Dynasty Scrolls Tier List: A Complete Ranked List of Heroes in the Game

Let us dive into Youzu Singapore’s take on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms once more! In our Dynasty Scrolls beginner’s guide, we tackled the basics of how to be an effective general out in the field. We’ve accounted for how to get stronger, how obtaining stars could easily give you an advantage to unlocking cool things, and how formation worked in a fight. Now, in this new Dynasty Scrolls guide, let’s now focus on the real stars of the show: the heroes of the Three Kingdoms.

To anyone alien to the premise, Dynasty Scrolls is set in the era in which the novel called the Romance of the Three Kingdoms written by Luo Guanzhong. The story takes place in feudal China, a most lawless time. Fathers, sons, and brothers set off together in war and most likely did not come back alive together, sometimes they were all at each other’s throats, and many parts of China were overruled by starvation and tyranny.

While an integral part of the story, the Yellow Turban rebellion, was skipped over, you have arrived during the campaign against the tyrant Dong Zhuo. Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu have sworn an oath to each other that they will live and die in this era of chaos, fighting for a land of peace and benevolence.

But Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu aren’t the only heroes of this story (sadly, Guan Yu isn’t available… yet). There are many more warriors to be had, and this article will guide you in separating the wheat from the chaff. If you’re ready to find out who fits right into your party, then look no further than our Dynasty Scrolls tier list below!

Dynasty Scrolls Tier List – A Complete Ranked List Of Heroes

The image serving as the head of this section of the article is an overall tier list. The tiers sort the heroes by who might be the most overpowered and who should be cleaning the horses back at camp. With more detail, we will be tackling each faction separately, as well as give a brief explanation as to why these heroes belong in their respective tier. On a side note, we’ll also be adding some historical notes on each hero and how they have lived their lives in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (and beyond that).

NOTE: We will not be including any of the Mythic Heroes in this list since each of them are quite powerful and have their own unique uses.

Before we tackle the factions, let us first briefly explain the tiers.

Tier Meanings

DEITY (X-Tier)

These are, bar none, the most overpowered or broken heroes in the game. Having them would give you certain victory.

DIVINE (S-Tier)

These heroes are just as awesome albeit outshined by those in the Deity tier. Keeping them in your team could most certainly turn the tide of battle.

DEMON (A-Tier)

While not as good as those in the Divine tier, these heroes are still pretty great. Having any of them will ensure you many victories to come if you keep them nicely equipped and leveled.

HERO (B-Tier)

The characters listed under this tier are good, but not great. Deploy these guys only if you don’t have anyone better.

SOLDIER (C-Tier)

There’s not much to say about these heroes. They’re easy to get and they look powerful, but they actually aren’t. They’re good if you’re starting out, but they’ll slow you down in the long run.

PEASANT (D-Tier)

C’mon, General. Think about your next of kin! Think about their next of kin!

With that out of the way, let’s charge into the thick of the article!

SHU TIER LIST

These are the warriors who fight for the peace of the people and display unending benevolence and virtue. Their leader, Liu Bei, fuels his drive through the people’s want for peace and the wisdom of his legendary strategists, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong.

Strengths – Powerful warriors against the enemy front row, high single-target DPS, and fastest rage recovery.

Weaknesses – Little to no crowd control.

SHU DEITY (X-Tier)

Guan Yu

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Master of War – Rage Recovery

Strategy: Keep Guan Yu at the front ranks to give your opponent a powerful opening. After performing his skill, he enters the Master of War state wherein he will be immune to stun and silence for 2 rounds. During Master of War, he also has a high chance to fully recover his rage if he gets debuffed, allowing him to perform his skill again. Fitting for the one known as the God of War.

Historical Note: Guan Yu is one of the most popular figures both in Chinese history and in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He is called the God of War and is always known to have a long beard that flowed. His weapon is called the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Huang Yueying – Swimsuit

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Buff: Rage Recovery

Strategy: There are two ways you can deploy this version of Yueying — early or late. Field her up front for an opening salvo of damage (348%, Column) and a buff for the rest of your allies or put her in the back row to take advantage of her chance to raise a random ally’s rage by 2 which is quite likely. She also has a moderate chance to heal herself for 50% of her attack.

Historical Note: See Huang Yueying.

Liu Bei

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Front Row DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: Liu Bei’s skill deals a high amount of damage to the enemies in the front row. It is ideal to have him attacking early since he debuffs the enemy with an attack penalty while at the same time boosting your heroes’ overall damage for 2 rounds.

Historical Note: Liu Bei actually got by through an impoverished early life. To help his mother, he wove and sold straw sandals and mats.

Ma Chao

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Burst (Single Target)

Strategy: Ma Chao’s skill is quite absurd. It deals 452% Physical Damage to a single enemy and has a chance for him to regain 2 Rage. It will also deal an additional 350% damage alongside more Critical Chance and Accuracy. Deploying Ma Chao in your formation is tricky, as you will want to time the moment he performs his skill to inflict that serious amount of damage to the right target. Your best bet would be to deploy him as the first or the last hero to take action as you could have either a strong start or a strong finish. He is, by far, the best Single Target annihilator in the game.

Historical Note: In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, Ma Chao’s martial prowess was so frightening that Cao Cao himself had to flee from his wrath. People whom he passed by would tell Ma Chao what Cao Cao was wearing or the length of his beard. Cao Cao had to promptly disrobe and cut his beard whilst running from Ma Chao. No wonder he belongs on this tier!

Uesugi Kenshin

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Attack and Defense

Strategy: Kenshin can easily dice an enemy to pieces with his 450% damage skill, so fielding him in a position lined up with a primary target is ideal. He will deal more damage to a target with lower attack than he. If his target has an attack value higher than his, he will reduce the target’s attack by 10% and increase the Accuracy of all his friends. He is versatile as he is deadly.

Historical Note: Uesugi Kenshin was believed to be an avatar of the Buddhist god of war, Bishamonten. This is a trait he shares with Guan Yu, another god of war figure, hence earning his position in the Shu army.

