Dynasty Warriors 6/Weapon Movesets

Several characters in Dynasty Warriors 6 share the same weapon types and movesets. In Dynasty Warriors 6: Special, six characters' movesets were changed. Technically, Sun Shang Xiang and Sun Ce have unique movesets in the latter game.

The feature is seen as a grievous fault by players who are looking for unique attacks and weaponry.

Characters with the same movesets

 * Spear: Ma Chao, Sun Ce, Zhang He, and Taishi Ci
 * Polearm: Guan Ping, Lu Meng, Ling Tong, Xu Huang, and Cao Ren
 * Sword: Sun Quan, Yuan Shao, and Cao Pi
 * Dao: Huang Zhong, Zhou Tai, and Xiahou Yuan
 * Mace: Wei Yan, Huang Gai, Dong Zhuo, and Xu Zhu
 * Bow: Yue Ying and Sun Shang Xiang
 * Whip: Zhen Ji and Diao Chan
 * Staff: Pang Tong and Zhang Jiao

Changes made in Dynasty Warriors 6: Special

 * Spear: Sun Ce
 * Ma Chao has been given a great sword.
 * Zhang He has been given claws.
 * Taishi Ci has been given dual rods.


 * Polearm: Guan Ping, Lu Meng, Xu Huang, and Cao Ren
 * Ling Tong has been given a triple-sectioned staff.


 * Sword: Sun Quan and Yuan Shao
 * Cao Pi has been given a longsword.


 * Bow: Sun Shang Xiang
 * Yue Ying has been given a bladed crossbow.

Properties
The following movesets use the default settings for the PlayStation ports. Here are the Xbox equivalents to each button
 * X - Normal attack
 * Y - Charge attack
 * B - Musou
 * A - Jump

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Three swings and a stab. One wide swing followed by a spinning slash. Follows with two slashes that hit wide. Hits with the butt end of his weapon before using his spear end for a low swing. Performs another spinning swing, low slash, and ends with six criss-crossing blows with his spear.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Five spinning slashes and a stab. Each user has their special finish in the attack.
 * undefined (held): Anticipated wide swing.
 * Series of attacks that ends with them spinning their weapon before performing a forward stab enhanced with a small damaging aura. Each user has their special finish in the attack.


 * , : Downwards swing.
 * , undefined: Hovers in the air before smashing his spear into the ground. Each user has their special finish to the move.
 * Dashing : Simple short swing.
 * Dashing undefined: Starts with his spear point low before spinning into a leaping attack. Takes some time to recover.


 * Grapple attack : A simple stab forward. If it connects, he knocks the knees of his foe and ends with another stab.
 * Grapple attack undefined: Starts as a slow spinning attack. If it connects, he stabs his foe's torso before spinning again.
 * Deadlock attack: Jump kicks into his foe before swiping them away in a single blow.

Horse Moveset

 * string: series of swings to the right. Number of strikes is determined by the Renbu gauge.
 * undefined: strong swing to the right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Spear wielding fighters are mobile mid-ranged warriors who are versatile for many situations. Their normal attacks use both ends of their weapon and are more prone to stabbing during later Renbu levels. Their charge attacks spin the character forward, and the running version is useful for breaking down obstacles. While they may take time to get used to, their grapples are very useful for close-ranged encounters. Compared to the polearm users, these fighters work best by being offensive with their reach. The main downside to the style may be their need for running space; performing their charge attacks while near a cliff may not be the best idea. Also, their charges leave them open for an attack as they cannot react until they have landed from their spins. They also do not possess many anti-air defenses and are left open to many aerial opponents.

Sun Ce projects a larger wave of energy in front of him, Zhang He poses with a final shockwave, Taishi Ci emits a large burst of energy during a pose, and Ma Chao has a small ground explosion as his finale.

