Dynasty Warriors 7/Weapon Movesets

Weapons in Dynasty Warriors 7 behave in a different manner than previous iterations of the series. Like the Strikeforce titles, characters can simultaneously equip two weapons at once and can switch between them at will. During battle, players can hold more than one weapon in their inventory and can switch the weapons they're using to change to another in reserve. This can be done during the middle of battle or even when the character is still in the air.

A quick switch between the two weapons triggers a "Switch Attack". Depending on the weapon, the motions for the attack motion will vary.

An "EX Attack" becomes available when a character is equipped with their personal weapon of choice (colloquially known as "EX Weapon"). The method for inputting these attacks are shown to the player through the weapon's action listing in the game's pause menu. A simple way of spotting the EX Attack or a character's weapon of choice is by noting the letters "EX" with the weapon icon. When it's selected, the golden letters will notify the player. There is one "EX Attack" available per character.

Even if characters have a preferred weapon of choice, however, the producer stresses that any weapon can be freely equipped for any character. A character's preferred weapon may not always be the best one for each character since it may not cover all of the character's weakspots. For an example, he compared Guan Yu and his trademark Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The weapon may cover a wide range but it's also slow and leaves Guan Yu open to attacks. To counter this, the producer suggested equipping Guan Yu with a speedier weapon type to make him more flexible. The weapon system strives to grant players the freedom to counteract these type of imbalanced traits at their own will and preferences.

Since the movesets themselves are ingrained with the weapon and not the character, all of the characters in this title will have similar movesets. This means anyone using a set of gauntlets, for example, will act in the same manner as Ding Feng or Meng Huo, the EX users of the weapon type. The known traits to separate EX users from the rest of the cast are their EX Attacks and specialized musou attacks. Musou attacks for all of the characters will switch to their preferred weapon, regardless of whatever weapon they are currently using. Even if he doesn't have it within his inventory, Zhao Yun will automatically switch to his spear for his musou attacks. The producer remarked that players can make any type of joke they want about how this is even possible. Gender may play a part in deciding on which weapons a character may be able to use.

"Unique" weapons also exist in the game. For instance, both Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi have feather fans as their weapon of choice. Zhuge Liang will have a white and green fan while Sima Yi's will turn black and purple. Wang Yuanji's throwing daggers for her downloadable costume will change their look but they will act the same. These "unique" effects are purely cosmetic.

Weapons can be earned by defeating enemy generals in battle or by purchasing them at a weapons store in Story or Conquest Mode. There are weapons that will be exclusive for the player in one mode and not the other (i.e: there are weapons available in Story Mode that can't be found in Conquest Mode).

Weapons

 * Weapon Affiliations
 * Sword - Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun, Sun Jian, Sun Quan, Sima Zhao
 * Rapier - Liu Shan, Sima Shi, Yuan Shao
 * Feather fan - Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Zhuge Dan
 * Dual swords - Cao Pi, Lu Xun, Liu Bei
 * Spear - Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Jiang Wei
 * Halberd - Xu Huang, Lu Meng, Guan Yu
 * Double-bladed voulge - Zhang Fei, Wei Yan
 * Great sword - Guan Ping, Xiahou Ba
 * Throwing daggers - Wang Yuanji, Zhu Rong
 * Chain and sickle - Jia Xu, Gan Ning
 * Chain mace - Cao Ren, Dong Zhuo
 * Club - Xu Zhu, Huang Gai
 * Nunchaku - Ling Tong, Guan Suo
 * Bo staff - Zhou Yu, Yue Ying
 * Gauntlets - Ding Feng, Meng Huo
 * Bow - Xiahou Yuan, Huang Zhong
 * Iron rod - Pang Tong, Zhang Jiao
 * Iron fan - Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao
 * Sword and shield - Xing Cai
 * Flying swords - Zhong Hui
 * Sky Piercer - Lu Bu
 * Dual halberds - Zhang Liao
 * Drill spear - Deng Ai
 * Dual whips - Taishi Ci
 * Axe - Dian Wei
 * Crescent sword - Zhou Tai
 * Claws - Zhang He
 * Tonfa - Sun Ce
 * Crossbow - Lian Shi
 * Wheels - Sun Shang Xiang
 * Whip - Diao Chan
 * Bladed yo-yo - Bao Sanniang
 * Arm cannon - Guo Huai
 * Magic brush - Ma Dai
 * Flute - Zhen Ji
 * Harp - Cai Wenji

