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Discover all of the many companions you can meet, their weapons, battle arts, and bond ranks in Dynasty Warriors: Origins.
The Dynasty Warriors series has long captivated gamers with its fast-paced combat, engaging historical settings, and memorable characters. Among the key elements that have set it apart from other action games is its vast array of companions – powerful warriors who assist the player in battle and deepen the narrative.
In this guide, we’ll take a comprehensive look at all the companions available in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, offering a detailed explanation of their backstories, abilities, and roles in the grand tapestry of the game. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or a newcomer to the franchise, this guide will help you understand the dynamics of the companions and their importance within the world of Dynasty Warriors.
Companions Overview in Dynasty Warriors: Origins
The companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins can be divided up into four categories. One for each of the three factions, and an additional one for some who are outside of those alliances. The companions factions in DWO include:
- Cao Cao’s Forces
- Sun Jian’s Forces
- Liu Bei’s Forces
- Other
Additionally, there are 45 characters you can meet in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, but only nine (3 per faction) can actually fight with you in battle. Furthermore, you’ll have to make a major faction choice in Chapter 3 of DWO. However, this will not generally affect the individual relationships you have with any companions. Moreover, choosing a faction will only temporarily lock you out of fighting with companions from other factions. Later chapters in the game have some crossover, so you will see them again.
How Do Companions Work in Dynasty Warriors: Origins?
There are 9 ‘peerless warrior’ companions you can fight alongside in battles as you progress through the main story of Dynasty Warriors: Origins. At the start of a battle, you will have to choose a position on the map to start the fight at. Each position is held by troops which are led by a particular companion.
Furthermore, there are an additional 36 NPC companions that will play smaller parts in the game’s overall story. Although you will not fight with these characters on the battlefield, they complement the story, deepening the narrative and offering side quests and training to take part in.
Additionally, you can improve your relationships with all of your companions by strengthening your bond with them. These are all of the companion bond levels in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Acquaintance
- Bond Lvl 1
- Bond Lvl 2
- Bond Lvl 3
- Bond Lvl 4
- Bond Max. (Lvl 5)
Significantly, once you have earned a companion’s recognition by maxing out your Bond with them, you will activate a Battle Art Chain with them. This mechanism allows the companion to unleash a follow-up attack after you use a Battle Art ability.
How to Raise Companion Bonds in Dynasty Warriors: Origins?
To raise the bonds of all of your companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, you will need to complete training, read letters, speak to them, and fulfill requests (side quests). Each level of your companion bond will have a requirement you need to complete, though they will not be the same order for every companion. Furthermore, you can check on your progress by visiting the Shui Jing Retreat and selecting ‘Bonds’.
Trainings are one of the most common requirements for raising a bond level in DWO, and they will usually ask you to complete a certain number of kills in a certain way or with a certain weapon.
Requests usually appear after you have received a letter from the companion. After reading it, go and speak with them. This will unlock another specific training or a side quest you must complete in order to advance the relationship.
Rewards for Maxing Companion Bonds in Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Maxing out your relationship bonds with companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins can reward you in a variety of ways, including with new side quests, battle arts, and combo attacks.
Reaching a Level 5 Bond maximum with your 9 fighting companions will unlock:
- Battle Art Chains: You companion officer will unleash follow-up attacks after you perform battle arts.
- Extreme Musou Attacks: Powerful combo techniques performed with your companion. Must also unlock the Extreme Musou Attack passive in the Expert Rank skill tree.
Reaching a Level 5 Bond maximum with the other 36 NPC companions will reward you with additional trainings, experience points, side quests, and Battle Art abilities. The Battle Arts are most important because this will be the only way to acquire some of the most powerful weapon abilities in the game.
All Companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins Listed
There are a total of 45 companions or major characters in Dynasty Warriors: Origins that you can meet and start a working relationship with. However, there are only nine (3 per faction) that can join you during battles. Furthermore, each of these nine companions will wield a different weapon type, and have access to four of the associated battle art skills of said weapon.
When raising the bond level of your companions, these nine characters should be a high priority, as maxing them out will activate their Battle Art Chain ability. The following table lists all of the available companions in DWO, with the nine battle companions in bold.
| Cao Cao’s Forces | Sun Jian’s Forces | Liu Bei’s Forces | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cao Cao Dian Wei Guo Jia Li Dian Xiahou Dun Xiahou Yuan Xu Huang Xu Zhu Xun You Xun Yu Yu Jin Yue Jin | Cheng Pu Han Dang Huang Gai Ling Tong Lu Meng Lu Su Sun Ce Sun Jian Sun Quan Sun Shangxiang Taishi Ci Zhou Tai Zhou Yu | Guan Yu Liu Bei Zhang Fei | Chen Gong Diaochan Dong Zhuo Gan Ning Jia Xu Lu Bu Pang Tong Xu Shu Yuan Shao Yueying Zhang He Zhang Jiao Zhang Liao Zhao Yun Zhenji Zhou Cang Zhuge Liang |
Guo Jia
All Guo Jia companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Guo Jia
- Faction: Cao Cao’s Forces
- Weapon: Sword
- Battle Arts:
- Tornado Dance
- Flying Dragon Slash
- [Sp.] Absconding Slash
- Divine Eagle Dance
Guo Jia is the Cao Cao Force’s most trusted strategic officer, and his brilliant tactical decisions have led the faction to victory on multiple occasions. He’s a beneficial combat companion because of his Divine Eagle Dance battle art. This battle art is a massive AOE costing high bravery and perfectly complements a weapon type lacking a 360 radius. Moreover, he has Tornado Dance, a powerful AOE damage skill with great mobility. Bring Guo Jia as a combat companion when you want 360 AOE and mobility.
