asonlikehim

[asonlikehim]

Translation of the Book of Jin (Sima Yi) Part II

Under the cut.

During Han's 6th year of Jian An, the prefecture elected him as an Accounts Inspector. The Wu emperor of Wei (i) was then Minister of Works, and summoned him when he heard of the emperor (ii)'s deeds. The emperor knew that the Han dynasty was on a decline (iii), and was unwilling to work under the Cao family, thus rejected the summons by claiming to be suffering from arthralgia (iv), and so could not move. When the Wu emperor ordered someone to check on the matter at night, and the emperor laid in bed motionless. Then the Wu emperor became chancellor, and he again summoned the emperor by giving him the post of Literary Inspector, while informing the messenger: "if he dallies (v), capture him." The emperor was frightened into accepting the post. Thus he came to accompany the prince (vi) on outings, becoming the Gentleman Attendant of the Palace Gates, before switching into a Gentleman Consultant, a staff within the Chancellor's Eastern section (vii), and then changing to Chancellor's Registrar.

While on a punitive expedition against Zhang Lu, he spoke thus to the Wu emperor: "Liu Bei had used trickery to defeat Liu Zhang, thus the people of Shu are not pacified, yet they have chosen to contend for the distant Jiangling, making this an opportunity not to be missed. If we display our military might at Hanzhong, Yi province will be shaken, then by pressing forth with our army, their force will be dissolved. In such a state, it will be easy to achieve our goals. Even the wise cannot turn back time, therefore we cannot afford to lose this opportunity." The Wu emperor said: "Man's bitterness lies in never being content - having obtained West Long (viii), you continue to lust after Shu!" Thus he did not follow the given advice. Soon after they returned from an expedition against Sun Quan, having won. When the army returned, Quan had a messenger declare his submission, offering to be a vassal, and to persuade them to accede to heaven's will (ix). The Wu emperor of Wei declared: "This boy intends for me to be cooked on the stove!" The reply was: "Han's fortunes has come to an end, your majesty holds nine portions out of the ten that comprise the world, which is good enough to handle matters. Quan declaring himself a vassal, indicates it is both heaven and man's will. Yu, Xia, Yin (x), Zhou dynasties are not formed by people who modestly declined, but who acceded to heaven-appointed lives."

When the Wei kingdom was established, the emperor became the prince's aide. Whenever discussing grand strategy, he always had remarkable tactics, and soon become heavily trusted by the prince - together with Chen Qun, Wu Zhi and Zhu Shuo, they are known as 'the four friends'.

(i) Referring to Cao Cao

(ii) Referring to Sima Yi

(iii) Direct translation of 汉运方微 is 'the Han's luck is on the wane', thus signifying the dynasty's decline.

(iv) A non-inflammatory version of arthritis

(v) 盘桓 pán huán can mean to hesitate, to linger, to circulate, or to revel in merriment.

(vi) Here referring to Cao Pi

(vii) Unlike the former post 黄门侍郎 and the latter post 主簿, 议郎 and 丞相东曹属 were seperated by an enumeration comma. This signifies that rather each being individual posts, the terms refer to an office Sima Yi held concurrently. 丞相东曹属 is not a specific office, but a term refering to a section of staff. Therefore, I translated 议郎 as a general office title ('Gentleman Consultant') which is within the 丞相东曹属 section.

(viii) In olden China right 右 refers to the West. Thus Jiangdong 江东 is also known as Jiangzuo 江左.

(ix) 'Heaven's will' here refers to persuading Cao Cao to declare himself emperor. There are problems with the situation presented here because the author seems to have skipped quite a sizeable amount of time (or misrepresented the situation). The last loss Sun Quan suffered to Cao Cao was in 215 (the Battle of Hefei), the last engagement they had with each other was in 217 (the Battle of Ruxu) where Cao Cao was forced to retreat, but Sun Quan only suggested Cao Cao take the throne in 219 (right after the Battle for Jing province).

