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Dynasty Warriors 3 is the third installment of the Dynasty Warriors series and the first to sell one million units. It is acclaimed by fans to be one of the most difficult titles to play with due to the more aggressive enemy AI and infamous stat scaling. Serving as the foundation for future titles, its Japanese catchphrase is "The pinnacle of one against a thousand, revealed this autumn!".
The Chinese version is narrated by Liu Mingxun.
On December 3, 2019, the game won the PlayStation 25th Anniversary Special Award.
Shenglu ~CIRCUIT~ serves as the game's image song and was performed by Japanese-Taiwanese pop singer Yo Hitoto.
Gameplay
Preparations
The game's preparation phase has received a massive overhaul to allow for further character customization before entering a battle. Players can now swap between different weapons and items before each battle. Only one duplicate of each weapon can be kept, so it is highly recommended to discard those that have weaker stats. Fourth-tier weapons are available, though these can only be found by fulfilling specific requirements. Up to five different items can be equipped at a time with some classified as common and other deemed rare.
It is now possible to assign bodyguards with different weapon types, change their appearances, and give them orders that emphasize on either offense or defense.
Players can now zoom the battlefield map in the preparation menu to observe the environmental layout and enemy formations more closely.
Mechanics
Much of the gameplay mechanics and ground rules from Dynasty Warriors 2 remain the same, though new additions and changes have been implemented to make things easier for players. First off, the combo system has been expanded to include two new charge attack moves.
, , , , 
: Dubbed as C5. A powerful launcher that sends nearby foes even higher into the air than the second charge attack; continuing to press triggers a synchronized follow-up hit called a Charge Drive to cast airborne targets down on the ground. It automatically prioritizes the user's last target or assailant, even when they have been defeated.- , , , , , : Dubbed as C6. Triggers a powerful attack unique to each officer. Some characters can extend their sixth charge by tapping continuously.
Returning characters introduced in the previous game had their moveset retooled to further set them apart from one another with some gaining different weapons and others being granted more unique animations.
Musou Attacks done at low health now become True Musou Attacks, gaining a fire attribute that slowly eats away at the opponent's health via ignoring defense in addition to already damaging them with powerful strikes (normally extended further than a normal Musou Attack). The hit effects of many Musou Attacks have been modified to make them more useable.
It should be noted that Musou Attacks despite gaining full invincibility, can be interrupted by environmental hazards like boulders. Perhaps the most prominent inclusion to the game is being able to participate in battle with two players. When both players' characters are close by, they can perform a Double Musou Attack by tapping 
together. This results in them performing their True Musou Attacks simultaneously embedded with lightning element instead of fire.
Instead of counterattacking foes like in the previous game, the player can instead perform a power guard to push assailants back by pressing 
while blocking. Not only does this defensive maneuver require no Musou to activate, it can also be used to easily transition from guarding to attacking. Power guarding can also be mashed in succession for a set amount of times on a blocked single attack if one decides to do so, but it is still possible to perform a normal attack out of blocking otherwise.
Weapon deadlocks are more cinematic with the camera spinning around both duelists. While button mashing is still required to win deadlocks, a character's attack power now determines whether they will win easily or not. A battle's difficulty level also affects the outcome due to officers scaling in strength.
Upon being knocked down by an attack, it is now possible to instantly recover by pressing L1 while airborne. This causes the player's character to perform an aerial somersault to bring themselves back on their feet or deliver a jumping attack off of it.
Mounts no longer disappear when moving far away from them and some can even be located on the mini map provided the player is equipped with certain saddles. They also don't inflict as much trampling damage like before. New to this game are elephant mounts that deal heavy damage to surrounding foes while sacrificing travel speed. While characters can still ride certain mounts without the required saddles, they will likely be thrown off unless their rank is high enough.
Battle
Compared to the previous game, the enemy AI is more aggressive this time around and will constantly hound the player, making crowd clearing more challenging especially in tougher battles. Gate captains are able to perform Musou Attacks and can even get into weapon deadlocks with the player. Archers should be avoided during high difficulty battles unless a plan to systematically take them out first is in place. Enemy officers in particular now replenish their health or briefly boost stats via charging stance, giving players more time to interrupt them. They also have a tendency of countering six-hit combos with Musou Attacks while grounded.
It should be noted that the stats of enemy generals also scale with the player's own parameters. While this is likely done for balancing purposes, it also makes battles with high difficulty levels notoriously hard to clear as foes become more resilient to attacks and deal far more damage as a result, especially since allied AI officers' stats are not scaled accordingly to such scenarios and may cause them to struggle often in battle. Notably enough, this can be exploited by a second player since stat scaling is based on the first player's character. This involves having the first player control an underdeveloped officer and the second player using a much stronger one.
A timer will appear below the morale gauge if the player has less than 10 minutes left to clear a stage.