Zhuge Liang

Rarity: Legendary

Role: All DMG: Rage Steal

Strategy: Now how fair is this? Zhuge Liang deals damage to all opposing heroes and deals extra damage if their lives are above 50%. He will also increase your heroes’ Block for the next 2 rounds. But it doesn’t stop there! If you’re on the losing side and you have fewer heroes standing than the enemy, your heroes steal a total of 2 Rage from all the enemies and they also have a 50% chance to remove all debuffs. Broken. Deploy him anywhere.

Historical Note: Zhuge Liang is one of the key people in the battle of Chi Bi. He called a strong wind to assist the Wu forces’ attack on the Wei fleet. He also invented the repeating crossbow.

SHU DIVINE (S-Tier)

Huang Yueying

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Buff: Rage Recovery

Strategy: Yueying’s skill deals a great amount of damage to a column of enemies along with her basic attack. It increases your heroes’ Accuracy and Damage Bonus for the next 2 rounds and one lucky hero on your team gets their Rage restored by 2. Having her at an early back line position will be quite a boon since the next round will be full of plain combat.

Historical Note: The quote that we chose here for Yueying actually came from her story in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel. She would often dare suitors to come to her by claiming that she’s ugly and to thrill them further, she would wear a veil. Zhuge Liang was bold enough to lift her veil and tell her that her so-called ugliness is a misunderstanding and the two were wed soon after.

Jiang Wei

Rarity: Epic

Role: Single Target DPS

Strategy: Not to be outdone by Ma Chao, Jiang Wei’s skill deals 320% Physical Damage to any single enemy and has a chance for him to regain 2 Rage. After this, he gains a buff to Attack and Accuracy for the next 2 rounds. Deploy him to pick off any enemy stragglers by putting him at a late front row position.

Historical Note: Jiang Wei originally worked for the ranks of Wei. His comrades left him in a retreat but he kept fighting. Seeing this and being persuaded by Shu to join them, Jiang Wei defected and brought his fight to Wei.

Zhang Fei

Rarity: Epic

Role: Column DMG: Burst

Strategy: Zhang Fei shines his brightest if deployed at the front row. Not only will he be able to whittle down the enemy formation by column, but he will also be able to take out any of the more annoying back-liners. His skill bears 246% Physical Damage and has additional Crit Chance and Crit Damage. Even scarier, this skill has a 50% chance to deal an additional 120% damage to the enemy. Bring him along if you want the enemy back-liners gone immediately.

Historical Note: Zhang Fei is known to have fought alongside Liu Bei and Guan Yu. He was described as a towering man with the face akin to that of a panther’s. What earned him his infamy is his terrifying roar when he loses his temper; a weapon of his that he utilized heavily in battle. His presence on the battlefield was so imposing that it caused many enemy soldiers to hesitate against him in combat.

SHU DEMON (A-Tier)

Pang Tong

Rarity: Epic

Role: Heal: Rage Recovery

Strategy: As a healer, it’s best to put Pang Tong last in the formation since he will be able to restore health and a bit of rage to one very lucky allied hero. Hindering his skill a little is that the rage restore is random; Pang Tong may restore a back liner’s rage instead of someone who’s supposed to attack early.

Historical Note: Pang Tong is known as the Fledgling Phoenix, as opposed to Zhuge Liang being the Sleeping Dragon. Historically, he was also described as ugly but historians argue that because Zhuge Liang gave this description, he might have been jealous of Pang Tong.

Wei Yan

Rarity: Epic

Role: Front Row DMG: Control

Strategy: Wei Yan is a powerful character that could stop a group of heroes from healing. Because healers would often target heroes with the lowest amounts of health, having Wei Yan engage the front row early is a good tactic. Even better, deploy him right before the turn of the enemy healer after you’ve studied the enemy’s attack pattern. Additionally, his skill has a 20% chance to stun anyone he attacks. He is, unfortunately, not as versatile as other heroes.

Historical Note: Funnily enough, Wei Yan was often deployed alongside Huang Zhong as bodyguards for Pang Tong in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Their rivalry was almost akin to Tolkien characters Gimli and Legolas, respectively, and would often compete for the praise of Pang Tong and Liu Bei. This is why the Volley Combo skill requires both Wei Yan and Huang Zhong.

SHU HERO (B-Tier)

Huang Zhong

Rarity: Epic

Role: All DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: Huang Zhong’s skill is quite intimidating at a glance. His arrows will perforate the entirety of the enemy ranks whilst dealing a fair amount of damage. His Rage Reduction, however, is a tiny chance that’s almost negligible in a fight. Compensating for this, he reduces the amount of healing the targets receive, their Block chance, and their Evasion for the next 2 rounds. It’s advisable to field him in the back row, but getting the early burst of damage could be advantageous. Put him on the front lines at your own risk.

Historical Note: Huang Zhong actually started his career as a warrior much later in his life. Unlike his character design in Dynasty Scrolls, he is actually an elderly man whose second nature was archery. One time, he even purposely shot an arrow at Guan Yu’s helmet as a warning during a duel between them.

Zhao Yun

Rarity: Epic

Role: Column DMG

Strategy: Zhao Yun’s strategy is similar to Gongsun Zan and Xiahou Dun where he could easily take advantage of squishy back liners. Zhao Yun’s advantage, however, is that he can buff himself for the next 2 rounds by giving himself a Damage Bonus and a chance to increase his Rage by 4. He could arguably be one of the best heroes on this tier.

Historical Note: Zhao Yun is undoubtedly one of the most popular historical figures in Chinese lore. He is also known as Zhao Zilong.

SHU SOLDIER (C-Tier)

Fa Zheng

Rarity: Rare

Role: Random DMG: Rage Recovery

Strategy: Fielding Fa Zheng as a back liner is almost common sense since he’s squishy. Surprisingly, his attack deals 193% Magic Damage and ignores the defense of his targets. While he has a high chance of restoring his own Rage, he isn’t as versatile as other heroes.

