| Dynasty Warriors Origins | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review | ||
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Review Overview
What is Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes?
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes is the first major story expansion that features additional story chapters, weapons, battle arts, and more. It highlights four different what-if scenarios for Zhang Jiao, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Lu Bu, in which the Guardian of Peace joins their cause rather than the three main factions in the base game. In addition to the scenarios, the DLC also includes 2 new weapons: Bow and Rope Dart, as well as new battle arts for all of the game’s base weapons. Lastly, the DLC features 3 new playable companions and a new Training Ground mode.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes features:
⚫︎ 4 Story Chapters
⚫︎ What-if Scenarios Of Could’ve Been Leaders
⚫︎ 2 New Weapons
⚫︎ 1 New Battle Art For Each Weapon
⚫︎ 3 New Playable Companions
⚫︎ Training Ground
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Dynasty Warriors Origins’ gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 PlayStation |
 Xbox |
 Switch 2 |
| $34.99 | |||
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 New Weapons Are Amazing Replayable Arena Mode Well Executed Narratives Greatly Improved Endgame Loop |
A Little Too Short No Fate Altering Scenarios Missing Side Content Conclusions Feels Similar To Each Other |
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Story - 8/10
The narratives of each character's chapter are well executed, reinforcing each character's identity in their own heroic way without butchering how they actually were in the story. It never comes across as a sudden change of character, and the way they go through their respective arcs feels natural and like something that could’ve happened if they'd been guided correctly. However, it all ends a little too soon and concludes too similarly, where it might’ve done some good to extend their arcs a bit more.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Gameplay - 9/10
The core "Musou" combat still remains enjoyable, and the addition of both the Bow and the Rope Dart adds more to the already engaging combat. Alongside these, the new Training Ground also serves as an entertaining way to practice and grind for a specific weapon or fight against specific bosses. Still, it's not without its misses. The new Strategic Battle gameplay, which substitutes the optional skirmishes in the base game, is a slog to play. It might’ve been better to either cut it entirely for more unique battles instead of this weird hybrid.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Visuals - 8/10
There aren’t any changes to the game’s visuals or performance, which have always been great since its release. If there was anything to highlight, it would be the new animations for the added Battle Arts and weapons, as these look amazing in motion and match the intensity of the game’s combat.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Audio - 8/10
Like the game’s visuals, there isn’t much to critique about its audio design, since it's always been great. The hype background tracks and great sound effects round out the game’s heated atmosphere. But, just like before, the voice acting is still a huge miss. It may be the result of weird localization, with many mispronunciations and mismatched tones among the game's characters.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Value for Money - 8/10
For $34.99, it’s a pretty good deal for what it offers. The new chapters added even more oomph to an already loaded story, and the new Training Ground serves as the missing piece to its endgame content. The only thing really missing in the DLC is the lack of spotlight for the added companions, as some of them needed a bit more screen time than others.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Overall - 82/100
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes is a great expansion DLC, one that not only adds a little more nuance to the story but also serves as the missing piece to its endgame content. The length and conclusions of the added chapters may be less than desirable, and the new companions don’t have enough time to shine for them to be more memorable. Regardless, it’s a DLC that gives you even more Musou goodness to enjoy, and sometimes that’s all you need.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Review: An Expansion Worth Dreaming About
Pick Up Your Weapon Once More
Sometimes there are games that you just pick up where you left off, and drop them again until the craving hits you. In my case, Dynasty Warriors Origins was that game. It had the perfect package: an easy-to-follow narrative, great visuals and music, and an engaging combat that was addictive even if it was simpler than most action RPGs.
It was my guilty-pleasure game for about half a year, one I picked up periodically when I just wanted to conquer battlefields. But, of course, as soon as I finished the three routes, Fate Altered scenarios, and some of the Ultimate Warrior challenges, I shelved it for good in favor of another game.
So when they announced that a DLC with four additional chapters was coming, I knew it was time to dust off the trusty spear and do battle against immeasurable odds once more. I didn’t want to keep my expectations too high, as I didn’t think that four chapters of characters that I already knew would wow me, but boy, I didn’t expect just how good it actually was.
A Dream Within a Dream
Those who’ve played through any Dynasty Warriors game would already be familiar with the four "heroes" that were going to be the focus of the DLC. Zhang Jiao, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Lu Bu—these were characters that were painted as villains for the longest time in the franchise, mostly because they were the ones standing in the way of the series’ trio of Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian before they established their own kingdoms.
But what if these supposed villains were given a chance?
A chance to prove that they were only a villain due to circumstance. A chance to show that their conviction was right all along. And all they needed was the all-powerful Guardian of Peace on their side.
