Musou Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4 replaces individual character scenarios for a kingdom-focused storyline. Players are now able to switch between different characters before battle and choose a set number of different stages. Other factions have their own scenarios, albeit more small and limited in terms of scale and character selection.
Stories are divided into several acts; each act consists of three (or two for Other factions) different battles. Each battle is set up to have a consecutive impact for the faction's storyline. For instance, defeating a particular officer in one battle may cripple them in another. Skipping to the concluding battle within an act often presents the enemy forces at their optimum fighting potential. Clearing optional battles or certain objectives in maps allows players some freedom to rearrange events and characters seen in each faction's story to their advantage.
Setting the difficulty level to "Easy" reduces the challenge ranking of these stages by 1 while "Hard" causes the opposite effect. Unlike in the previous game, sub-officer locations can now be seen within the game's preparation screen.
Musou Mode
Throughout Musou Mode, main stages typically serve as the meat of the game. Each act has at least one mandatory battle which must be completed before proceeding to the next part of the story. In Free Mode, each battle is divided by region.
Tales stages are smaller, secret missions that can be unlocked during a kingdom's Musou Mode. The player is not required to skip any battles in prior acts unless otherwise stated within the chart.
| Stage
|
Time Limit
|
Difficulty
|
Region
|
4th Weapon
|
Unique Item
|
| Shu Tales Stages
|
| Battle of Ru Nan (Liu Bei's Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★☆☆☆☆☆
|
Ru Nan
|
Liu Bei
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Select the Battle of Hu Lao Gate first and defeat Dong Zhuo while leaving Lu Bu alive.
|
| Battle of Tian Shui (Shu Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★★★☆☆
|
Wu Zhang
|
Jiang Wei
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Skip the Battle of Bo Wan Po and cause the fire attack at Chi Bi to fail.
|
| Battle of Han Zhong (Shu Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★★★☆☆
|
Han Zhong
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear less than 10 stages, allow Dong Zhuo to retreat from Hu Lao Gate, and clear the Battle of Wu Zhang Plains in Act V first.
|
| Wei Tales Stages
|
| Battle of Ji Province (Cao Cao's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★★★☆☆☆☆
|
Ji Province
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Select Hu Lao Gate first in Act II, then force Yuan Shao to retreat from Guan Du in Act III.
|
| Lu Bu's Offensive (Cao Cao's Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★★☆☆☆
|
Xu Province
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Defeat Lu Bu at Hu Lao Gate and Guan Du, then clear the Battle of Chang Ban in Act IV.
|
| Dong Zhuo in Ji (Wei Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★★★☆☆
|
Ji Province
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Allow Dong Zhuo to retreat from Hu Lao Gate, skip the Battle of Wan Castle in Act III, and clear either He Fei or Wu Zhang Plains in Act V first.
|
| Wu Tales Stages
|
| The Two Qiaos (Sun Jian's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
|
He Fei
|
None
|
Survival Guide
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Yellow Turban Fortress and the Yellow Turban Rebellion only.
|
| The Imperial Seal (Sun Jian's Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★☆☆☆☆☆
|
Luo Yang
|
Sun Jian
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Battle of Hu Lao Gate in Act II first.
|
| Unification of Jing (Sun Jian's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★★★☆☆☆☆
|
Yi Ling
|
None
|
Fire Arrows
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Unification of Jiang Dong in Act III first.
|
| Battle of Mai Castle (Sun Jian's Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★★★☆☆
|
Nan Territory
|
Lu Meng
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Skip the Battle of Xia Kou in Act IV. If Shu is the player's opponent in Act V, clear the Battle of Yi Ling while leaving Guan Yu alive.
|
| Battle of Chang Jiang
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★★★☆☆
|
Chi Bi
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Unification of Jiang Dong in Act III first and skip the Defense of Nanman in Act IV.
