Like its predecessors, Dynasty Warriors Origins has its main focus on battle. As you start the chapters, you have to help your allies defeat external forces and claim victory on the region. You do have to set foot deep within the battlefield for that to happen, and there are tons of battle techniques to use in the game. One of them is the utilization of Tactics, which allows you to command your army to follow specific orders. This guide will cover everything there is to know about Tactics and how to use them in Dynasty Warriors Origins.
How To Unlock & Equip Tactics In Dynasty Warriors Origins
Tactics are unlocked in Chapter 2, specifically after completing the Battle of Sishui Gate. Your starter Tactic will be the Volley, which commands your army to unleash a volley on enemies. You unlock more Tactics as you progress through the story and complete more battles. At the end of each battle, take a look at your overworld map to find lone soldiers who you can interact with and recruit. Each time you do that, you unlock new Tactics.
To equip Tactics, head over to your Battle Preparation menu, under Squads. You can add up to 3 Tactics of your choice, and you can bring up the Tactic wheel by pressing Q on PC and LT/L2 for the controller. If you want to manually assign a specific key to each Tactic, you can change it under the Controls option in the System menu. That way, you can quickly navigate to a Tactic to hand over the right controls to your troops.
All Tactics Explained
So far there are 14 Tactics to unlock as you progress through the game. All Tactics have a cooldown period once used. Some Tactics will also offer a chance of Dramatic Success if you meet certain requirements, and having a Dramatic Success will offer certain boosts to your troops or debuffs on your enemies.
| Tactic | Description | Cooldown |
| Volley | Unleash a volley. Dramatic Success: Enemies hit from high ground will get lower Courage. | 150s |
| Battle Roar | Releases a loud war cry that will falter enemies. Dramatic Success: Lowers enemy courage. | 300s |
| Charge | Charge with infantry. | 150s |
| Defensive | Creates a defensive formation that can reduce damage and dispel enemy attacks. | 180s |
| Encirclement | Surrounds and deals a heavy attack on a selected enemy. Enemy receives a large amount of damage. | 210s |
| Encouragement | Strengthen allied troops. | 60s |
| Flaming Volley | Releases a fire arrow volley. Dramatic Success: Enemies hit from high ground will have their courage lowered. | 240s |
| Invigoration | Greatly strengthens allied troops. | 90s |
| Mounted Charge | Perform a Cavalry charge. Dramatic Success: Enemies hit from a distance will receive lowered courage. | 420s |
| Order to Defend | Send your guards to defend a location, and they will continue to guard the designated spot till they receive new orders or are defeated. | 30s |
| Order to March | Send your guards to move to a selected location, and they will continue to march the designated spot till they receive new orders or are defeated. | 30s |
| Order to Protect | Send your guards to defend an allied officer, and they will continue to protect the designated target till they receive new orders or are defeated. | 30s |
| Spear Wall | Create an intercepting formation using spears. Dramatic Success: Lowers enemy courage and repels charges. | 90s |
| Strone Throw | Releases volley of rocks. Dramatic Success: Enemies hit from high ground will have their courage lowered. | 240s |
Best Tactics To Use
When it comes to attacks, Volley, Flaming Volley, and Stone Throw are the best ones. Not only do they land powerful hits, but they also offer Dramatic Success by lowering the enemy’s courage. You can also switch out Stone Throw for Encirclement if you have one specific target to defeat. As for defense, Defensive, Invigoration, and Order to Defend can help you defend not just the area you are in but also command your army to defend allied areas when required.
Once you have your Tactics unlocked in Dynasty Warriors Origins, you can use them in all future battles that you will encounter in the game. If you are stuck on one of the early game battles, you can check out our Battle Of Hulao Gate guide to know more
