Liu Bei FAQ v1.0 Warriors Orochi By Equinox523 (Henry Halim) - [email protected] *********** Legal Stuff *********** This FAQ is copyright 2008 by Henry Halim. At this time, only the following websites have permission to host this FAQ: GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) IGN (http://www.ign.com) Neoseeker (http://www.neoseeker.com) Super Cheats (http://www.supercheats.com) Please notify me if you find this document posted anywhere else. If you wish to post this FAQ on your own website, you must obtain my written permission and agree to leave the FAQ intact, without modifications. Do not post it without my permission or make edits and claim it as your own work, though you can feel free to print a copy of for personal use, but do not publish or distribute it with intent to make a profit off of it. After all, the internet FAQ community offers up their work free of charge, so please don't violate that trust. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ********************************************************* * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * 1. Introduction * * 2. Liu Bei: A Dynasty Warriors History * * 3. Why Choose Liu Bei? * * 4. Unlocking Liu Bei * * 5. Moveset * * 6. Weapons and Abilities * * 7. Personal Item * * 8. FAQ * * 9. Credits * * 10. Contact * * * ********************************************************* ======================================================================== 1. Introduction ======================================================================== Hi everyone! This is my first FAQ, created for fans of Liu Bei for the PS2 version of Warriors Orochi. As the Lord of Shu and a key figure of the Sanguo period, Liu Bei has been in every single video game based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, from Dynasty Tactics to Kessen 2 to Dynasty Warriors (and those are just the Koei ones!) He's even seen some screen time in adaptations of the historical epic, including the recent "Red Cliff", directed by John Woo. This time, though, he's got his hands full battling the Serpent King Orochi, and fortunately, he's got his old reliable moveset, as well as some new tricks up his sleeve to battle man and reptile alike. The result? Another really strong game for Liu Bei, and of course, another blow struck for justice! ======================================================================== 2. Liu Bei: A Dynasty Warriors History ======================================================================== There are many sites devoted to the history and lore of the Three Kingdoms period online (notably http://www.kongming.net), so if you're interested in finding out more about Liu Bei or the other characters featured in Koei's games, I encourage you to check them out. Instead of giving you the historical rundown of Liu Bei, the historical figure this character was based on, I'm going to give you a history of the character in the Dynasty Warriors series. Why? First of all, this is a game FAQ, so if you're looking at this, chances are you're not looking for his biography. You probably already know what's relevant to the game about Liu Bei's basic history. And of course, as a DW old-timer, I just like reliving the good old days! Liu Bei as a character has always been consistently good or at least useable in Dynasty Warriors. His trademarks are quick frontal sword strikes and, since DW3, spinning attacks that cover a broad swath around him. His moveset in Warriors Orochi makes him a good all-around fighter, and he can truly shine even in a cast of 79 in Warriors Orochi if utilized effectively. I'm going to start the count at DW2 because it was the first true battlefield action game in the series (DW1 was a fighting game). DW2 - In what seems like an eternity ago, Liu Bei had a short 4-Hit combo that culminated in the SSSS stab, or SSST chop that he continues to use in the Warriors Orochi series. Not a lot of crowd clearing, but he was definitely useable. Not much to say here. DW3 - Liu Bei got a huge upgrade to his moveset in DW3 (as well as the legendary hair net - though he might have had this before then, I'm not sure). Though he had a pretty bad 4th weapon in the Gold Moon Dragon, (mounted defense in a one-hit dismount game?), he nevertheless had a great combo ender in SSSSST, which unleashed a massive 360 energy wave that was crucial for clearing crowds. DW3XL - Liu Bei didn't fare much better in Xtreme Legends, with a subpar 5th weapon in the Dragon Star that gifted him with...27 extra arrows and a long musou bar. Though he still had an excellent moveset, it left us envying the devastating weapon Sun Quan got that unleashed the vorpal element with a mere SSST, while we sadly tapped SSSSTT and watched the our lightning bolts fizzle. We still had Way of Musou, however, to burn opponents with for extra damage. You know, back when the fire element actually did damage. DW4 - This game brought us the mighty orb system, and for the first time, Liu Bei players would enjoy the freedom of customizing their weapons with their preferred element. Liu Bei was the perfect canvas for this new feature, with many moves that benefited greatly from the extra elemental umph. A brand new SSTTT combo also was introduced to improve his effectiveness against officers, and his old SSSSST became a powerhouse move with the Ice Orb. Just devastating. This game also brought him his sneaky T attack - no Liu Bei guide would be complete without discussion of this move. More on that later. DW5 - The DW4 expansions didn't