By default, the camera view is no longer slanted downwards and is instead aimed more horizontally ahead of the player's viewpoint. This makes the game more immersive when fighting alongside other units. Battles are now divided into large-scale battles that last for 90 minutes and smaller skirmishes that have a time limit of 30 minutes. More often than not, skirmishes that have very little to do with the story can only be played in Musou Mode.
Intermission saving can now be done at anytime via the pause menu, though this requires the player to also quit the battle momentarily. Only one file can be counted at a time and opting not to select a new stage will render it invalid.
When it comes to stat boosting, players are incentivized to clear battles in harder difficulty settings due to enemy officers dropping higher-quality swords and shields. A new Fairy Wine item has been added to increase a character's Musou gauge cap the same way a Dim Sum does for their health. Also, generals and bodyguards no longer drop meat buns after being defeated.
Report messages and in-game cutscenes are now voiced. A history option is available for viewing previous reports. This can be useful in case players miss important messages pertaining to missions and unique items.
Modes
Musou Mode
Rather than sharing the same stage sequence per faction, each character now has his or her own set of stages with some avoiding their historical deaths and participating in later era battles. New scenarios include the establishment of Shu and Wu as well as the Southern Campaign to suppress the Nanman Rebellion. Upon clearing this mode, players can view ending montages that vary depending on the character they played as throughout the game.
Free Mode
Functions the same like in the last game with more stages and characters being unlocked through Musou Mode. This is where players can control unaffiliated characters like Lu Bu.
To instantly unlock every stage available, input the following buttons on the title screen: R1, R2, L2, L1, , L1, L2, R2, R1, 
for the US version and R1, R2, L2, L1, , R2, , L1 for the Japanese port. To gain access to the opposite sides not available in Musou Mode, press and hold before inputting R1, L1, L2, R2, R1, L1, L2, R2 for the US version. The Japanese code for that particular unlock method is , , , , L1, R1, R2, L2.
Versus Mode
A new competitive mode introduced in Dynasty Warriors 3. Grants two players 90 minutes to compete against one another in one of 8 different challenges located at different battlefields. Note that characters in this mode can perform their full moveset by default.
- 3 vs. 3 Elimination (虎牢関三騎打ち; Hulao Gate Three Rider Strike) - Set at a barricaded plaza at Hu Lao Gate, players are engaged in a three versus three match with all officers riding on horses.
- Skirmish at Chang Ban Bridge (長坂橋仁王立勝負; Changban Bridge Imposing Stand Match) - The goal is to clear away endless swarms of peons while being stranded on the Chang Ban Bridge.
- Struggle for the Imperial Seal (玉璽争奪戦; Jade Seal Scramble Battle) - Engaged in a five versus five skirmish, players must find the Imperial Seal within the southeastern Wu Territory base to have one of their opponent's allies defect.
- Battle at Sea (赤壁船上殲滅戦; Chibi Onboard Extermination Battle) - Players must defeat a hundred of the opposing army's soldiers on top of a lone ship at Chi Bi.
- Team Battle (樊城神速三番勝負; Fan Castle Godspeed Top Three Match) - Defeat the three officers atop Fan Castle's walls in a unique four-on-four match as they enter the fray one by one.
- Valley of Stone Soldiers (石兵五里霧中戦; Stone Soldier 5 Li Mid-Fog Battle) - A thick fog clouds Yi Ling's Stone Sentinel Maze, obstructing the player's vision as well as their mini map. The goal is to locate enemy officers and the opposing player under these conditions.
- 4 vs. 4 Elimination (定軍山騎上勝負; Mt. Dingjun Rider Upper Match) - The goal is to reach Mt. Ding Jun's highest slope first and face the opposing commander in a four versus four match.
- Duel (街亭孤立無援; Jieting Isolated Struggle) - At the top of Mt. Jie Ting surrounded by spiked barricades, both players must face each other alone in a one-on-one duel.
Challenge Mode
Players must undergo certain challenges within a 90 minute time limit. Their rankings could be shared online via password, though this feature has since been discontinued at present.
- Endurance (斬合; Clash) - At Tong Gate, defeat as many enemies as possible without being defeated.
- Time Attack (神速; Godspeed) - Defeat all one hundred enemies on the map as fast as possible. Takes place at the Rogue Fortress stage.
Data Base
Includes an encyclopedia for various officers and showcases weapons and items that have already been collected.
Options
- Settings - Modifies various options to accommodate the player.
- Difficulty - Provides the following difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard.
- Events - Keeps events on or off during battles.
- Vocals - Switches between different voice languages.
- Subtitles - Switches between different subtitle languages.
- Character Reset - Resets the stats of every character.
- Controller - Changes button configuration according to the player's needs.
- Vibration - Turns on analog controller vibration.
- Bow Control - Sets targeting method of bow aiming to either normal or reverse.
- Setup - Reassigns buttons on the game controller.
- Sound - Adjusts music and sound effects.
- Speaker - Sets the speaker output to either stereo or mono.
- BGM Volume - Adjusts music volume level from 1 to 15.
