Dynasty Warriors: Origins is, all told, a pretty straightforward game. Talk to some guys on the overworld map, get into a battle, fight all the soldiers and capture all the bases, rinse and repeat until the game is done. Even the postgame lays a clear path forward for those who want to see and do everything the game offers. With that said, you can imagine my surprise once I realized that, with over 100 hours put into the game, I found some pretty huge secrets that I totally missed as I played.
It’s a shame, as some of these hidden scenes and battles are pretty awesome! So whether you’re aiming for total completion yourself, or you just want to pick the game up again, here are five secrets that you don’t want to miss.
2 / 7
When Diaochan appears in Chapter 2, you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s going to become a main character. However, even after her semi-romantic date with Ziluan and her dramatic capture by Dong Zhuo, she almost completely disappears from the main story after Chapter 3. What happened with her and Lu Bu? Where did she go?
Don’t worry, these questions have answers! To uncover Diaochan’s fate and unlock her final Bond event, you must attain complete peace in the Sili Province. You’ll naturally bolster the peace gauge if you aim to unlock every story path in the game, but you’ll almost certainly need to grind skirmishes to max out the peace in this region completely. Once you achieve total peace, a letter will appear in the inn as long as you’ve progressed far enough in the story. This will lead you to one final conversation with Diaochan, uniting her and Ziluan as they discuss what the future will look like for them.
3 / 7
As the leader of the Yellow Turbans, Zhang Jiao’s rebellion against an uncaring and oppressive government is easy to sympathize with since, you know… *wildly waving my arms as I point in every imaginable direction*. Fortunately, it seems Koei Tecmo and Omega Force agree, as you can unlock an entire string of Bond events with Zhang Jiao by replaying Chapter One in New Game Plus.
Maxing out this Bond can be a bit tricky, as you need to complete several missions that you can’t skip by visiting Shui Jing Retreat. However, once you see the first two Bond event cutscenes, you can skip to Chapter 2 to unlock the final scene.
4 / 7
This one isn’t as interesting as the other entries, but this did drive me crazy as I chased down my fancy platinum trophy, so I’m here to help other completionists avoid my struggle.
Of all the story path’s in the game, Cao Cao’s has the most branching paths. You can save Dian Wei in Chapter 4, save Guo Jia in Chapter 5, and completely change the final Battle of Chibi by bringing Guo Jia with you and foiling Zhuge Liang’s surprise fire attack. With all these alternate outcomes, it’s incredibly easy to miss one technically unique cutscene that only triggers if you don’t save Dian Wei but do save Guo Jia. I hope my use of italics drives home how much fun I had figuring this out.
This scene genuinely adds functionally nothing to your experience, but it is a requirement if you want 100 percent story completion. The things we do for an immaterial medal.
5 / 7
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is at its best when massive armies collide, and no mission delivers this thrill more than the secret “Dream Battle” Mission. To unlock the Dream Battle, you have to attain max peace in every region in the game. Once you do, you should receive a letter in the inn from “???” called “To the Man of the Moment,” which will unlock the Dream Battle immediately afterwards.
This is an absolutely massive brawl that pairs you with heroes from all three of the game’s main factions as you take on the game’s biggest villains at once. This includes Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, and yes, even Lu Bu. Make sure to enter this one with strong weapons and skills fit for taking down hundreds of soldiers at once!A screenshot from Dynasty Warriors: Origins. The protagonist is holding a glowing medal.
6 / 7
In addition to the Dream Battle, you’ll also unlock a brand new epilogue by achieving peace throughout the land in Dynasty Warriors: Origins. This sequence will trigger regardless of which of the six endings you get, as it reunites Ziluan and Bailuan for one final conversation about what it means to be a Guardian of Peace. Like the scene with Diaochan, this scene puts a cap on Bailuan’s story arc and serves as a little send off for those who have enjoyed the game enough to unlock this scene to begin with.
Congratulations to restoring peace to the land once and for all, or at least until Dynasty Warriors: Origins: Xtreme Legends comes out.
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7 / 7