed. However, one brilliant official plotted to use his talented and beautiful adopted daughter Diao Chan to bring about the end of Dong Zhou. Pledged to Lu Bu as his consort, Diao Chan led Lu Bu to believe that Dong Zhou was making unwanted advances towards her. Dong Zhou, on the other hand, was led to believe that Lu Bu was brutalizing her. Using her charm to drive both men apart, Diao Chan eventually convinced Lu Bu to turn against Dong Zhou and kill him. After Dong Zhou's death rejoicing spread throughout the kingdom and his corpse was publicly displayed and spat upon by the citizenry. What if Dong Zhou had not been killed by Lu Bu? Could he bring all of China under his iron- fisted grip? ------------------------- The Battle at Hu Lao Gate ------------------------- This battle is the same as Lu Bu's version, except you start at the Hu Lao Gate so it's even more straightforward. Just mow through Sun Jian and make your way around in a counter- clockwise fashion eliminating Gongsun Zan, Liu Bei and his brothers, Yuan Shao, and then Cao Cao. --------------------- The Battle at Guan Du --------------------- The battle is the same as Lu Bu's version, except this time Dong Zhou (you) takes a more direct approach in the battle by starting out in the southeast depot. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that you're running attacking everyone, Cao Cao's forces still think you're somewhere in the castle (a Dong Zhou impersonator perhaps?). -------------------------- Raid on the Rogue Fortress -------------------------- After his victory over the anti-Dong Zhou coalition and Cao Cao, on the way back to the capitol Dong Zhou encounters a bandit fortress wreaking havoc with the surrounding villages. Dong Zhou could care less about the peasants, but the fact that they are setting up house in his territory is another story. He decides to have some fun by, of course, killing them all. This battle takes considerably longer than its DW3 counterpart due to the fact that you're going to need to backtrack considerably throughout the battle. Dong Zhou starts out at the south entrance, but he's going to have to go all the way around to the west gate to get inside. After clearing the gate head up north to deal with the Lieutenant nearby. From here you'll need to head in a counter-clockwise fashion taking out the Lieutenant to the south and northeast in order to open the inner gate where the final Lieutenant awaits. When all the Lieutenants have been defeated Dian Wei appears outside the fortress to the northwest and makes his way around to the southeast corner of the map. Since the south gate remains locked during the entire battle you'll have to walk all the way back to the west gate in order to chase after him. Once you're outside past the corner Xu Zhu will appear in the southwest to trap you between the two of them. Show your displeasure by heading back and killing him. Then head back and finish Dian Wei off. I'm not sure whether or not the order you defeat them in makes a difference on which one appears in the last battle, as the one you defeat last (Dian Wei in my case) retreats an appears later in the final battle, whereas Xu Zhu gets killed. -------------------- The Battle at He Fei -------------------- This is probably the most annoying battle in the game, as Wu units will be popping out _everywhere_ on the map like cockroaches. While this isn't too bad on Normal, people playing on the higher difficulty levels will have their hands full keeping everyone healthy. Dong Zhou starts out in the northwest base camp, Lu Bu is at the center, and Diao Chan and Zhang Liao are stationed at the southwest. Your initial opposition includes Ling Tong who is guarding the southwest path to the center area, Cheng Pu and Lu Meng in the center and Xu Shang to the northeast. Your first job is to clear the map of as many generals as you can before the fun starts. The center area is a good choice since it's the closest to your starting position. Lu Meng will start taunting Lu Bu early in the battle, which will send him charging recklessly towards his position. Lu Bu can pretty much take care of himself, but you might as well help him with Lu Meng after dispatching Cheng Pu nearby. Be careful of approaching the southwest path leading to Sun Ce too soon, as this will trigger one of many ambushes on the map. I'm not sure exactly what triggers each ambush, but it certainly seems to work if you try heading towards Sun Ce. There are about three ambushes in total, and they will all generally occur miles away from your current position. They are in approximate order 1.) Taishi Ci will attack your base camp from the east. 2.) Gan Ning and Zhou Tai will attack in the center. 3.) Lu Xun will attack in the southeast near the broken bridge area. Once Lu Xun is dealt with Sun Ce will have run out of surprises and you can finally approach him for the final battle. Unfortunately, he's stationed in a rather fortified position with lots of backup units and archers in the vicinity so it won't be too easy for you. After what you've just faced, chances are you're probably going to want to take your time to enjoy smacking Sun Ce around for the whole mess he's put you through. ----------------------- The Battle at Tong Gate ----------------------- This battle is much more difficult than it was in DW3 since you can't get Han Sui to defect this time, and Ma Chao gets reinforcements. Add this to the fact that you're going to get hit from two directions and you only have Zhang Liao as backup, and you can see that this is going to be an uphill battle all the way. Hou Xuan, Yang Qiu, Han Sui, and Ma Chao are stationed at the gate, while Cheng Yin, Li Kan, and Cheng Yi are coming around to the north to attack you. Hou Xuan makes a tempting target of opportunity as he's outside of the gate, but there are also quite a bit of archers stationed there as well. Not to mention that Ma Chao will start heading for Dong Zhou shortly after the battle starts. Your best bet is to lure Hou Xuan away from the gate and deal with him there. When Ma Chao comes charging out that's your cue to head north and start a one-man rampage against Cheng Yi and Li Kan's forces. Once they're taken care of continue along the northern route and destroy Cheng Yin. If all goes well Zhang Liao should keep Ma Chao's forces tied up by the gate. It should be noted that defeating Pang De will cause Ma Chao to retreat back into Tong Gate, but it's a bit risky since Pang De is quite strong and Ma Chao will most certainly be nearby. With Cheng Yin gone the way is open for a surprise rear attack against the gate. Waiting for you in the northwest though is another surprise as Zhang Fei makes a surprise guest appearance as reinforcements for Ma Chao. He's not any particular threat, so beat him up and send him packing. As soon as you enter Tong Gate seek out and destroy Han Sui and Yang Qiu as quickly as possible. Once Ma Chao's officers are done for it's time to take on the big man himself. Use caution while you fight as he has quite a tight defense and can quickly counter sloppy attacks. His bodyguards are pretty formidable as well, so hopefully your own bodyguards are up to the challenge. ----------------------------- The Battle at Wu Zhang Plains ----------------------------- In this variation of the classic battle, Dong Zhou marches against Liu Bei at Wu Zhang Plains. Dong Zhou starts in the southeast, Liu Bei in the northwest, and between the two are a whole lot of Shu soldiers and generals. While this battle isn't as hard as the next one, that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. Start things off by heading north towards Pang Tong, who's manning the catapults. I don't know where the catapults are aimed at since he's never had a chance to actually shoot them. When he's taken care of, turn your attention to Zhao Yun who's hanging out in the northeast. After you're done with him Wei Yan should be around the north bridge area. Defeat him and the path to Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei is clear, but you're probably out for more blood, so head for the large central fort where Ma Dai is stationed. Ma Chao will arrive to reinforce the base, but he's little more than a speed bump at this point in the game. When the center base is cleared head to the southwest where the remaining Shu officers Jiang Wei and Zhang Bao are. Zhang Fei will come to back them up, but you probably know how to deal with him already. While you're raising havoc on the west side of the map, Wang Fang will arrive on the east side to reinforce you, which is nice but it doesn't really matter since most of the Shu forces will probably have been wiped out by now. After the southwest is cleared head back up to Liu Bei's area and show him your mad dictator skills. -------------------- The Battle at Chi Bi -------------------- This is just not your day. Not only have Lu Bu, Diao Chan, and Zhang Liao turned against you, but the remnant Shu, Wei, and Wu forces, irked that you killed their lords, have all decided to gang up on you as well. If you can survive this one you can truly call yourself King of the Three Kingdoms. Dong Zhou starts out to the south and must fight his way through to Lu Bu and Diao Chan. Both of them must be defeated to win the battle. Lu Bu starts out in the northwest and will quickly hack his way through your forces. Diao Chan will wait at the north camp guarded by Gao Shun and Wei Xu. Zhang Liao and Song Xian will engage your forces to the east. You'll probably want to save Lu Bu for last, so start heading counter clockwise to engage the forces to the east. While you are fighting Shu reinforcements (Zhang Fei and Guan Yu) will arrive near the southwest by Zhuge Liang's prayer structure. If they're causing problems you'll probably want to head back to deal with them. After a certain amount of time has passed, Dong Zhou will tell Li Ru to do something. Li Ru will launch a fire attack that will cause heavy damage to both Lu Bu and your own forces. Unfortunately, the wind will change direction and end up blowing the fire back towards you. This does not look too good. To make matters worse, Wei reinforcements (Dian Wei and Xiahou Dun) show up to the southeast to attack. From this point on the battle becomes one giant slugfest. Be patient and defeat the generals one by one as they present themselves. As long as you're consistently defeating officers your morale should hold up for the battle. Eventually you'll head up to confront Diao Chan and Lu Bu, who are of course considerably powered up. If you don't have elite guards at this point expect a difficult battle. ----------------------- DIAO CHAN'S WALKTHROUGH ----------------------- "The most beautiful flower on the field of battle!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, Diao Chan was considered to be the most beautiful and talented dancer in all of China. Her adopted father used her in a plot to drive a wedge between the tyrant Dong Zhou and his adopted son; the mighty Lu Bu. Diao Chan used her charms make Lu Bu fall madly in love with her. She pleaded with Lu Bu to save her from the lecherous advances of Dong Zhou. While she was telling this to Lu Bu, Diao Chan at the same time told Dong Zhou that Lu Bu was mistreating her badly and she wanted to escape from his wrath. This led to bad feelings between the two men, who both wanted Diao Chan for themselves and thought that the other was mistreating her. Eventually things came to end when Lu Bu took up his halberd and slew Dong Zhou. After Dong Zhou's death Diao Chan became Lu Bu's concubine (wife?) and stayed with him until his death when he was captured and executed by Cao Cao. Her final fate remains unknown. What if Lu Bu had not slain Dong Zhou? Could Diao Chan's beauty win against the terrible might of Dong Zhou and Lu Bu? ------------------------- The Battle at Hu Lao Gate ------------------------- This battle is the same as Lu Bu's version, except you begin in the southeast area. You'll probably want to start off attacking Sun Jian as he's the closest. After he's defeated, proceed to engage the remaining generals at your discretion. --------------------- The Battle at Guan Du --------------------- This battle is the same as Lu Bu's version, except you begin inside of the castle near the entrance. Fight the generals around the castle wall in a counter-clockwise direction, circling back to deal with Xu Huang when he appears. Then repeat for the other side of the river. -------------------- The Battle at He Fei -------------------- This battle is the same as Dong Zhou's version, except you begin in the southwest corner. At the start of the battle engage Ling Tong on the way to the center area. Cheng Pu should be around the area when you reach the center. Defeat him and then proceed to take on Lu Meng. When the center is cleared head for Xu Shang to the northeast. Around this time the remaining Wu forces should appear on the map. It's probably easier to head back to the center and deal with Gan Ning and Zhou Tai before going after Taishi Ci in the northwest. Lu Xun should appear shortly after at the southeast. When all the remaining Wu officers are defeated, head for the southeast area to mop up Sun Ce's remaining forces. -------------------------- The Battle of Mt. Ding Jun -------------------------- Zhuge Liang has prepared a nasty little trap here at Mt. Ding Jun, and if you're not careful Dong Zhou will be torn to pieces unless you act fast on this one. Lu Bu takes the center route up the mountain while Diao Chan (you) take the side road. Dong Zhou stays back at base camp to the north where he's supposedly safe. As Huang Zhong and Lu Bu clash on the mountainside, head south until you meet up with Zhuge Liang. At this point Zhuge Liang will spring his trap and Guan Yu's forces will attack Lu Bu from the side. A few moments later a second ambush party springs out from both sides at Dong Zhou's camp led by Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei. Quickly finish off Zhuge Liang, as you will need to get back ASAP to help out Lu Bu. While Lu Bu can take care of himself, his forces aren't so lucky and will quickly buckle under the combined assault of Huang Zhong and Guan Yu's soldiers. You'll probably want to deal with Guan Yu first since he's closest to the base of the mountain. After he's taken care of, finish off Huang Zhong on the mountainside. If you're lucky Dong Zhou should be running around in a panic back at base camp, but he's probably not too happy right now. Head back north and pick a side, clear out the general, then repeat for the opposite side. When the Shu ambush units are all dealt with, it's time to head back all the way to the south and take on Liu Bei. It doesn't really matter if you take the mountain or the side path, although you may deal with fewer soldiers taking the side path. --------------------- The Battle at Yi Ling --------------------- This battle is pretty brutal, especially for someone like Diao Chan who's not exactly a powerhouse on the battlefield. You won't have to worry about Lu Bu, but you will have to worry about yourself, as the opposition is rather heavy throughout the entire battle. Zhang Liao is stationed to the northwest, Lu Bu to the southeast, and Diao Chan is smack dab in the middle. The closest target is Ma Chao, but he's waiting in a small fortification surrounded by a great deal of units. It will take you some time to even get to him, much less defeat him quickly. Meanwhile Zhang Liao will be having his hands full with Huang Zhong in the northwest. In fact you'll probably hear them calling for reinforcements throughout the battle. Take your time and deal with Ma Chao before going to help them out. As you approach the northwest Zhao Yun will probably make an appearance to the east, followed by Huang Quan to the northwest. Things will really hit the fan when Wei Yan arrives to back him up. At this point it's going to get quite ugly. Try to remain calm as you bash your way through to each general. The fighting will intensify to the point where Li Jue and Guo Si will eventually retreat because the fighting is so severe. Don't worry about it. Just take your time and deal with the enemy officers. Once the northwest is secure, if Gao Shun is still alive he will begin preparations for a fire attack. If Zhao Yun is still around, be sure to deal with him before the final push to Liu Bei's camp. If the fire attack is successful, Lu Bu's forces will mobilize to attack the Shu camp to the southwest. If you want to take a shortcut through the stone maze, expect an ambush inside as well as some heavy opposition when you get out. Zhuge Liang will arrive to back Liu Bei up, but you can easily ambush him from behind if you take the maze route. Try to draw Liu Bei away from the southwest area as there are quite a bit of archers and backup units in the area. -------------------- The Battle at Chi Bi -------------------- This battle is the same as Lu Bu's version. The same basic strategy applies here, except you might have a harder time since you'll be playing as Diao Chan. Having eight elite guards will definitely help here. ------------------ Diao Chan's Escape ------------------ This is basically the same as Lu Bu's version, except much harder. The remaining Shu, Wei, and Wu officers are out for Dian Chao's blood, while all the queen of maracas wants is to be left alone in peace. If Diao Chan isn't buffed out by now, she's going to have one hell of a time with this one. Anyway, Diao Chan starts out immediately in battle, accosted by two slightly irked former associates. While she starts reminiscing about the good old days, you'll need to be jamming