Historical Note: Fa Zheng’s role in the novel was quite controversial. Unlike the real Fa Zheng who had numerous military exploits under his belt, the novel Fa Zheng was more of a supporter to Zhuge Liang and Huang Zhong. He was supposedly a main figure for strategy, but his demotion in the novel was so bad that when he died there, no character mourned his passing.

SHU PEASANT (D-Tier)

Meng Huo

Rarity: Common

Role: AoE Tank

Strategy: Trust us, everyone else is better.

Historical Note: Meng Huo did not go down without a fight when the Shu forces attacked his tribe. He gave into Shu’s demands after clashing with them seven times.

Sonya

Role: Back Row DMG

Strategy: While she shines early on in the game, Sonya isn’t a long-term investment. Send her off immediately after you get someone better.

Historical Note: Zhurong (her real name) is actually a fictional character. She is the supposed wife of Meng Huo, king of the Nanman Tribe.

WU TIER LIST

The kingdom of Wu is known for its fierce and fiery assaults. They once allied with the Shu kingdom during the battle of Chi Bi (or the Red Cliffs) against Wei. Their leader is Sun Jian who was succeeded by his eldest son Sun Ce, and then his younger son, Sun Quan. The Sun family’s strategists are Lu Meng, Lu Su, and Lu Xun.

Strengths – Tears the enemy back row apart with ease, spreads fire and burning attacks, can quickly pick off weakened enemies.

Weaknesses – Poor front row damage.

WU DEITY (X-Tier)

Akechi Mitsuhide

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Targets low HP

Strategy: Fielding Mitsuhide early or late is a matter of choice. You may use him to lower the block chance of the two weakest enemies, or you may have him finish the two most wounded enemies. Either way, shots like that won’t be pretty for the enemy since they deal 310% Magic Damage with chances of bonus damage.

Historical Note: Akechi Mitsuhide has been infamously known for betraying his lord, Oda Nobunaga, whilst setting the temple of Honno-Ji ablaze. Because the warriors of Wu love fire so much, he might’ve earned their respect for employing such a tactic.

Lu Xun

Rarity: Legendary

Role: All DMG: Burn

Strategy: Given that Lu Xun is a powerful hero that excels in burning anything to a cinder, putting him up early or at the last formation slot will give your team the upper hand. Not only will you set the enemy on fire after he’s performed his skill, but your heroes will gain a buff to their Damage Reduction and Crit Resist for the next 2 rounds.

Historical Note: Lu Xun is known for setting a Shu camp on fire, burning everything and anyone in it while they were in a forest looking for shade.

Lil Qiao – Summer

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Back Row Damage: Rage Reduction

Strategy: This version of Lil Qiao is much better than her vanilla counterpart. Aside from hitting harder in general, she has the chance to heal herself for 50% of her attack. Additionally, she also deals more damage to targets who are above 50% of their health as opposed to having the highest HP percentage.

Historical Note: See Lil Qiao.

Zhou Yu

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Fire Deity – Burn

Strategy: Zhou Yu is best suited being out front since burning all your enemies for a hefty 151% Magic Damage, not to mention giving them a burn they cannot remove, will immediately put you ahead of your opponent. Once the enemy ranks are set ablaze, having him perform his skill once again will cause an additional 140% extra Magic Damage to pile onto the next 151%. Just like Cao Cao’s fleet, he can burn the enemy to a cinder.

Historical Note: Zhou Yu was the man who suggested destroying Cao Cao’s massive fleet with fire in the Battle of Chi Bi. Prior to the battle, he allied with Liu Bei and the other lords of Shu.

WU DIVINE (S-Tier)

Gan Ning

Rarity: Legendary

Faction: Wu

Role: Front Row DMG: Stun

Strategy: If you’re looking to get a good opening deploy Gan Ning in either of the first two slots. This is especially if you want to stun a hero whose skill you’re wanting to delay if your stun is successful. After using his skill, he will at least reduce any oncoming damage to your heroes and increase their Accuracy for the next 2 turns. Use him if you’re taking on pesky Evasion-reliant heroes like Zhang He.

Historical Note: Gan Ning was a known pirate but turned to a life of honor and servitude to Sun Quan and the kingdom of Wu. His loyalty to Wu was without question and his ultimate display of it was when he defended Sun Quan’s carriage at Hefei Castle alongside Lu Meng and Ling Tong.

Lil Qiao

Rarity: Legendary

Faction: Wu

Role: Back Row DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: Lil Qiao’s role is ideal if the enemy has a healer or high DPS heroes in the back lines of their team. She will also reduce their Damage Reduction by 20% for the next 2 rounds. In addition, she will deal more damage to the back liner with the highest HP percentage. Because she isn’t well-suited to the front lines, it’s best that you put her in the same group as someone who deals AoE Damage or All Damage.

Historical Note: It’s rumored that the Battle of Chi Bi was started because Cao Cao wanted Lil Qiao as his wife even though she was already married to Zhou Yu.

Sun Ce

Rarity: Legendary

Faction: Wu

Role: Crit: Break Formation

Strategy: Sun Ce should always be put ahead of everyone in the party. Not only will he grant everyone a party buff with his skill, but his Break Formation will also increase his own Attack and Defense for the next 2 rounds. Adding to this boost, his Break Formation also has a 50% chance for him to gain 4 Rage, allowing for a very strong opening. After his opening assault, the other attacks that follow should wreck the enemy team in no time.

Historical Note: Sun Ce was a fiery, headstrong fellow. As he sped through his conquest across the land, so too, did he through his life by meeting his demise at an ambush. If it weren’t for his exploits on the battlefield, the kingdom of Wu wouldn’t have flourished.