Zhang He's unique trait during his charge chain is that the final attack is decorated with pink petals and a purple aura.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Four left and right slashes. Turns into a swing, slashes to the left, and hits with the butt side of his weapon. Stabs with the bottom end of his polearm and follows with an overhead swing from his left. Slices diagonally once with two wide horizontal swings. Ends with six one-handed spins of his weapon, hitting foes around him in a wide arc.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Four wide swings before slamming the point of his weapon into the ground. Activates elements on the second or third attack.
 * undefined (held): Sliding diagonal cut.
 * A hastier chain of attacks. End his assault with three decisive swings and a hopping overhead strike to the ground as they land.


 * , : Downwards 180 degree swing.
 * , undefined: Rises slightly in the air to smash the ground with his weapon's bladed end.
 * Dashing : Quick bash with the bottom end of their weapon.
 * Dashing undefined: Running overhead slash to hit the ground. Each user has a different effect added in their attack.


 * Grapple attack : A quick diagonal bash with his weapon's bottom end. If it connects, he hits his opponent's torso and anchors them closer with his weapon's bladed end. He then knocks them upwards with his weapon.
 * Grapple attack undefined: A slow stab forward. If it connects, he pivots to hit his foe with his weapon's bottom end. He hurls them after the weapon connects.
 * Deadlock attack: Stabs foe, turns to the opponent's side, and throws them from his weapon.

Horse Moveset

 * string: series of swings to the right. Number of attacks depend on Renbu level.
 * undefined: strong swing to the right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Similar to the spear, polearm users are user friendly, mid-ranged fighters who can use the range of their weapon to close in on their foes. Warriors in this style, however, use less movement during their attacks and are slightly slower during their strikes. Their grapples also have a shallower starting range than the spear, making them slightly harder to time during confrontations. To compensate for their drop in speed, many of their attacks have a longer range than the spear fighters, making them strong defensive fighters with various poking mind games. Their running charge attack can either be used to break an enemy's guard during duels or to clear a small crowd of guards. They continue to share the spear's cons regarding attacks from the air and also require a longer setup to continue their combos.

Guan Ping is surrounded by a large damaging aura for his musou finisher, Ling Tong is surrounded by a freezing current, Lu Meng hits the ground for an energy explosion, Xu Huang's blow unleashes rocks into the air, and Cao Ren hurls a small air wave.

Xu Huang's running charge is unique in that he pounds the ground and damages his enemies with the flying soil. Other users in this style either hurl a slice of energy (Ling Tong and Cao Ren) or emit a small damaging aura from the point of their weapon (Guan Ping and Lu Meng).

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Three cuts and a stab. Follows with two twirling diagonal cuts and an energy enhanced stab. Cuts once, stabs, and cuts diagonally once. Ends the cycle by twirling his blade in a criss-cross circular motion in front of him ten times, cutting foes in range of his blade.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Stationary cut that lifts foe into the air. Slices twice with feet planted on the ground. Slashes an airwave and hops into the air to send another.
 * undefined (held): One spinning slash in the air and lands with a mightier slash.
 * Series of cuts and slices. Ends by hurtling forward twice and landing with his arms outstretched while kneeling on one knee. Emits a special effect unique to each user.


 * , : 180 degree downwards cut.
 * , undefined: Hovers in the air briefly while pointing his sword downwards. Plummets his sword into the ground for a shockwave.
 * Dashing : Two spinning slices.
 * Dashing undefined: A hard spinning diagonal cut that starts low and rises to his right.


 * Grapple attack : A short slash. If it connects, he follows with three more decisive cuts.
 * Grapple attack undefined: A diagonal slash. If it connects, he follows with two spinning kicks, sending his opponent flying.
 * Deadlock attack: Flips over his opponent, rolling down their back. Slices their back from behind and spin kicks them to the ground.

Horse Moveset

 * string: series of swings to the right. Number of attacks depend on Renbu level.
 * undefined: strong swing to the right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
This moveset utilizes Chinese Swordsmanship (often confused with western fencing, due to the stabs. Though, basically, the thrusts and stabs of Chinese swordplay perform in a very similar manner). While the range of their attacks are shallower than others, they are executed quickly and capable of pressing a relentless offensive with standard combos. Users of this style are granted with ranged Special Attacks to better corner their enemies. These characters work best with patient players who can judge the enemy AI well. Unless they hit higher Renbu levels, characters in this style may experience difficulty while fighting in crowds and may lose to quicker, long ranged fighters.