change his moveset or add new weapons, so I didn't mention them, but DW5 saw the introduction of a new double slash/shockwave air charge, as well as an explosive SSSST uppercut move for juggling. An unfortunate step back for Liu Bei was the generic "shockwave" animation for his SSSSST attack, which did not carry elements like it did in the previous game. This moveset is more or less the one he uses in Warriors Orochi, with an added R1 special. DW6 - This next gen release heralded the coming of a newer, younger, less bearded Liu Bei, complete with twin swords (which is actually faithful to the novel) and a brand new moveset. Liu Bei is a dangerous opponent with the broad sweeping attacks he's had earlier in the series, as well as a rain of lightning arrows and an incredibly flashy musou mode. While this was the death of oldschool SSSSST Liu Bei, perhaps it's appropriate that Koei chose to make the PS3 Dynasty Warriors depart radically from what we knew and loved (and thankfully Liu Bei wasn't given a clone moveset). ======================================================================== 3. Why Choose Liu Bei? ======================================================================== Liu Bei's moveset is mostly unchanged from DW5, which makes him a solid character with decent speed and quick strikes. While the attack animations themselves haven't changed, the power behind them definitely has. He also benefits from being a Technique character. TEC officers can counter attacks, and score critical hits, which are crucial to survival on Chaos mode. Liu Bei is actually quietly one of the best offensive characters in the game, which may not be obvious until later on, but he actually has the ability to one-hit KO officers with his T charge attack in Chaos Mode when fully levelled. He's got a strong offensive buff, as well as an extensive catalog of usable charge attacks. He can juggle, clear crowds, and duel officers effectively and is overall a balanced and formidable adversary. ======================================================================== 4. Unlocking Liu Bei ======================================================================== All you have to do is clear Shu's Story Mode, Battle of Koshi Castle (Stage 8). That's it! ======================================================================== 5. Moveset ======================================================================== Key: S - Attack (Square) T - Charge (Triangle) O - Musou (Circle) X - Jump (X) R1 - Special Attack (R1) SSSSSSSS - Three side to side slashes, a stab, followed by more (S-String horizontal slashes. Your run of the mill sword/ruler Combo) combo from DW5. T - Liu Bei angles to the left of the target area, and zips (Sliding Side right with a big slash. There's a lot of confusion Slash) about how to use this skill - I recommend releasing your left analog while using it to ensure that you hit the area directly in front of you. This attack carries elements and can KO generic officers in one hit on Chaos, when he's levelled up and skills are maximized. Also a fairly safe move to do, with decent recovery time, especially with maximum Agility on your weapon. Learn to use this move - it may take some practice, but it's worth it if you want to take out officers quickly. ST - An upwards swing that launches the opponent up. Not a (Uppercut very powerful attack, and it does not carry elements, Launcher) but it lets you juggle enemy officers early in the game. Comes in handy when using a weapon with the Air element on it in early going, as well as to continue combos. SST(TTT) - Liu Bei slashes upwards diagonally culminating in a (Slashing horizontal slice that carries elemental damage. Your Flurry) standard dizzy move, this one is very useful for light crowd control and for facing officers. A great juggle move, as well as a useful move for combo setup. SSST - The ancient and infamous chop. Liu Bei chops downwards (Vertical in front of him with his sword, heavily damaging and, if Chop) Bolt/Ice are not equipped, knocking the enemy away. It's not the fanciest move, and doesn't have the greatest hitbox, but it does do good damage to a limited area in front of him. Obviously better with an elemental weapon. SSSST - Liu Bei swings upwards with his sword, a burst of golden (Golden light welling upwards from the ground, launching the Burst opponent into the air, with no elemental properties. A Launcher) great move with fair frontal coverage, which is excellent for setting up all kinds of juggling pain. SSSSST - Liu Bei slashes in a circular motion, a shockwave (Circular trailing the blade 360 degrees around his body. Slash Sadly, the vertical hitbox of the wave has been cut Wave) significantly and elements do not attach to this move in Warriors Orochi. Like most 360 shockwave moves, this one has been severely nerfed, unfortunately, but anyone who has played DW4 can understand why this was done. (Running) S - Liu Bei slides in for an inwards horizontal cut. Knocks (Sliding enemies down on contact. Cut) O - Several side to side slashes while moving forward (Musou slightly, followed by a brief pause before finishing Combo) with a flourish of slashes that juggle the opponent low to the ground, with even greater speed and range. Not the fanciest of musou attacks, and can sometimes drop a juggled foe when he pauses for a split second. You can also move around while this move is active, walking forward to continually assail an officer, or changing the angle to hit more peons. (Low HP) O - Triggers instead of