Dynasty Warriors Origins: Battle of Guangzong guide

Dynasty Warriors Origins’ penultimate mission in Chapter 1 is the Battle of Guangzong. While there are plenty of random missions, training missions, and other things to do scattered across the region, the Battle of Guangzong is one of the final actual story missions for the introduction. Your goal is to strike down Zhang Jiao, and put an end to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, thus saving the Han.

This mission takes place after Battle of Wan Castle — no, not the one where Cao Cao is fleeing a trap. However, if you need to know what to do to succeed at the Battle of Guangzong in Dynasty Warriors Origins, we’re here to help you do just that.

How to complete the Battle of Guangzong in Dynasty Warriors Origins

Victory Condition: Defeat Zhang Jiao
Defeat Condition: Dong Zhuo is forced to flee

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The Battle of Guangzong is a level 5 story mission in Chapter 1 of Dynasty Warriors Origins. A relatively simple battle, the victory/failure objectives are remarkably straightforward. The Victory Condition is to defeat Zhang Jiao. Conversely, the Defeat Condition is if Dong Zhuo is forced to flee. He’s the commander in this battle, so it’s up to Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and, of course, the hero, to get this job done.

Surely, the Yellow Turbans are cornered, with nowhere to go (Image via Koei Tecmo)

You likely only have Spear or Longsword to choose from in terms of weapons. I opted for the sword because I don’t like the damage or skills on a spear — despite its range. The sword hits harder, and I like its skills more.

Preparation for Battle

Weapon: Longsword

Battle Arts:

Sp. Absconding Slash
Swallow Slash
Mad Blade Rush
Sp. Palm Strike

Accessory:

Ziluan’s Sash

Unlocking Battle of Guangzong

You unlock the Battle of Guangzong in Dynasty Warriors Origins after completing the Battle of Wan Castle. You’ll head to the next Expeditionary Camp, and interact with it to get cutscenes that will lead you to this battle. From there, just ride to the battle location and interact with it to begin.

Battle of Guangzong walkthrough in Dynasty Warriors Origins

Capturing forts gives your enemy fewer safe havens to deploy troops from (Image via Koei Tecmo)

The Battle of Guangzong in Dynasty Warriors Origins begins with your ability to ride a few different places. For my money, I went east first, to take control of the fort over there. There’s a generic officer in the way to take out before you can command your soldiers to break down the door.

Zhang Jiao’s going to likely boost the morale of his allies at this point — the lower your side’s morale, the easier it is to make allies flee. Focus on this base, and defeat Zhang Mancheng inside. He’s a pretty standard longsword wielder — watch out for opportunities to use Sp. Palm Strike to cancel out his specials.

Other than that, he’s nobody special. He won’t likely have more than three Fortitude to break through, so just keep pushing him around and claim the fort afterward by killing enemies until you now own it. There may be another generic officer inside too — defeat them as well — you can’t claim a fort until all officers are defeated.

Take to the west, claim that fort, and come upon the enemy from behind (Image via Koei Tecmo)

From there, run back through your main camp, and around to the West side. There’s another fort there that you want to claim. Wipe out the weak generic Yellow Turban General, and force your way into the base. Inside this base, you’ll find Deng Mao, another Yellow Turban officer.

You can handle him just like you did Zhang Mancheng. You should also take the time to Parry and Perfect Evade, so you can break down Fortitude/Build bravery faster. He’s another weak, insignificant officer, so just beat him down and take over the fort. At this point, another morale buff will hit Zhang Jiao.

Head north through the fort, jump down off the small hill, and head northeast. You’ll see a large spot of red on the map, with several red circles in it. There are plenty of generic officers for you to beat up here as a part of Dynasty Warriors Origins’ Battle of Guangzong. This will keep your allies safe, while also giving you lots of kills and weapon exp.