on the square button bashing away at them. When the two are dealt with the first gate will open and some bandits will appear to the north, much to Diao Chan's dismay. Said bandits are actually Wu remnant forces led by Lu Meng and Taishi Ci. Don't be too hasty pressing the start button to skip the dialog here. All the playable generals here have new and exclusive dialogs with Diao Chan. After listening to these two rant, deal with them the same way you dealt with the first two. After Lu Meng and Taishi Ci (I am Taishi Ci!) are gone, gate two opens and we're on to the next round of fun. Xiahou Dun has been waiting for you, but you have to love the pre fight dialog between Zhang He and Diao Chan. It gets a chuckle out of me every time I hear it. Anyway, after showing them the true power of beauty gate three opens and it's on the last duo of Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun. Huang Zhong sounds rather upset doesn't he? Too bad for him he's not ten years younger. Deal with him and spear boy and proceed to the final gate. Another of Lu Bu's officers greets you outside, followed by good old Zhang Liao (who for some reason seems to be muttering his line). Something about the times we live in. Speak up! Anyway, after both have been bashed to death you've probably guessed from the intro that your last opponent will be Lu Bu. Lu Bu will let you go only if you can prove you're a better warrior than he is. Considering Diao Chan's skills that might be a problem, but if you've survived all this that must surely count as something. Make judicious use of your bodyguards to distract and defend, and eventually Diao Chan will chop down the mighty tree known as Lu Bu. ---------------------- MENG HUO'S WALKTHROUGH ---------------------- "The great and powerful overlord of the Nanman has come!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, the king of the Nanman Meng Huo was captured and released 7 times by Zhuge Liang during his campaign against the southern tribes. Each of Meng Huo's tactics were countered by Zhuge Liang. When he was released for the seventh time, Meng Huo wept in gratitude and promised never again to rise against the people of Shu. What if Meng Huo had defeated Zhuge Liang? What if it was Meng Huo who had defeated Zhuge Liang 7 times? Could the king of the Nanman defeat the tactics of the Sleeping Dragon using only brute force? ------------------- The Nanman Campaign ------------------- Compared to the battle in DW3 this one's a cakewalk. The only thing that you might have problems with is the fact that it takes just about forever for Meng Huo to go anywhere cause he moves so slowly. The fact that you're going to be walking all over the map doesn't help any. You'll want to commandeer a horse ASAP so it would be a good idea to build up Meng Huo's points so he won't get thrown off the first horse he comes to. If you have the Red Hare Saddle that's even better. You begin at the main compound in the southwest of the map and the closest general is Ma Chao to the east so get walking. When he's finally dealt with you'll begin the arduous task of walking all the way down the mountain. Unless you are extremely lucky and one of your officers gets knocked off his elephant, in which case you can create a handy short cut by smashing through the gates blocking the west and east areas. From here you can either head for Liu Bei's main camp or Zhuge Liang's position to the west. Note that in order to win the battle both of them must be defeated (in fact Zhuge Liang must be defeated in all of Meng Huo's battles). Heading into Liu Bei's camp gets you an encounter with Sun Shang Xiang and an archer ambush. Heading to Zhuge Liang's position just gets you ambushed. Since you're going to absolutely hate Zhuge Liang by the last battle, we might as well beat on him first. If you've played DW3 you'll notice that the scene where Meng Huo meets Zhuge Liang is taken from the 3rd Meng Hou encounter from the original Nanman battle. After Zhuge Liang beats a hasty retreat due to "unfamiliar terrain", head on up to Liu Bei's camp and clean house up there. ------------------- Assault on Cheng Du ------------------- Zhuge Liang claims his defeat was due to the unfamiliar terrain of Nanman and he would not have lost if he were fighting on familiar territory. So Meng Huo decides to bring the fight to the enemy and invade the heart of Shu at Cheng Du. At the beginning it might seem like a four on two mismatch, but Zhuge Liang has some tricks up his sleeve. The moment you head for his position Zhao Yun and Pang Tong ambush Zhu Rong from behind. When you head back to help there's another surprise waiting for you. Apparently Zhuge Liang has disguised some soldiers as Nanman troops and sent them to ambush you on the way back. While this might seem confusing at first you can tell between your troops and the enemy by either looking at the close up map (enemies are red) or by whether or not they look at you intently when you approach them. Enemies will always look at you, while your forces will ignore you completely. In large groups it's just easier to start swinging at everyone. When Zhao Yun and Pang Tong are defeated Zhuge Liang has yet another surprise for you. He sends a second group of disguised troops in your midst. While you already know how to deal with this, unfortunately Wu Tugu and King Mulu decide just to start attacking everyone, including your forces. When this happens you'll need to come back and knock some sense back into the two. Fortunately, when you defeat one of them they both will withdraw from the battle. Once you have your forces reorganized you can finally head towards Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang and finish them off. ----------------------- The Battle at Chang Ban ----------------------- Zhuge Liang tells Meng Huo that the only reason he won is because he used a surprise attack, and says that he could never win if they fought a head to head battle. So Meng Huo agrees to face him directly at Chang Ban. This version of the Chang Ban battle differs from all the others in that Liu Bei is attacking rather than fleeing. Not that it really matters much since he's going to be destroyed either way. Meng Huo starts out in the southeast corner of the map, Zhu Rong faces off against Guan Yu in the center, and Liu Bei is all the way up in the northwest. Across the bridge to the north of Meng Huo are no less than 7 Shu generals waiting for you including Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang. Since Liu Bei isn't going anywhere you may as well head north and take on the entire Shu army. When you reach the bridge area and event will occur between Zhang Fei and Meng Huo, after which you are free to pretty much take out everyone in the vicinity. Zhuge Liang will of course retreat when you defeat him. After the northeast area is clear it's pretty much moping up from there. Chances are good that Zhu Rong will actually defeat Guan Yu by the time you get to the center area. When he's defeated all that remains is to destroy Liu Bei. Considering that Zhuge Liang had plenty of time to prepare for this one, it's surprising that there aren't any surprises for this battle like the last one. That will change shortly in the next one though. --------------------- The Battle at Yi Ling --------------------- Since you killed Liu Bei in the last battle Zhuge Liang is now serving Sun Quan. He tells you that the only reason you won was because of superior numbers. So now he's offering a challenge against you with the might of the Wu army. Meng Huo, of course, accepts this challenge since it doesn't matter how many soldiers Zhuge Liang brings since he'll smash them all anyway. It's a good attitude to have, but unfortunately the battle won't be that easy. Meng Huo and Zhu Rong will start out in the middle of the map surrounded by Cheng Pu to the north and Zhu Huan to the south. Zhu Ran is isolated up in the northwest corner of the map, and Sun Quan is to the southeast guarded by Gan Ning. It looks like an easy battle, but one of the conditions of victory is to defeat both Sun Quan and Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang is nowhere to be seen. That can't be good news for you. First off you'll want to defeat Cheng Pu and Zhu Huan as quickly as possible to give you some breathing room. As the battle progresses Zhuge Jin will appear to the northwest to reinforce Zhu Ran. Chances are good that they will quickly annihilate the Nanman forces stationed there unless you immediately come to their rescue. Unfortunately, Lu Xun will also arrive to the northeast while you're heading there and launch a fire attack against your forces. As if that wasn't enough Zhuge Liang will eventually appear to the south near the Stone Maze, where he will instantly defeat Dong Tu Ne in an event by making him