WU DEMON (A-Tier)

Big Qiao

Rarity: Epic

Faction: Wu

Role: Heal: DMG Reduction

Strategy: On par with Zhen Ji in terms of healing, Big Qiao’s healing abilities come with an extra perk wherein one random ally will have their Damage Reduction increased by 15% for the next 2 rounds. On the other hand, she heals better than Zhen Ji since she can heal every member of your party. As a healer, it’s good to field her during the later stages of your formation and not up front. However, the random buff could be a hit or miss, depending on which hero you’d like to be buffed.

Historical Note: Big Qiao is Lil Qiao’s elder sister and is Sun Ce’s wife. Aside from knowing the ways of tea ceremonies, song, dance, and poetry, she also provided invaluable insight to her husband’s military strategies.

Lu Meng

Rarity: Epic

Faction: Wu

Role: DPS: Finisher

Strategy: Lu Meng’s role as a finisher is almost a no-brainer in terms of formation. Unless you have a healer in your formation, Lu Meng should be deployed last in order to deal optimal amounts of damage to the two most wounded enemies. If their HP is below 50%, Lu Meng deals even more damage to them. His basic attack isn’t exactly great, but he will constantly pick off any stragglers the enemy formation may have.

Historical Note: In the novel, Lu Meng pretended to be sick in order to give Guan Yu a false sense of security in his forces during the siege of Fancheng. After getting Guan Yu killed, Guan Yu comes back to haunt Lu Meng as a ghost and kills him by possessing his body, causing him to leak blood from out of his orifices.

Sun Jian

Rarity: Epic

Faction: Wu

Role: Column DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: While Sun Jian hits hard, he doesn’t reduce Rage as well as the likes of Sima Yi or Guo Jia. His skill deals raw damage, so it’s more ideal that you field him in the later slots of your formation. You will want someone stronger for an opening attack.

Historical Note: Sun Jian is the father of Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and Sun Shangxiang (Savory). As resourceful as he was, he was feared by Dong Zhuo and he earned the moniker the Tiger of Jiangdong. He is also a descendant of renowned strategist Sun Tzu.

Sun Quan

Rarity: Epic

Faction: Wu

Role: Control: Single Target

Strategy: With a high stun chance, fielding Sun Quan would be a good idea if you’re faced against heroes whose skills you do not want happening. The burst of damage is great, but he is quickly outshined by other, more effective heroes. Put him anywhere in your formation.

Historical Note: Sun Quan was once saved by Zhou Tai. The latter sustained a great number of wounds but survived. After his scars have healed, Sun Quan praised him over some drinks with his fellow soldiers and officers.

WU HERO (B-Tier)

Lu Su

Rarity: Epic

Faction: Wu

Role: Back Row DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: If grouped with other back row attackers, Lu Su may prove effective. He could burn the enemy’s back row with a small chance to reduce their Rage by 2. Unfortunately, his overall damage output is quite low, so backing him up with other heroes is a must. He is ideally placed in an early back row slot but never the last.

Historical Note: Lu Su was the very person who united Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu for the Shu-Wu alliance against Cao Cao. Zhou Yu often saw Zhuge Liang as a huge threat and hoped to destroy him with every chance he got, however, Lu Su often stood up for Zhuge Liang during councils and respected him greatly. It was through Lu Su that they became good friends.

Taishi Ci

Rarity: Epic

Faction: Wu

Role: Back Row DMG: Burn

Strategy: Along with other back line attackers, Taishi Ci is a pretty good addition to your team. Not only will he pick off healers and DPS strategists, he can also set them alight, causing damage over a short period of time. Sadly, he performs quite poorly by himself and his damage output isn’t as great.

Historical Note: Taishi Ci did not join Wu without a fight. As it’s done in Dynasty Scrolls’ biography mode, Sun Ce actually dueled him. After besting him and seeing how Sun Ce’s military prowess was greater than that of his current lord’s, Taishi Ci joined Sun Ce and continued to serve Wu even after Sun Ce’s passing.

WU SOLDIER (C-Tier)

Bu Lianshi

Rarity: Rare

Faction: Wu

Role: Column DMG: Heal

Strategy: Quite early on, the game gives Lianshi to you. Unlike most healers, Lianshi could actually deal damage to a column of enemies, so this early on makes her quite useful. Yet again, unlike most healers, she only heals the one allied hero with the lowest HP percentage. She might have potential, but you’re better off taking a superior healer with you.

Historical Note: As rulers in feudal China had multiple wives, it was said that Sun Quan gave Lianshi his utmost attention. In return, she might have loved him the same. Sun Quan had a difficult time deciding on making her empress of Wu, but ultimately did not. She posthumously attained that position, however.

Cheng Pu

Rarity: Rare

Faction: Wu

Role: Column DMG: Tank

Strategy: Cheng Pu’s skill deals 183% damage to a column of enemies and increases his own Evasion for the next 2 rounds. Putting him in front if you don’t have a good tank will suffice.

Historical Note: Cheng Pu watched over Gan Ning closely after Wu had executed his former master. This was to ensure that Gan Ning’s new loyalties were with the Sun family and all of Wu.

Zhou Tai

Rarity: Rare

Faction: Wu

Role: Tank (Single Target)

Strategy: Zhou Tai deals a fair amount of damage to his target and increases his Block for the next 2 rounds. He is best fielded up front. That’s it.

Historical Note: Both history and the novel say that Zhou Tai had seen quite a number of battles. At the party in which Sun Quan had praised him for his rescue, he commanded Zhou Tai to show his battle scars off, much to the awe of many Wu officers and soldiers.

Savory

Rarity: Common

Faction: Wu

Role: Front Row DMG: Support

Strategy: Savory is the very first hero you get. Surprisingly, she is incredibly useful early on and then some after that. Thanks to her being able to reduce the Accuracy of anyone she hits with her skill, she may be able to make your team last longer. That’s all there is to her, however.

Historical Note: In history, during the time Shu and Wu allied, Sun Shangxiang (her real name) seemed to have an attraction to Liu Bei. Despite this, they would actually break up after having an argument after one of Liu Bei’s conquests.