A good Musou does wonders (Image via Koei Tecmo)

Your allies are probably going to start struggling in the center, so take care of them, too. I rode northwest first to defeat the officer guarding the fort, but people began to struggle, changing my plans. You might as well stay in the center, and defeat the officers there to keep your team’s morale high, and health meters full.

If you ride up to an officer who’s struggling, they’ll gain a major health boost and can continue fighting. Here in the center of the map, you’ll find Pei Yuanshao as one of the Yellow Turban officers, along with a few generic Yellow Turbans.

These officers come at you fast but aren't especially tough (Image via Koei Tecmo)

Pei Yuanshao uses the dagger moveset, so they’re going to constantly throw little blades at you. They can be parried and dodged — I prefer dodge at this point in the game. He only has four Fortitude, so I can use the Bravery to spam powerful moves and break his guard. Use Sp. Palm Strike when he glows orange and jumps to stun him out of his best attack. Other than that, just wear him down.

However, around this time, trouble shows up in your main camp, so ride back down to deal with it immediately. A group of rebel soldiers claim your base, so take the time to beat down these low-level officers, and get the base back. It’s not a requirement, but you don’t want them to start spreading and fighting other forts of yours.

Counter-hits make fights infinitely easier (Image via Koei Tecmo)

At the same time, the northwest fort opened up, and it looks like the main Yellow Turban encampment is starting to open for Dynasty Warriors Origins Battle of Guangzong. Zhou Cang also shows up on the field at this time and is a serious threat — or can be.

Let the allies on the west side deal with the rest of the rebels — head back to the center to fight officers like Bian Xi. Frankly, none of the Yellow Turban officers are incredibly strong. They’re peasants, after all.

When you’re ready, head north to help Guan Yu against Zhou Cang at the Battle of Guangzong in Dynasty Warriors Origins. This may be the first time you see the Gauntlet weapons used.

Claim your cool new gloves, and move on! (Image via Koei Tecmo)

If you choose to defeat Zhou Cang, he’ll drop those for you. Use your multi-hit strikes in Dynasty Warriors Origins, as well as strong combos to break down his Fortitude. He mostly flips around and does punch/kick attacks, but keep an eye on him glowing, for a chance to interrupt him with Palm Strike.

Once you best him, ride east and head to your fort, to defeat Huang Shao and Bo Cai — Hua Xuang may be struggling here. Better to go anyway, and not let your ally grow weak. Deal with them exactly like you have everyone else. They’re not special.

Soon you’ll see a Grand Tactic formation appear on the map, so your allies can charge in. Join this, and your army will ride forth, clashing with Zhang Jiao’s in the top center of the map. This is where the final part of the Dynasty Warriors Origins stage takes place.

It's time for a Large Force fight! (Image via Koei Tecmo)

It’s time to contend with Zhang Jiao’s Large Force. As you defeat his officers and soldiers, the overall health of the Large Forge will wear down. Keep an eye out for groups of attacking soldiers that glow orange — you can counter them with Palm Strike just like you can individual officers.

Watch out for the Full Infantry Charge Grand Tactic — you’ll have two minutes to defeat 200 soldiers, which honestly, should be a breeze — especially if you have a Musou built up, or see huge groups of soldiers that are clumped together. Always prioritize stopping Grand Tactics.

Just keep defeating officers, both generic and named, until Zhang Jiao’s Large Force disperses. Now you can fight Zhang Jiao himself, now that he’s on the battlefield. He uses a mystic staff, a weapon that players do not get to unlock. He’s not incredibly aggressive, so keep him staggered and stunned.

We'll get 'em next time ... (Image via Koei Tecmo)

His staff attacks aren’t very fast, making them pretty easy to parry in Dynasty Warriors Origins, and he doesn’t really cast any spells in this battle, interestingly enough. At about 25%, he drops to one knee, and his officers will cover for him, so he can escape. As Zhang Jiao escapes, the battle ends - the next one, you’ll catch up with him.

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Edited by Jito Tenson