|
| Shared Tales Stages
|
| Eliminate Zhang Jiao! (Cao Cao's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★★☆☆☆☆☆
|
Han Zhong
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Yellow Turban Fortress and the Yellow Turban Rebellion only while causing Zhang Jiao to retreat.
|
| Eliminate Zhang Jiao! (Sun Jian's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
|
Han Zhong
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Skip the Yellow Turban Fortress and clear the Yellow Turban Rebellion while causing Zhang Jiao to retreat.
|
| Eliminate Zhang Jiao! (Liu Bei's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
|
Han Zhong
|
None
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Act I first while causing Zhang Jiao to retreat.
|
| Guan Yu's Escape (Cao Cao's Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★★☆☆☆☆
|
Xu Chang
|
None
|
Way of Musou
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Act I first, then finish every stage in Act 2.
|
| Guan Yu's Escape (Liu Bei's Forces)
|
30 minutes
|
★★★☆☆☆☆☆
|
Xu Chang
|
None
|
Bodyguard Manual
|
| Unlock Requirement: In the Battle of Si Shui Gate, defeat Hua Xiong upon Yuan Shao's request and avoid discovering the enemy's supply depot. In the Battle of Hu Lao Gate, defeat Lu Bu and Diao Chan while causing Dong Zhuo to retreat.
|
| Battle of Tong Gate (Cao Cao's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★★★★☆☆☆
|
Luo Yang
|
Xu Zhu
|
None
|
| Unlock Requirement: Skip the Battle of Chang Ban in Act IV.
|
| Battle of Tong Gate (Liu Bei's Forces)
|
60 minutes
|
★★★★★☆☆☆
|
Luo Yang
|
None
|
Shadow Saddle
|
| Unlock Requirement: Clear the Campaign for Cheng Du in Act IV first and defeat Ma Chao or Pang De when they arrive as enemy reinforcements.
|
Each of the Three Kingdom routes has a branching storyline. What act the player is given depends on whether the wind prayer at Chi Bi is successful or not. Path A is deemed the "ideal" route, while Path B is considered the "default" route which can also be triggered by skipping the wind prayer. These separate routes may lead to different Tales stages.
Stages highlighted in red are mandatory battles which finish the act if they are completed. The final battle for the Three Kingdoms can be unlocked after clearing these battles.
Stories for unaffiliated factions are generally shorter and lack branching scenarios. Some of them also share selectable characters from the Three Kingdoms clans.
Act I: The Oath in the Garden
- I. The Yellow Turban Menace
- Defeating Zhang Liang will prevent his appearance in the main battle, though Bo Zhang will be much stronger.
- II. The Yellow Turban Fortress
- III. The Yellow Turban Rebellion
- Zhang Jiao will conjure a rockslide near his position if Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao have been defeated in the aforementioned battles.
Tales I: Return of the Yellow Turbans
- Eliminate Zhang Jiao!
Act II: The Alliance against Dong Zhuo
- I. Battle of Si Shui Gate
- Taking the enemy's supply depot will help raise Sun Jian's morale in the next battle.
- Defeating Hua Xiong will prevent his ambush attack on the main camp during the next battle.
- II. Battle of Hu Lao Gate
Tales II: Guan Yu's Escape
- Guan Yu's Escape
Tales III: Heroes of the Han
- Battle of Ru Nan
Act III: The Flight of Liu Bei
- I. Battle of Bo Wan Po
- Ensuring the success of Zhuge Liang's tactics will weaken Cao Cao's army in Chang Ban.
- Clearing this battle will prevent the opposing army from receiving supplies in Chi Bi.
- II. Battle of Chang Ban
- Finding Liu Chan will cause Liu Bei to thank the player in Bo Wan Po and make Zhao Yun appear as reinforcements in Chi Bi.
- III. Battle of Chi Bi
Act IV: The Three Kingdoms
- I. Battle of Luo Castle
- Ensuring Pang Tong's survival will cause him to appear as reinforcements in Jing and warn Zhang Fei of potential ambush attacks in Cheng Du.
