Wei Yan

Wei Yan was an officer of Shu. Liu Bei held confidence in him, but Zhuge Liang was wary. He served for many years fighting mercilessly, but after Zhuge Liang's death, he refused to pull out of Wei and started a revolt in which he was cut down by Ma Dai, who had pretended to serve him.

Historical Information

 * "Officer... Defeat..."
 * -Wei Yan

Wèi Yán (175-234), was a general under Liu Bei's kingdom Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of Han China. Contrary to Luo Guanzhong's Chinese epic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Yan did not slay his former lord, Han Xuan, nor was Huang Zhong ordered to be executed for his failure with Guan Yu. Rather, Huang Zhong advised Han Xuan to surrender to Liu Bei, to save lives of soldiers that would've participated in battle. However, Shu strategist, Zhuge Liang, was very distrusting of the general.

There was never any historical record of Wei Yan actually serving Liu Biao, though he followed Liu Bei into the new kingdom of Shu. With his many military accomplishments, he was promoted to a General's rank. Liu Bei then assigned him the work of guarding Hanzhong. This honor was truly real, as even Zhang Fei thought he was the one to do the duty.

Around the year 227, after Liu Bei's death, Zhuge Liang selected Wei Yan to join the campaign against Wei. Wei Yan's strategies, though radical, were almost always rejected by Zhuge Liang. This again, displayed Zhuge Liang's dislike of Wei Yan, though some Wei generals were said to fear him.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

 * "We ought rather to kill him, and those who will, let them follow me."
 * -Wei Yan, after saving Huang Zhong.

In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Yan was first registered under Liu Biao. In Xiang Yang, Wei Yan sees, and allows Liu Bei to come in safely into the city. However, Wen Ping, a fellow officer, decided against it, and fought with him. Wei Yan, displeased, joins Han Xuan in Changsha.



Wei Yan meets dissatisfaction again, as his new leader treats him horribly. However, soon after joining, he finds that Han Xuan is about to execute future Shu general Huang Zhong, for his poor performance against Liu Bei's sworn brother, Guan Yu. Wei Yan rushes in, and saves Huang Zhong from a sure fate, and repeats afterwards, “Huang Zhong is our bulwark! To destroy him is to destroy the people of Changsha. This Governor[referring to Han Xuan] is too fierce and cruel, too lightly values good people, and is too arrogant toward his officers. We ought rather to kill him, and those who will, let them follow me.”. Against Huang Zhong, Yan's followers came with him to Han Xuan's castle, and beheaded him. Wei Yan rode out to Guan Yu with Han Xuan's head, followed by the Shu general coming with him to the city to restore confidence to the citizens. He and Huang Zhong were then made Shu generals under Liu Bei.

Under his time during Shu, Wei Yan developed a kind of rivalry with Huang Zhong, whom he was paired with, along with Guan Yu, usually. The pair acted as Pang Tong's bodyguards during his campaigns. During the Battle of Cheng Du, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan quarreled in front of Liu Bei on who should attack the enemy's force. Wei Yan commented on Huang Zhong's age hindering his war capabilities, which offended the general, so he requested a duel. Pang Tong quickly stopped it, and sent both generals to attack, but the one who gains the camp gets the bigger reward. Huang Zhong was assigned to defeat one Ling Bao, while Wei Yan was assigned to attack Deng Xiang. Wei Yan goes out to defeat his target before his rival, but, as he went out so early, his troops retreat, followed by their commander. Deng Xiang pursued Wei Yan, and was about to kill him, when a bowstring is heard, and Deng Xiang is killed by Huang Zhong. Wei Yan sees Ling Bao, then ambushes and takes him prisoner. Huang Zhong reports this to Liu Bei, and Wei Yan apologizes.

In 234, Zhuge Liang died. Wei Yan then accused fellow general Yang Yi of rebelling. Yang Yi is supported, while Wei Yan is not. Yang Yi and his army snuck behind Wei Yan's, but the latter is quick to attack first. His soldiers knew that their leader was not in favor, so they scattered. Ma Dai chases a fleeing Wei Yan, and takes his head.