WU PEASANT (D-Tier)

Huang Gai

Rarity: Rare

Faction: Wu

Role: Front Row DMG

Strategy: Huang Gai performs a skill similar to Pang De’s. Unlike Pang De, Huang Gai’s skill burns instead of having an increased Critical Rate. The only problem here is by the time Huang Gai is done setting the enemy alight, your heroes that deal with the front row will be done with the enemy right after, rendering his efforts rather ineffectual. Fielding him in the back row is pointless, so where does he go exactly?

Historical Note: Huang Gai actually played a very crucial role in the Battle of Chi Bi. He decided to fake a defection to Wei by having himself flogged by Zhou Yu’s men in order to fool Cao Cao. Adding to this charade, he brought one of his boats toward Cao Cao’s fleet, telling him that he will join Wei. The boat rammed into one of Cao Cao’s bigger ships, causing it to explode as it was filled with oil and fire. This led to Wei’s assault on Chi Bi failing miserably.

Xu Sheng

Rarity: Rare

Faction: Wu

Role: DPS (Single Target)

Strategy: Remember when we thought that Xu Sheng was actually powerful in our last article? Well… Anyway, see Yan Liang’s strategy for Xu Sheng’s strategy.

Historical Note: During the battle of Chi Bi, Zhou Yu actually tries to assassinate Zhuge Liang by sending Xu Sheng and another officer, Ding Feng. Their orders were to kill him after he summons the wind, but Zhao Yun arrived just in time to prevent them from doing this.

WEI TIER LIST

The ambitious warriors of Wei strive to end the chaos eating China. Through the brilliant guidance of their lord Cao Cao and his most-esteemed strategists Sima Yi and Guo Jia, Wei is a force to be reckoned with.

Strengths – Excellent column damage DPS and hinders the enemy’s Rage.

Weaknesses – Generally weak front-row warriors.

WEI DEITY (X-Tier)

Cao Cao

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Freeze All

Strategy: Cao Cao can certainly bring the fight to a halt for 151% Magic Damage to all enemies. Positioning him as the first to strike may prove advantageous since his frozen debuff cannot be removed by anyone but him through his regular attacks which will cause more damage. If he doesn’t happen to hit anyone frozen, they will remain frozen for the next two rounds. His damage will deal 10% extra damage of his target’s max HP and will ignore defense.

Historical Note: Cao Cao, the ruler of Wei, was known to have unified China under his rule for a time. After thwarting Dong Zhuo’s rule in Luoyang, he took Yuan Shao (Dank Stash) on in the battle of Guan Du due to Yuan Shao wanting to become the true ruler of China. Nevertheless, Cao Cao chased his ambitions and put Yuan Shao in his place.

Dian Wei

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Column DMG

Strategy: Dian Wei is a beast. His skill not only deals 331% damage (bonus damage if the enemy’s health is above 50%), but he has a moderate chance to stun the enemies caught in his skill for 1 round. Aside from lowering the enemy’s accuracy, it also ignores 15% of their Defense. It’s quite painful.

Historical Note: In the novel, Dian Wei was known to have once fought until the end by flailing corpses about at his would-be assassins. When the assassination came to a success, he died standing up despite being riddled with arrows and throwing spears.

Guo Jia

Rarity: Legendary

Role: All Damage: Rage Reduction

Strategy: Deploy Guo Jia if you wish to cripple the enemy’s rage at the beginning of the battle (preferably in the first slot). He will also reduce the enemy’s Crit Chance and Damage Bonus for the next 2 rounds, keeping the enemy from excessively hurting your soldiers.

Historical Note: Guo Jia’s death caused Cao Cao’s loss against the Shu and Wu alliance during the battle of Chi Bi. Cao Cao even famously said “If I still had Guo Jia with me…”

Tokugawa Leyasu

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Damage Reduction

Strategy: Ieyasu’s skill is quite identical to Dian Wei’s in damage. What sets him apart from Dian Wei, however, is that damaging the enemy with health above 50% warrants a small chance to stun the for 1 round. If the enemy’s health is below 50%, Ieyasu will deal a bonus 200% damage and reduce the accuracy of the entire enemy team for 2 rounds.

Historical Note: Tokugawa Ieyasu is the shogun known for unifying Japan and ending the Sengoku era, similar to how Cao Cao was able to bring an end to China’s chaotic era (for a time). This is why he is put in the Wei faction.

Xun Yu

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Front Row DMG: Bleed

Strategy: While Xun Yu has an impressive skill that eats away at the enemy’s defenses and health, he himself isn’t a very durable character. His skill is ideal to be used at the start of battle, but with how he isn’t well-suited to the front lines, it’s better recommended to put him last or second to the last.

Historical Note: Xun Yu was one of Cao Cao’s more prominent strategists in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Of all the officers in Cao Cao’s army, Xun Yu was able to spare a few allied officers from his lord’s wrath. Cao Cao once threatened to execute two officers for their poor performance in battle, but Xun Yu convinced him to spare their lives and focus on bigger, more important tasks.

Zhen Ji – Aquamarine

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Targets low HP

Strategy: Field this version of Zhen Ji if you lack a finisher on your team. Her skill deals 315% Magic Damage to the two enemies with the lowest HP percentage. The ally in het column will then gain a 15% attack increase and she also has a chance to heal herself for 40% of her attack. Show your enemy some summer fun!

Historical Note: See Zhen Ji.

WEI DIVINE (S-Tier)

Sima Yi

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Random DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: Sima Yi is a powerful addition to your lineup. Because his skill is a random skill, it’s preferred that you deploy him in a slot that is neither first nor last in your formation. The reason behind this is that while his skill does not guarantee complete ruination of the enemy ranks, his skill instead gives a heal to all of the heroes in your current lineup. In addition to this, he cripples the enemy’s defense for the next 2 rounds. Deploying him correctly will allow your team a greater chance of survivability.

Historical Note: Sima Yi began his career as Cao Cao’s Secretary of Literature. He was also Zhuge Liang’s rival in this time period. Despite the many feats and strides Zhuge Liang had made during his career, Sima Yi would outlive him.