- SE Volume - Adjusts sound volume level from 1 to 15.
- Sound Test - Allows the player to play different music tracks. Can be unlocked by activating the unlock code. Varying in different regions, the code for the US version is L1, L1, R1, R1, L2, L2, R2, R2, , while the one for the Japanese port is , , , , L1, R1, R2, L2.
- Brightness - Adjusts the game's brightness level using the directional pad. Any changes made can be reverted by pressing the Start button.
- Ranking - Displays the player's recorded performance in the game.
- Points - Displays character ranking by points.
- KOs - Displays character ranking by KO count.
- Clear Time - Displays character ranking by clear time.
- Endurance - Displays character ranking by KO count in Endurance Mode.
- Time Attack - Displays character ranking by clear time in Time Attack Mode.
- Save/Load - Allows the player to save their progress or load an old saved file.
- Gallery - Contains movie scenes unlocked in Musou Mode. Every movie can be instantly unlocked by activating the unlock code. Varying in different regions, the code for the US version is , L1, , R1, , , L2, , R2, while the one for the Japanese port is L1, , R1, , L2, , R2, .
- Opening - Customizes a cinematic movie using different characters. Can be unlocked by unlocking every character in the game or activating the unlock code: R1, , R1, , R1, L1, , L1, , L1.
Characters
Starter characters are bolded while new officers have a star right next to them.
Unlock Codes
The following codes can only be inputted at the game's title screen. A sound effect will occur if the code has been done correctly.
- Unlock All Shu Characters - L1, , , R2, L1, L2, L2, R1, , L1 for the US version and L1, , , R2, L1, L2, L2, R1 for the Japanese version.
- Unlock All Wei Characters - L2, L1, , , L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, L2 for the US version and , , L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, L2 for the Japanese version.
- Unlock All Wu Characters - , , L1, , R1, R2, L1, L2, L2, L2 for the US version and , L1, , R1, R2, L1, L2, L2 for the Japanese version.
- Unlock All Characters - R2, R2, R2, L1, , L2, L2, L2, R1, for the US version and , R1, , L1, , R2, , L2 for the Japanese version.
Items
Gameplay
Miscellaneous
Expansions and Spin-Offs
- Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends
- Mobile Shin Sangoku Musou
- CR Shin Sangoku Musou
- Pachislot Shin Sangoku Musou
Development
After the successful release of Dynasty Warriors 2, the development team incorporated many features that had been requested by fans. Among them was the implementation of two-player mode which the team feared would interfere with their goal of adding more units on screen. This was resolved by narrowing the vision range of stages and reducing the number of enemies seen when playing co-op. Even after carefully striking a balance between these two issues, they also had to make it fun for two players, leading to the creation of Versus Mode. Akihiro Suzuki credited this feature for the game's financial success.
Related Media
The game was repackaged alongside its prequel as part of Koei's 2002 Spring Sale. Those who purchased the set received a 2002 clear file. It also became part of a premium pack alongside the expansion pack on August 29, 2002.
Kamaya released figurines for ten characters from the cast.
Alongside the game's release, Koei officially funded the following publications for fans to make use of or enjoy.
- Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Complete Guide Vol. 1 - Contains relevant information on character movesets, stat mechanics, and stage information.
- Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Complete Guide Vol. 2 - Contains relevant information on the placement of items and officers found in each battle, detailed information on unique weapons, and the location of rare items.
- Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Official Setting Materials Collection - Contains character design concepts, render references, event storyboards, and other behind-the-scenes information not shared in the game.
- Shin Sangoku Musou 2 Maniacs - This strategy guide contains advanced tips on how to thoroughly master the game. It also provides details on the locations of unique items and weapons as well as information concerning special endings.
- Comic Shin Sangoku Musou 2: Extra Stage Vol. 1 - A collection of four-panel parody comics created and illustrated by 20 popular artists including Fuku Yamamoto and Takashi Mitsuhashi.
- Comic Shin Sangoku Musou 2: Extra Stage Vol. 2 - Contains more four-panel parody comics.
- Comic Shin Sangoku Musou 2: Extra Stage Vol. 3 - Contains even more four-panel parody comics.
Trivia
- The game's beta build included various assets from the previous installment. It also featured different interface icons, weapons, and attack effects.
- The Xbox version of the game has several notable audio errors ranging from various characters' True Musou Attack voice clips being swapped with their sixth charge attack quotes and alternate dialogue clips occurring outside of the English script.
- Kiniro no Corda 2 includes a short loop of the ENDLESS FIGHT music track during an event.
Gallery
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External Links
- Official North American Website (English)
- Official European Page (English)
- Official Japanese Website (Japanese)
- Official Chinese Website (Simplified Chinese)
- Official Taiwanese Page (Traditional Chinese)
- Official Korean Page (Korean)
- PlayStation 2 Archives Page (Japanese)
- Official Game Manual (English)
- Kongming Informational Website (English)
- StrategyWiki Page (English)
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