Dynasty Warrior Origins brings a massive horde of enemies that we will destroy within minutes. But you don’t have to jump into the battle alone, companions will help you greatly in the battle by offering follow-up attacks and battle arts that will help you slay and dispose of even more enemies in the blink of an eye. Here in this guide, we will cover the extensive companion system in Dynasty Warriors Origins and every detail you need to know about them.
How Do Companions Work In Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Factions have a chokehold on the companion system in the game, and decide which character can accompany you for that specific mission or story. Making any faction decision in the middle of the storyline will influence the companions’ status. These decisions act as a temporary lock to certain companions. You will again see your old companions when the story crosses over to other factions.
Note: The decisions in the story do not affect the relationship you share with your companions. Major faction decisions are made to guide the story in a different direction.
In Dynasty Warrior Origins, you will encounter 10 combat-oriented companions and 36 other companions limited to story beats. Each of the 3 factions stated below has 3 companions, making it a total of 9, and you have Lu Bu who joins as your tenth companion.
- Liu Bei’s Forces
- Sun Jian’s Forces
- Cao Cao’s Forces
The rest (all 36 of them) will never intervene in the battle, and you will never fight alongside any of them. Your primary interaction is with the 10 combat companions.
List of All Companions In Dynasty Warrior Origins
Guo Jia
- Faction: Cao Cao’s Forces
- Battle Arts: Tornado Dance, Flying Dragon Slash, Absconding Slash (sp), and Divine Eagle Dance.
- Weapon of Choice: Sword of Savant
Specialty: If you are looking to deal with a good amount of AOE-focused damage, then you must set your eye on Guo Jia as your companion for the battle.
Xiahou Dun
- Faction: Cao Cao’s Forces
- Battle Arts: Immortal Blade, Sharp Fang Flurry, Sea of Flames (sp), and Burgeoning Devastation.
- Weapon of Choice: Qilin Blade Podeo
Specialty: Xiahou Dun is a heavy attack damage dealer known to unleash high-damage battle arts in the field. He is perfect for a damage-based frontal assault.
Zhang Liao
- Faction: Cao Cao’s Forces
- Battle Arts: Spinning Gale, Battle Roar, Wings of the Phoenix (sp), and Furious Dual Rush.
- Weapon of Choice: Twin Raptor Pikes Twin Pikes
Specialty: Zhang Liao is perfect for combat-focused assault, he is also known to hit hard in battle as his strong attack is powerful enough to lift any foe in the air.
Guan Yu
- Faction: Liu Bei
- Battle Arts: Azure Dragon Bellow, Divine Energy Domain, Relentless Whirl Slash (sp), and Rising Cloud Crusher.
- Weapon of Choice: Green Dragon Blade
Specialty: Guan Yu is another addition to the AOE damage companion list in the Dynasty Warrior Origins, choose him if you want to deal AOE damage over a wide area.
Zhang Fei
- Faction: Liu Bei
- Battle Arts: Battle Cry Blast, Inner Fire Fury, Crouching Tiger Strike (sp), and Crushing Earth Gambit.
- Weapon of Choice: Serpent of Yan
Specialty: If you are playing defense then Zhang Fei will be an excellent addition. The lance his equipped with comes with a built-in counterattack that does great damage and works well for defensive play.
Zhao Yun
- Faction: Liu Bei
- Battle Arts: Earth Shatter, Flying Dragon Rend, Aerial Assault (sp), and Dragon Flash.
- Weapon of Choice: Dragon Heart Spear
Specialty: Zhao Yun can dish out a lot of damage to a single target. Pick him if the battle takes place in solo arenas.
Zhou Yu
- Faction: Sun Jian’s Family
- Battle Arts: Furious Tiger Dance, Double Wave Slam, Chaotic Flurry (sp), and Vaulting Leap.
- Weapon of Choice: Flaming Lotus Staff
Specialty: Zhou Yu has the highest mobility because of his staff. Adding him will make the movement o will feel superior in the field.
Sun Shangxiang
- Faction: Sun Jian’s Family
- Battle Arts: Flying Ring Rend, Triple Tempest, Tornado Slam (sp), and Twin Tiger Blast.
- Weapon of Choice: Heaven and Earth Wheels
Specialty: You can deal a significant amount of damage to the foes at a distance with Sun Shangxiang. She deals massive damage with her Heaven and Earth wheels.
Huang Gai
- Faction: Sun Jian’s Family
- Battle Arts: Raging Tiger Rampage, Hurricane Kick, Ardent Energy Strike (sp), and Heaven and Earth’s Wrath.
- Weapon of Choice: Raging Tiger Claws Gauntlets
Specialty: Huang Gai is known for his highly damaging battle arts which does compensate for his weapon limitations.
How To Improve Relationships With Companions
You can build strong relationships with your companions by raising their bond level. Once you reach the highest bond level with any one of your companions, you will unlock a follow-up attack after executing the Battle Art Chain in the battle. The first interaction with the companion would have the relationship status of Acquaintance. Then you will reach Bond Level 1, after every successful encounter, the bond level will increase up to a max of Level 5.
Here are the ways to raise the bond level in Dynasty Warrior Origins.
- You must complete the training. Most of the training is about killing a certain number of enemies with a specific weapon.
- Talking to the companions.
- Reading Letters sent by the companions.
- Take on the companion’s side quests or Requests. The requests show up after a companion sends a letter to you. Reading the letter will activate the side quest for us to complete.
Rewards For Max (Level 5) Companion Bond In Dynasty Warriors: Origins
Once you have reached bond level 5 with any companions, you will get rewards for the completion. The rewards will be a bit different for all of your 9 fighting companions and the rest 36 NPC companions.
Rewards for your fighting companions:
- Battle Art Chain: A follow-up attack after you execute battle arts.
- Extreme Musou Attacks: Serves a deadly combo attack you can perform with your companions. Ensure that you have unlocked this passive from the Expert Rank skill tree.
Rewards for your other (36) non-combat-oriented companions:
- More training
- Experience Points
- Requests or side quests
- Battle Art Abilities
And that completes all the info on Companions in Dynasty Warriors: Origins. Also remember to come back to our guide on reforging in Dynasty Warriors: Origins. This unlocks after you have completed the game, and is a great mechanic to upgrade your favorite weapon, and get traits that suit your playstyle.