(x) 殷 refers to the Shang 商 dynasty.

[asonlikehim]

Sorry

My photoshop has been hanging on me so I cannot get the graphics for my challenge and guides out. I hope to have it repaired by tomorrow (reinstalling everything) so fingers crossed I can get back to those.

In the meantime, hope you guys enjoy the translation of the Book of Jin!

[asonlikehim]

Translation of the Book of Jin (Sima Yi) Part I

Something I did for the Scholars of Shen Zhou, reposting here.

As promised, I have started work on translating Sima Yi's entry in the book of Jin. This will take a while because I have double check certain references when 'translating' from olden Chinese into its modern context, before translating the Chinese text into English. Page 1 down, 19 more to go!   The Book of Jin (Tang Dynasty) Fang Xuanling and selected appendices Published by Zhonghua Book Publishers The Book of Jin Chapter I Records of the Emperors I Xuan Emperor (i) Xuan Emperor given name Yi (ii), style name Zhongda, from Henei (iii) Wen county Xiao Jing Li, surnamed Sima (iv). The lineage is descended from Emperor Gaoyang's son Zhongli, who was also the Xia official Zhurong (v). Historically Tang, Yu (vi), Xia,Shang, all continued the use of this title. From Zhou, the Xia title was changed to Sima. During the Zhou King Xuan's reign, a descendent Cheng Bo Xiufu pacified Xu Fang while holding the Sima office, so that when he was enfeoffed as nobility he was also given the Sima title. During the Chu-Han period, Sima Yang was a Zhao general, who united with other nobles on a punitive expedition against Qin. Qin was destroyed, thus he was enfeoffed King of Yin, and was given Henei. The Han made other lands its prefecture and the descendents were forced to move away. Eight generations from Yang, there was the General who Attacks the West Jun, styled Shuping. Jun's son was Yuzhang governor Liang, styled Gongdu. Liang's son was Yingchuan governor Jun, styled Yuanyi. Jun's son was Jingzhao governor (vii) Fang, styled Jiangong. And the emperor (viii) was Fang's second son. When he was young he was remarkably meticulous (ix), bright and of a strategic mind (x), extremely well read, and devoted to Confucius' teachings. During the chaotic Latter Han period, he often felt great worry for the fate of the land. When Nanyang governor of the same province Yang Jun heard of him, visited him (1), and despite not having come of age, recognized him as an extraordinary talent. Qinghe Minister Cuiyan was close to the emperor's brother Lang, and said so to Lang: "your brother is intelligent and wise(xi), decisive and outstanding (xii), and not someone you can hope to compare to." (1) 'Nanyang governor of the same province Yang Jun'. 'Nanyang', has been termed as 'Nanjun' in certain works. Qian Daxin (xiii)in his work 'Analyzing the Twenty-two Historical Texts' (henceforth shortened as 'Analyzing Texts') remarked: In 'Records of Wei' Jun is posted as governor of Nanyang, and not Nanjun.' This has been investigated and corrected. (i) 宣 xuān has the meaning of declaration, most notably referring to the imperial decree (ii) Original text is 讳 huì meaning taboo. Since using a person's given name is considered to be disrespectful (only elders or people of higher status may do so), a person's given name is considered a taboo. (iii) 河内 hénèi is present day 沁阳 qìnyáng county in the Henan province. (iv) 司马 sīmǎ is a title 氏 which evolved into becoming a surname. Therefore the original text is "姓司马氏", which I have simplified to its essential meaning. (v) Emperor Gaoyang 帝高阳 refers to 颛顼 zhuānxū the grandson of the 黄帝 huángdì, the ruler of the Xia 夏 period (2717-2599 BC). Zhongli 重黎 was given the title Zhurong 祝融 to be used as an honorific surname when serving as the fire general/god (Huozheng 火正) , which can substitute his original surname if he wished. (vi) 唐 虞 夏 商 周 (Tang Yu Xia Shang Zhou), are considered the oldest dynasties in Chinese history. However, there have only been archaeological evidence of the latter three (and even then some historians are still skeptic of the Xia dynasty records). This is exacerbated by the fact that parts of the Tang and Yu history has been heavily infused with mythical elements, which makes it unreliable at best. (vii) Original text is 尹 yǐn, as opposed to 太守 tàishǒu. However in the same text (the book of Jin) it stated that "元帝渡江，建都扬州，改丹阳太守为尹", meaning that the Yuan emperor crossed the river, built a city within Yang province, and changed the title 'taishou' into 'yin'. Although this occurred much later in time, the office of 'yin' has no other mentions in historical text, therefore it may be assumed that it is just an alternative term to 'taishou' (meaning governor). (viii) Here referring to Sima Yi. (ix) 奇节 qí jié is not a proper phrase, but two individual words used together to enhance each's meaning. Because the entire sentence is in praise of Sima Yi, I translated it as 'remarkably meticulous' - remarkable as opposed to strange for 奇, well-ordered or detailed rather than festive for 节. (x) 聪朗多大略 cōng lǎng duō dàlüè directly translates as 'intelligent, outgoing with many great plans'. I have combined the former two into 'bright' - representing both intelligence and an outgoing personality. For the latter I refined his 'many great plans' into his way of thinking - 'of a strategic mind'. (xi) 聪亮明允 cōngliàng míngyǔn are two ways of conduct. The former indicates using one's intelligence to investigate matters clearly (聪明亮察), the latter means applying strictness and wisdom appropriately (严明恰当). This I have shortened into 'intelligent' and 'wise'. (xii) 英特 yīngtè can refer to someone who is extremely intelligent, extremely good-looking or extremely talented. I took the one thing each definition has in common and translated it as 'outstanding'. (xiii) Qian Daxin 钱大昕 is a Qing historian highly respected and often praised as the most well-read and best specialist with regards to Han studies. His family has been honored with the title "一代儒宗" (a the Confucianist great of his generation).

