How Does Combat Work in Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires?

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires comes with many of the features seen in previous entries in the series, including many of the tweaks to the formula originally introduced by Dynasty Warriors 9, such as the ability to explore the entirety of China via the open-world mechanics and a new combat system.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new combat system to start having fun right from the very start of the game.

How Does Combat Work in Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires?

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires, as mentioned above, uses the same combat system featured in the original Dynasty Warriors 9, which can be a little confusing if you have only played previous entries in the series.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires combat system is the State Combo system introduced in Dynasty Warriors 9, which completely changes the combo system used in older games. In place of your regular attacks, which can be combined together to perform different combo strings, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires features three new attacks called Flow, React and Trigger.

Flow attacks are combo strings that change depending on the state of the enemy. If the enemy is standing on the ground, you will unleash a specific combo with Flow attacks. On the other hand, if the enemy is downed, stunned, or airborne, you will unleash three other different combos. Enemy state is altered with the Trigger attacks, which are performed by holding the R button and pressing one of the four face buttons. These attacks can also be charged for increased efficacy.

React attacks, on the other hand, can be a little more difficult to integrate into your combat flow. These attacks, unleashed with the X button, can only be used when prompted by the game, and act as special counterattacks, finishers, and more. They can be included in combos, sure, but only when the game allows you to.

To summarize, you will get to use more varied combos the more you use your trigger attacks to alter the state of the enemy. Use this to unleash the combo string that is more suited to the situation, such as when you need better crowd control or higher damage against a single target, charge the Musou gauge to unleash the powerful Musou special attacks and dominate the battlefield. It does take some time to get used to, but the new combat system is as versatile as that of the older games once players know how to use all of its mechanics effectively.