Visions of Four Heroes is a dream sequence in which the Wanderer (protagonist) explores what would happen if he chose to serve these would-be heroes instead. Each chapter in Visions of Four Heroes picks up from a pivotal time of need, where some of the chosen heroes are about to meet their demise, or would make the decision that would close their chapter for good. That’s where the Wanderer comes in and does what he does best: being the overwhelming force to change fate itself.
Visions of Four Heroes executes this in a pretty good way, especially since the base game had already made these villains a lot more likable than they were before. In this case, the DLC gives them more time to shine and reinforce what makes them a potential hero the masses look up to in the first place.
It gives them their own character arc that reinforces their identity without doing a complete 180-degree turn. Zhang Jiao’s ideals and philosophy, Dong Zhuo’s survival of the fittest mentality, Yuan Shao’s lack of confidence despite being a capable leader, and Lu Bu’s taste for battling the strongest—all of these are magnified in their own respective chapter.
Each of their character arcs feels natural and is written in a way that doesn’t conflict with how they were perceived in the base game. In a way, they were only missing the Wanderer's guidance and that small push to help them achieve their respective goals.
And then it just ends.
The length of each chapter is decent compared to a chapter in the base game, but with the absence of open-world side content to distract you, it feels much shorter than it actually is. Additionally, the writing to conclude their arcs feels a lot similar to each other, where the final battle will most likely consist of the same names banding together to stop you and your chosen hero in their tracks. It also doesn't help that the Strategic Battles in each of the routes feel like they're meant to slow you down on purpose and could've just been a few more unique battles instead in its favor.
Admittedly, I was a little disappointed that not all four of them got a satisfying ending, but at least they’re resolved in a way that fits them best. Regardless, the story and narrative of the DLC were a blast to experience, and I’m glad that Omega Force finally carved out great stories about leaders outside the franchise’s core trio.
New Weapons Are a Blast
I was already a fan of the combat in Dynasty Warriors Origins, so it’s no surprise that I’m still a fan now with the review of the DLC. The addition of parry and dodge mechanics, along with Unit Tactics and Battle Arts, makes for a more engaging combat experience that builds on the addictive Musou gameplay we all know and love. Additionally, it managed to make every weapon enjoyable in its own way, since none feel clunky or awkward to use.
For context, I’m not that into ranged weapons in the Dynasty Warriors franchise. It felt like the lack of special combos was a little too boring, and it never felt strong enough to match the rest of the cast. With that in mind, I still tried out both the Bow and Rope Dart, and I must say, the Dynasty Warriors Origins implementation of ranged combat is a lot more enjoyable than the rest.
The Bow is both a melee weapon and a ranged weapon, where your standard attacks are melee, while attacking with the block button held would access the ranged options of the weapon. At first, I thought it was pretty boring, especially since the melee combo strings are fairly limited and the ranged attacks felt slow and less damaging. Until I realized that the weapon was a unique resource called Vigor.
Vigor is a visual gauge you build up that empowers and quickens your strong ranged attacks (Block + Strong Attack) by almost twice their power. You build gauge by attacking with its melee attacks and certain Battle Arts, then you spend the charges to deal damage from afar in a quick manner. This single-handedly changed my view of the weapon since it became something of a resource that I had to manage and use so that I could consistently deal good damage.
After experimenting with certain Battle Arts, I found that I was able to find a way to loop the combo of using and gaining Vigor charges, and was able to consistently deal more damage than I initially thought. I was honestly surprised at how engaging the weapon was, despite being a weapon that’s meant to be used away from combat.
On the other hand, the Rope Dart was an instant favorite. As soon as I saw that its unique mechanic was pulling yourself closer to an enemy after certain attacks and then being able to chain that attack into another string, I already knew this weapon was special. It was a very natural learning process, and the combo strings that it has are devastating for both groups and enemy Officers.
This was also true of its Battle Arts, as it felt like these were the icing on the cake to its already wide-hitting offense. It had Battle Arts that closed the distance, Battle Arts that combo off of each other, and even Battle Arts that just supplement its wide coverage of standard attacks. It was a weapon that could do it all, and I will honestly say that it became my favorite of the 12 because of what it was capable of.
Better Endgame Experience
The new Training Ground introduced in Visions of the Four Heroes was something that I thought was just a fleeting change. After all, if I could just replay missions and do the main story, why would I need a Training Ground to get rewards from? Turns out, I was completely wrong. These features easily fix the main issue of the base game’s endgame content.
Endgame in Dynasty Warriors almost always boils down to replaying the same levels again on a greater difficulty. This is because the strongest weapons were always locked behind the hardest difficulty level, and farming for them would mean that you would replay the easiest or most efficient level so that you can collect weapons and upgrade them to the maximum level.