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 9: OTP

Fireworks on the battlefield...

If this were anything other than Dynasty Warriors (meaning historical/novel/tv adaptation/other games) my OTP would definitely be 权蒙 AKA Sun Quan/Lv Meng. But Dynasty Warriors only gave me the very slightest of interactions ("I'm glad you're safe.") that I had to jump ship to 嘉庶 Guo Jia/Xu Shu.

Other than the fact that they are two very pretty boys, they really seem to fit each other. Guo Jia is exuberant, confident and nurturing, Xu Shu is a little shy, but humble and very willing to learn. Their work with each other in the hypothetical battle of Chibi was seamless and they got along with each other very quickly despite being on opposing sides just the battle before.

Xu Shu also outright states that Guo Jia is better than Zhuge Liang, which makes the Guo Jia fan in me very happy (the other person to give such as statement is, of course, Cao Cao). Although Xu Shu doesn't appear much after that (so I hope he gets plenty more facetime even if not actual game-time in Wei in the next games), I still think he and Guo Jia would make fabulous partners.

I know Jia Xu is also in the mix, but his sinister side puts me off him when considering a ship. It is okay to be keeping things close when in such chaotic times, but that is not conducive to building trust in relationships. Therefore, I think Jia Xu would not really get that close to anyone, much less have a relationship.

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 8: Least Favourite Stage

When someone reclaims something of theirs, I don't think that is considered stealing.

Each of the last XL stages for the kingdoms presents something out of the ordinary - for Wei, searching for Cai Wenji results in interrupting other night activities; for Wu, the 'four talents of Jiangdong' 江东四杰 are pitted against each other; for Jin, we finally learn the effort that goes into making baozi. And for Shu, we get to know exactly why the Chinese have a saying: When Liu Bei borrows Jing province, it is a one way trip 刘备借荆州,有借无还.