Xiahou Dun

Rarity: Epic

Role: Column DMG: Control

Strategy: In any front-line position, Xiahou Dun’s skill will be able to eat through enemy columns and cripple any two enemy heroes with a 1-round stun. If their lives are above 50%, this skill will deal even more damage. The key here is to get him to whittle away at the enemy’s health during the early phases of battle.

Historical Note: You might notice that Xiahou Dun’s character design has some sort of eye plate. That is because in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xiahou Dun ate his own eyeball after it was shot by an enemy’s arrow. The character quote we chose here is what he cried out before pulling his eyeball out of the socket and eating it.

WEI DEMON (A-Tier)

Xu Chu

Rarity: Epic

Role: Burst (Single Target)

Strategy: Xu Chu is highly competent when picking off singular enemies. With such a high burst that ignores 40% of the target’s Defense, fielding him against bosses or heroes like Dong Zhuo is a good counter. Like Jiang Wei, either you put him in a position that could give you a strong start or a strong finish. Unfortunately, he is outclassed by Jiang Wei by a landslide.

Historical Note: Xu Chu, sometimes spelled Xu Zhu, is one of Cao Cao’s most prized generals. He fought alongside Dian Wei, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan. Oftentimes, he was referred to as a fearsome giant warrior with a big heart.

Zhang He

Rarity: Epic

Role: AoE DPS

Strategy: Deploying Zhang He ahead of most of your characters is a common strategy since he could easily chip at the health bars of multiple enemies at a time. After which he gains an Evasion buff which helps him survive the next 2 rounds. Unfortunately, his defense is quite low, so having him on the front lines can be a problem if you’re faced against hard-hitting enemies, especially if the enemy formation has managed to stun him.

Historical Note: In actual history, Zhang He is one of the surprising strategists at the time. His resourcefulness in battle earned the attention of the likes of Zhuge Liang who told his own troops to be careful of Zhang He. Unfortunately for Zhang He, he ended up getting killed by one of Zhuge Liang’s archers in a fight that took place during 231.

Zhen Ji

Rarity: Epic

Role: Heal: ATK Boost

Strategy: Zhen Ji is a great healer. While she couldn’t heal better than Sima Yi with the use of her skill, her basic attack heals your most wounded hero every time it’s her turn. As she is a healer, putting her on the front lines is foolish, but keeping her in your formation would only be ideal if you’re expecting a longer fight. She’s quite useful if you’re also going up against the likes of Ma Chao or Jiang Wei.

Historical Note: In the novel, Zhen Ji’s relationship with her husband Cao Pi was made more romantic than what happened historically. During the aftermath of Guandu, Cao Pi came across her in Yuan Shu’s camp and said that her beauty was so great that it could destroy a kingdom, meaning she could distract a lord from performing his duty. When he returned to the Wei camp with her, he presented Zhen Ji to his father Cao Cao. The latter proclaimed that they should both get married.

WEI HERO (B-Tier)

Liao Zhang

Rarity: Epic

Role: Front Row DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: By putting Liao Zhang in front of your formation, you’ll be able to severely damage the enemy’s front row thanks to his skill. It deals 179% Physical Damage and reduces their Damage Reduction for the next 2 rounds. Unfortunately, he isn’t very sturdy, so don’t expect him to last long.

Historical Note: Your player character in the game jokingly says that “There are too many Zhangs in the game. Other players might get confused.” True enough, there are heroes like Zhang Fei, Zhang He, and Zhang Jue (Jue Zhang). They decide to call him Liao Zhang instead of Zhang Liao. His final battle in history involved him fighting while he was afflicted with an illness. He was victorious, but the illness took him in his sleep after returning to camp.

Xiahou Yuan

Rarity: Epic

Role: Back Row DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: Only field Xiahou Yuan if you have other back line or AoE attackers in your team. While he could pick off hard hitters from behind your lines, he doesn’t do anything super special. His skill may soften up the enemies, but it doesn’t do as well Zuo Ci’s skill. Put him in the back lines of your team or up front if you’ve got Column Damage heroes that follow.

Historical Note: Xiahou Yuan is Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao’s cousin. In the novel, his death was overly dramatized where he ended up getting sliced in half after getting surrounded by Huang Zhong’s men through Fa Zheng’s strategy.

WEI SOLDIER (C-Tier)

Cao Pi

Rarity: Rare

Role: Random DMG: Control

Strategy: Cao Pi’s skill damages 3 random enemies and has a small chance to reduce their Rage by 1. You can field him in the back row, but there are more useful heroes out there.

Historical Note: Cao Pi had been enrolled into Cao Cao’s army when he was as young as eleven-years old. His older brothers had already perished then.

Pang De

Rarity: Rare

Role: Front Row DMG

Strategy: Pang De flails his axes around at front row enemies dealing 133% Physical Damage. Putting him at an early slot could gain you the upper hand in a fight, but his lack of debuffs or buffs should give you second thoughts before fielding him.

Historical Note: Pang De was formerly a member of the Xiliang forces before joining the ranks of Wei.

Yue Jin

Rarity: Rare

Role: Column DMG: Tank

Strategy: While having Yue Jin tank and cleave through enemy columns early on is a good idea, he can get easily replaced by more superior column damage dealers once you get them. He can still increase his own Crit Resist, so there’s that.

Historical Note: Yue Jin’s death on the battlefield is unknown in history. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, however, Gan Ning purportedly shot him in the face with an arrow.

WEI PEASANT (D-Tier)

Yu Jin

Rarity: Rare

Strategy: While Yu Jin deals a great amount of damage to a single target in the back row, he doesn’t do all that much. In the grand scale of things, his skill won’t turn the tide of battle in any way. Think twice before fielding him.

Historical Note: In history, Yu Jin was known to be one of the most uptight generals in Cao Cao’s army. He observed every single strict military law imaginable and because of that, he wasn’t entirely able to win the hearts of his soldiers.