In Origins, while there were a variety of weapon drops, you couldn’t farm for a specific weapon type of your choice efficiently, especially since there were ten different types. To make matters worse, grinding in Origins wasn’t just limited to your weapon, since the inclusion of accessories and gems made it so that you also had to farm materials to maximize your stat gains as well.
The Training Ground slightly fixes this by introducing a series of timed missions that, when completed, reward players with various rewards. Some of them reward you with materials for crafting and upgrading stat-boosting equipment, while others reward you with weapons depending on your Hero Rank.
Reforging the perfect weapon is so much easier with this additional mode, and it makes grinding a lot more bearable since you have a few more choices to choose from to collect weapons.
Additionally, the Training Ground also introduces Trials, which is sort of a Boss Rush where you can go toe-to-toe against specific characters in classic one-on-one combat. Take note, however, that you can only do the Trials at Hero Rank 102, which means you’ll need to experience the DLC before you can start doing them.
All in all, the DLC adds more options for you to not only practice weapons that are unfamiliar to you, but also a way to farm more weapons for you to get the coveted +99 rank 7 weapons with perfect passive bonuses more efficiently.
Still Left in the Shadows
The DLC also adds three new playable companions that join you in your dream battles. These are Zhuhe, Diaochan, and a mysterious hunter turned warrior who fights with a bow. The only regrettable thing about this addition in particular is that they don’t have enough screentime.
Zhuhe isn’t particularly an issue, since she’s practically a big part of the Wanderer’s story in the main campaign, where he remembers his purpose. I do wish she spoke a bit more during the downtimes in the DLC’s storylines, but I think her involvement and the fact that she’s your companion for about 80% of the battles make her fine in that regard.
In contrast, it felt like Diaochan and the mystery man didn’t make too much of an impact during each of the chapters. For instance, Diaochan makes an appearance during Dong Zhuo’s and Lu Bu’s routes, but you can only take her as a companion about 2-3 times, and she doesn’t really do much in the DLC stories aside from what already happens in the base game.
Whereas the mystery man shows up in a couple of different story chapters, making his presence known as an enemy, but never as a playable companion until Yuan Shao’s route. I won’t spoil his identity or motivation for being an enemy in the other routes, but he is an interesting enough character who somehow knows the Guardians of Peace's identities, which makes him an anomaly.
In my opinion, I feel like their presence isn’t felt as much as I would’ve liked. I feel like they could’ve impacted the Wanderer and the heroes of each route much more in certain ways, like if Zhuhe led her own unit aside from just being close to you, or Diaochan attempting to assassinate a different character instead.
Is Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Worth It?
Yes, Give the “Villains” Their Time to Shine.
Visions of Four Heroes was an expansion that I thought would be lacking, but at the end of it, I was greatly surprised by how much I enjoyed the entire thing. The narrative and writing on each of the heroes’ routes were well executed, and I’m glad to see that they didn’t pull off a sudden heel-to-face turn for them as they kept their character identities intact.
The addition of the Bow and the Rope Dart also proves that the combat of the game is enjoyable regardless of the weapon you choose to play with; all of them are engaging, fun to learn, and fun to play. Moreover, the Training Ground in the DLC fixes many of the base game’s endgame content issues, making for an easier and more efficient access to farmable loot and stat upgrades.
This is a DLC I recommend to everyone who has the game, as it’s quite literally just more enjoyable Musou content. For those on the fence because of the game’s price point, I would say the game and its DLC are worth buying at full price, but you would be as wise as Chen Gong if you were to wait for a sale instead.
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PlayStation |
Xbox |
Switch 2 |
| $34.99 | |||
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes FAQ
How Do I Unlock Each Route in Dynasty Warriors Origins: Visions of Four Heroes?
The unlock conditions for each route are as follows:
⚫︎ Zhang Jiao - Unlocked upon reaching Chapter 2 of the main story
⚫︎ Dong Zhuo - Clear Zhang Jiao route + reach Chapter 3 of the main story
⚫︎ Yuan Shao - Clear Zhang Jiao route + reach Chapter 5 of the main story
⚫︎ Lu Bu - Clear Zhang Jiao route + reach Chapter 5 of the main story
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Dynasty Warriors: Origins Visions of Four Heroes Product Information
 |
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| Title | DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS VISIONS OF FOUR HEROES |
|---|---|
| Release Date | January 22, 2026 |
| Developer | Omega Force |
| Publisher | Koei Tecmo |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Genre | Action, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | T |
| Official Website | Dynasty Warriors Origins Visions of Four Heroes Official Website |
