There may be 90 characters in Dynasty Warriors 9, but there are not 90 different weapons or movesets to play with.
Clone movesets are a trend that started with the much-loathed Dynasty Warriors 6 and it has continued all the way up to today — though no game in the series has had the character roster so condensed with clones than Dynasty Warriors 9.
Among the roster of 90 characters, there are only 36 separate weapon types. Furthermore, characters who use the same weapons do not play all that much differently. The primary differences lie in their special and musou attacks, and the layout for their R1 attacks, which paradoxically, are themselves the same.
The purpose of this weapon type list is to help you choose who to play, whether you want to stick to one weapon playstyle, or try new things. You can give any character any type of weapon, but their moveset will be generalized if they are not using their favorite weapon type.
- Sword — Cao Cao, Sun Quan, Xu Shu
- Pike — Lu Meng, Yueying
- Club — Xu Zhu, Huang Gai
- Guan Dao — Guan Yu, Yu Jin, Li Dian
- Twin Fans — Xiaoqiao, Daqiao
- Spear — Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao
- Poleaxe — Lu Su, Xin Xiangying
- Double Voulge — Jiang Wei, Wei Yan, Cheng Pu
- Great Sword — Xiahou Ba, Guan Ping
- Chain and Sickle — Gan Ning, Chen Gong, Jia Xu
- Chain Whip — Diaochan, Zhenji, Cai Wenji
- Axe — Zhurong, Dian Wei, Han Dang
- Twin Axes — Zhang Liao, Ma Dai
- Shaman Rod — Pang Tong, Zhang Jiao, Zuo Ci
- Fan — Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Zhuge Dan
- Shooting Spears — Guo Huai, Man Chong, Jia Chong
- Sword and Shield — Xingcai, Li Lingqu
- Dao — Zhou Tai, Sima Zhao
- Nunchaku — Ling Tong, Guan Suo
- Greataxe — Deng Ai, Xu Huang
- Flail — Dong Zhuo, Cao Ren
- Rapier — Yuan Shao, Sima Shi, Liu Shan
- Mace — Pang De, Guan Yinping
- Meteor Hammer — Xu Sheng, Zhang Bao
- Gauntlets — Meng Huo, Ding Feng
- Urumi — Xun You, Zhang Chunhua, Fa Zheng
- Chakrams — Sun Shangxiang, Wang Yi
- Fan Sword — Zhong Hui, Cao Xiu, Guan Xing
- Twin Rods — Taichi Ci, Yue Jin, Xiahou Yuan
- Guillotine Sword — Sun Ce, Zhou Cang, Wen Yang
- Throwing Knives — Zhang He, Wang Yuanji, Xun Yu
- Bo Staff — Zhou Yu, Guo Jia, Zhu Ran
- Podao — Sun Jian, Xiahou Dun, Huang Zhong
- Twin Swords — Liu Gei, Cao Pi, Lu Xun
- Mandarin Duck Hooks — Lianshi, Bao Sanniang
- Halberd — Lu Bu
Thirty-six different weapon types is still a hefty number after everything is said and done. Find the characters you like best and just go with them.
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