WARLORDS TIER LIST

Unlike the Three Kingdoms, China had its fair share of talented warlords that roamed the battlefields in search of only those worthy enough to recruit them. Prominent rulers are Dong Zhuo, Dank Stash, Jue Zhang, Yan Liang, and Gongsun Zan.

Strengths – Has more crowd control skills than the other factions, can apply poison to the enemy, and blocking is more frequent.

Weaknesses – Absolutely dreadful single-target DPS damage.

WARLORDS DEITY (X-Tier)

Chosokabe Motochika

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Guaranteed dodge

Strategy: After giving the front row hell with his 241% damage, Motochika will gain the Gust status where he is guaranteed to dodge the next attack. Keep him at any slot with an enemy of interest. For instance, make him go toe-to-toe with Ma Chao, Jiang Wei, or Kenshin so they can waste their skills on him. Of course, that is granted if he doesn’t lose any rage points along the way.

Historical Note: Despite being a fearsome samurai, his father once called him “Himewako” or “Little Princess” due to his gentle nature as a boy. However, Motochika proved his father wrong after showing his skill in battle.

Diao Chan – Seaside

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Random Silence

Strategy: Sending this version of Diao Chan up front or at the back is entirely up to you. While she can cause chaos for the enemy by randomly silencing their heroes (how fun!), she can also make for a decent finisher. Her skill already deals a whopping 253% Magic Damage to anyone she hits and she can deal a bonus 150% damage to her chosen targets if their HP is below 30%. Like the other swimsuit girls, she has a chance to heal herself.

Historical Note: See Diao Chan.

Lu Bu

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Flying General Crit

Strategy: It’s Lu Bu!! Put him at any of the first front slots to take advantage of his Flying General status. Upon performing his very first Rage Action, he will deal 50% more damage on top of his already high 331%. Did we mention that this was a column? No? Well, goodbye enemy team!

Historical Note: There is a saying that goes “Lu Bu among men and Red Hare among horses.” Aside from being the infamous Flying General of Dong Zhuo’s army, Lu Bu actually hailed from Mongolia.

WARLORDS DIVINE (S-Tier)

Diao Chan

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Random DMG: Silence

Strategy: Fielding Diao Chan is a great idea. Period. She can delay enemies from casting their skills by Silencing them and in doing so, will completely throw them out of rhythm. Their damage output will be fragmented, but because she will target 3 random enemies, she may not hit the ones you were hoping she would.

Historical Note: Diao Chan is actually a fictional character! The only trace of her possible existence is that Lu Bu may or may not have had an affair with one of Dong Zhuo’s maids at the time. Sadly, there are no mentions of this maid’s name anywhere.

Dong Zhuo

Rarity: Legendary

Role: AoE Rage Reduction

Strategy: Dong Zhuo’s skill inflicts a great deal of damage onto an enemy and anyone adjacent to them. Anyone caught in the blast of his skill might have their Rage reduced by 2. Dong Zhuo will then increase his block chance by 15% for the next 2 rounds. Having him deployed up front is a standard strategy, but  he could be easily thwarted by heroes who deal high bursts of damage like Xiahou Dun, Xu Chu, or Zhang Fei.

Historical Note: When Dong Zhuo died after Luoyang was liberated from his regime, his cremation was said to last almost two days or more because his body was so fat and unhealthy, it fueled the fire well.

Jia Xu

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Area of Effect: Poison

Strategy: Jia Xu can effectively ruin the enemy’s ranks with the use of poison. Because poison is such a powerful debuff, putting him anywhere in the formation is advantageous. Putting him in the last slot of the formation is ideal as he grants all your heroes a Damage Bonus and Crit Chance buff for 2 rounds. Given that most of your heroes have performed their skills by then, cutting down the enemy with regular attacks will be made even deadlier due to the poison.

Historical Note: Jia Xu would soon serve as a strategist of Wei and stayed there long enough to even serve Cao Cao’s son, Cao Pi.

Jue Zhang

Rarity: Legendary

Role: All DMG: Rage Reduction

Strategy: As far as All Damage types go, Jue Zhang is all right. As his skill ripples through the enemy ranks, it also has a chance to reduce their rage by 2 and soften them up for 2 rounds. In turn, all of your heroes gain an Evasion boost for the next 2 rounds as well. Fielding him in the back row is ideal. The reason why he isn’t so high on this list is because he doesn’t hit as hard as the likes of Lu Xun.

Historical Note: Jue Zhang’s alternate name is Zhang Jiao. He is a man responsible for the Yellow Turban Rebellion and claimed to practice miracles granted to him by the heavens. Because of his discontent with the Han Dynasty, he rallied up peasants and villagers to join his new “way of peace”. He was then slain by Liu Bei, ending the rebellion entirely.

Zuo Ci

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Back Row DMG: Transform

Strategy: Because Zuo Ci attacks back-row enemies, it is advisable that you choose carefully where to deploy him. His position is up to the player’s discretion, but what’s important is what he can actually do. His skill deals a heavy amount of magic damage to back-row enemies and increases the evasion of all of your heroes by 10% for the next 2 rounds. Adding to this is his chance to transform the enemies hit by his spell into Wild Boars that do poor amounts of damage for 1 round. This is useful for shutting down any prominent warriors in the back-row and making them waste their Rage.

Historical Note: To put it simply, Zuo Ci is akin to Merlin of Arthurian legend. Zuo Ci’s dates of birth are unknown but it was rumored that he lived long before the Han Dynasty collapsed and even longer after that. Aside from being almost 300-years old, he is also renowned as a sorcerer who displayed his magic to Cao Cao. After having infuriated Cao Cao with one of his tricks, he was nearly executed but escaped by walking through the walls of the prison. He was never found again.

Yu Ji

Rarity: Epic

Role: All DMG: Poison

Strategy: Similar to Jia Xu, Yu Ji softens up the enemy by poisoning them. Unlike Jia Xu, however, he ruins the enemy’s damage mitigation by decreasing their Crit Resist for 2 rounds. Any of your heroes that have high Crit Chance should be deployed alongside Yu Ji.

