Ranking Every Dynasty Warriors Game Worst To Best
1. Dynasty Warriors 4
When it comes to the best Dynasty Warriors game, it's hard to choose anything other than Dynasty Warriors 4. It leaves nothing on the table. It brought new characters, new modes, new epic stories, and new features that fans had been clamoring for since Dynasty Warriors 2. Duels were added, lending a cinematic air to one-on-one confrontations with important enemy officers. Versus Mode and Challenge Mode were both beefed up with a variety of exciting features. Finally, players could create and play as their own unique character, adding themselves to the rich kingdom-focused story mode.
In nearly every way, the gameplay is streamlined and made more user-friendly, without dumbing down the core aspects. Bodyguards can be given orders on-the-fly, while bow and mounted combat become far more usable. Siege weapons are introduced, capable of frying your allied soldiers with flames in an instant if you don't take them down first. Parries return from the series' first game, helping the player reverse momentum when pushed up against the wall by their opponents. The RPG elements from Dynasty Warriors 3 are retained, and strengthened, with weapons having their own EXP system to help them improve incrementally.
Most importantly, the story was truly epic. While some prefer kingdom-based story modes and others prefer individual-based ones, there's no denying how well Dynasty Warriors 4 pulled its story off. Playing through over fifty years of history, Dynasty Warriors 4 truly feels like living through a war, watching allies and enemies alike perish, only to be replaced by new faces as the war machine grinds ever onward. There's an emotional core to Dynasty Warriors 4, something that keeps so many fans coming back to it even after so many other games.
Dynasty Warriors is a great series with so many excellent games, but Dynasty Warriors 4 will always be the greatest.