the above when in critical (red) (Burning health. Basically the same as the regular musou, except Musou with fire element and an additional series of flourishes Combo) at the end. This move has just one pause, so you can still drop officers mid-combo, but with good timing, you can still juggle with this move. (Air) S - Slashes downward. A quick, direct strike that can be (Air used to jump in against opponents, or to cover yourself Slash) when recovering in the air. (Air) T - A jumping diagonal double slash aimed towards the (Double ground, followed by a small diagonal shockwave. Best Air Slash used to surprise foes or as a lead-in to a ground combo. with Wave) (Mounted) S - A sequence of slashes alternating between right to left. (Mounted) T - One slash on each side with a slight delay. Stronger than the standard horse attack. (Mounted) O - A musou version of his mounted attacks, with a small shockwave appearing in front of the horse, allowing it to knock out enemies straight ahead as you move. R1 - Liu Bei poses and buffs his attack power. Requires a small amount of musou. (Counter)R1 - Liu Bei can counterattack if you time R1 correctly. Simply hit the button as the enemy attacks. The window is fairly generous, and you can usually perform this move while guarding, after you've just taken a hit (and are about to take another), or even against archers or gunmen! Being a Technique style fighter, Liu Bei also can activate R1 for more faster, more powerful, flashier versions of all of his charge attacks. None of them carry the elements, but their execution and recovery time are super fast. S R1 - A quick sword uppercut that knocks the opponent into the (Speedy air. It does not carry the elements, but has next to no Uppercut recovery time. A helpful launcher with great speed that Launcher) can land you that quick juggle you need. SS R1 - A faster sequence of slashes that end in a stunning (Speedy stroke. Liu Bei moves forward a lot more than the T Slash version of this move. Flurry) SSS R1 - A faster version of the SSST chop performed at blinding (Speedy speed. This is a knockback move that blows enemies in Vertical front of you away. Chop) SSSS R1 - A faster SSSST launcher. Like its T counterpart, this (Speedy move sets up juggles well and has a decent forward area Golden of effect. Burst Launcher) SSSSS R1 - A quicker version of his SSSSST. (Speedy Circular Slash Wave) ======================================================================== 6. Weapons and Abilities ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Weapons ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Liu Bei wields a single, straight sword in combat in Warriors Orochi. His weapons are as follows: Long Sword - Base Attack 9 Imperial Sword - Base Attack 19 Gold Dragon - Base Attack 38 Gold Moon Dragon - Base Attack 76 As with everyone else, Liu Bei's 4th weapon is obtained by going to any 3 or more star difficulty stage in Hard Mode, or any stage in Chaos Mode. They are found randomly, so don't be discouraged if you didn't find one! You'll get one sooner or later. I recommend Wu Chapter 4-X - Battle of Wan Castle in Hard Mode, as this stage has three weapons in crates (which is rare in this game) and one you obtain by taking out Pang De. It's also a small stage, so you can get by on foot. Another good one is Wei Chapter 1 - Battle of Kuzegawa, on Chaos Mode. Zhang Jiao, Danemon Ban, Xiahou Yuan and Xu Zhu all drop weapons. Relegating yourself to the left side of this map and fighting all the way to Huang Gai should net you 3 weapons even if you totally skip Xiahou Yuan. Here's a quick rundown of attributes that can be fused onto a weapon. --------- Elements: --------- Bolt - Charge attacks cause small bolts of electricity to spread from enemy to enemy, stunning opponents for a moment before they fall to the ground. Excellent for setting up juggles and adding to combos. This does not interfere with the effectiveness of other elements and can be used in conjunction with them. Flame - Charge attacks deal continuous damage to airborne or stunned opponents. Works slowly but ignores defense, dealing a constant rate of damage to foes. Note that if both Flame and Ice are on the same weapon, they alternate and do not stack, so you may get Flame sometimes and Ice others. Flash - Charge attacks break guard, putting enemies in stagger animation. Practically an auto-include for every character. Ice - Charge attacks have a chance of freezing opponents, immobilizing them for a few seconds. Frozen enemies also sustain more damage. Note that if both Flame and Ice are on the same weapon, they alternate and do not stack, so you may get Flame sometimes and Ice others. Slay - Charge attacks have a chance of instantly killing enemy peons, and deal percentage-based damage to enemy officers. Also widely regarded as an auto-include. ----------------- Other Attributes: ----------------- Absorb - Charge attacks restore some musou in proportion to the damage you dealt. Can be useful for warriors with heavy musou usage. Agility - Increases the speed of charge attacks. Note that at high levels, this can boost attack speed so high that the system will incorrectly register or fail to register some attacks in the right hitbox. Air - Charge attacks deal extra damage to aerial opponents. Great for players who like to juggle, and characters with auto air combos. Brave - Charge attacks deal extra damage to enemy officers. A great way to ramp up your damage against your toughest foes. Drain - Charge attacks restore some