believe that there are ghosts in the maze. Unless you defeat each general in a timely manner as they appear, the three assaults from different directions will definitely cause you some serious hurt. It may be a good idea to go after Zhuge Liang first as the southeast corner where Sun Quan is location has some serious defenses there. After he's retreated (yet again) defeat the remaining generals before confronting and killing Sun Quan. --------------------------- Assault on the Wu Territory --------------------------- Now that he's lost a battle using superior numbers, Zhuge Liang tells Meng Huo that his specialty is in siege battles. Meng Huo tells him that that's fine with him. He'll crush Zhuge Liang's forces no matter where they are. The Wu fortresses have the same layout they did in DW3, but knowing Zhuge Liang he's probably not going to make it easy on you. Meng Huo and Zhu Rong start out in the north area. Since the gate to the west is closed you have no choice but to head south. As you head down the path Zhuge Liang will close the gate leading to his location. Meng Huo will express his disappointment verbally, but decides to play along with whatever Zhuge Liang has is mind. In the southeast fortress you'll run into Lu Meng. Defeating him will open the gate to the northeast fortress where Lu Xun is waiting. Defeating him will open the gate to the west from your initial starting position. Now you'll have to backtrack all the way back to the gate. Fun. When you reach the northwest fortress Gan Ning will attack. Defeating him will open yet another gate to the southwest fortress. Interestingly enough the fortress appears to be empty. That is until Taishi Ci ambushes you there. Defeating him will open the gate to the east that leads to Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang has prepared himself by stationing dozens of archers in the area, so defeating him won't be easy. Upon his defeat Zhuge Liang, you guessed it, retreats from the battle yet again. At this point Meng Huo tells him that he won't win no matter where he hides himself. Zhuge Liang says that the reason he lost was because the Wu fortresses were so weak defensively. Meng Huo tells him to get the biggest, strongest castle he can find and he'll say siege to it. Unfortunately for you, Zhuge Liang does just that. -------------------------- The Siege of He Fei Castle -------------------------- Zhuge Liang goes to the largest, strongest castle he can find, that being He Fei Castle. After learning the fates of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, Cao Cao agrees to help Zhuge Liang, as Meng Huo is a considerable threat to him. Actually, if Cao Cao had any brains whatsoever he would just turn Zhuge Liang over to Meng Huo, as everyone that has gotten in his way so far has been completely annihilated, but I digress. Meng Huo's strategy, of course, is to charge straight in and slaughter anyone between himself and Zhuge Liang. Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang knows this and has planned an appropriate welcome for you. Meng Huo starts in front of the castle main gates, which surprisingly are wide open. Of course the moment you step through them you will be ambushed. Not that it really matters. If fighting Cao Hong in the center doesn't appeal to you, you can go in through the west area where Zhang He is, or the east area where Cao Ren is. If you're anything like Meng Huo you'll probably want to take the direct approach and go through the center straight for Zhuge Liang. This will, however, cause the main gates to close behind you and Cheng Yu will appear from the southeast and attack the forces outside. From this point on it's basically a free for all inside of the castle. There isn't too much strategy involved here. Just go around the area killing generals in a methodical manner. Defeating Zhuge Liang will cause him to surrender and grovel at your feet for forgiveness. Just kidding. He will of course retreat. This leaves you free to hunt down the remaining generals. When the Wei generals are wiped out head on over to Cao Cao and show him exactly why people who listen to Zhuge Liang's advice are never heard from again. ---------------- Battle of Ru Nan ---------------- Zhuge Liang tells Meng Huo that the reason he lost was because of incompetent officers. Meng Huo tells him that he's running out of excuses. He then tells Zhuge Liang to find the greatest officers in China, gather as many soldiers as possible, hole himself inside the largest fortress he can find (besides He Fei Castle which he already demolished previously), and set as many ambushes and traps as he wants. After this battle, if Zhuge Liang is defeated he will have no excuses left, and will finally have to admit that no matter what strategy or tactics he uses, Meng Huo will always be able to overcome it with brute force. This is hands-down the most difficult battle in the game. Meng Huo basically is telling Zhuge Liang to bring it on, and bring it on he does. This battle is a twisted version of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, with Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, and Sima Yi playing the parts of the Zhang brothers. And yes, you must defeat all of them to win. For reasons I'll go into later it is a good idea to attack Zhou Yu first, followed by Sima Yi, and finally Zhuge Liang. Zhou Yu is stationed to the west where Zhang Liang was in DW3. Sima Yi is on top of the hill to the east where Zhang Bao was stationed. And Zhuge Liang is in the center of the castle where He Jin was located. Each one has a nasty surprise waiting for you, and dealing with them isn't going to be very pleasant. At the beginning of the battle it would definitely be a good idea to head towards Zhou Yu to the west. It might be tempting to engage Cao Xiu nearby, but that isn't a good idea. The reason is that the moment the Nanman forces reach Zhou Yu he will begin launching fire arrows at them. While these arrows don't really do much damage to you, they _will_ annihilate every one of your units that are within range, including your beloved wife Zhu Rong. After he's defeated (it may take awhile since all of the main generals here have unbelievably high defense) feel free to kill Xu Shang nearby before you start heading towards Sima Yi to the east, perhaps getting Cao Xiu on the way back. Sima Yi will patiently wait for you at the top of the hill. You're right if you guessed that he's going to send rocks rolling your way. What is unexpected is that he will start sending them towards you the moment you enter the valley. Did I also mention that they bounce off the corner near the turn? Oops. Previously the rocks broke apart when they hit the corner. This time they just bounce off the wall and hit you at 90-degree angles. And yes they still deal insane amounts of damage. It's quite a nasty surprise if you're not expecting it. Unlike DW3, these rocks do not stop the moment you arrive at the top. The only way to get them to stop is to kill Sima Yi. And yes, not only does he have super bodyguards, but he also has a battalion of archers to turn you into a human pincushion. Fun. After the agonizingly long battle with Sima Yi, there's one more general to deal with before the final confrontation. Slightly irked that you wiped out his army and destroyed his castle, Cao Cao is back in the north with Xu Zhu as backup. Note that the rivers here are all shallow, so you can cross it any time instead of having to wait till it froze over as in DW3. Killing him isn't a requirement to finish the battle, but it does help your morale out, and you will need all the morale you can get. Once all the outer generals have been dealt with, it's time to say goodbye to your dear friend Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang is waiting for you in the middle of the castle, along with seemingly endless numbers of soldiers. Ma Dai is nearby, but he's the least of your problems. What is a problem is that Zhuge Liang has arranged a match up with the greatest fighter in all of China. You guessed it. It's none other than Lu Bu. Of course, adding to the difficulty is that by this time you're probably not in the best of health, so if you're low on life it would be a good idea to go outside and find a meat bun before fighting him. Saving would be a good idea too. You'll need to be at your best for this one, as Lu Bu is going to give you the fight of your life. If you manage to defeat him, Zhuge Liang will seem easy by comparison. Just be cautious as he does have a considerable amount of life. Defeat Zhuge Liang for the final time and prove once and for all it doesn't matter who's smarter, it matters who kicks more butt. ---------------------- ZHU RONG'S WALKTHROUGH ---------------------- "Daughter of the god of fire!