In Dynasty Warriors: Origins, there are three distinct endings tied to the main factions. You’ll make your choice in Chapter 3, but after completing the game once, you can replay it from that chapter to easily explore the other two endings. If you’re unable to unlock a new route during a major battle, you can simply replay from that battle to try again.
However, don’t expect it to be straightforward. While the tasks are mostly simple, they lean more towards being fast rather than skillful, so we recommend playing on Historian difficulty. Playing on a higher difficulty can lead to prolonged enemy encounters, making it difficult to change the path of history as necessary.
Shu Ending (Liu Bei’s Path)
The Shu ending involving Liu Bei is the easiest to achieve in the game since it involves altering just one mission instead of two or three. This occurs towards the end of the game and requires less speed. In fact, it’s possible to achieve this ending almost by accident, though there are still specific actions you must take.
During Chapter Five, at the Battle of Changban, your main task is to help Liu Bei escape. However, simply completing this mission won’t lead you to the true ending. Stay focused on your objectives until you encounter Cao Cao in a circular area at the map’s northern section. To achieve the true ending, you need to turn around and eliminate that enemy unit. On Historian difficulty, Liu Bei will survive as long as you dedicate time to defending the bridge against the first wave of generals. This lets you protect the bridge first, then move north to engage Cao Cao, who appears a couple of minutes after Bailuan shows up.
You’re mainly focusing on taking down Cao Cao, but you’ll need to deal with several enemies to reach him, so it’s advantageous to have a mix of area control skills and targeted attacks. Speed isn’t as critical here, but the mission concludes once Liu Bei successfully escapes, so don’t waste time hunting down Cao Cao.
Once you defeat him, a ‘Fate Altered’ message will appear. Complete the battle by assisting Liu Bei’s escape, then proceed through the final two battles normally to unlock the Shu ending.
Wu Ending (Sun Jian’s Path)
The Wu ending involving Sun Jian is notably more complex than the Shu ending, yet still easier than the Wei ending. There are technically three crucial battles, but in the final one, you only need to complete it after correctly finishing the first two to continue on the correct path.
In our playthrough, we completed this third battle normally and still achieved the true ending, which wasn’t the case for Cao Cao’s route.
The first key moment occurs early, during Chapter Three’s third battle: the Battle of Xiangyang. You need to rescue Sun Jian. The mission instructions may tell you to abandon him and push ahead, but ignoring this will lead to an instant success and change the course of history.
At the start of the battle, head south and clear the path to defeat Pang Ji and claim the base from Wang Can and another general. Then leave through the north gate and head south along the westward path, ignoring Zhang Yun. You must defeat the Mighty General to open the next gate. Here, you will encounter the phantom Zhang Jiao, who also needs to be defeated.
If Zhang Jiao is absent and you notice a stop sign on the map, you have arrived earlier than required. Wait for the battle dialogue and fog to develop.
Although Zhang Jiao isn’t as difficult as his boss version, he can still put up a strong fight, so be sure to use your best skills. Once you take him down, the stop-signed path will unveil; follow it to rescue Sun Jian. Ignore other enemies until you reach the cave with Lu Gong, at which point a cutscene occurs, solidifying your success and resulting in a ‘Fate Altered’ screen. While it’s possible to fail saving Sun Jian by taking too long against Zhang Jiao, the timing is more forgiving compared to other routes, so ensure you can achieve it before moving on. Now, you’re halfway to the true ending.
The second significant moment arises in Chapter Four during the Suppression of Wu. If you’ve previously played this route, you can skip ahead; otherwise, you’ll need to fight through several battles. The goal here is to save Sun Ce, but the most common way to fail is by letting Sun Quan die.
There are two key objectives. First, head southwest on the map where phantom soldiers, including Zhang Jiao, will emerge. They won’t appear until Sun Ce captures the central western base and gets lost in the fog. Until then, focus on aiding Sun Quan—failing to do so means he’ll be forced to retreat during the second part, resulting in mission failure.
To assist Sun Quan, secure the base immediately ahead and the base to the south, while taking out enemies in the middle area before Sun Ce gets lost. Ideally, you want Sun Quan advancing north (where he has allies and is less likely to face heavy fighting) before pursuing Sun Ce.