During his time active, Wei Yan carried on the tradition, and fearlessness of the Five Tiger Generals. Out of bravery and skill, he was a major force in Shu's Northern Campaigns.

Characteristics
First appearing in Dynasty Warriors 2, Wei Yan had received a weapon change. During installments 2-5, he had used a double voulge, named "Double Comet". Though, much to the dismay of fans, Wei Yan's new weapon is a giant club. Currently, he shares a moveset along with Xu Zhu, Dong Zhuo, and Huang Gai. However, unlike the rest of his moveset clones, Wei Yan's charge and Musou attacks have been infused with the Wind element, flinging enemies into the air.

Wei Yan also has always been depicted with a speech impairment, as he can only chain together sentences with the most basic of words. With this, he has also been dressed as a barbarian, wearing a horned mask, organic clothing such as skirts and upper body plates, skeletal outer linings, and a distinct feature in all versions was his dread hairstyle. In Dynasty Warriors 6, Wei Yan had been given a full body set of armor, in which he now wears a texture of armor similar to crocodiles. He still retains horns on his costume, including a mask that covers his entire face, but his eyes and mouth.

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Two flips with a spiral.
 * , undefined: A jab up with the spear.
 * ,, undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined): A series of dancing swings.
 * ,, , undefined: A powerful knock back with the spear.
 * ,, , , undefined: A backflip/wind tunnel.
 * ,, , , , undefined: A weapon-rotating spin in the air.
 * A moving series of jabbing swings.
 * Jump.
 * , : Jump, then swipe.
 * , undefined: Wei Yan jumps, then performs a flip into an upside-down position. From there, he spins his voulge.

Horse Moveset

 * undefined: Wei Yan leans to each side, and spins his weapon.
 * , undefined: An attack to the left, then spinning his weapon to both sides.
 * ,, undefined: Two attacks on the right and left, followed by two weapon rotations.
 * ,, , undefined: Two slashes to the right side, one to the left, then a helicopter-styled spin horizontally.
 * ,, , , undefined: Two attacks to both sides, then a spinning voulge to both sides.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Three attacks to the right side, two to the left, then a helicopter-styled spin.
 * Repeating slashes to all sides until the Musou gauge empties.
 * Dismount.

Using Wei Yan

 * "This will be a chance to express myself!"
 * -Wei Yan

Dynasty Warriors
Wei Yan, pre-Dynasty Warriors 6, was ever the crowd clearer. Most of his undefined attacks consist of him spinning his double voulge, which also has range. Though he's not a faster character, his mid-range attack makes up for it. Wei Yan's moveset is also exceptionally useful for harder difficulties, as it stalls enemies from attacking. The best string for this is, , undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined), which tears through troop units, and it has potential to kill officers quickly as well.



As explained before, Wei Yan is a great crowd clearer. Strings like, , , , , , undefined, and , , undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined) repeatedly juggle the enemy in the air, providing for heavy damage. Combined with elements, these attacks devastate ranks.His Musou attack consists of spinning and slashing the enemies. It's somewhat hard to master, though is very useful for clearing large crowds.

One of Wei Yan's drawbacks is the difficulty to hit targets when attacking, though this only minor.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi, Wei Yan has two special attacks. Luckily, since he's a Speed-type character, neither of them require Musou to use. The first one needs the player to move, and is unblockable. Wei Yan propels himself into the air by spinning his double voulge, similar to a helicopter, then smashes down into the ground with the blade. In the original Warriors Orochi, the blade would only hit those directly in front of it. However, in the sequel, the attack has been buffed into making a small earthquake. This special move can also be used right before enemy attacks, to evade them via leaping above them, and landing behind enemies.