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, Zhu Rong was the wife of the Nanman King Meng Huo. She was a great warrior who was skilled in the use of a flying blade she could throw with deadly accuracy. During Zhuge Liang's southern campaign she managed to capture several Shu officers, but was captured herself and was released during an exchange of prisoners. She was eventually captured again and ultimately submitted along with her husband during his seventh capture. From that point on history does not record what happened to her and Meng Huo, but it can be assumed that they kept their promise and lived peacefully in the southern lands. It should be noted that of all the female characters in the game, she is the only one that is historically mentioned as fighting in battle. If Zhu Rong and Meng Huo had driven off Zhuge Liang, what would have happened then? What would the mighty duo face in the lands outside of Nanman? ------------------- The Nanman Campaign ------------------- This battle is the same as Meng Huo's version, except that Liu Bei and Sun Shang Xiang must be defeated for victory. Zhu Rong starts out in the east area of the map. You'll probably want to help your husband out against Ma Chao who is leading the charge against the main Nanman camp. When he's dealt with go ahead and engage the other Shu officers, making your way to Zhuge Liang in the west area. After he's taken care of you can begin the final push towards Liu Bei and Sun Shang Xiang. Expect heavy opposition and a few archer groups as you make your way through the Shu camp. ---------------- Wu Navy Skirmish ---------------- This is a fun free for all on the open ocean, as Wu naval forces mistake Zhu Rong for a pirate. While she has no grudge against Wu, she's more than happy to take them all on. This map is a bit shaped like a "N" with Xu Sheng, Zhou Tai, Taishi Ci, and Xiao Qiao on the left half, Cheng Pu, Gan Ning, and Zhou Yu on the right, and Zhu Rong smack in the middle. It doesn't really matter which side you start out with, as everyone will head for your position during the battle. Lu Su and some floating Wu soldiers will arrive mid battle to make things more interesting, but Zhu Rong should be able to handle them all. Defeat Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu and it's on to the next fun stage. -------------------- The Battle at Chi Bi -------------------- After wiping out the Wu naval forces, Cao Cao (correctly) perceives Meng Huo and Zhu Rong as a significant threat and orders his armada to destroy them at the Chang Jiang. During the battle Meng Huo is separated from his wife, and it's up to Zhu Rong to save the day. Zhu Rong starts in the northeast, Meng Huo is in the southwest near the prayer structure, and the entire Wei army is all that separates the two of them. Start your heroic rescue mission by going after Cai Mao at the beginning, followed by Zhen Ji. After some pre fight theatrics, go ahead and smack Zhen Ji around until she's had enough. Following her retreat, Cao Pi will go on about how you killed (?) his wife, even though she just left. Whatever. Anyway, proceed to the southwest and take out any one who gets in your way. This may include Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, and/or Cao Pi who are wandering in the area. After clearing the area around Meng Huo you can get back to the task of destroying the remaining Wei forces. During the battle additional Wei ships will arrive and cause a mess in the middle, but it shouldn't effect your strategy much. Clear out the remaining generals before taking on Cao Cao. ------------------------- The Battle at Hu Lao Gate ------------------------- After annihilating the Wei forces at Chi Bi, Zhu Rong and company decides to go sightseeing at the capitol. Alarmed at their arrival, Dong Zhou gathers his forces and immediately attacks the Nanman tour group. Meng Huo will be attacking Lu Bu at the center gate, while Zhu Rong fights Dong Zhou to the northeast. At the start of the battle quickly get rid of nearby Hua Xiong and take on Dong Zhou. The faster you can take him out the faster you can help your husband out against Lu Bu. Lu Bu is very dangerous and is capable of killing Zhu Rong with one real Musou attack. Be extremely careful when he's low on life and immediately counter with a Musou of your own if you see it coming. When Lu Bu is gone go ahead and clear out the northwest of Xu Rong and Zhang Liao. When the area is secure it's time to head towards Dong Zhou's former palace where Diao Chan is waiting. The opposition (if you can call it that) consists of the Three Stooges of Li Jue, Jia Xu, and Guo Si, and Li Ru who is guarding the Hu Lao Gate. Diao Chan will be a bit harder to deal with than Dong Zhou since there are quite a bit of troops in the area. Take your time with her on and eventually Diao Chan will run away to fight again another day. ---------------------- The Battle at You Ting ---------------------- Inadvertently becoming rulers of the Han by defeating Dong Zhou, Zhu Rong and Meng Huo quickly become bored and decide to leave north China. Unfortunately, the most direct route to Nanman takes them through Wu territory. Still slightly irked over that whole naval incident three battles ago, Sun Ce and Lu Xun plot to deal with the Nanman once and for all. Trapping Meng Huo and Zhu Rong at You Ting, the Nanman forces are placed in a dangerous position. This is a rather hectic battle, but if you keep your cool it's fairly manageable. Start the battle out by engaging nearby Pang Zhang and then head south towards Da Qiao. The moment you and Da Qiao start fighting Meng Huo will be assaulted from three sides: Gan Ning from the west, Zhu Ran from the north, and Sun Shang Xiang from the east. Continue fighting Da Qiao, but if things start getting bad break off from battle and head back to help with the fight. Reuniting with Meng Huo brings a short husband and wife moment, after which you can continue fighting the remaining officers. Defeat Da Qiao if you haven't already before heading north to take on Lu Xun and Sun Ce. There's going to be heavy opposition up there so try to save as many of your allies as you can. -------------------- The Battle at He Fei -------------------- After the surprise Wu ambush at You Ting, Zhu Rong and Meng Huo decide to try to take an alternate route back home. Unfortunately for the Nanman, Lu Xun anticipated this and arranged for a going away party at He Fei. This is yet another battle where Meng Huo gets gang banged by the Wu army and once again it's up to Zhu Rong to pull his butt out of the fire. Zhu Rong begins in the northwest area and Meng Huo is in the center being sandwiched by Dong Xi and Lu Su. Get through Xu Sheng as quickly as possible while you head for Meng Huo and bail him out. After another husband and wife moment, clear out the center, and then choose to either head for the northeast (where Zhu Huan is) or southwest (where Cheng Pu is). While you're busy clearing out your route Han Dang will pop out from the northwest, while Lu Meng, Sun Shang Xiang and Da Qiao stage a surprise attack on the center. Keep on clearing out the generals in a methodical fashion and you shouldn't have any major problems. Once all resistance has been cleared, head on down to the southeast where Lu Xun and Sun Ce await you. It might take a while to get there since the troop buildup in that area is particularly heavy, but the two won't give you much trouble once you reach them. -------------------------- The Siege of He Fei Castle -------------------------- After eliminating the Wu forces, Zhu Rong and company decides to take refuge in their former castle at He Fei. In a bizarre turn of events a trio of couples (Cao Pi and Zhen Ji, Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao, and Lu Bu and Diao Chan) decide to get revenge on our happy couple by invading the castle. Okay. Anyway, Zhu Rong starts out on top of the castle while her husband defends the center. Strategy wise there isn't really any strategy to this battle. Simply annihilate all the couples in the area starting with Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao since they're the closest. When they're gone head for Cao Pi and Zhen Ji next, saving Diao Chan and Lu Bu for last. When Zhu Rong meets them in the center area an event occurs where the Nanman couple declare themselves to be the strongest husband and wife team in all of China. Defeating Diao Chan first causes Lu Bu to get angry, but at this point in the game you're probably much stronger than you were at Hu Lao Gate. Use your bodyguards to distract him while you whack him in the back with your boomerang and victory will soon be yours. ------------------------ ZHANG JIAO'S WALKTHROUGH ------------------------ "Bring in the age of the Way of Peace!