Dynasty Warriors Origins: All Tactics Guide

Tactics are one of the unique gameplay mechanics in Dynasty Warriors: Origins. They allow you to order the nearby allies to perform various actions to affect the battlefield and give you an advantage. Tactics solidify the feel of you controlling the battlefield, rather than just being one person in the grand scheme of things, and they are an essential part of the Dynasty Warriors: Origins gameplay. There are a total of 16 tactic options for you to choose from, each with a different effect and cooldown time. Below you will find what each of them does, as well as how you can unlock, equip, and use them.

All Tactics List

All Tactics List

Tactic	Cooldown
Battle Roar	300s
Effect
Let out a war cry, causing enemy troops to falter. Dramatic Success: Lowers the enemy's Courage.
Catapult Barrage	600s
Effect
Unleash a devastating catapult attack. Dramatic Success: Lowers the enemy's Courage.
Ceaseless Fury	180s
Effect
Unleash an unrelenting barrage of powerful attacks on an enemy officer, staggering them.
Charge	150s
Effect
Charge with infantry.
Defensive	180s
Effect
Establish a defensive formation, blunting enemy attacks and reducing damage.
Encirclement	210s
Effect
Surround the enemy before unleashing an attack. Deals a large amount of damage to the target enemy.
Encouragement	60s
Effect
Strengthen allied troops.
Flaming Volley	240s
Effect
Unleash a powerful fire arrow volley. Dramatic Success: Lowers the Courage of enemies hit from high ground.
Invigoration	90s
Effect
Greatly strengthens allied troops.
Mounted Charge	420s
Effect
Perform a fearsome cavalry charge. Dramatic Success: Lowers the Courage of enemies hit at a distance.
Order to Defend	30s
Effect
Order your guards to defend a location. The guards will continue to defend the spot until they receive an order to return or are defeated.
Order to March	30s
Effect
Order your guards to move to a specific area. The guards will continue marching until they receive an order to return or are defeated.
Order to Protect	30s
Effect
Order your guards to protect an allied officer. The guards will continue protecting the target until they receive an order to return or are defeated.
Spear Wall	90s
Effect
Take up an intercepting formation with spears. Dramatic Success: Repels enemy charges and lowers their Courage.
Strone Throw	240s
Effect
Unleash an extremely powerful volley of rocks. Dramatic Success: Lowers the Courage of enemies hit from high ground.
Volley	150s
Effect
Unleash a volley. Dramatic Success: Lowers the Courage of enemies hit from high ground.

Unlocking Tactics

Tactics are a feature that becomes available in the second chapter of the main story. During [Chapter 2 - Battle of Sishui Gate] you will first gain the [Volley] tactic, and you will then proceed to gradually unlock the rest.

Equipping Tactics

You can equip tactics before a battle by going to the [Battle Preparation] menu. Once there, you should navigate to the [Squad] tab, where you will get to equip a tactic in the [Tactic Slot]. You can have up to three tactics equipped at any given time, so choose wisely, and consider the battle you are entering before deciding on which tactics to use.

Using Tactics

You can easily use tactics by pressing the designated button for them. On PC the default key for using tactics is [Q]. For PlayStation, it is [L2], and for Xbox users it is [LT]. While these are the default keys, you can always go into the game’s settings and adjust them should they be uncomfortable to use.

You should also remember that each tactic has its unique cooldown time before it can be used again, so don’t expect to be spamming tactics over and over again. Be strategic with them, they aren’t called tactics for a reason. Choose the best time and place before using your tactics so that you can get the most out of them!