Dynasty Warriors: Origins – Weapons Tier List

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is now out, and it diverts from the typical format that the main games of the franchise have followed for god knows how long now. Rather than playing as various characters related to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you will now be playing an “unnamed” hero who can use different weapon types. In this article, we will try to rank each weapon type currently in the game!

Weapons Tier List

Before we get started, just know that this is purely subjective and is largely based on the opinions of the community. At the end of the day, it is a Dynasty Warriors game, man. Just pick whichever you enjoy the most and you will be sweeping through armies on your lonesome regardless.

Having said all of that, let us get to what people generally believe (as of writing this) to be the best and worst weapons, as well as a brief summary of why they think that way.

S Tier

• Halberds – It should come to nobody’s surprise that a lot of people are high on the halberd, as it is also the weapon of choice for the legendary warrior himself, Lu Bu. It is incredibly powerful, though it does require you to finish the game and likely defeat the aforementioned general again if you want to use it.

Again, you need to finish the campaign first before you can get these, among other post game rewards. Check out our guide on how to unlock the halberd weapon type for more information on how to start using it!

A Tier

• Wheels – If the halberd was not a thing, the wheels would easily fit right onto the top tier. It just destroys everything with ease due to its powerful attacks and battle arts, and it has a lot of reach due to its high area of effect and ranged potential. The only downside to this weapon is that it has a pretty steep learning curve.
• Sword – While the sword is fairly basic compared to the other weapons, it is fast and easy to use, which makes it a really good choice for any type of player. It is far from bad, but it is not particularly amazing either. It slithers its way to a decently high rank due to how you can do so well with it despite its simplicity.
• Twin Pikes – In the right hands, the twin pikes can absolutely shred everything and juggle stronger targets with ease. Dual wielding what are essentially two large axes is also just too cool, and personally speaking, these types of weapons are what I prefer using throughout the franchise.
• Crescent Blade – It has strong battle arts with a lot of reach and can melt through large mobs like they’re butter. The main downside of the crescent blade is that it can feel a bit sluggish compared to the other weapon types, but it more than makes up for it with its insane area of effect.

B Tier

• Gauntlets – The gauntlets actually have some decent battle arts and can be insanely good in small scale fights. The main problem with it is that it lacks range, making it potentially underwhelming in any large scale battle, which the game has no shortage of. There are good players that can make it work against crowds, but there are much easier choices in the game.
• Podao – The podao is pretty strong, albeit a bit slow compared to most other weapons. Its reliance on charged attacks makes it a fairly unpopular choice, as effective use of this weapon will often render you completely vulnerable. It is not necessarily “bad” though, just risky.
• Lance – The lance is a weird one, as it does have a lot of potential when it comes to clearing and doing a lot of damage in general. The main issue with it is that in order to be effective, it relies a lot on being attacked by enemies, which some players might consider to be clunky or awkward.
• Spear – The spear has some impactful area of effect attacks and is decently fast. It is a fairly balanced weapon that can be great against both crowds or single targets, and since you can get it relatively early in the game, you have more than enough time to get used to it and make it work in later stages.

C Tier

• Staff – While not necessarily “bad”, the staff just seems to be pretty average as other weapons can do what it does, but better. Still an enjoyable weapon to use, at least.

And that wraps up this entire list. Remember that this is purely subjective and is largely based on varying players’ opinions and playstyles, so something that got a low rating here might just be absolutely amazing in your hands. Get a feel for each of them as you unlock them in the game, and see if these ratings are accurate from your perspective!

For more insight into how you can use each weapon in the game, check out our complete weapons guide for Dynasty Warriors: Origins to learn more about how every single type functions. Yes, the halberd is included here too, despite being a weapon you can only get after your first campaign clear.