The second special attack can be used to make enemies pop-up into the air, then making a pathway for juggling them. Wei Yan spits out a fireball which causes an explosion after traveling a set distance. However, this attack is blockable, but also is very useful with Wei Yan's Air Dash.With the built-in abilities of a Speed character, Wei Yan is able to execute many combos with the attack cancel. Mid-attack, Wei Yan can jump into the air for air juggling. An effective way to use this is to use his standing fireball special, and, right after, Air Dash to an enemy, use, and after landing on the ground, use the , , undefined, undefined, undefined, undefined) string.

As with every character, a few elements are recommended to use with Wei Yan, though applying these depends on the player's play style. Examples are Fire, Bolt, Flash, Might, Brave, etc. Abilities such as Drain and Absorb aren't recommended for Wei Yan. Drain, which absorbs enemy life, is usually used for higher difficulties, while Absorb, which drains enemy Musou, isn't needed because of Wei Yan's "free" special attacks.

Dynasty Warriors 3

 * 4th Weapon: Double Comet
 * Element: Death
 * Basic +46, Jump +23, Attack +24, Defense +56, Range +22
 * Stage: Jie Ting (Shu)
 * Precious Item (location: on top of the hill where Ma Su sets up his camp).
 * Requirements: After a little while Ma Su will charge the enemy but will instead be ambushed. When this happens find the enemy general attacking him (under Zhang He’s command) and defeat him to save Ma Su. Keep Ma Su safe. Defeat all enemy officers by Sima Yi and then enter his camp (the item report will occur).

Dynasty Warriors 4

 * Level 10 Weapon: Comet Strike
 * Power: 57
 * How to get it: Defeat Han Xuan before the enemy reinforcements appear. (NOTE: As you know, Zhao Fan is in the north while Jin Xuan is in the west. Whoever you go to, head for Han Xuan once the door is opens.)

Dynasty Warriors 5

 * 4th Weapon: Comet Strike
 * Base Attack: 36; Weight: Medium
 * Stats: Attack +18, Defense +16, Musou +15, Charge +16, Luck +15
 * Stage: Battle of Chen Cang (Shu)
 * Location: In the upper-left part of Chen Cang Castle, just south of Sima Yi’s position.
 * Requirements: Defeat the four Defense Captains guarding Chen Cang.

Dynasty Warriors
In the Dynasty Warriors series, Yan acted as the remains of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu, and as one of Shu's later warriors. Wei Yan would usually act along with Huang Zhong, in Zhuge Liang's northern expeditions. Friction is shown between him and subordinates and strategists, reflecting off of Luo Guangzhong's personification of the figure. In Dynasty Warriors 6, Wei Yan has unique dialogue, such as encouragement, gratitude, victory, etc., with Liu Bei.

Warriors Orochi
In the original Warriors Orochi, Wei Yan is unlocked through the Shu stage, Battle of Cheng Du. He led a small force stationed in Cheng Du castle, defending against the combined forces of Yuan Shao and Yukimura Sanada. The two were confused into attacking them by the devious plot of Orochi's strategist, Da Ji. She laid out messengers on the battlefield to confuse the Yuan Shao force into thinking that the Coalition and Wei Yan armies were zombies, revived by Orochi. After persuading Shao and Yukimura that Da Ji is the real villain, they defeat her, and join Shu's search for Liu Bei.

In Warriors Orochi 2, Wei Yan can be unlocked in the Shu story mode, at the Battle of Saika. He appears as reinforcements to the Coalition, along with Zhao Yun, to defeat and persuade Masamune Date to join them. With Keiji Maeda controlling the center garrison, Ieyasu Tokugawa wants to avoid it in the beginning but Wei Yan initiates a fire attack. When Wei Yan is attacked, Hanzo Hattori comes to his aid and supports him as he reaches his goal.

In the stage, Wei Yan has a special cutscene with Hanzo Hattori. In it, Wei Yan and Hanzo slaughter surrounding enemies, then have a small conversation, but with minimal talking. The two could have been paired because of their lack of speech in past games, along with they're preferring of action over words.

Next, at the Battle of Jia Meng Gate, Wei Yan is one of the officers fighting Kiyomori with Guan Yu. He is the western most officer and gets hampered by phantom soldiers until the arrival of Zhang Liao.