The one thing that gets me the most about Shu is their sense of entitlement (despite most of the starting group having nothing much to begin with). Once they get their hands on something, it instantly becomes theirs to command, regardless of how their obtained it. Just like how they took over Jing province, so it is with how they treat Red Hare.

Because Guan Yu owned Red Hare for a time, they instantly assume that Red Hare belongs to them, permanently. And when Red Hare disappears, they start randomly accusing people of stealing it. But if Red Hare should belong to anyone, it is Lv Bu.

It is together with Lv Bu's name that Red Hare is mentioned - 人中吕布,马中赤兔 (among men Lv Bu [is the greatest], among horses Red Hare [is the best]). And it stayed with Lv Bu until his death and wasn't given away (it was taken by Cao Cao). Therefore Lv Lingqi should have a claim on the horse as well. I wasn't surprised to see her taking Red Hare away, and I would assume Red Hare went pretty willingly as well.

But even if we consider Lv Bu's claim on the horse void once he died, then Red Hare should rightfully belong to Wu (can we possibly make it Lv Meng's steed as well?). After all, they are the ones who defeated and executed Guan Yu, and so have equal claim as when Cao Cao took it after Lv Bu's death. If that is the case, Zhu Ran and Lu Xun have every right to tell those three girls to scram.

Whichever way, I don't see how Guan Yu's family gets sole claim on Red Hare. And with such a storyline behind the stage, I just cannot bear to play it more than the one time (to complete all stages).

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 7: Favourite Stage

江山如画，一时多少豪杰！

The lands are as a painting - backdrop for the hour when heroes come forth!

More than any other, the battle of Chibi captured imaginations throughout the land. It was such an important moment in time, when Cao Cao could have gone on to reunite China, and made heroes of all who participated in it. Perhaps the defining battle of the Three Kingdoms period and definitely the most important stage in the Wei campaign.

I love the bobbing of the ships, the flickering of torches in the southeastern winds, the tense atmosphere of anticipation. The stage is very well set, and fitting for the battle. All three kingdoms are involved, making for plenty of familiar faces, and plenty more familiar names. I personally like to take my time here and defeat as many as possible.

Although the historical event is one of my favourite battles, my heart still goes for the hypothetical route. One of the most debated topic about the battle is Cao Cao's famous quote after the loss "If Fengxiao was here, I would not have ended up as this." And in the hypothetical, Cao Cao is proven correct.

There are plenty of things to love - Cao Cao and Cao Pi's confidence when entering the battle, Xu Chu's slight hesitation, the hint of hostility between Cao Pi and Guo Jia (which I am guessing is a homage to the fact that Cao Cao had intended Guo Jia to play a chancellor role to his children before Guo Jia died), Xu Shu standing up to Pang Tong, Guo Jia's 'light beating' of Cai Mao, the way Liu Bei was only a side character and Sun Quan was the one you had to defeat. Every event adds layers of subtext (or is it just me?) and it makes the stage all the more enjoyable.

And the icing on the cake - Guo Jia outwits both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang at one go. No wonder he is called the phantom talent (鬼才).

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 6: Least Favourite DW Game

Yuan Shao makes a good point.

Basically, since I have only played one game, I can only say I don't have any least favourite game. That said, DW6's renbu system does sound horrific.

[asonlikehim]

DW8 DLC: weapon set part 3

"I fight in the name of Quan-er Wu."

Powerful Weapon Acquisition Battle III

The short pike is just fabulous - inferno, flurry and velocity can be deadly, and jolt just adds to the damage. And cyclone and explosive on the gloves are really fun to work with, especially when on a combo roll. I have to say that the sword and shield could have better stats, though.

