You unlock characters in Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered in two ways: by clearing Musou Mode with officers of the same kingdom (one or two clears, depending on the officer), or by triggering a specific event on a specific battlefield, such as defeating Diaochan at Hulao Gate. You start with nine officers, three per kingdom, and the roster tops out at 42, counting the Dynasty Warriors: Origins hero Ziluan.
DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered is a remake of the 2001 PlayStation 2 game and its Xtreme Legends expansion, and Koei Tecmo’s own description of Musou Mode says it plainly: “New officers can be unlocked by fulfilling special conditions during battles.” Koei Tecmo has not published the full list of conditions, so the table below is the original game’s list, checked against launch-week guides and early player reports for the remaster. Where the remaster has been confirmed to work the same way, we say so.
The Nine Officers You Start With
A new save opens with three officers per kingdom:
- Shu: Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei
- Wei: Xiahou Dun, Dian Wei, Zhang He
- Wu: Zhou Yu, Sun Shangxiang, Huang Gai
The free demo used a different lineup (Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Xiahou Dun, Zhenji, Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang), so do not be surprised when Zhenji is locked in the full game. Demo saves do not carry over, per the Steam store page.
How Unlocking Works in the Remaster
There are two kinds of unlock:
- Musou Mode clears. Finish a kingdom’s story with one or two different officers from that kingdom and the next tier of that kingdom’s officers opens up. Difficulty does not matter, according to both the original game’s documentation and remaster guides, so Easy is the quickest route.
- Battlefield events. Some officers only join when you defeat them, keep them alive, or trigger a story event on one stage. Most of these must be done in Musou Mode, not Free Mode, and early player reports on the Steam forums say that still holds for officers like Zhang Liao and Meng Huo.
Players on the Steam forums also point out a remaster convenience the PS2 game never had: the Free Mode stage select shows what a stage can unlock, and the in-game Database holds the instructions for items and weapons. Check it before a run.
Shu Officers
| Officer | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei | Available from the start |
| Ma Chao | Clear Musou Mode once with a Shu officer |
| Wei Yan | Clear Musou Mode once with a Shu officer |
| Liu Bei | Clear Musou Mode with two different Shu officers |
| Huang Zhong | Clear Musou Mode with two different Shu officers |
| Zhuge Liang | Clear Musou Mode once with a Wei or Shu officer |
| Jiang Wei | Clear Musou Mode with Zhuge Liang |
| Pang Tong | Assault on Cheng Du, Shu side, Musou Mode: finish the stage with Pang Tong alive (defeating Zhang Ren is the usual way to protect him) |
Wei Officers
| Officer | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Xiahou Dun, Dian Wei, Zhang He | Available from the start |
| Xu Zhu | Clear Musou Mode once with a Wei officer |
| Zhenji | Clear Musou Mode once with a Wei officer |
| Cao Cao | Clear Musou Mode with two different Wei officers |
| Xu Huang | Clear Musou Mode with two different Wei officers |
| Sima Yi | Clear Musou Mode once with a Wei or Shu officer (in the original, any Wei officer except Dian Wei, Zhenji and Zhang Liao counted) |
| Xiahou Yuan | Defeat him at the Battle of Mt. Ding Jun |
| Zhang Liao | Defeat him at the Battle of He Fei while playing a Wu officer |
For Zhang Liao, one player who unlocked him on a Zhou Yu run described letting the events play out: Zhang Liao defeats Taishi Ci, the Wu army falls back, Sun Quan jumps the broken bridge, and Zhang Liao later returns to attack Sun Quan. Defeat him then.
Wu Officers
| Officer | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Zhou Yu, Sun Shangxiang, Huang Gai | Available from the start |
| Lu Xun | Clear Musou Mode once with a Wu officer |
| Daqiao | Clear Musou Mode once with a Wu officer |
| Sun Jian | Clear Musou Mode with two different Wu officers |
| Sun Ce | Clear Musou Mode with two different Wu officers |
| Xiaoqiao | Clear Musou Mode with Zhou Yu or Daqiao |
| Taishi Ci | Assault on Wu Territory, Wu side: defeat Liu Yong before Taishi Ci, Yan Baihu and Wang Lang, then defeat Taishi Ci so he submits |
| Sun Quan | Battle of He Fei, Wu side: after Taishi Ci falls and Sun Quan jumps the bridge, save him from Zhang Liao, then make Cao Cao retreat |
| Lu Meng | Battle at Fan Castle, Wu side: finish the stage with Lu Meng alive |
| Gan Ning | Battle of He Fei, Wei side: wait for Gan Ning’s surprise attack, then defeat him |
Other Officers
| Officer | How to unlock |
|---|---|
| Zhang Jiao | Yellow Turban Rebellion: defeat Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang (remaster guides add Zhang Jiao himself) |
| Diaochan | Battle at Hulao Gate, Allied side: defeat her |
| Lu Bu | Battle at Hulao Gate: finish the stage with 1,000 or more KOs |
| Dong Zhuo | Battle at Hulao Gate: defeat both Diaochan and Lu Bu in the same run |
| Yuan Shao | Battle at Guan Du: defeat Yan Liang and Wen Chou before Guan Yu does |
| Meng Huo | Nanman Campaign, Shu or Wu side, Musou Mode: defeat him at all seven locations yourself |
| Zhurong | Nanman Campaign: defeat her |
| Fuxi | Clear Musou Mode with Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Jian |
| Nuwa | Clear Musou Mode with Daqiao, Xiaoqiao, Sun Shangxiang and Zhenji |
| Ziluan | Clear Musou Mode once with a starting officer |
Hulao Gate is the most efficient stage in the game for unlocks, since three officers come from one battle.
Meng Huo is the one players get stuck on most. Steam forum players report that every one of the seven defeats must be your own (a bodyguard landing the final blow on one appearance spoils the run), that getting too close to the main camp makes him retreat there, and that Easy difficulty keeps the battle from collapsing while you chase him.
Tips for Unlocking Everyone Faster
- Play on Easy for story unlocks. Musou clears count on any difficulty.
- Chain the kingdom tiers. One clear opens the first tier; a second clear with a different officer opens the leaders (Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Sun Ce).
- Do Hulao Gate early. Diaochan, Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo can all come from one Allied run.
- Seven officers get their own Xtreme Legends stories once unlocked, including Lu Bu, Meng Huo and Yuan Shao, per Koei Tecmo, so unlocking them opens new campaigns too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many playable characters are in Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered? Koei Tecmo’s official character page lists 42 officers: the 41 from the original Dynasty Warriors 3 and Xtreme Legends, plus Ziluan from Dynasty Warriors: Origins.
Does difficulty affect character unlocks? No. Musou clears and battlefield events count on every difficulty, according to the original game’s documentation and remaster guides.
Can you unlock characters in Free Mode? Some, yes. Lu Bu could be unlocked in Free Mode in the original, but several event unlocks, including Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Sun Quan and Meng Huo, are reported to need Musou Mode.
Is there a cheat code to unlock all characters? The PS2 original had title-screen button codes. No equivalent has been announced for the remaster.
Do the unlock conditions differ from the original Dynasty Warriors 3? Mostly no, based on launch guides and player reports so far. The new addition is Ziluan, and Koei Tecmo has added new high-difficulty scenarios that unlock through their own battle conditions.
Where can we read more about older Dynasty Warriors games? Our list of the best PS2 games of all time covers the era Dynasty Warriors 3 came from, and our news on Wo Long 2’s release date and co-op demo covers Koei Tecmo’s other Three Kingdoms action game.