During their Musou finale, Sun Quan is surrounded by an exploding aura on his impact while Yuan Shao and Cao Pi's poses emit a shockwave.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Two slashes, a stab and a turning slash. Two diagonal cuts, then a rising cut that slashes to his right. Kneels slightly lower to deal three horizontal slashes before turning into a diagonal cut. Deals an overhead slash and follows with six more diagonal slashes, each starting high and reversing their trajectory to repeat the motion.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Stabs and lowers his blade with a single cut. Then he slashes in an upwards motion. Stabs to hurl an airwave forward. Follows with another airwave.
 * undefined (held): A single wide horizontal cut.
 * Series of cuts and slices based on Renbu level. As their Musous finishes, he spins with his weapon held close to his hip, slices once, and then slashes his blade downward as he settles.


 * , : Quick diagonal slice.
 * , undefined: Hovers in the air slightly to deliver a cut. Effect of the landing depends on the user.
 * Dashing : 270 degree spinning cut.
 * Dashing undefined: Runs a few steps quicker with the sharp edge of blade forward. Takes some time to recover.


 * Grapple attack : Thrusts his open palm of his free hand forward into his foe's chest. If he connects, he slices his foe with an overhead strike. He then follows with another slice, sending an airwave forward.
 * Grapple attack undefined: A horizontal slash. If he connects, his slash will stun his foe. While they spin, he traps one of their arms with his sword and arms. He then throws them forward.
 * Deadlock attack: Cuts his foe three times, revolving around them as he goes. Cuts them down on the fourth rotation.

Horse Moveset

 * string: series of swings to the right. Number of attacks depend on Renbu level.
 * undefined: strong swing to the right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Warriors who use the dao have wider arcs in their attacks than the sword class and usually hurl more air waves during higher Renbu levels. Their charge attacks can be used to pressure an officer and can double as a good crowd clearer. Agility wise, dao users are slightly slower than sword users but quicker than the mace characters. Their moveset is easy to use and a good choice for players testing short ranged fighters for the first time. Their greatest flaw is that they lack attacks to cover their rear defenses and their slow recovery time from their dashing charge.

During their Musou finale, Huang Zhong freezes his foes, Xiahou Yuan emits an exploding aura, and Zhou Tai sends a straight wave of energy from his sword.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Two horizontal swings and two overhead swings. While the mace is lowered, he rams the head of the weapon twice. As he rises, he swings his weapon upwards and spins it around his head four times. He stretches his arms out and whirls around in a circle seven times, hitting any foe within his weapon's reach.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Smashes the ground five times. Add anticipation on the last bash.
 * undefined (held): Wide swing.
 * Whacks his enemies and spins his weapon on his shoulders during the climax. The finale has the character pound the ground or swing his mace like a bat.


 * , : Downwards swing. Angles his body to face the ground and simply swings his weapon once.
 * , undefined: Hovers slightly into the air and smashes his weapon into the ground.
 * Dashing : Short diagonal swing that starts from his left shoulder and travels downward.
 * Dashing undefined: Rolls forward. Repeated rolls increase with button taps.


 * Grapple attack : Short downward attack that travels in a vertical path. If it connects, he smacks the handle of his weapon into his opponent's face twice.
 * Grapple attack undefined: Shifts his weapon into his right hand and grabs with his left hand. If he connects, he lifts his foe off their feet and walks in a quick circle with them in his hand. He throws them high into the air before he hits them with his mace.
 * Deadlock attack: Bashes the ground twice with his mace, sending his foe flying onto his back. Flings them off of him with his shoulder strength.

