Kessen III has two major skill categories: Troop and Officer. One is a broader skill available to formations while the other is reliant on the traits of an individual. Players who balance both skill sets quickly and efficiently will receive high battle ratings, which is often required for receiving the game's post-battle exclusive rewards.
Troop Skills
Troop skills can be performed by holding 
and releasing it once the skill is ready. It's advised to use these abilities with a good formation to optimize their damage output. Since minor generals can support the leading general with troop skills, it is recommended to team unit types that are compatible with one another.
General can call for aid by pressing R1 when their supporting units are free. If their opponent is pushed back, they can trigger a combo multiplier by also tapping the same button. Ally troop skills do not harm other allies, but it breaks their formation and lowers the rating the player receives.
The available troop skills are determined by the unit type assigned to the officer and their performance is dependent on the unit type's quality.
- Mounted Spears - Cavalry Charge: the entire army plows through the field, damaging anything it touches. Good for many situations and best for attacking an enemy's flank.
- Mounted Bows / Bows - Arrow Volley: a long ranged attack that travels in an overhead arc. Ideal choice for supporting units.
- Mounted Rifles / Rifles - Rifle Volley: slow yet powerful ranged attack that travels horizontally.
- Katana - Deathwheel: Slow, short ranged, spinning attack by the entire army. Ideal for triggering a critical attack in close quarters.
- Spears - Spearwall: Powerful spear thrusts. Good defensive skill and is a good contributor for combos.
- Mattocks - Bombard: Long ranged bomb attack that is good for whittling enemy's defense and breaking their formations.
- Ninja - Shadow Strike: A sword strike in which the entire army slices through the enemy. Loses to other troop skills but a quick way to relocate a ninja army with an offensive measure.
- Kunoichi - Shuriken: Quick, close ranged attack and a decent support skill.
Officer Skills
Officer skills draws from a single officer's skill slots located underneath their name. A maximum four skill slots are available, the starting number being reliant on the officer's base morale for the battle. Depleted skill slots regenerate over time, and the rate of recovery is calculated by an officer's intelligence stat and/or equipped items.
Officers can learn any type of skill provided they equip its primer before entering battle. Primers are acquired in the overworld store and/or a high grade from battle. Officers can use the primer's skill(s) as long as they have it equipped; learning the skills negates the need to equip them. Most skills can be leveled up through repeated usage with improved range and effects, the max being level 4. Damaging spells will undergo slight aesthetic changes for their advanced level animations.
An officer's unit type determines his/her learning curve and skill proficiencies. Warriors are the slowest learners. Defeating key generals in Rampage Mode can hasten the skill learning process for all unit types.
Aid Skills
Status buffs and healing abilities.
| Skill Name | Effect | Cost (Slots) | Effect Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rally | Increases character's attack temporarily | 1 | Circular |
| Bolster | Increases character's defense temporarily | 1 | Circular |
| Gale | Increases character's speed temporarily | 1 | Circular |
| Barrier | Increases character's resistance to enemy officer skills | 1 | Circular |
| Heal | Restores character’s health over time | 2 | Circular |
| X-Rally | Increases all allied officers in range’s attack temporarily | 3 | Square |
| X-Heal | Restores all allied officers in range health temporarily | 3 | Circular |
Tactic Skills
Debuffs enemy officers.
| Skill Name | Effect | Cost (Slots) | Effect Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berate | Decreases enemy officers’ attack temporarily | 1 | Circular |
| War Cry | Decreases enemy officers’ defense temporarily | 1 | Circular |
| Bind | Decreases enemy officers’ speed temporarily | 1 | Circular |
| Silence | Stops enemy officers from using skills temporarily, cancels enemy officer buffs | 1 | Circular |
| Doubt | Inflicts status of defect to enemy officer, heals ally units based on damage dealt to afflicted enemy unit | 2 | Circular |
| X-Silence | Stops targeted enemy officer and those surrounding him from using skills temporarily. Can also cancel enemy buffs | 2 | Square |
| X-Doubt | Inflicts defect onto enemy officers and his surrounding allies, heals ally units based on damage dealt to afflicted enemy unit | 3 | Circular |
Attack Skills
Direct damage to enemy officers.
| Skill Name | Effect | Cost (Slots) | Effect Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poison | Knocks back targeted enemy unit and gradually drains health. Has a chance of stunning the enemy unit | 2 | Square |
| Freeze | Knocks back targeted enemy unit and any enemy unit within blast radius for a strong single hit. Has a chance of stopping enemy unit | 2 | Square |
| Strike | Knocks back targeted enemy unit and any enemy unit within blast radius for a strong single hit. Has a chance of stopping the enemy unit | 2 | 30 degree frontal arc |
| Firewall | Surrounds the officer with a protective wall of fire, which damages all enemy units within range and temporarily boosts the officer's speed | 2 | Circular (around user) |
| Waterwall | Launches waves of water forward, negating actions of enemy units and breaking their formations | 3 | 30 degree frontal arc |
| Sandstorm | Launches falling rocks forwards in a direct line, boosts the user's speed temporarily | 3 | 30 degree frontal arc |
| Windwall | Surrounds the officer with a protective wall of wind, which damages all enemy units within range | 2 | Circular (around user) |
Ninjutsu Skills
Heavy direct damage to enemy officers with added bonus effect.
| Skill Name | Effect | Cost (Slots) | Effect Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon | Conjures a geyser to pummel foes. | 3 | Circular |
| Whirlwind | Sends a tornado to hit foes in range. Lowers their attack | 4 | Circular |
| Lightning | Lightning bolts hits enemies. Lowers their defense | 4 | Circular |
| Firehawk | A fiery bird plummets from the sky and burns foes. Lowers their speed | 4 | Circular |
| Comet | Meteorite hits and silences enemies. May fail to execute if user's Intelligence is low. | 4 | Circular |
| Transform | Animal beast squashes foes in range and stuns them. May fail to execute if user's Intelligence is low. | 4 | Circular |
| Fate | Summons a demon to smash foes. Outcome is randomized with each use. | 3 | Circular |
Samurai Skills
Cuts away to a timed Warriors like sequence. Default skill for all ally officers.
| Skill Name | Effect | Cost (Slots) | Effect Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rampage | Initiates Rampage mode. Cannot be leveled up | 1 | n/a (adjacent enemy units only) |
During Rampages, the character will ride on horseback to defeat soldiers in the nearby enemy army. Controls are the same as the field except generals gain a jump and Musou (
) named "Kessen Attack". Kessen Attacks can only be performed if the player has enough light orbs in stock.
When a player has 100 KOs, the enemy general will appear. The goal is to defeat him, which lowers their condition by one rank and raises the ally general by one. When the player defeats a soldier with a war banner, an item will drop and is either one of the following. The item's effectiveness depends on the officer's bravery stat.
- Mask - after the Rampage sequence is over, the enemy unit will be confused
- Sword - gain experience points
- Rice Ball - restores player's life
- Rice Bag - lost troops are restored when they resume battle
- Treasure - acquire gold
- Light Orb - gain another Kessen Attack slot