How To Beat Zhang Jiao In Dynasty Warriors: Origins

The first boss you'll encounter in Dynasty Warriors: Originsis Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban rebellion. In general, there aren't many traditional, one-on-one boss fights in the Dynasty Warriors series; certain missions may feature difficult enemies, but climactic story moments are generally portrayed in massive battles with thousands of warriors on each side. However, Origins occasionally slows down the pacing (if not the challenge) by pitting players against powerful rivals in one-on-one fights. The first of these is Zhang Jiao, and he doesn't hold back.

Zhang Jiao, the General of Heaven, leads the first wave of the Yellow Turban rebellion, which serves as the enemy faction in the early hours of the game. You'll spend many missions chasing after him, only to face him in a duel during the grand finale of Chapter One. Here's everything you need to know going into the fight against Zhang Jiao in Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

How To Prepare For Zhang Jiao

Battle Preparations

Before you go into battle with Zhang Jiao, know that you will be made to go through a regular old Dynasty Warriors skirmish before taking on the general himself. As such, you'll need to make sure all your equipment and skills are in the correct configuration on the Battle Preparation screen. Check to make sure you have the highest-damage weapon (of your preferred type) equipped, a decent accessory, and one of the best gems in Dynasty Warriors: Origins.

Crucially, make sure you have at least one Art with the "[Sp.]" tag on it. These attacks are used to interrupt certain enemy moves, which is not only important for avoiding damage, but also contributes greatly to staggering your foes. You'll have several opportunities to use them during the fight against Zhang Jiao.

Healing Items

Play through the beginning of the mission as usual, until you see a cutscene in which a gate opens and the objective changes to "Reach Zhang Jiao." Before you rush through the gates, however, take a moment to replenish your supply of meat buns. If you're low, simply ride to the nearest base - whether it's enemy or ally-controlled - and smash the pots there to refill your stock.

Using the Eyes of the Sacred Bird, meat bun pots glow green, even through walls. This is an easy way to find healing whenever you need it.

In case you can't find any, there will be a few meat buns available in the arena where you'll fight Zhang Jiao. But these can be difficult to reach in the chaos of battle, and it's best to show up with a few extra anyway, and save the others until you absolutely need them.

How To Beat Zhang Jiao

Phase One

After a brief cutscene, you'll be thrust into a one-on-one against Zhang Jiao. For the most part, you can treat the first phase of this fight like a regular officer battle, with a couple of exceptions we'll get into below. Just block his attacks when you can - attempt to parry with perfect timing if you feel comfortable, as you'll unleash an automatic counter. Use your heavy attacks and Arts to wear down his defensees. Don't forget to interrupt him with your Special Arts when prompted - i.e., when he appears gold and a button combo appears above his head.

Zhang Jiao does, however, have a few unusual attacks you'll need to watch out for. The first occurs when he summons one or more rocks from the ground, then throws them at you in quick succession. Thankfully, these boulders can be blocked or parried, but we don't recommend trying to parry. If you're hit by even a single one, you'll be staggered and pelted by the remaining boulders, taking off a large chunk of your HP.

Zhang Jiao will also perform an interruptable, two-phase attack in which he sends a wave of stalagmites erupting from the ground at you. If you don't manage to interrupt him, be prepared to dodge twice, as the wave will be immediately followed by a rain of boulders from the sky.

Sometimes, Zhang Jiao will flash red, and the camera will zoom out as he focuses in on his spear. This is your cue to run away, as it signals he's about to summon a rain of boulders from the sky. As soon as he flashes red, either summon your horse or unlock your camera and run. Better to overestimate how much distance you need than to underestimate it; run all the way to the opposite end of the arena if you have to.

Finally, Zhang Jiao will occasionally summon a small group of shadow soldiers before sending a series of larger boulders at you. This can be dodged by first running directly away to gain some distance, and then either sprinting or dodging continuously in the same direction - you can either do this on foot or on your horse.

War God Rage

Once you get Zhang Jiao down to about 33% of his maximum HP (which may take several staggers), you'll see another short cutscene as you unlock a new combat mechanic, War God Rage. This can only be activated when your Musou meter is completely full. It makes you invincible, increases the range of your basic attacks, causes some attacks to siphon HP from enemies, and allows you to use Arts without expending Bravery.

When this happens, activate your Rage, pop off a few regular combos to restore your HP, and then spam Arts until your meter runs out. When it does, it'll automatically activate your Musou attack. Zhang Jiao will then kneel, invulnerable, as he monologues briefly about your incredible power. You'll then enter into phase two.

Phase Two: Large Force

Zhang Jiao commanding his Large Force in a screenshot from Dynasty Warriors Origins.

The second phase of the Zhang Jiao fight begins with thousands of troops rushing to his aid. They coalesce into a Large Force, and disbanding that Large Force becomes your next goal. Don't rush, though - hang back for the first few seconds of battle to give your allies a chance to arrive. Ignore Zhang Jiao for the duration of this phase, as his increased courage makes him far more dangerous. Watch out for the tornadoes he summons throughout this phase.

Once they rush in, you can begin engaging Zhang Jiao's army. Begin by chipping away at the crowd from the outer edges, tunneling towards the nearest officer. Take out that officer in a one-on-one, start tunneling a new path, and repeat until the Large Force disbands. Try not to get surrounded, and aid your allies when they're facing a desperate fight by riding past them to restore their HP. Check out our guide on how to disband a Large Force for more details.

Zhang Jiao will occasionally attempt to activate the Thunderous Tempest tactic; when he does, you'll have 90 seconds to take out 300 enemies to interrupt his area-of-effect attack. You should be able to this do easily with heavy attacks, Arts, and the Musou meter. Try to avoid officers while Thunderous Tempest is charging, as footsoldiers will be much easier to eliminate. Interrupting his tactics will also increase your allies' morale, which means your officers will perform better against Zhang Jiao's.

Phase Three

Ziluan juggling Zhang Jiao in the air with an aerial attack in a screenshot from Dynasty Warriors_ Origins.

Once you've disbanded the Large Force, you'll enter the final phase of the Zhang Jiao boss fight. He begins this phase surrounded by a much smaller group of his own troops; you should take most of them out before facing Zhang Jiao directly.

Thankfully, Zhang Jiao's moveset in the third phase isn't too different from the first phase. Just use the same old tactics: block the rocks, run from the boulders, interrupt his attacks, and break his defenses. The main difference is that you'll have the help of your allies, who'll help you take out the footsoldiers and perhaps occasionally land a blow on Zhang Jiao. In time, you'll wear him down.

Once his health bar is totally depleted, you'll be treated to a cutscene in which Zhang Jiao flees, but is mortally wounded. You'll have a brief heart-to-heart with him, where you learn more about your past and your role in the world. You can then breathe easy knowing you've beaten your first real boss in Dynasty Warriors: Origins.