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, Zhang Jiao was once a civil official who one day came across a mysterious sage in the forest who gave him a mystical book called "The Way of Peace". With this book one could control the winds and rain and perform other miraculous feats. The sage warned Zhang Jiao that the user of the book must be totally devoted to his cause let misfortune fall upon him. With that said the sage disappeared, leaving the book in his hands. Zhang Jiao studied the book intently until he mastered its secrets. Realizing how corrupt the Han dynasty had become, Zhang Jiao along with his two brothers raised a large following amongst the downtrodden masses, intending to overthrow the government and bring in a new age of peace. Unfortunately, they were betrayed and the Han forces were sent to destroy them. Now rising in open rebellion, the Yellow Turbans (named for the yellow cloths they wore on their heads) rampaged indiscriminately throughout China, becoming little more than rogues and bandits. Alas, Zhang Jiao died shortly after the start of the rebellion, although his body was later exhumed and his corpse publicly humiliated by Han officials. While the initial outcome of the rebellion was not as Zhang Jiao had expected, it would prove to be the catalyst that would set the stage for the Three Kingdoms saga. What if Zhang Jiao had survived the Yellow Turban rebellion? Would he have been able to bring about a new age of prosperity using the "Way of Peace"? ---------------- Battle of Ru Nan ---------------- Compared to the Yellow Turban battle in DW3, this one is relatively easy. Although you'll lose the battle if all the peasants (the game refers to them as civilians) are killed, the chances of this happening are slim unless you're playing at one of the higher difficulty levels. Your goal here is to defeat Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei (He Jin is here, but he's not a mandatory target). Cao Cao is assaulting the southwest of the castle, Liu Bei is in his original position near the southeast of the castle, and Sun Jian is busy attacking from the northeast. With Zhang Jiao starting from the center of the castle, all you really need to do is to pick a corner and go clockwise/counterclockwise, eliminating all the generals and officers along the way. You'll be ambushed along the way, but it's nothing more than a pleasant distraction than anything else. Enjoy this easy battle while you can. The Yellow Turbans have a long road ahead of them. ---------------------------- The Mountain Bandit Campaign ---------------------------- This battle is probably the best place to build up a character's life and Musou due to its size and the fact that you can clear it fairly quickly. In fact the Dim Sum is located directly behind you when the battle begins, and the wine is in the middle of the stage where the two pots are together. Strategy wise this is basically the same battle as it was in DW3. Just go around taking out the four Lt. Commanders and the Commander will appear. The Commander won't pose much of a problem, but the group of archers that appear near his position might. It might be a good idea to eliminate them first beforehand. The peasants, umm, I mean civilians, will attempt to flee to the south during the battle, after which Zhang Jiao will begin a counterattack. But chances are good that by the time this happens you'll already have finished the battle. Once you've cleared this stage, you may want to play it again in Free Mode to build up Zhang Jiao's life and Musou, as from this point on the battles start to get much harder. ----------------------- The Battle of Chang Ban ----------------------- In this variation of Chang Ban Zhang Jiao flees with his Yellow Turbans while being pursued by Yuan Shao's Forces. While the amount of enemy forces might seem overwhelming at first, if you manage to defeat officers in a methodical fashion it shouldn't be too bad. Zhang Jiao starts out in the northeast corner of the map and needs to buy enough time for his reinforcements to arrive and escort the civilians to safety in the southwest. Initially you'll need to decide whether to take the south path towards Yuan Tan and Wen Chou, or the west path towards Yuan Xi and Yan Liang. Since a neat event happens at the southern bridge we'll take the south path for the walkthrough. Unless you're playing at a high difficulty level, the Yellow Turbans should be able to take care of themselves for the battle so start whacking away a path to the south. At the bridge an event with Zhang Jiao will occur, after which feel free to take out Yuan Tan and Wen Chou. After they are taken care of, start heading towards the center where Guan Yu and Zhang Fei will be waiting for you. Around this time Yuan Shao and his main army (including Liu Bei and Zhang He) will arrive to the northeast. This is your cue to start heading clockwise around the map defeating generals like mad. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei shouldn't be too much of a problem, and Yan Liang and Yuan Xi should fall with minimal effort. Once you've circled around back to Yuan Shao's main force, be sure to encounter Liu Bei. Doing so will cause an event to occur where Zhang Jiao begs Liu Bei to be merciful, whereupon he will withdraw from the battle. For the evil minded among us, you can still attack Liu Bei when he withdraws to get his defense power up with no ill effects (save bad karma hehehe). After you've had your fun with Liu Bei, it's just a matter of dealing with old pointy hat and his remnant officers. Defeat Yuan Shao and you've won the battle, for now... --------------------------- Surprise Attack on Liu Biao --------------------------- After narrowly escaping Yuan Shao's forces at Chang Ban, Zhang Jiao is invited to stay with Liu Biao. Liu Biao of course has no intention of playing host to the Yellow Turbans and is actually planning to attack them instead. As part of his plan he invites none other than Sun Jian to participate in the attack. DW3 veterans remember how he ended up on the wrong end of a boulder in the last game. It seems that the only thing that Liu Biao and Sun Jian hate more than each other are the Yellow Turbans. Maybe they should have called it "Liu Biao's Surprise Attack". Anyway, Liu Biao and Sun Jian launch their joint attack, and now the Yellow Turbans are caught in the open desperately fleeing for the fortress. Sun Jian and his forces are attacking from the south while Liu Biao attacks from the east. For being such a huge jerk, you're probably going to want to go after Liu Biao first. As soon as you step into the ravine Liu Biao will launch a boulder attack against your forces. Amusingly Zhang Jiao will respond with an attack of his own. Since both attacks cancel each other out it doesn't really have an effect on the battle, but it is amusing to watch. Once Liu Biao has been dealt with it's time to take on Sun Jian's forces which include his son Sun Ce and daughter in law Da Qiao, along with Huang Gai. As you engage their forces Kuai Liang will appear to ambush the Yellow Turbans heading for the fortress, but at this he's not going to make much of a difference. When all the civilians are inside, the remaining Zhang brothers will begin to launch a counterattack. By this time chances are you're already fighting with Sun Jian, if you haven't defeated him already. Defeat Sun Jian and you've won the battle, for now... -------------------- The Battle at Chi Bi -------------------- This is probably the most difficult battle in Zhang Jiao's Musou Mode, so if you survive this one you've pretty much weathered the worst of it. Well, okay the next two battles are nerve wracking too, but this is probably the most annoying one. Royally ticked that you survived his ambush earlier, Sun Jian decides to send his entire Wu navy out to crush the Yellow Turbans at Chi Bi. Zhuge Liang isn't here to make the wind blow, so you're going to settle for Zhang Liang. The main goal of this battle is to get the wind to blow to move the boats so you can evacuate all the civilians to the south. Standing in your way is just about everyone you've faced in the past, coming at you at different times and in different directions. Winning this battle requires you to run like a madman most of the time, taking out any targets of opportunity that you come across. Zhang Jiao starts out in the thick of things to the north, surrounded by Zhou Yu, Han Dang, Sun Jian, and Cheng Pu. While you're busy dealing with the Wu forces to the north, Yuan Shao will appear with his army to the southeast. Needless to say, this does not make the situation any more favorable. While Yuan Shao is wreaking havoc in the southeast, Liu Bei and Zhao Yun will come in from the northwest to cause trouble there. Eventually, Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun will appear in the northeast. The key to surviving here is to backtrack