- Clearing this battle after the Campaign for Jing will cause supplies to arrive and raise morale.
- Defeating Yang Huai and Gao Pei will prevent them from appearing in Cheng Du.
- II. The Campaign for Jing
- Clearing this battle will cause more allied reinforcements to arrive in Luo Castle.
- III. Campaign for Cheng Du
Tales IV: The Fury of Ma Chao
- Battle of Tong Gate
Act V (A): The Fall of Wei
- Unlock Requirements: Cause the wind prayer in Chi Bi to succeed.
- I. Battle of Mt. Ding Jun
- Defeating Xiahou Yuan will trigger his appearance in Jie Ting.
- Defeating Xiahou Shang will trigger Xiahou Dun's appearance in the main battle.
- II. Battle of Jie Ting
- Rescuing Ma Su will cause him to appear as reinforcements in Mt. Ding Jun.
- Clearing this battle will cause the wooden ox supply unit to arrive in the main battle.
- III. Battle of Wu Zhang Plains
Act V (B): The Fall of Wu
- Unlock Requirements: Cause the wind prayer in Chi Bi to fail or clear the stage before it happens.
- I. Battle of Fan Castle
- II. The Nanman Campaign
- Defeating Meng Huo seven times will cause him to appear as reinforcements in the main battle.
- Clearing this battle will cause Guan Yu to counter Pang De's archers with Nanman armor troops.
- III. Battle of Yi Ling
Tales V: Dong Zhuo Lives!
- Battle of Han Zhong
Tales VI: Tian Shui's Prodigy
- Battle of Tian Shui
Final Act (A): The End of the Three Kingdoms
- Unlock Requirements: Clear the main battles first to unlock the final stage.
- (Same as Fall of Wu)
- IV. Battle of Jian Ye
Final Act (B): The End of the Three Kingdoms
- Unlock Requirements: Clear the main battles first to unlock the final stage.
- (Same as Fall of Wei)
- IV. Battle of Xu Chang
Act I: A Hero of Chaos
(Same as Shu Version)
Act II: The Alliance against Dong Zhuo
- (Same as Shu Version)
Tales I: Return of the Yellow Turbans
- Eliminate Zhang Jiao!
Act III: The Rise of Cao Cao
- I. Battle of Xia Pi
- If Lu Bu escapes from this battle, he will appear as reinforcements for Zhang Xiu in Wan Castle.
- Clearing this battle will prevent Lu Bu's appearance in Guan Du.
- II. Battle of Wan Castle
- Ensuring Dian Wei's survival will cause him to appear in the main battle.
- III. Battle of Guan Du
Tales II: Guan Yu's Escape
- Guan Yu's Escape
Tales III: The Yuan Family's Pride
- Battle of Ji Province
Act IV: The War against Liu Bei
- I. Battle of Bo Wan Po
- Defeating Zhuge Liang will weaken him in the main battle.
- II. Battle of Chang Ban
- Clearing this battle will reduce the amount of enemy troops guarding Zhuge Liang in the main battle.
- Watching Zhang Fei's special event in this battle will add extra dialogue during his attack on the supply depot in Bo Wan Po.
- III. Battle of Chi Bi
Tales IV: The Stalwart Ma Chao
- Battle of Tong Gate
Tales V: Lu Bu's Revenge
- Lu Bu's Offensive
Act V (A): The Fall of Wu
- Unlock Requirements: Prevent the wind prayer in Chi Bi from happening.
- I. The Siege of Fan Castle
- Clearing this battle will cause a catapult unit to arrive in Shi Ting and attack the enemy's castle gate.
- Clearing this battle will cause Sun Shang Xiang to arrive in He Fei with a catapult unit once the enemy breaks through the side gates.
- II. Battle of Shi Ting
- Rescuing Cao Xiu from Zhou Fang's ploy will cause the former to appear as reinforcements in Fan Castle.