After completing this, move slightly north from Zhang Jiao to find a hidden cave, visible in the top left of the lowest ringed path on the map. Inside, you’ll encounter Bailuan. This will be one of the toughest battles, as he drops ice shards after reaching two-thirds health and summons phantoms at one-third. Once you defeat him, another ‘Fate Altered’ message will appear; however, this time you must finish the battle rather than it marking the end.
If both Sun Jian and Sun Ce are saved, you are now locked into the true ending path and simply need to finish the game.
Wei Ending (Cao Cao’s Path)
The Cao Cao true ending is the toughest challenge in the game. You need to complete three missions, each requiring specific actions to proceed, and the first challenge, Escape from Wei Castle in Chapter Four, has the most demanding time constraints.
While the battles are not overly tough, we recommend playing on Historian difficulty since timing is crucial, and you can’t afford any setbacks. The mission aims to facilitate Cao Cao’s escape, and you must ensure that Dian Wei survives to achieve the true ending.
How To Save Dian Wei At Escape From Wei Castle
At the start of this battle, take control of the northwest base by crossing the river and defeating the general there. This makes it easier for the laddermen later. Next, rush to the northeast base. You need to secure both bases within four minutes to stay on track. After gaining these bases, return to the map’s center and eliminate the generals there; your allies will assist, but you have around two minutes. At some point, the laddermen will appear—immediately go to them even if the middle area isn’t clear.
When the ladders are set up (and you should be across the river when they rise), enter the castle and take down Zhang Xiu, Jia Xu, and Zhang Quan. Zhang Xiu may attempt to flee outside, so having allies in the middle area to help you slow him down is essential. You may want to engage him first, but don’t overlook the potential damage caused by taking out the other two together. Regardless of your strategy, you must accomplish this within about two minutes, for a total of eight minutes.
Next, progress deeper into the castle and defeat Huche’er in under two minutes, meaning the entire mission should be completed within ten minutes; if he refers to you saving Cao Cao’s bodyguard, you’re on time. If not, you’ll need to start over. Defeating Huche’er should prompt Dian Wei to comment on the thinning enemy forces. If he doesn’t, you took too long, and the mission must be restarted. If you are successful, escape with Cao Cao and you will be a third of the way to the true ending.
How To Save Guo Jia At the Battle of Mt. Bailang
To keep Guo Jia alive, just keeping him as your companion isn’t enough. After starting the battle, quickly secure the base to the northwest, then head to the center and proceed to the next base while ignoring the enemy. After acquiring this base and defeating Yuan Mei and Nanlou, exit through the west gate to find Bailuan waiting.
The fight against Bailuan here is less challenging than on the Wu pathway, as he doesn’t drop ice regularly, and you have allies to help. Still, quickly vanquishing him is essential. After defeating him, you’ll hear one of two phrases. If he asks if you “really wish to pursue this path of blood,” or mentions buying enough time, you’re on the right track. If Guo Jia says it took “longer than expected,” you’ve veered off the true ending path and will need to restart.
When your forces launch an ambush just beyond the Bailuan fight, the ‘Fate Altered’ message will pop up. If it doesn’t appear, you’ve taken too long and need to replay. Complete this battle as normal, including another confrontation with Bailuan.
Wei Ending Final Battle
Unlike Sun Jian’s Wu path, simply keeping Dian Wei and Guo Jia alive won’t be sufficient; they must both be secured for this final path to open. At the Battle of Chibi, Zhuge Liang will summon fire to destroy Cao Cao’s fleet, so you must rush to the prayer altar when the ship lands (located in the map’s southwest corner). Taking out generals along the way will be beneficial.
After reaching the rear of Cao Cao’s fleet, you’ll face Huang Gai. If you arrive too early, Guo Jia may comment on leaving. You just need to stay on the boat closer to the front. When Huang Gai reveals his betrayal, defeat him before he can burn the fleet to receive the ‘Fate Altered’ message. Finally, head back to shore and defeat Liu Bei and Sun Quan to complete the battle and achieve the true Wei ending.