Xiahou Dun
All Xiahou Dun companion features, weapons, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Xiahou Dun
- Faction: Cao Cao’s Forces
- Weapon: Podao
- Battle Arts:
- Immortal Blade
- Sharp Fang Flurry
- [Sp.] Sea of Flames
- Burgeoning Devastation
Cousin to the faction leader himself, Xiahou commands numerous troops and serves as Cao Cao’s right-hand man. He lost his eye to an arrow during a battle against Lu Bu. Xiahou Dun uses the Podao which is a good weapon for strong attack damage and powerful battle arts. The immortal blade battle art is a great damage ability to use in combat. Bring Xiahou Dun along when you want to swap to a front damage based companion who has good strong attacks.
Zhang Liao
All Zhang Liao companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Zhang Liao
- Faction: Cao Cao’s Forces
- Weapon: Twin Pikes
- Battle Arts:
- Spinning Gale
- Battle Roar
- [Sp.] Wings of the Phoenix
- Furious Dual Rush
Originally part of Lu Bu’s forces, after the leader’s death he then began to fight alongside Cao Cao. In his most famous battle, he repelled a force of over 100,000 troops with just 800 men. Zhang Liao has one of the best weapons Twin Pikes, and Spinning Gale grants great mobility. Moreover, Twin Pikes can be powerful one-on-one just using a strong attack to lift targets in the air. He’s a great option if you want to swap in combat and not rely on battle arts.
Huang Gai
All Huang Gai companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Huang Gai
- Faction: Sun Jian’s Forces
- Weapon: Gauntlets
- Battle Arts:
- Raging Tiger Rampage
- Hurricane Kick
- [Sp.] Ardent Energy Strike
- Heaven and Earth’s Wrath
Huang Gai is an esteemed officer in Sun Jian’s forces, and would continue to serve the family through three generations. He’s overall one of the strongest combat companions because of his high survivability and Heaven and Earth’s Wrath battle arts. While Gauntlets” strong attack mechanic is a bit clunk, his overall powerful battle arts make up for the weapon types’ limitations.
Sun Shangxiang
All Sun Shangxiang companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Sun Shangxiang
- Faction: Sun Jian’s Forces
- Weapon: Wheels
- Battle Arts:
- Flying Ring Rend
- Triple Tempest
- [Sp.] Tornado Slam
- Twin Tiger Blast
The companion Sun Shangxiang makes a powerful combat companion due to her Twin Tiger Blast battle art. Using the Wheels, she can quickly swap in with max bravery and destroy a huge wave of enemies. Moreover, this can be done at a distance and while lower survivability, she has massive damage.
Zhou Yu
All Zhou Yu companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Zhou Yu
- Faction: Sun Jian’s Forces
- Weapon: Staff
- Battle Arts:
- Furious Tiger Dance
- Double Wave Slam
- [Sp.] Chaotic Flurry
- Vaulting Leap
The companion Zhou Yu has the highest mobility due to the Staff and Vaulting Leap Battle Art. He’s a great companion to bring to the battle field if you need quick movement in the open field.
Guan Yu
All Guan Yu companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Guan Yu
- Faction: Liu Bei’s Forces
- Weapon: Crescent Blade
- Battle Arts:
- Azure Dragon Bellow
- Divine Energy Domain
- [Sp] Relentless Whirl Slash
- Rising Cloud Crusher
The companion Guan Yu is incredibly durable, wielding the Crescent Blade and balanced battle arts. He has end-game battle arts and skills, allowing for huge damage to both AOE and single target. Pick him if you want wide-sweeping AOE skills.
Zhang Fei
All Zhang Fei companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Zhang Fei
- Faction: Liu Bei’s Forces
- Weapon: Lance
- Battle Arts:
- Battle Cry Blast
- Inner Fire Fury
- [Sp.] Crouching Tiger Strike
- Crushing Earth Gambit
The companion Zhang Fei is a balanced combatant wielding the Staff and having Crushing Earth Gambit battle art. This battle art is powerful area damage with great reach via the Lance. The Lance is also a great defensive weapon with a built-in counterattack by holding down the strong attack button. Consider him a good option for defensive.
Zhao Yun
All Zhao Yun companion features, weapon, and abilities in Dynasty Warriors: Origins:
- Name: Zhao Yun
- Faction: Liu Bei’s Forces
- Weapon: Spear
- Battle Arts:
- Earth Shatter
- Flying Dragon Rend
- [Sp.] Aerial Assault
- Dragon Flash
The companion Zhao Yun is built for mobility and knock us via the Spear and Battle Arts. With good mobility and single-target damage, you want to select Zhao Yun when one-on-one survivability is needed.
FAQs About Companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins
How many Companions are there in Dynasty Warriors: Origins?
There are 45 companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins that you can increase a Bond Level with, but only 9 that can join you on the battlefield. These 45 individuals will either be allied with one of the three main factions, or part of a group categorized as ‘Other’ outside of it.
Why should you max companion bonds in DWO?
You want to max out all of your battle companions so you can make Battle Art Chains and execute Extreme Musou Attacks. Additionally, you want to make out the other non-combat companions for the high-level, powerful Battle Arts abilities you can unlock.
Q3: Who is the best combat companion in Dynasty Warriors: Origins?
The best combat companion in DWO is the one using a weapon that compliments yours or brings a strength to your weakness. For example, For instance, Sun Shangxiang has good mid-range front damage with her wheels and pairs well with a more AOE-based weapon type like the Twin Pikes.
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