Horse Moveset

 * string: series of swings to the right. Number of strikes is determined by the Renbu gauge.
 * undefined: balances the mace to his left before he smashes it on the ground to his right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Characters wielding maces are powerful close-ranged fighters. Lacking speed and range, they work best by constantly pressuring their enemies. They have mighty grapples and power guards and their attacks cover most of their defenses. Charge attacks double as a solid anti-air and officer killer. Their running charge attack is a hard-to-aim rolling attack that is good for minor crowd control. To emphasize their assets, all characters with this moveset have the Swift Attack special, which boosts attack and grants Infinite Renbu. Though useful for solo encounters, they have difficulty retaining Renbu at a constant rate and may lose to enemies with a longer reach.

During the Musou finale, Huang Gai emits a mini explosion, Wei Yan hurls a wind-based energy wave, and Dong Zhuo and Xu Zhu have a rainbow aura swing.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Stands upright and fires three set of four arrows in front of her. Kneels as she fires two more sets. She performs a quick hop to fire some arrows at a higher angle and lands to fire more arrows from a low position. Fires three more sets as she's low before performing a spinning kick. Hops to fire one set of arrows. She crouches and fires six continuous sets of arrows. She rolls forward once before she repeats the cycle.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Poses with one leg bent and fires an arrow on the ground in front of her. Follows with a spinning kick forward. While she's low, she fires a straight arrow forward. She hops into the air to fire another. She then smashes the ground with her bow, creating a special splash effect on her landing.
 * undefined (held): Ducks low and fires many arrows in an arc in front of her. The number of arrows increase with Renbu levels.
 * Continuously fire strings of arrows that are able to phase through enemies. Ends with the archer kneeling after a spinning split kick.


 * , : Fires fire arrows down.
 * , undefined: Flips and hovers in the air before she fires an arrow downward.
 * Dashing : Performs a short hop and fires an arrow.
 * Dashing undefined: Dashing jump kick.


 * Grapple attack : Fires a single arrow. If it hits and she is near her opponent, she will kick them with two spinning roundhouses. She kneels to fire an arrow that progressively travels upwards, which makes her opponent fall backwards.
 * Grapple attack undefined: Fires a single arrow. If it hits and she is near her opponent, she cartwheels her legs onto her foe. She locks her ankles around their neck and throws them behind her.
 * Deadlock attack: Two blows from her bow.

Horse Moveset

 * string: Fires exploding arrows to her right. The number of arrows depends on Renbu levels.
 * undefined: Charges and fires arrows upwards, letting them land on either side of her.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Archers have attacks with the longest range and good ground control. The majority of their attacks are stationary and covers the range of vision in front of them. As long as the player can judge distances well, they will likely win most of their battles against generals and crowds. The held charge attack is especially useful for clearing close ranged enemies and obstacles since it is quick and multi-hitting. The general style, however, has a weak deadlock attack and somewhat inconvenient grapples. They are usually used to gain more ground for the archer. They also do not posses many anti-air attacks and have difficult to use mounted attacks.

Sun Shang Xiang's finisher for her musou has her additionally surrounded by a short flurry of overhead arrows. Yue Ying has a beam of light aimed at her to ward off enemies. It is a good juggler and combo dealer.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Several alternating whips that are followed with two spinning one-legged kicks. Performs a forward handstand that has her legs explode as they hit the ground. When she stands upright, she slowly walks forward and whips the ground seven times in front of her.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Spins in a floral tornado that launches her opponents into the air. She whips them onto the ground twice and follows with two more flowery tornados.
 * undefined (held): Anticipated 180 degree swing. She pauses to let the whip safely wrap around her torso.
 * She whips several times, slides on their knees while spinning their whip above them, create a flowery tornado, and casually tosses her hair as she rises. Their final act emits a final shockwave.


 * , : A quick swipe that travels in a 180 degree radius in front of her.
 * , undefined: Rises high into the air in a graceful twirl. Lands spinning with her arms stretched upwards.
 * Dashing : Smacks the ground in front of her, creating a mini explosion.
 * Dashing undefined: Throws a floral tornado forward.