I have changed to someone from Wu for a change of pace - Lv Meng! He is one of my favourites historically, and is plenty awesome in Dynasty Warriors as well (although they did dumb him down a little). It also helps that my favourite weapon is his pike. Other than his Divine Phoenix, I also gave him Lv Bu's Unearthly Halberd (since they share the same surname ;P). Since I recently reset Lv Meng's stats, he is on a much lower level as compared to my other favourites, but he still manages alright on normal difficulty. Do note that you must defeat all enemy officers, not just the playable ones, for this level. Sun Shangxiang will appear from the bottom right, so you can save her for the 2nd last, right before you defeat Xiahou Dun.

I shall be using a Shu character next!

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 5: Favourite DW Game

Now with added Lv Bu stages...

Okay, so it is the only Dynasty Warriors game I own. But that is good enough.

Comments all over the net have convinced me that DW8CE is the best game yet. Sure DW7 may have had more touching scenes, DW6 had more emphasis on the characters and the older games have the nostalgia factor. Yet DW8CE stands out as the most complete one yet - it covers everything that you need and is well-rounded enough to surprise with a few extras.

It has the biggest cast so far, with every member having their own weapon and moveset. It has engaging story modes - historical is fleshed out well and hypothetical adds the feel-good factor. It covers every single character with the new added stages in the XL expansion. It has polished graphics, a great soundtrack and solid voice acting. But most of all, it doesn't have a messed up fight system (a la DW6's renbu) and is intuitive for the most part. What more can a gamer ask for?

So they can be more historically accurate, give greater depths to the side characters, have a better AI... But that is mostly nitpicking. I have enjoyed every moment of the game.

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 4: Least Favourite Kingdom

"Here we go again..."

Google defines 'benevolence' as 'any kind act, but it can also describe the desire to do nice things'. I think DW's Shu intends to get away with the term by claiming to be the latter. Except that shouldn't such a desire be apparent in their actions?

The last word I would use to describe Shu is 'kind'. There is not a single action that they (as a kingdom) have done to be kind to anyone, not even Wu who is their supposed ally.

Instead, everything in Shu runs on 'want'. The three brothers want to make a name for themselves. The three brothers want a land of their own. Liu Bei wants Zhuge Liang in his service. Liu Bei wants Jing province. Liu Bei wants Yi province. Liu Bei wants Hanzhong. Guan Yu wants Fan castle. Liu Bei wants revenge.

The worst thing is that they not only want to have their province, they want the ability to eat up other people's provinces as well. Wei and Wu too have their ambitions, but they have never tried biting off more than they could swallow. Shu wants everything, and they want it right now.

Right from the very first stage, you are given the option to save the peasants from the rebellion as a star condition. An option, mind, and even then it feels more like trying to make a virtuous name rather than an actual heroic act. Which demonstrates that any 'kindness' Shu does is only with added conditions that benefit themselves.

It is true that such chaotic times like the Three Kingdoms could mean that benevolence is a flaw rather than a virtue, but if so they should stop CONSTANTLY SHOUTING IT.

[asonlikehim]

My breakfast

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 3: Favourite Kingdom

"My strength... and my treasure."

With the cast of characters that they have, there really wasn't any choice. Wei is literally made of awesome and there are few, if any, detractions from it.

Individually, everyone has something to offer, but the best part is that Wei functions as a team. There isn't anyone who hogs the lionshare of battles, nor anyone who gets left out. Even those with one or two battles get to really shine in the ones they participate in. And you don't see them fighting to get noticed - they all know that Cao Cao appreciates them in their own way.

Of course Cao Cao is a major reason why the kingdom works. Everyone shares his vision of a better, more ordered land, and they continually take action to make that vision come true. As a result, I also find the Wei hypothetical the most plausible and the most fulfilling. They are not building castles in the sky, they are laying foundations for a castle on solid ground.

In contrast, the other three kingdoms are unrealistic. Wu is extremely idealist in thinking that diplomacy can make everything okay, and that the kingdoms can co-exist with Cao Cao/Cao Pi and Liu Bei around. Sure Sun Quan was an outstanding diplomat, but even he had the ambition to own the entire land, not just a small portion of it.