- Failing to rescue Cao Xiu from Zhou Fang's ploy will cause the latter to appear as enemy reinforcements in Fan Castle.
- Defeating Lu Xun will weaken him in the main battle.
- III. Battle of He Fei
Act V (B): The Fall of Shu
- Unlock Requirements: Allow the wind prayer in Chi Bi to happen or clear the stage before it happens.
- I. Battle of Mt. Ding Jun
- Defeating Chen Shi will trigger Huang Zhong's appearance in the main battle.
- II. Battle of Jie Ting
- Defeating Ma Su will make Sima Yi taunt him in the main battle, causing his morale to plummet.
- III. Battle of Wu Zhang Plains
Tales VI: Dong Zhuo Lives!
- Dong Zhuo in Ji
Final Act (A): The End of the Three Kingdoms
- Unlock Requirements: Clear the main battles first to unlock the final stage.
- (Same as Fall of Shu)
- IV. Battle of Cheng Du
Final Act (B): The End of the Three Kingdoms
- Unlock Requirements: Clear the main battles first to unlock the final stage.
- (Same as Fall of Wu)
- IV. Battle of Jian Ye
Act I: The Tiger of Jiang Dong
(Same as Shu Version)
Tales I: Return of the Yellow Turbans
- Eliminate Zhang Jiao!
Tales II: The Two Qiaos
- The Two Qiaos
Act II: The Alliance against Dong Zhuo
- (Same as Shu Version)
Tales III: The Symbol of the Mandate
- The Imperial Seal
Act III: The Little Conqueror
- I. Assault on Liu Biao
- Clearing this battle before Yuan Shao's arrival will cause him to appear with enemy reinforcements in the Wu Territory.
- II. Campaign for the Wu Territory
- Clearing this battle will add an extra set of Dim Sum and Fairy Wine within the supply depot in Jiang Dong.
- III. Unification of Jiang Dong
Tales IV: The Tiger's Adversary
- Unification of Jing
Act IV: Showdown at Chi Bi
- I. Battle of Xia Kou
- Clearing this battle and recruiting Gan Ning will cause him to appear with reinforcements in Chi Bi.
- II. Defense of Nanman
- Clearing this battle will cause Ling Tong to arrive with elephant units in Xia Kou and increase the amount of allied troops in Chi Bi.
- III. Battle of Chi Bi
Act V (A): The Fall of Shu
- Unlock Requirements: Cause the wind prayer in Chi Bi to succeed.
- I. Race for the Nan Territory
- Claiming all three territories will trigger Guan Yu's appearance in the main battle.
- II. The Nanman Campaign
- Clearing this battle will cause Zhang Fei to retreat early from the Nan Territory.
- III. Battle of Yi Ling
Act V (B): The Fall of Wei
- Unlock Requirements: Cause the wind prayer in Chi Bi to fail or clear the stage before it happens.
- I. The Siege of Fan Castle
- Defeating Zhen Ji will trigger her appearance in Shi Ting.
- Clearing this battle will cause hidden allied troops to appear in He Fei when Sun Jian is isolated.
- Clearing this battle will prevent enemy reinforcements from arriving in He Fei.
- Clearing this battle will cause Sun Shang Xiang to arrive with a catapult in He Fei.
- II. Battle of Shi Ting
- Luring Cao Xiu into Zhou Fang's ploy will cause the latter to arrive with reinforcements in Fan Castle and trigger the former's appearance in He Fei.
- III. Battle of He Fei
Tales V: Guan Yu, God of War
- Battle of Mai Castle
Tales VI: Dong Zhuo Lives!
- Battle of Chang Jiang
Final Act (A): The End of the Three Kingdoms
- Unlock Requirements: Clear the main battles first to unlock the final stage.
- (Same as Fall of Wei)
- IV. Battle of Xu Chang
Final Act (B): The End of the Three Kingdoms
- Unlock Requirements: Clear the main battles first to unlock the final stage.
