Merit in Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered is the experience score your officers and your bodyguard units earn from every battle you win. For a Regular Bodyguard unit, it is what grows the unit, earning the advancement points you spend on Attack, Defense, Life/Musou and Rank. For an officer, it builds toward a cap of 99,999 and, in the 2001 original, raised their rank, which decided the horses they could ride. In the original it did not raise your officer’s Life, Musou, Attack or Defense: those came from boosts picked up on the battlefield, and the remaster keeps those growth items.
That split is the source of most confusion about Merit, because a maxed-Merit officer can still have low stats. Below we cover what Koei Tecmo confirms, how Merit worked in the 2001 original, what it does for bodyguards, and how to earn it faster. Every other guide for DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered is on our Dynasty Warriors hub.
What Koei Tecmo Confirms About Merit
Koei Tecmo has not published a Merit explainer, but the game’s own text pins down the basics:
- Officers have Merit. The Steam achievement “Majestic Presence” is awarded for raising one officer’s Merit to 99,999, which is the maximum.
- Regular Bodyguards have their own Merit. The achievement “The Elite Eight” asks you to raise a Regular Bodyguard’s Merit to maximum.
- It can be boosted. The Digital Deluxe Edition’s Six Secret Teachings is described on the Steam store page as “an item that increases officer Merit gain,” and Koei Tecmo adds that it can also be obtained by playing the game.
How Merit Worked in the Original
The 2001 game called it points. Koei’s original PS2 manual lists what feeds it at the end of each stage: K.O.s, Worthy Opponents (enemy officers defeated), Clear Time and a Bonus for events. Those points raised your officer’s class level, from 1 to 16, with a named rank at each level.
Rank had one very practical effect: horses. The manual says every horse has a level, and “to ride a high level horse, your character’s level needs to be high or you will be thrown off.” Red Hare, the best horse, needs a high level or a special item, and that item is the Imperial Saddle, which lets you ride any horse regardless of level. We have not seen Koei Tecmo say the remaster changed this. Our item guide covers the Imperial Saddle and the Red Hare Saddle.
What Merit Does for Bodyguards
This is where Merit matters most in the remaster, which uses the Xtreme Legends bodyguard system. Each Regular Bodyguard unit tracks its own Merit:
- The unit grows. It starts small and reaches eight bodyguards as its Merit climbs.
- It earns advancement points. In Xtreme Legends, the unit got a point at each Merit milestone to spend on Attack, Defense, Life/Musou or Rank, about 25 points in all.
- It earns titles. In Xtreme Legends, a unit was promoted to Fighter, then Warrior, then Elite as its Merit rose, and spending points on Rank changed its look and raised its Life and Musou.
Our best bodyguards guide explains where to spend those points and which orders to use.
What Merit Does Not Do
- It does not raise base stats. In the original, Life, Musou, Attack and Defense grew from battlefield pickups, never from Merit: Attack and Defense boosts drop from enemy officers, and +10 Life and Musou boosts sit in set pots on every stage. Items and weapons push the totals higher.
- It is not Luck. Luck is a separate stat; our Luck guide covers what it does.
- It does not unlock officers. Unlocks come from Musou Mode clears and battlefield events, covered in our character unlock guide.
How to Earn Merit Faster
- Defeat lots of enemies and officers. K.O.s and defeated officers were the core of the original’s points, so stages crowded with officers pay the most.
- Clear stages quickly. Clear time also counted in the original, so do not dawdle once the objectives are done.
- Get the Six Secret Teachings. Deluxe Edition owners have it from the start. Everyone else can still get it by playing the game, Koei Tecmo says.
- Farm the Raid on the Rogue Fortress. It is a compact stage crowded with sub-officers and archers, so repeat runs are quick and full of K.O.s. Our difficulty guide covers when to raise the setting for better drops.
Bodyguard units earn Merit alongside you, so every one of these also grows whichever unit you bring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Merit do in Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered? It is the experience your officers and Regular Bodyguard units earn from battles. It grows a bodyguard unit and, as in the original, builds an officer’s rank, while your officer’s base stats come from growth items instead.
What is the max Merit? 99,999 for an officer. The “Majestic Presence” achievement is awarded the first time an officer reaches it.
How do you get Merit fast? Defeat as many enemies and officers as you can, clear stages quickly, and equip the Six Secret Teachings, which increases officer Merit gain.
How do you use Merit? There is nothing to spend on the officer side; it builds up on its own. Bodyguard units turn it into advancement points, which you assign yourself by setting the unit’s growth to manual.
Why are my stats low if my Merit is maxed? Because stats come from boosts you pick up in battle, not from Merit. Keep collecting Attack, Defense, Life and Musou boosts until each one is capped.
Where is the Six Secret Teachings without the Deluxe Edition? Koei Tecmo says it can also be obtained by playing the game, but it has not said where.