Shu's 'benevolence' need not be elaborated on, but even Jin's idea of a kingdom ruled by smart people seem terribly vague. Who qualifies as an imbecile, and who not? Does it mean people who aren't 'smart' enough cannot get governmental posts? And isn't it really ironic that China's famous dumb emperor is Jin's very own Sima Zhong?

Only Wei seems to have a clear idea of what to do - to properly set up a government based on strict adherence to law and order. It wouldn't be perfect, but it is something that can be built upon. And it is also the most beneficial to the people - an end to the chaos means normal life can resume.

Plus this is also the kingdom which contains most of my favourite historical people (Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Li Dian, Wang Yi), so it is very enjoyable to be playing as them.

[asonlikehim]

There is plenty that can be done to make her more relevant. Give her something else to aim for, other than being with Guan Suo, for one.

Seeing as how she has some cat-like moves, she can be an animal lover who is upset at seeing how the chaos has caused so many animals to become weapons of war. So she can say something like "I wish we can end this war so people can live happily with animals again and no one has to get hurt". And she would always become very angry whenever someone hurts animals (and it will also make her close friends with Meng Huo and Zhurong). Her cut scene can be her defending some tigers or elephants, and when Guan Suo sees this protective side of her, he might have cause to like her too.

Just give her something other than Guan Suo to obsess over.

It sad, because Played her the most and I do agreed with that, she a fangirl of Guan Suo then a wife of him. I do wand her to be super aggressive to be on the battlefield not to Suo The Game need make some story around her. Like the story her battle with her and Suo, how she friend with the Guan’s kids (Liu’s and Zhang’s kids too) in the find Red Hare, or heck have her as Suo’s bodyguard.

[asonlikehim]

DW8 DLC: weapon set part 2

Cao Cao is here to conquer the battlefield.

Powerful Weapon Acquisition Battle II

Without a doubt, Zhao Yun's dragon spear is the best of this set. The double-edge trident and dagger-axe aren't bad either. I tend to use all of these quite regularly as second weapons.

I am using another favourite of mine - Cao Cao. Other than his EX weapon (Purgatory Blade), I also gave him Sun Jian's Radiant Tiger Blade, which makes for all-round intimidation. This time, Jiang Wei is the character which will appear halfway through the battle. And unlike the previous battle, you only have to defeat the playable officers, and not every single officer, to end the stage. Yuan Shao's Storm Thrust will appear right at the gate which leads to him.

Part III to be up soon.

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 2: Least Favourite Character

I can actually feel my IQ dropping…

Being of East Asian descent, I am actually okay with fan service characters. Although it is no longer in practice, the idea that women are ‘flower vases’ 花瓶 for decoration was prevalent in our culture and still affects some people to this day. But Bao Sanniang just brings it to another level.

First of all, she has absolutely no personality other than being a Guan Suo fangirl. And to make things worse, she is super aggressive about it. Basically, she is an otaku allowed to be in close proximity to her obsession. Which is a bad bad thing.

It would be alright if her character was meant to be some joke or comic part. But her dialogue is so earnest about her pursuit of Guan Suo, which just makes her even more pathetic. I kind of feel like Shu lets her hang around out of pity more than anything.

A complete waste of pixels.

[asonlikehim]

30 Days Dynasty Warriors Challenge

Day 1: Favourite Character

"Very perceptive of you."

If there is one thing that I find incredibly attractive (romantic attraction or otherwise) is intelligence. Not just smartness or being knowledgeable, but true intelligence. And Guo Jia has that in spades.

I am going by the DW character here (historical Guo Jia is equally amazing, if in a slightly different way), and there is just no one who comes close to matching Guo Jia. And that includes 'semi-god' Zhuge Liang.

First of all, when Guo Jia does strategy/tactics, he actually implements them step by step. You can see the planning all the way through, how he lures the enemies in, or foils the opponents' plots one by one. It isn't some 'strategy' of random arbalest/ballistae or continued fire attacks. He takes the map, the people involved, the resources required, everything into consideration before implementing his plan.