These weapons only appear in Conquest Mode.
 * Downloadable weapons


 * Dagger-axe - Yue Ying's first weapon of choice in the series
 * Bombs - Huang Gai's secondary weapon throughout the series
 * Short-handled Halberd - weapon historically used by Dian Wei to fight Lu Bu's army
 * Wolf fang pole - Xiahou Dun's weapon in Dynasty Warriors 6

Individual Character Proficiencies
Each character can use some weapons better than others. When the player wants to equip a certain weapon type with their character, the will see a number of stars to mark their character's personal proficiency with each available weapon. Three stars is the highest, one star is the lowest.

This table lists characters in their default order for this game. The sequence for the character listings is Wei, Wu, Shu, Jin, and Other.

Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Sends forth an air wave.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack:

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing : Dashes forward causing a wind swirl.
 * , : Emits a few energy beams which explode on the ground.


 * Switch Attack: Sends forth a little tornado.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing :


 * Switch Attack: Emits a shockwave.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Player will grab the nearest opponent with their feet to use as an anchor, extend themselves full length to spin around once to hit a wide radius and then slam their victim into the ground. It vaguely resembles Zhao Yun's attack during the Dynasty Warriors 5 introduction movie.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing : Throws daggers in the air, kicks them when falling down onto the opponent.
 * , : Throws two fans of daggers down to the opponent.


 * Switch Attack: Sends a fan of daggers which will daze any nearby enemies.

Horse Moveset

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 * ,, , , , : Throws daggers down at opponents from the left side of the horse.

Fighting Style
The throwing daggers moveset is quick and strong at mid range and short range combat. It's not good to use if the player is surrounded as it lacks strong knock back attacks and generally only hits enemies in the front. This leaves users of this moveset highly vulnerable to attacks from behind. This moveset also has a hard time breaking blocks and guards but can easily juggle opponents if they are already airborne.

Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing : Slams the opponent with the bow.
 * , : Jumps around while firing a row of arrows onto the ground.


 * Switch Attack:

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Throws the fan a short distance away; it will spin in place to create a temporary whirlwind which will juggle any enemies caught in it.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Swords rotate while flying forward slashing those near.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Slashes both halberds at once to send a large shockwave.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Slams the ground in front of the player.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Throws the axe which swirls a few times around the character.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing :


 * Switch Attack:

Horse Moveset

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 * ,, , , , : Shoots six groups of arrows consecutively to the right side.

Fighting Style
The crossbow moveset is highly immobile and vulnerable to crowds and back attacks as much of the time the player stands in place shooting their weapon. Users of this weapon should avoid crowds when possible and utilize the fighting style's long ranged attacks. A secondary weapon with strong knockbacks would be good to use with this moveset to gain a comfortable shooting distance.

Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Throws the wheels a short distance away where they will spin in place and slice any enemies nearby.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: Player will sit on the ground and send the whip forth stunning the opponent in front of them.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Switch Attack: A short-ranged swing which will knock any nearby enemies into the air.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing :


 * Switch Attack: A powerful soundwave will surround the player dazing any opponents hit by it.

Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing :


 * Switch Attack: A powerful soundwave will surround the player dazing any opponents hit by it.

Horse Moveset

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Fighting Style
The harp moveset is one of the few limited to female characters only. It is strong at close range as players can easily juggle opponents. There is some slight lag time between attacks and can leave players vulnerable to back attacks. So long as players aren't too heavily surrounded from behind it is a moveset good for crowd clearing nearby opponents. The moveset also incorporates some mobility and players can easily keep their distance and hit from afar.

Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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Horse Moveset

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Ground Moveset

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 * Dashing :


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Horse Moveset

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