Part 16

Master Cao Cao, Xu Huang, and Xiahou Yuan in Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered. Learn their strengths, weaknesses, and advanced strategies.

Cao Cao Overall Assessment: Cao Cao isn't as good at crowd control as some other generals, but he's pretty powerful and very good at direct attacks. He's also well-balanced between power and speed. His biggest weakness is his lack of versatile special moves; most of his stuff is pretty basic. He becomes a lot more dangerous once you get him a 6-hit weapon, then he can plow through the ranks quickly, and becomes an absolute monster if you get his fourth weapon.

Cao Cao Advanced Strategy: Cao Cao is arguably the most powerful fighter in the game if he’s got his fourth weapon. Even without it, he’s still a solid fighter, his SSST (Special Special Special Triangle attack) is a good crowd clearer, and his Musou attack (special attack) can be used in a pinch to clear out enemies. When using his charge 6 (a charged attack), try to do it before the enemies reach you, so that you can hit as many of them as possible, and blow through them all. Also use this attack against enemy generals. If you can connect with all 6 hits, you can usually take off about 70% from their life bar, no matter who the enemy is. This is a great way to cut down Lu Bu, or any other powerful enemy.

Xu Huang History: A servant of Yang Feng, he joined Cao Cao after being persuaded by Man Chong. He served as an important part of the Wei forces. A wise and valiant general, Cao Cao labeled him "A match for Sun Tzu!" after his victory over the army of Guan Yu at Fan Castle. He is counted among the Five Generals of Wei.

Xu Huang Unlocking: Clear Musou mode (story mode) with two Wei generals.

Xu Huang Description: Wears a turban with his blue and white outfit, and has a battle axe.

Xu Huang Fourth Weapon: Fan Castle Stage, Wei side. Kill Guan Ping before the flood event. The precious item will then appear around the northeast edge of the ground level. Grab it and finish the stage.

Xu Huang Attacks:

• Attack 1: A big halberd swing. A little slow, but very effective at clearing out enemies.
• Attack 2: Upward Swing. Standard juggling move.
• Attack 3: A downward strike, that dizzies anyone it hits. Good range, but only against enemies right in front of you.
• Attack 4: A HUGE swinging attack. A little slow, but very nice to clear out a crowd.
• Attack 5: Powerful upward strike. Standard high juggling move.
• Attack 6: He stomps with his halberd and his foot, which creates an earthquake, blasting everyone around him. Very useful as a clear out move.
• Musou Attack: A rapid-fire series of one-handed swings. Very cool for cutting through a big crowd.
• Running Attack: He glides forward a bit before doing an upward slash. The actual hit is slow to come out, but it has good forward range and will knockback.

Xu Huang Overall Assessment: Turban Boy is a pretty well-balanced character, leaning more toward power than speed. His attacks are pretty slow, but they do good damage, and cover (press the cover button to crouch behind walls or objects) a wide range, making him a pretty good character, especially when he gets his 3rd weapon and can do his stomp attack. Not the best, but far from the worst.

Xu Huang Advanced Strategy: Xu Huang plays a bit like Guan Yu, except he’s slower and a bit stronger. His normal move set is very good for attacking a group of enemies, so use it often. If you’ve got his third weapon, his Charge 6 (a charged attack) is a nice finishing hit that will clear the crowds, just be careful because the move is a bit slow, and you can be hit out of it. His Musou attack is also good for clearing out crowds, so use it whenever possible.

Xiahou Yuan History: A Wei officer and brother to Xiahou Dun. He worked with Cao Cao from the beginning, bearing one wing of Cao Cao's newly formed army. Famous for his lightning-quick attacks, he had a long list of accomplishments, including defeating Ma Chao. However, at the Battle of Mt. Ding Jun, he was drawn out by a Shu general, and killed by Huang Zhong.

Xiahou Yuan Unlocking: During the Mt. Ding Jun stage, in the Shu scenario, defeat Xiahou Yuan.

Xiahou Yuan Description: Fat guy in blue armor, has a big sword, and wishes he could be half as cool as his brother Dun.

Xiahou Yuan Fourth Weapon: Mt. Ding Jun stage, Wei scenario. After Huang Zhong runs down the mountain, kill him. The special item will then appear in an alcove to the west of Huang Zhong's initial position. Grab it and finish the stage.

Xiahou Yuan Attacks:

• Attack 1: Spinning sword strike. Decent speed, and a good crowd clearer.
• Attack 2: Upward slash that juggles enemies, and can hit a lot of guys at once.
• Attack 3: A wide sword slash that can dizzy a large group of foes at once, and is a good move to use in crowds.
• Attack 4: A downward slash that knocks back enemies. Good forward range, but not that good in a group.
• Attack 5: Upward slash. Standard high juggling move.
• Attack 6: A rapid-fire series of slashes, similar to Cao Cao's. Rapidly press T (attack button) to extend the attack.
• Musou Attack: Rapid-fire sword swings. Nice move to thin out and escape from crowds.
• Running Attack: A knee strike. Poor range and is hard to hit with but it will dizzy an enemy if it connects.

Xiahou Yuan Overall Assessment: Much like Brother Dun, Xiahou Yuan is a pretty good character overall. His fighting style is somewhat similar to Xiahou Dun, but he’s a little slower and stronger. He’s also good with a bow if you like fighting from afar. Overall, he’s a solid character that you can’t go wrong with.