And he is so polite when doing so. Whereas the other strategists just give orders, Guo Jia always requests for the generals' participation. He is clear in his instructions, ensures the task is fitting to the person, and always minds his 'please' and 'thank you'. Such a gentleman, so it is no wonder that all the generals personally care for him when he fell ill.

Other than his high IQ and EQ, Guo Jia also avoids most other strategists' top failing - arrogance. Whereas the likes of Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi cling onto their "it is all part of my plan" mantra, when Guo Jia retreats, he admits that he may have underestimated the foe. This just makes him stronger the next time. He doesn't claim to know all but instead he continues to learn in order to seek out more knowledge. He knows that there is no such thing as the best, only the best for now.

And finally, he wishes to better others to further Cao Cao's ambition, rather than seeking personal glory. Whereas others might feel threatened by multiple strategists, or wish to take sole command, Guo Jia is always trying to involve everyone in his plans. He tests Jia Xu, before grooming him to take over at his death. He seeks out Xu Shu, and hopes to bring him to Wei. He even asks Sima Yi to join him in revelry so as not to feel left out. Contrast that with the other strategists, and Guo Jia clearly stands out as knowing the power of team work.

The only complaint I have with this character is that why aren't the women falling at his feet? I understand Warriors Orochi has Guo Jia flirting with some (and getting rejected, which makes me think those females are complete idiots), but there aren't any in Dynasty Warriors. How about Zhenji commenting on how Guo Jia is so nice to the ladies, which would totally make Cao Pi pissed off and give meaning to his cold attitude to Guo Jia in the Chibi event? Or Cai Wenji asking Guo Jia for sources of inspiration at which Guo Jia would ramble on about the effects of different types of wine (especially mixed together)? Wang Yi is a little more difficult, but conversing with Zhang Chunhua could be very interesting. I think Sima Yi should be very worried if those two were ever in the same vicinity.

[asonlikehim]

DW8 DLC: weapon set part 1

For a DLC, these weapon packs are plenty worth.

I am the kind of gamer who likes to be super levelled up for story events. So in Pokemon, I will level my pokemon up to the badge limit before proceeding on the the next city (and have the satisfaction of one-hit KOing the next gym). Therefore when I started playing Dynasty Warriors 8 Complete Edition, I chose to head for ambition mode first, rather than the story mode.

After a while, the weapons were not up to my satisfaction. Especially when I tried to go for the 30 battle streak. So I checked up the store and decided to the relatively affordable weapon DLC. And what a buy it was.

Not only were the weapons much better (even superior to the 5* rares that you obtain through hard/chaos playthroughs), you levelled up really quickly and had superfluous amounts of gold. And on repeated playthroughs, you can start farming for the rare weapons of the other characters (for that 100% weapon completion).

So I decided to do these quick guide/playthrough to let others have a look-see before they decide whether or not to get the DLC. Also, it may be easier for those who just want to get a specific character's DLC weapon, and is unsure which battle the weapon is in.

Powerful Weapon Acquisition Battle I

I find the flail to be the pick of this set, though the flying swords are quite good. Velocity 10 on the great axe is fairly intimidating as well. The great thing about all these weapons are that their skills are all maxed (10) and their attack has been increased from their standard 5* weapons, making them far better (even comparable to the XL stages 6* weapons).

For my playthrough, I decided to use my favourite character (you can tell from the incredibly high level) Guo Jia. Equipping him with his EX weapon Faerie Moon as well as Zhou Yu's Orange Phoenix Staff (which I find complements each other really well), he makes fairly easy work on the normal difficulty. For easy reference, the map below shows where each officer is. Guan Yinping will spawn from roughly the indicated area about midway through, and X marks the spot where Zhong Hui's weapon will appear once he declares himself satisfied with your performance (after you defeat all the other playable officers).

Hopefully this has helped those who wanted to know what the DLC weapon stages are like.