as little as possible while defeating as many officers as possible. Defeating a major general should hold up the Yellow Turban's morale up until you reach the next general. If things get desperate or out of control, remember that defeating Cao Cao will end the battle instantly. This is a long drawn out battle so expect some casualties if Zhang Jiao isn't built up significantly. --------------------- The Battle at Yi Ling --------------------- There are two ways to go about this battle. The direct approach involves treating this one just like previous battle. Just go around defeating all the officers on the map until all that's left is the primary general. The second approach is similar to the first one, but it takes a bit longer and it's a bit more risky since if all the civilians die you lose the battle. As you can incorporate both strategies together we'll take that approach. First off from your starting position to the northeast head south towards Wei Yan and take him out. Just like the previous Yi Ling battles the Shu officers have weak defenses here so it shouldn't take too long. There are a few other minor officers around the area so if you see any feel free to take them out, but down spend all day chasing them around as you have quite a bit more to do. The next target should be Ma Chao who is stationed in the fort in the center of the map where Liu Bei was in DW3. Defeating him will clear a path to the stone maze, which will trigger the civilians to flee in that direction. When this happens your time to eliminate the remaining officers is limited, as you will need to defeat them all before they reach the end of the maze. Fortunately, they seem to have problems getting through by themselves so don't help them out unless they are getting slaughtered. Quickly proceed to the west and defeat Lei Tong, which will open the gate to the southwest. Then head back around in a clockwise manner and take out Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong. Note that while you are engaging the remaining officers, Shamoke will appear to the northeast. You can take him out if you want, but if he's too far away feel free to ignore him, as he doesn't really affect the battle in any way. Once all the Shu generals are gone, you can either head straight for Liu Bei and finish him off, or attempt to escort the civilians to the southwest gate to freedom. If you want to clear a path for the peasants head for the north entrance of the stone maze where an event will occur where Zhang Jiao will attempt to calm the Yellow Turbans. Navigate through the stone maze (taking out the officer inside along the way) and exit through the west entrance. This will cause another event to occur, followed by Zhuge Liang appearing the southwest with a huge number of soldiers and archers. Huang Quan should also appear nearby as well. If the civilians make it here while the Shu forces are still present they will be quickly eliminated (the civilians). To prevent this from happening you will need to personally clear out the southwest area yourself. Take out Zhuge Liang, followed by the nearby archers and then the gate captain. Once those three threats are taken care of you can head back towards Liu Bei and finish him off at your leisure. Once the civilians reach the southwest gate you will receive messages that the civilians are fleeing, but it seems for the most part they will remain there for the remainder of the battle. ------------------- The Nanman Campaign ------------------- Only one obstacle remains between the Yellow Turbans and freedom, and that is a 500-lb. Barbarian King by the name of Meng Huo. While this is a winnable battle, it isn't going to be a pretty one. The Yellow Turbans are going to get massacred on this one and there's not much you can do about it. From your starting position you can either choose to engage Dong Tu Ne and Meng Jie on the east of the map, Dalhai Dongzhu in the west of the map, or Wu Tugu in the west jungle area. It doesn't really matter which one you go after as long as you get a hold of an elephant ASAP to breakthrough those pesky barriers. If Zhang Jiao encounters the Nanman rattan troops a particularly humorous event occurs where he shows that wearing oil soaked armor isn't a particularly bright idea against someone that shoots fire out of their staff. The only thing you need to watch for is Zhuge Liang's surprise appearance in front of your base later in the battle, but if you're quick to eliminate him he won't be too much of a threat. When you clear a path to the southern gate the Yellow Turbans will begin to make a break for it while you engage Zhu Rong and Meng Huo for a showdown at the main enemy camp. Compared with everything else you've faced so far these two shouldn't be any serious threat in the face of your combat skills. ----------------------- YUAN SHAO'S WALKTHROUGH ----------------------- "For the glory of the Yuan family!" In the Three Kingdoms novel, Yuan Shao was the most prestigious member of the Yuan family, which held unsurpassed military and political power. He was elected Grand Commander of the anti-Dong Zhou alliance and became a powerful liege over the northern plains after the collapse of the Han Empire. But while he had talented advisors, brave generals, and countless soldiers, Yuan Shao had one serious weakness that ensured his doom: indecisiveness. During his battles with Cao Cao at Guan Du, Yuan Shao ignored the advice of his advisors and imprisoned or executed many of them. As a result even though he held a massive advantage of numbers over Cao Cao, Yuan Shao could not make any progress against him. Eventually one of his own advisors left him for Cao Cao and revealed the location of his vulnerable supply depots. After a daring raid that destroyed the granaries, Cao Cao managed to turn the tides of battle and defeat an army ten times the size of his own. After this catastrophic defeat, Yuan Shao fell into depression and his health failed him, eventually leading to his death. What if Yuan Shao had defeated Cao Cao at Guan Du? Would Yuan Shao have been able to unite the Three Kingdoms? Or would his indecisiveness lead him once again into ruin? ------------------------- The Battle at Hu Lao Gate ------------------------- This battle is essentially the same as Lu Bu's, except this time you're attacking Dong Zhou's forces instead of fighting with them. There is however an exclusive event thrown in. After defeating Lu Bu an event will occur where Cao Cao gives orders for the main forces to advance. This will of course lead Yuan Shao to respectfully remind Cao Cao that he is the one that gives the orders. When you approach Dong Zhou's position, Cao Cao will break formation and start heading towards Hu Lao Gate without orders, prompting Yuan Shao to angrily rebuke him yet again. These events don't have much of an effect on the battle, but they do set up the confrontational tone between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. --------------------- The Battle at Guan Du --------------------- Yuan Shao gets a chance to rewrite history by changing the outcome of this pivotal battle with his nemesis Cao Cao. Xu Zhu, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan are out and about hunting for your depot, while Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Zhang Liao, and Guan Yu are stationed at the castle guarding Cao Cao. This version of Guan Du isn't much different from the one in DW3 and the general strategy remains the same. Hunt down all the generals on the outside of the castle before crushing everyone inside it. The stage events have remained unchanged. The arrow towers will assault the castle walls and eventually the north wall of the castle will collapse. And Guan Yu will instantly kill Yan Liang and Wen Chou the moment he encounters them. If you want to save the two generals it would be a good idea to quickly eliminate Guan Yu ASAP, but it's not really essential to winning. It's not a very hard battle so if you take your time and eliminate each general one by one you should have no problems with this one. ----------------------- The Battle at Chang Ban ----------------------- Now that Cao Cao has been taken care of, Yuan Shao decides to turn his attention towards Liu Bei and eliminate him before he can become a threat. In yet another variation of the battle at Chang Ban, Yuan Shao takes the place of Cao Cao as his troops close in on Liu Bei's fleeing forces. This is pretty much a straightforward battle. Starting in the northeast Yuan Shao can take the long boring route to the west and square off against Zhao Yun, or he can head south and take on Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and a whole lot of officers. Regardless of which path you choose you're in for quite a bit of hacking as there are quite a bit of soldiers on the map. Guan Yu