Historical Note: Yu Ji’s name is actually a misspelling. In reality, his name was most likely Gan Ji, a name tied to another fabled sorcerer from the Three Kingdoms period. Gan Ji was said to have been executed by Sun Ce for performing magic and his spirit haunted Sun Ce until he died of shock. This is, however, rumored to just be fictional.

WARLORDS DEMON (A-Tier)

Dank Stash

Rarity: Epic

Role: Front Row DMG: ATK Boost

Strategy: Fielding Dank Stash in the back row is a tactic that should be greatly considered. He doesn’t hit very hard if put up front and since the back row is ideal for harder-hitting heroes or heroes that could cast AoE spells and damage, his skill could boost their Attack for the next 2 rounds.

Historical Note: Dank Stash’s actual name is Yuan Shao. This man is responsible for creating the coalition against Dong Zhuo and is actually good friends with Cao Cao. However, after Dong Zhuo’s defeat, he grew more and more corrupt and believed that he deserved to be the emperor, much to Cao Cao’s disdain. After his defeat at Guandu, Cao Cao claimed all his territories.

Hua Tuo

Rarity: Epic

Role: Heal Crit

Strategy: Hua Tuo is arguably one of the best healers in the game. After healing your soldiers, he increases their Crit Rate by 10% and one lucky random hero on your side gains extra Crit Strength with that Crit Rate increase all for the next 2 rounds. However, like all other healers in the game, he is unable to attack, and thus, he is best suited to the back lines of your party.

Historical Note: Hua Tuo is a renowned doctor in the Three Kingdoms period. He possessed great knowledge as an herbalist, a modern medicine practitioner, and an acupuncture administrator. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, he would proceed to be one of Cao Cao’s medical advisers due to Cao Cao having a brain tumor. When Hua Tuo suggested that his lord’s head needs to be cut open, Cao Cao had him executed.

WARLORDS HERO (B-Tier)

Gongsun Zan

Rarity: Epic

Role: Column DMG

Strategy: Gongsun Zan would be higher on this tier list if he wasn’t trying to compete with Xiahou Dun. Their skills are quite identical, and so are their strategies. Unlike Xiahou Dun, he doesn’t hit as hard. Therefore, he is the poor man’s Xiahou Dun. Fielding Gongsun Zan and Xiahou Dun together is an interesting tactic, however.

Historical Note: Gongsun Zan was actually good friends with Liu Bei and Zhao Yun. In fact, both these Shu officers have served under him for a time.

Hua Xiong

Rarity: Epic

Role: Front Row DMG: Burst

Strategy: Hua Xiong’s raw damage burst skill could easily cleave through the enemy’s front row and has a tiny chance to stun all the targets for the next round. He is outclassed by Gan Ning, however, since the latter could still buff your team. Hua Xiong doesn’t buff, not even himself.

Historical Note: Hua Xiong was an equally mighty general who was among the ranks of Lu Bu and Liao Zhang in Dong Zhuo’s army. He was slain by Guan Yu in Chapter 5 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

WARLORDS SOLDIER (C-Tier)

There are no Warlord heroes that fit this tier.

WARLORDS PEASANT (D-Tier)

Chen Gong

Rarity: Rare

Role: Back Row DMG

Strategy: Chen Gong deals damage to all heroes on the enemy’s back row formation. It also cripples their defense by a tiny amount for the next 2 rounds. Why field this guy when you have people who can outright annihilate the enemy’s back row?

Historical Note: Like some other officers from the Warlord faction, Chen Gong actually served Lu Bu and even fought alongside the likes of Liao Zhang. When Cao Cao captured Lu Bu, Chen Gong’s loyalty to his master was so strong that Cao Cao had him executed as well.

Wen Chou

Rarity: Rare

Role: Front Row DMG: Heal

Strategy: The mighty Wen Chou swings his massive club at the enemy, causing a whopping 133% Physical Damage to all front row enemies. He also heals himself! Wow! This is what we could’ve written if he were on a much higher tier… except for that damage counter. There are heroes that hit much harder than him.

Historical Note: While in the novel he was slain by Guan Yu much like his friend Yan Liang, Wen Chou was actually killed by an ambush prepared by Cao Cao’s men.

Yan Liang

Rarity: Rare

Role: DPS (Single Target)

Strategy: Ma Chao, Jiang Wei, Xu Chu… Just deploy these guys instead if you have them. Deploy anyone but this guy.

Historical Note: In the novel, Yan Liang was known to be one of the most fearsome warriors in the battle of Baima. It was there where he decimated several of Cao Cao’s generals until he met his end by being struck once by Guan Yu’s Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

TIME FACTION

If you have seen the full Tier List above, there is a stranger in the Deity Tier from an entirely different faction. This faction only provides special heroes from another time and place (much like the Sengoku warriors) and can only be summoned through the Time Summon. Having a Time hero on your team will allow them to fit a missing slot if you’re after a full faction bonus.

Yi Sun-sin

Rarity: Legendary

Role: Powerful Defense and Attack

Strategy: Yi Sun-sin will fire his arrow at the column with the enemy that has the highest attack. His attack already deals 331% damage and will score an additional 300% damage to the enemy with the highest attack. If there are more enemies than allies in the match, he will be able to ignore 10% of the enemy’s defense and strike with even more accuracy. A powerful addition to your team, especially if you’re off to fight a difficult battle!

Historical Note: Yi Sun-sin is known to be one of Korea’s most tenacious admirals. Despite being blamed for the misfortune that plagued their ranks at the time they fought the Japanese, Yi Sun-sin turned the fight around with his masterful tactics. When he was dying from a gunshot wound, he commanded his men not to announce his death and to continue beating the war drums to keep their morale high.

And that’s that for the tier list of Dynasty Scrolls!

If there’s anyone we missed or if you have any thoughts on this list, do leave them in the comments section down below!