- (Same as Fall of Shu)
- IV. Battle of Cheng Du
Lu Bu
- Playable Characters: Diao Chan, Lu Bu, Zhang Liao
Act I: The Alliance against Dong Zhuo
- I. Battle of Si Shui Gate
- Clearing this battle will cause Yuan Shao and his secret troops to appear much earlier in Hu Lao Gate.
- Defeating Cao Cao will cause him to set Luo Yang on fire in the next battle.
- Defeating Sun Jian and his messenger will weaken the former in the next battle.
- II. Battle of Hu Lao Gate
Act II: The Assassination of Dong Zhuo
- Lu Bu's Revolt
Act III: The Villain's Demise
- I. Battle of Xia Pi
- Clearing this battle with Yuan Shu present will cause him to appear as Lu Bu's sub-officer in the next battle.
- II. Campaign against Cao Cao
Final Act: The Mightiest Warrior
- I. Campaign against Sun Jian
- Clearing this battle will change Chen Gong's dialogue in the beginning of the next stage.
- II. Campaign against Liu Bei
Dong Zhuo
- Playable Characters: Diao Chan, Dong Zhuo
Act I: The Alliance against Dong Zhuo
- (Same as Lu Bu Version)
Act II: The Tiger Hunt
- Campaign against Sun Jian
Act III: The Villain's Demise
- I. Campaign against Liu Bei
- Defeating Mi Fang three times will cause him to appear as Dong Zhuo's sub-officer in the next battle.
- II. Campaign against Cao Cao
Final Act: Lu Bu's Revolt
- Lu Bu's Revolt
Yuan Shao
- Playable Characters: Yuan Shao, Zhang He
Act I: The Esteemed Yuan Family
- (Same as Shu Version)
Act II: The Alliance against Dong Zhuo
- (Same as Shu Version)
Act III: The Villain's Demise
- Battle of Guan Du
Final Act: The Yuan Family's Rule
- I. Campaign against Liu Bei
- Defeating Mi Fang three times will cause him to appear as reinforcements in the next battle.
- II. Campaign against Sun Jian
Nanman
- Playable Characters: Meng Huo, Zhu Rong
Act I: Invasion from the North
- The Nanman Campaign
Act II: Taking Wu
- Battle of Jian Ye
Act III: Taking Wei
- Battle of Xu Chang
Final Act: Taking Shu
- Battle of Cheng Du
Yellow Turban
- Playable Characters: Zhang Fei, Zhang He, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Liao
Act I: The Han is Dead!
- I. The Yellow Turban Fortress
- If Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao perform their spells in this battle, they will stop the river current with a boulder in the next stage to confuse the opposing army.
- II. Campaign Against Liu Bei
Act II: Long Live the Yellow Turbans!
- Campaign against Sun Jian
Act III: The New Age is Near!
- I. The Yellow Turban Menace
- Clearing this battle will prevent Huangfu Song from appearing as reinforcements in the next stage.
- II. Campaign against Cao Cao
Final Act: The World Will Know Peace!
- The Yellow Turban Rebellion
There are four different ending cutscenes for each faction. The type of ending received is determined by the player's overall performance during the entire mode. Their feats are conveyed in poetry, and they reflect the amount of enemies killed (Strength), the number of points accumulated (Mind), and the time spent (Speed), all of which are tallied on an average score. The quantity of battles completed, including the Tales stages, also affects which ending the player earns.
Threshold
- Strength of Fire - Less than 200 average kills.
- Strength of the Inferno More than 200 average kills.
- Mind of Lightning - Less than 4,000 average points.
- Mind of the Heavens - More than 4,000 average points.
- Speed of the Wind - Less than 20 minutes average time.
- Speed of the Tempest - More than 20 minutes average time.
List of Endings
- Ending 1
- Threshold Requirements: Strength of Fire, Mind of Lightning, Speed of the Wind
- Message Achievement: "Thus, the world was changed."
