Elements in Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered are properties attached to a weapon, not to an officer, and they only trigger on certain charge attacks. Players report four in the remaster: Fire burns, Lightning sends out a shockwave, Wind chips through guards, and Death cuts down regular soldiers outright. The new Weapon Fusion system lets you move an element from one weapon to another.
That is the short version. Koei Tecmo’s official materials for DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered confirm that elements exist and that Fusion transfers them, but they do not describe each element’s effect. The breakdown below is built from the original game’s documentation and from early remaster players on the Steam forums, and we flag which is which.
How Elements Trigger
An element is listed on the weapon itself, on the “Element” line of the weapon screen. It does not fire on every hit. In the original Dynasty Warriors 3, each weapon’s element activated only on specific charge attacks, the attacks you get by mixing normal attacks with the charge button, and fan guides listed exactly which strings triggered each weapon’s element.
Remaster players report the same rule, with one wrinkle: on most regular weapons the element seems to sit on the last charge attack in a string, while unique weapons put it on different strings, so the same officer can play differently depending on which weapon you equip. If an element never seems to appear, try your other charge attacks before assuming the weapon is bugged.
What Each Element Does
| Element | Effect, as players describe it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Sets enemies alight for damage over time while they are knocked down or juggled | Officers with launchers and juggles |
| Lightning | Charges the enemy so they release an area shockwave when they hit the ground | Crowd control |
| Wind | Green slashes that players say chip damage through an enemy’s guard | Breaking blocking officers |
| Death | Purple slashes that defeat regular soldiers instantly and hurt officers | Clearing crowds fast |
Some notes on each:
- Fire: players describe the burn as percentage-based damage that ignores defense, and one Steam forum player calls it overpowered in this version because a launcher followed by air attacks keeps an officer burning the whole time.
- Lightning: the shockwave hits everything near the landing point, so it shines in dense crowds.
- Wind: players are the least sure about Wind, and long-time fans rate it the weakest of the four.
- Death: in the original game, Death was the element fans built tier lists around, and remaster players say it still dominates. Some players call it “steel.” A few skip it on purpose because it makes combat too easy.
Several SEO guide sites also list an Ice element for the remaster. No official source or reliable player report we found confirms Ice, so we have left it out.
Weapon Fusion: Moving Elements
Weapon Fusion is new to the remaster. Koei Tecmo describes it this way: “Use extra weapons as materials to transfer their elemental properties and skills to other weapons.” You pick a base weapon (the one you keep) and a material weapon (the one you consume), and the base inherits what you transfer.
Koei Tecmo’s own screenshot of the Fusion screen shows the material weapon’s Element listed as a transferable line next to stat bonuses like Max Musou and Mounted Attack. That means:
- A weak weapon with a good element is valuable. Hang on to a low-level Death or Lightning weapon as fusion material instead of ignoring it.
- You can fix a unique weapon’s element. If an officer’s fourth weapon carries an element you dislike, fusion is the way to replace it, according to fan wiki documentation of the system.
- The Digital Deluxe Edition’s 42 weapons are fusion fodder. Koei Tecmo notes those weapons “can also be used as materials for weapon synthesis,” so they are a quick source of transferable abilities.
Fusion happens in Camp, from the main menu, where Koei Tecmo says you can also change officer and bodyguard settings before battle.
Which Element Should You Use?
- For fast clears and farming: Death, if your officer’s element hits come from a charge attack you use often.
- For bosses and duels: Fire on an officer who can juggle, since the burn keeps ticking.
- For crowd-heavy stages on Hard: Lightning.
- Purist runs: turn the remaster’s new features off with Classic Settings and avoid Fusion to keep each officer’s original element.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many elements are in Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered? Players report four: Fire, Lightning, Wind and Death. Koei Tecmo has not published an official list.
Is there an Ice element? We found no reliable confirmation. Ice appears only on low-trust guide sites.
Why does my element not trigger? Elements only fire on specific charge attacks, and which ones varies by weapon. Try each charge attack in turn.
Can I change a weapon’s element? Yes, with Weapon Fusion. Consume a weapon that has the element you want and transfer it to your base weapon.
Do fourth weapons always have the best element? No. In the original, several officers’ fourth weapons had no element at all. Fusion makes that less of a problem.
Where do I get better weapons to fuse? Weapons drop after battles; our item guide covers the best farming stages, and our character unlock guide covers who to unlock first. Co-op partners can help farm, per our online co-op guide.