Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends is the first expansion pack to be released for a Warriors title. The goal behind Xtreme Legend expansions is to add scenarios and aspects of the time era not seen in the base titles. The original Japanese title Moushouden is named in ode of Lu Bu's status as a formidable general, explaining why he is prominently featured in this game.
Its catchphrase in Japan is translated as "Heroes, gather once again. Reach the pinnacle of unrivaled superiority yet to be seen."
As with every Xtreme Legends expansion, all new additions and features within the disc are standalone. However, data can be imported from the original Dynasty Warriors 3 disc using the "Load Original" (also known as "Mixjoy") option, enabling players to gain full access to its contents.
Hisashi Koinuma served as the game's director because he volunteered to fill in the position when the development team were lacking people. He would later use his experiences to foster the development of Samurai Warriors.
Changes
Other characters (with the exception of Fu Xi and Nu Wa) are given their own Musou Mode stages that deviate from history and are more character-centric than previous battles. As a result, new movie scenes and music tracks have been added while a number of battle areas have been revamped. Existing stages and characters are unlocked from the start, but the player needs to import data from the original game to gain access to them. Skirmishes that were previously restricted to Musou Mode can now be played in Free Mode.
In addition to an overhauled bodyguard system where more customization features have been included, it is possible to deploy a playable character as a bodyguard. To perform a Double Musou Attack with them, the player must defeat one hundred enemies with a full Musou gauge; this will cause the gauge to electrify and turn light green, indicating that the attack can now be triggered with a nearby character bodyguard. Characters gain access to new palette-swapped outfits and their stats can be reset individually unlike in the base title.
Two new difficulty settings have been added: Novice and Very Hard. While the AI is extremely lenient in Novice, players can no longer find rare items as a consequence. Very Hard, on the other hand, has AI-controlled playable officers wield their fourth weapons by default and archers occasionally firing charged arrow shots. It also allows players to acquire new fifth weapons under specified conditions. Unique weapon drops are also given a blue hue to distinguish them from the red item bags in the original game. New items and exclusive attributes for fifth weapons are also available.
The game introduces a combo rating system where players receive points for executing strings of continuous hits on a single target. Normal strikes are worth 1 point while hits from a Musou attack boost combo ratings by 7 points. Combo proficiency levels include Good (50 to 79 points), Great (80 to 99 points), and Perfect (100 points and beyond). Players are expected to add variety to their combo strings as well to gain better scores. Higher combo ratings often yield more weapons and items even from generic enemy units.
Four new challenges have been added for players to enjoy. Characters developed in other modes can also be used.
- Speed Demon (速駆; Fast Gallop) - Race towards the northern-most entry point of the whole Mt. Ding Jun map.
- Balancing Act (流星; Meteor) - Standing on a narrow bridge in He Fei Castle's eastern corridors, the player must knock enemies off while maintaining their footing at the same time. Falling off the bridge or losing all health will result in a loss.
- Combo Mania (連撃; Chain Attack) - Utilizing the new combo rating system, the game tests how many continuous attacks the player can accumulate within the main base of the Rogue Fortress.
- Iron Man (統一; Uniformity) - Take the Speed Demon, Balancing Act, and Combo Mania challenges consecutively. Note that getting a game over in one challenge will net zero points upon reaching the next task.
Several bug fixes were conducted to make the game more playable. For instance, players can no longer hurt each other with their charge attacks during co-op gameplays.
Items
Gameplay
Miscellaneous
Development
According to an interview with Akihiro Suzuki, the developers were asked why characters like Lu Bu and Diao Chan lacked their own Musou Mode stories. While they wanted to address this concern in Dynasty Warriors 4, they feared that creating individual stories would have delayed the game's release and decided to create an expansion pack for the third title instead to save time. At the same time, they also wanted players to buy it at a more affordable price.
Related Media
A strategy guide for the game had been released.
Trivia
- Zhang Liao, Zhang He, and Zhen Ji are the only characters from a named faction who receive their fifth weapons on an Xtreme Mode stage just like any other unaffiliated officer. This stems from them having served under Lu Bu and Yuan Shao respectively before joining Wei.
Allusions
- Lu Bu and Sun Shang Xiang's outfits from Dynasty Tactics can be unlocked by meeting certain conditions. The method to unlocking Lu Bu's costume involves clearing the stories of all seven unaffiliated characters and playing the Battle of Chi Bi on Dong Zhuo's side under the Very Hard difficulty. If done right, Lu Bu will don his Dynasty Tactics armor; defeating him and Diao Chan will earn players the costume for their own use. Meanwhile, Sun Shang Xiang's outfit is obtained by maxing out every character's points and collecting all items and weapons including those owned by bodyguards.
Gallery
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English logo
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Japanese logo
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Japanese cover
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Back cover
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English ad flyer
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Japanese ad flyer
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Japanese ad flyer 2
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Japanese ad flyer 3
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Wallpaper 1
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Wallpaper 2
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Wallpaper 3
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External Links
- Official North American Website (English)
- Official Japanese Website (Japanese)
- Official Game Manual (English)
- Kongming Informational Website (English)
- StrategyWiki Page (English)
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