 * Grapple attack : Snaps her whip forward. If she connects, she latches her whip onto her opponent's neck and follows with two other swings.
 * Grapple attack undefined: Angles her whip to hit low. If she connects, she latches her whip onto her opponent's foot and throws them high into the air. When they land face flat, she smashes her whip onto them.
 * Deadlock attack: Rapidly twirls her whip and beats her opponent into submission. They grovel involuntarily as they stumble face first into the ground.

Horse Moveset

 * string: series of swings to the right. Number of strikes is determined by the Renbu gauge.
 * undefined: spins her whip to deliver a hard swing to her right.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Ladies who use the whip have an overall balanced moveset that works well in most encounters. Their attacks cover most of the area around them and have excellent reach. All of their charge attacks help with crowd clearing and dueling officers. Great combo dealers, they can easily reach and maintain higher levels of Renbu. Whip characters, however, need time to perform their attacks and may leave themselves open to quicker attackers. Their normal dashing attacks are limited in their uses to break down obstacles. While their evade animation is unique, it has a shorter traveling distance than others and is difficult to use consecutively. Therefore, they are strong mid-ranged fighters who excel in higher level difficulties.

During their Musou, Zhen Ji freezes nearby opponents while Diao Chan clears them away from her.

Ground Moveset

 * string (Renbu ∞): Waves his staff in diagonal cuts four times. Spins into another slash and repeats three more diagonal smacks. Performs two more turning smacks and alternates to have his back briefly to his foe. Smacks behind him and stabs with his staff's non-decorative end. Whacks three more times before performing six magically enhanced swipes. Zhang Jiao sends small fireballs forward and Pang Tong hurls small gusts of wind forward.
 * undefined string (Renbu ∞): Shoots a ball of magic forward. Lifts his rod into an upwards strike. Smashes the ground for a pillar of sorcery. Raises arms to surround himself with a barrier of magic. Hurls a greater ball of magic forward, knocking him back a foot. Magic effects depend on the user.
 * undefined (held): Spins his staff around him twice, emitting a type of sorcery. Zhang Jiao shoots several fireballs around him while Pang Tong creates two whirlwinds around him.
 * Series of whacks from his staff based on the Renbu gauge. Ends by creating three pillars of magic and hurling a larger amount of magic in front of him. Zhang Jiao emits fire pillars and creates a large fireball in front of him. Pang Tong creates small whirlwinds and hurls a large gust of wind forward.


 * , : Simple downwards strike.
 * , undefined: Hovers in the air before shooting a ball of magic downwards. Pang Tong hurls a concentrated gust of wind magic forward while Zhang Jiao shoots a fireball forward.
 * Dashing : Smacks his staff downwards once.
 * Dashing undefined: Glides briefly in the air as his staff rapidly revolves around him.


 * Grapple attack : A quick smack with his staff. If it connects, he will smack his foe a few more times before levitating them in a circular motion off their feet. Uses his magic to lower them once more.
 * Grapple attack undefined: Stabs the decorative part of his staff forward. If it connects, he will levitate his foe and spin them in the air twice. He shoots a ball of magic at them to knock them back down.
 * Deadlock attack: Emits a tornado of spells that makes his victim dance to the ground.

Horse Moveset

 * string: Swings his staff to the right. Number of strikes is determined by the Renbu gauge.
 * undefined: Hurls a pillar of sorcery to his right. Effects depend on the user.
 * faster version of the string that ends with undefined.

Fighting Style
Staff fighters are akin to "mage" characters. Like Zhuge Liang, their moveset emphasizes sorcery and has fanciful levitating grapples. Their moveset is an eccentric mix of short to mid ranged attacks, allowing players to comfortably adapt to most situations. Their charge attack chain is good crowd control and their held charge is good for dueling officers. Similar to the mace characters, however, they lack speed and range during their normal attacks. Veteran players may handle this class the best.

Their Musou attack consists of several whacks of their staff before conjuring several blasts of magic. Zhang Jiao summons fire while Pang Tong possesses wind element attacks.