won't appear to the southeast until some time has passed, usually by the time you've eliminated all the other generals in the area. With Zhang Fei and Guan Yu taken care of it's just a matter of hacking your way through the endless swarms of soldiers between you and Liu Bei. Zhao Yun is usually to far away to aid Liu Bei, so do a side detour and save him the trouble of finding you by annihilating him, then come back and finish off Liu Bei once and for all. ------------------------ The Battle at Fan Castle ------------------------ This unusual battle pits the forces of Yuan Shao against Guan Yu and Sun Quan. Guan Yu and Guan Ping are in their usual positions in the northwest and northeast respectively, while Sun Quan is to the southwest where Sima Yi was in DW3. It's up to you whether or not to go after Sun Quan or Guan Yu first, since both of them must be defeated to achieve victory. Zhang He is positioned in the center of the castle and will most likely be killed when the castle floods. Whether or not killing Guan Ping early in the battle can prevent the flood attack has yet to be seen. Regardless of your decision chances are good that you'll run into Gan Ning early on. Take him out and then proceed to your target of choice. It should be noted that Lu Meng will arrive in the southwest corner as reinforcements as the battle progresses, and Lu Xun is also in the area near Sun Quan. As in DW3 it is very difficult to get your bodyguards to survive the flood attack so be prepared to take on Guan Yu and Sun Quan without them. -------------------- The Battle at He Fei -------------------- Unlike Dong Zhou's version, Yuan Shao's battle at He Fei is much more straightforward. You won't have to worry about enemy units popping out from everywhere. The only surprise ambush unit is Lu Su from the center area, which I'm sure, is causing everyone to quake in fear. The primary strategy is simply to take out all the officers in a methodical manner. Zhang He guards base camp in the northwest, while Yuan Shao starts smack dab in the center surrounded by Taishi Ci and Pang Zhang. Gan Ning holding the northeast area and Cheng Pu is staging in the southwest. You'll probably want to engage Taishi Ci and Pang Zhang early on in the battle since they're the closest. From there it's pretty much up to you how to proceed, but it's a safe bet you'll probably want to leave Lu Xun and Sun Quan for last as they are positioned much deeper in that they were in DW3 and have lots of archers and reinforcements in the area. Before you leave the center area you may want to take on Lu Meng who is guarding the entrance to the southeast. If left alone he will begin taunting Zhang He. Zhang He, nonplussed at Lu Meng's somewhat unflattering description, will immediately begin attacking, drawing a rebuke from the irate Yuan Shao. Defeating Lu Meng will set him straight (so to speak, if you know what I mean). After pacifying the northeast and southwest areas of opposition, all that remains is to deal with Lu Xun and Sun Quan in the heavily guarded area to the southeast. It's a long battle, but if you're patient and take it slowly it shouldn't give you too much problems. ---------------------- The Battle of Jie Ting ---------------------- This battle is pretty much the same as it was in DW3 except that Yuan Shao has taken Sima Yi's place to the north and Sima Yi is now on the defensive to the south. Yuan Shao starts out in the main base to the north and Zhang He is up on the mountain pass where he ambushed Ma Su in the previous game. At the start of the battle head south to immediately engage Xiahou Yuan and Xu Zhu. At around this time Zhang He will fall into a trap set by Zhang Liao who will immediately begin attacking him from behind. Quickly take care of Xiahou Yuan and head back to assist Zhang He by sandwiching Zhang Liao between the two of you. Be sure to join up with Zhang He after dispatching Zhang Liao and he will apologize for his carelessness and begin his famous downhill charge. Follow the path down the hill and start clearing out all the generals in the area. You should encounter Dian Wei along the way, and Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang should accost you near the Wei encampment entrance. From there head over to the supply depot (southwest of the map) in the small path near the entrance and start indiscriminately killing everyone in the area. Eventually an event should occur where Yuan Shao's forces attack the supply depot. When that happens feel free to engage Sima Yi, but you might want to clear the area a bit as there are quite a bit of reinforcements hanging around. ----------------------------- The Battle at Wu Zhang Plains ----------------------------- This is probably my favorite version of the Wu Zhang Plains battle, as it features a catapult attack that actually does help you win the battle, instead of making your life a living hell. This is Yuan Shao's final farewell to Cao Cao, and it's going to be a real slobber knocker. Yuan Shao starts out in the northwest camp, Cao Cao and Sima Yi in the southeast camp, with the entire Wei army in between. At the start of the battle, head for Cao Ren at the center fortress and dispose of him. From here you can either head south and defeat Dian Wei and then circle back and defeat Xiahou Yuan at the fortress entrance, or you can take out Xiahou Yuan and then Dian Wei. Regardless of which order you choose, be sure to walk into the main fortress after you've defeated Xiahou Yuan until you get the message from Yuan Shao that you've cleared the way for reinforcements. It doesn't really affect the battle significantly, but it's always fun to have more people come to the party. During this time you'll probably see the catapults to the northeast get set up for attack. While the guards around the catapults are pretty good defenders, they will be attacked by no less than four Wei units (Zhang Liao and Xu Huang from the south, and Xiahou Dun and Cao Pi (as reinforcements) to the east). Since the catapult attack is critical to this battle, needless to say it should behoove you to head to the northeast ASAP and help them out. It's faster to get there by circling around to the north than by cutting through the fortress. If the catapult attack succeeds, Cao Cao and Sima Yi will immediately flee from their southeast camp. Fortunately for you they end up fleeing in two different directions, making it that much easier to kill them. After you've taken care of Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Xiahou Dun, and Cao Pi, go ahead and attack Sima Yi who has taken refuge in the wide area north of the southeast camp. By the time you've killed him Yuan Shang will probably have arrived at the central fort to back you up, but by this point they battle should be well in your favor. All that is left to do is to take out Cao Cao, who is stuck near the bridge southeast of the center fortress. While his generals were pushovers, Cao Cao himself is quite a fighter so be careful and never overextend yourself or he will counterattack quite viciously. ------------------- VIII. MISCELLANEOUS ------------------- Special thanks go to Muni Shinobu for the following information. Alternate Colors When you clear Musou Mode with a character, all characters on that side receives a secondary color uniform. You can change colors by pressing either the L2 or R2 buttons on the character select screen. Alternate Endings You can see alternate endings for the Xtreme Musou Mode characters by clearing Musou Mode with other characters. To see a fireworks display at the ending you need to clear Musou Mode with additional characters (listed in parentheses) and finish the final stage for the character you want to see the ending with in under 15 minutes. Lu Bu: Diao Chan + Guan Yu + (Zhang Liao) Diao Chan: Lu Bu + Dong Zhou + (Zhen Ji) Dong Zhou: Lu Bu + Ma Chao + (Sun Jian) Yuan Shao: Zhang Jiao + Zhang He + (Cao Cao) Zhang Jiao: Yuan Shao + Sima Yi + (Zhou Yu) Meng Huo: Zhu Rong + Zhuge Liang + (Lu Xun) Zhu Rong: Meng Huo + Sun Shang Xiang + (Zhen Ji) -------------------- IX. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -------------------- Special thanks to: Koei (www.koeigames.com) - We're looking forward to Dynasty Warriors 4 (March?). GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) - The best site for all your game FAQ needs. Muni Shinobu (http://www.geocities.com/muni_shinobu/faq/index.html) - For providing the DW community with the locations of those elusive fifth weapons and well as a ton of other information on the game. You can find this FAQ at the following places: www.gamefaqs.com www.cheatportal.com This document is Copyright 2003 Brian Nii. Feel free to distribute or post as long as you don't change my name or try and make any money off of it, okay? Letting me know about it would be good too. =)