- Stage Number: Clear 14 or less stages (5 for Other factions).
- Ending 2
- Threshold Requirements: Strength of the Inferno, Mind of the Heavens, Speed of the Wind
- Message Achievement: "Thus, order was restored."
- Stage Number: Clear 15 or more stages (6 for Other factions).
- Ending 3
- Threshold Requirements: Strength of Fire, Mind of Lightning, Speed of the Tempest
- Message Achievement: "Thus, conquest was achieved."
- Stage Number: Clear 14 or less stages (5 for Other factions).
- Ending 4
- Threshold Requirements: Strength of the Inferno, Mind of the Heavens, Speed of the Tempest
- Message Achievement: "Thus, a miracle was born."
- Stage Number: Clear 15 or more stages (6 for Other factions).
The 4th endings for each faction have an additional requirement that must be met before being unlocked.
- Shu - Force Liu Zhang to surrender in the Campaign for Cheng Du.
- Wei - Prevent all three ploys in the Battle of Chi Bi.
- Wu - Claim all three territories in the Race for the Nan Territory.
- Lu Bu - Defeat all enemy officers in Lu Bu's Revolt.
- Dong Zhuo - Defeat Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian once Li Jue begins retreating from Si Shui Gate.
- Yuan Shao - Defeat Guan Yu in the Battle of Guan Du.
- Nanman - Ensure Wu Tugu's survival in the Battle of Cheng Du.
- Yellow Turban - Ensure the survival of every allied officer in the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Character Unlock Requirements
The following characters can be unlocked in Musou Mode.
- Huang Zhong - Clear Shu Act IV.
- Jiang Wei - Force Jiang Wei to surrender during the Battle of Tian Shui by luring him out, defeating his sub-officers, and having him meet Zhuge Liang.
- Ma Chao - Defeat Ma Chao during the Campaign of Cheng Du.
- Pang Tong - Clear Shu Act II.
- Wei Yan - Clear Shu Act IV.
- Yue Ying - Clear Shu Act IV.
- Zhao Yun - Clear Shu Act II.
- Zhuge Liang - Clear Shu Act II.
- Cao Ren - Clear Wei Act III.
- Dian Wei - Clear Wei Act I.
- Sima Yi - Clear Wei Act IV.
- Xu Huang - Clear Wei Act I.
- Xu Zhu - Clear Wei Act II.
- Yuan Shao - Clear Wei's Musou Mode.
- Zhang He - Clear 11 stages during Wei's Musou Mode or make Zhang He defect in the Battle of Guan Du.
- Zhang Liao - Defeat Zhang Liao at the Battle of Xia Pi or unlock Lu Bu's story.
- Zhen Ji - Clear Wei Act III.
- Da Qiao - Clear the Two Qiaos with both sisters kept safe.
- Gan Ning - Clear Wu Act IV or defeat Gan Ning during the Battle of Xia Kou.
- Lu Meng - Clear Wu Act I.
- Lu Xun - Clear Wu Act IV.
- Sun Ce - Clear Wu Act II.
- Sun Quan - Clear Wu Act III.
- Taishi Ci - Defeat Taishi Ci and have him reappear as an ally during the Campaign for the Wu Territory.
- Xiao Qiao - Clear the Two Qiaos with both sisters kept safe.
- Zhou Tai - Clear Wu Act III.
- Zhou Yu - Clear Wu Act II.
- Diao Chan - Clear Act I in Lu Bu's Musou Mode.
- Dong Zhuo - Clear Lu Bu's Musou Mode.
- Lu Bu - Clear Musou Mode with any faction.
- Meng Huo - Defeat Meng Huo in a duel during the Nanman Campaign.
- Zhang Jiao - Clear Musou Mode with every other faction.
- Zhu Rong - Defeat Zhu Rong in a duel during the Nanman Campaign.
See Also
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