health in proportion to the damage you dealt. Can be handy in Hard or Chaos Mode, where taking seven or eight hits can be fatal, and that tiny ounce of health you get back can mean the difference between success and the "Defeated" screen. Might - Charge attacks deal extra damage. Plain and simple, with no drawbacks. Essentially an auto-include. Multi - Charge attacks create a shadow that attacks after you, doing damage, activating elements, and sometimes increasing knockback. Note that this has varying usefulness depending on move and character. Also, the shadows don't perform throws. Rage - Attacks deal extra damage when in critical (red) health. If you trigger this regularly, you play a dangerous game, since on the harder difficulties, it's extremely easy to go from critical health, to dead. Otherwise, it's a waste of a slot. Range - Grants you a longer attack range for weapon attacks. Moves like Ling Tong's R1 are unaffected, since he uses his feet rather than his weapon. Come to think of it, this doesn't help any R1 attacks. This is really a matter of personal preference. I'm not going to say any one setup is strictly better than another, because you should customize your setup to suit your own personal play style. My suggested setup is as follows: Flash Slay Might Brave Bolt Air Multi Agility This setup will maximize attack power and allow you to go solo with Liu Bei. The buff stacks on top of all of these attack multipliers, making for some pretty serious damage. Don't forget to pour +20 attack by to your weapon by fusing obsolete weapons onto it for maximum power. This setup gives Liu Bei a quick, hard strike due to full agility, so he can recover quickly from his T attack and other charges. The noticeable downside is the lack of Range in this setup, which is a great attribute for sword wielders to equip to give each attack more coverage. If you prefer to play a bit more defensively, you might want to try a setup like this: Flash Slay Might Brave Bolt Drain Range Agility This is more suited for the long haul, sacrificing some attack power in favore of longer weapon reach and some health regeneration. Again, it's completely up to you! I've had some success with Ice in conjunction with Multi, and even Flame variants that rely on juggling. To each his or her own. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Abilities ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's a list of the abilities you can obtain, and their maximum level. ----------- Blue Skills ----------- Vitality (20) - Increases life bar length. Focus (20) - Increases musou bar length. Potence (20) - Increases attack power. Fortitude (20) - Increases defense. Impulse (20) - Increases foot speed. Cavalier (10 - Increases your mounted attack power and allows you to start each stage on horseback. At Cavalier Level 10, you start off with either Red Hare or Matsukaze depending on which game your character comes from! ---------- Red Skills ---------- Karma (10) - Increases your luck, which causes more items to drop. Power (20) - Increases the attack of Power type characters. Speed (20) - Increases the attack of Speed type characters. Technique (20) - Increases the attack of Technique type characters. Boost (20) - Increases the power of charge attacks. Awakening (20) - Increases the power of musou attacks and R1 specials that use the musou bar. ------------- Yellow Skills ------------- Acclaim (20) - Increases the amount of experience earned. Recuperate (10) - Increases the rate at which your inactive characters' musou bars fill up. Conserve (10) - Decreases the amount of musou needed to perform musou attacks (O) and specials which require musou expenditure (R1). Adrenalin (10) - Recovers some life when you score 10 or more hits in a combo. Recover (10) - Slowly recovers health Refill (10) - Slowly recovers musou. ----------------------- Suggested Ability Setup ----------------------- This largely depends on your play style, but here's a good starting point if you want to maximize Liu Bei's offense (early on, you might want to use Vitality to stay alive). Adrenalin - Gaining back health is important, particularly when you're using Liu Bei as your primary officer and aren't benching him too much. Boost - Charge attacks are Liu Bei's bread and butter. Boosting their strength is a good way to play up his strengths. Fortitude - More defense saves lives in the harder difficulties. Impulse - Foot speed gets you places and helps you strafe enemies. Some stages and items are much easier to obtain riding around on horseback, so use Cavalier in lieu of this when the situation demands it. This skill also helps you maneuver around enemies, especially useful at high levels. Potence - More general attack power is always good. Refill - Liu Bei uses up musou at a moderate pace, so it helps to have some available to buff, use R1 charges, and counter with, especially in Hard or Chaos Mode. Also excellent for those of you who prefer to go at it solo and rather than tag in your partners. Technique - Boosts the ability of your Technique officers. This is a good portion of the crew, so choosing two other TEC types won't be hard if you want to maximize this. If you're not planning on switching out, then you have even more reason to equip this skill. Liu Bei's own contribution to Ability Acquisition goes like this: 1. Fortitude - Defeat 60 enemies. 2. Speed - Defeat 70 enemies, including 3 officers. 3. Cavalier - Defeat 3 officers, while maintaining 50% of your maximum starting life, without performing any attack that uses up musou. ======================================================================== 7. Personal Item ======================================================================== Item Name - Straw Sandals Stage - Shu's Story Mode, Chapter 8 - Battle of Koshi Castle Requirements - Make Orochi appear within 15 minutes, and defeat 150 enemies. Then go pick it up close to the east wall of the allied main camp. Method: Defeating Da Ji will make Orochi appear. In order to do this, you must first foil each of her plans: 1. Frontal Assault Start by going east and defeat Sidewinder, Diamondback, and Coachwhip to foil plan 1. Keep going continue east towards the northeast corner of the map. 2. Phantom Soldiers Da Ji will summon phantom soldiers. They are controlled by the Sorcerer in the northeast fort, so defeat him and make your way south. 3. Secret Weapon: Maeda Keiji Da Ji will send Maeda Keiji's troop his army out to fight your troops take on your army. You might want to take out Keiji's officers before engaging him one on one, but it's up to you. Defeat him and head west, going along the top of the map. 4. Cannon At some point during your fight with Keiji, Da Ji activates a cannon along the western path. You'll get messages from your allies as they get bombarded by the cannon. Defeat Patchnose and Hognose, who are just outside the cannon, and then defeat the Defense Captain to open up the base that houses the cannon. Kill Yellowbelly to stop the cannon from firing. Start heading towards Lu Bu's location. 5. Secret Weapon: Lu Bu You guessed it. Head to where Lu Bu is, cutting through Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Gao Shun. Needless to say, this can be a tough fight, since Lu Bu hits hard. After you defeat him, Zhuge Liang will talk some trash to Da Ji, and the gates to Koshi Castle will open. Make your way inside. 6. Da Ji This one is pretty straightforward. Defeat Urutu and Da Ji, and Orochi will appear with some goons and Da Ji (again). The item appears inside your main camp, so check the History section and grab it at some point before you kill Orochi and end the level! ======================================================================== 8. FAQs ======================================================================== Feel free to send me questions about Liu Bei, and I'll post the good ones over here! Until then, here are some from off the top of my head. Q: How do you aim that T attack? Every time I try, I go flying in random directions and don't hit anyone. A: As mentioned earlier, releasing the left analog helps to keep your control neutral, and will strike the area directly in front of Liu Bei's original position. This is a powerful attack that has elemental power, and is worth mastering! When you're more comfortable with it, you can experiment with doing it while moving around, both to escape and to hit opponents. Also a great move against archers and gunmen. Q: Who are good teammates for Liu Bei? A: Anyone, really. If you like speed, Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a safe bet. I happen to like Nene for her superior mobility and unblockable grab. Maybe you'd like Tokugawa Ieyasu and his laser cannon of doom, and if you're a fan of the novel, his oath brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are a natural team. ======================================================================== 9. Credits ======================================================================== I'd like to thank the following, for making this guide possible. Rampidzier - For creating a wonderful guide that helped me get through this game. I never would have been able to unlocking the game's many items, stages and characters without his trusty guide. calbee219 - For setting up the DW5chaosmodeguide channel on YouTube, which I consulted while creating this FAQ. redroses_4life For helping me fact-check when assembling the weapon elements portion of this FAQ. My mom - Yes, you read that right. My mom is in her 50's and has been my main Dynasty Warriors partner since she first started playing my copy of DW3 so many years ago. Many years and several controllers later, it just goes to show that video games can even bridge generational gaps and bring friends and family together. GameFAQs - For giving us all a forum to share our love of video games with one another, and for letting us have a single nexus for all of the bits and pieces of game knowledge we'd probably never figure out on our own. KOEI - For creating a wonderfully addictive game series that brought these eras of history and literature back for a lot of us. They really outdid themselves with Warriors Orochi, and I'm glad that they took the time and effort to make such a robust and insanely fun game for us fans. You - For reading this FAQ and for playing Warriors Orochi! And of course, the men and women of the Sanguo and Sengoku periods for living the lives that inspired such great historical epics that continue to inspire and compel us to this day. And also offer up wonderful source material for video games! ======================================================================== 10. Contact ======================================================================== This is my first FAQ, so I hope you liked it! Comments? Questions? Please feel free to send them along - any constructive criticism would definitely be appreciated. You can reach me at [email protected]. Just make sure to let me know that it's an email about one of my FAQs in the subject line - thanks!