This page covers how to unlock every playable character, all 27 items that have a fixed unlock condition, the six hidden stages, the costumes and bodyguard outfits, and every special ending in Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered. It also lists, stage by stage and side by side, which 4th and 5th weapons, items and characters each one holds. For weapons it shows where each 4th and 5th weapon is, not how to earn it.
The short version: most characters unlock by clearing Musou Mode with others from the same kingdom, and the rest come from a specific event in a specific stage. Items with a fixed condition usually mean defeating certain officers and then breaking a crate or destroying a supply unit. If you care about the normal endings of Lu Bu, Diao Chan, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Zhang Jiao, Meng Huo or Zhu Rong, read the endings section before going for completion, because each of those can be lost for good.
Character unlock conditions
Nine characters are available from the start: Xiahou Dun, Dian Wei and Zhang He for Wei, Zhou Yu, Sun Shang Xiang and Huang Gai for Wu, and Zhao Yun, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for Shu.
“Clear Musou Mode” below means finishing a character’s full Musou Mode run. Where a condition names a stage and a side, play that side of that stage in any mode.
Wei
Character
How to unlock
Xu Zhu
Clear Musou Mode with any one Wei character
Cao Cao
Clear Musou Mode with two different Wei characters
Xiahou Yuan
Mt. Ding Jun, Shu side: defeat Xiahou Yuan
Zhang Liao
He Fei, Wu side: defeat Zhang Liao
Sima Yi
Wu Zhang Plains, Wei side: defeat Zhuge Liang
Xu Huang
Clear Musou Mode with two different Wei characters
Zhen Ji
Clear Musou Mode with any one Wei character
Wu
Character
How to unlock
Lu Xun
Clear Musou Mode with any one Wu character
Taishi Ci
Wu commandery, Sun Ce side: trigger the event where Taishi Ci surrenders
Sun Jian
Clear Musou Mode with two different Wu characters
Sun Quan
He Fei, Wu side: trigger the event where Sun Quan jumps the bridge
Lu Meng
Fan Castle, Wu side: clear the stage
Gan Ning
He Fei, Wei side: trigger Gan Ning’s surprise attack event, then defeat him
Sun Ce
Clear Musou Mode with two different Wu characters
Da Qiao
Clear Musou Mode with any one Wu character
Xiao Qiao
Clear Musou Mode with Zhou Yu or Da Qiao
Shu
Character
How to unlock
Zhuge Liang
Wu Zhang Plains, Shu side: defeat Sima Yi
Liu Bei
Clear Musou Mode with two different Shu characters
Ma Chao
Clear Musou Mode with any one Shu character
Huang Zhong
Clear Musou Mode with two different Shu characters
Jiang Wei
Clear Musou Mode with Zhuge Liang
Wei Yan
Clear Musou Mode with any one Shu character
Pang Tong
Cheng Du, Liu Bei side: keep Pang Tong alive through the stage
Other
Character
How to unlock
Diao Chan
Hu Lao Gate, Coalition side: defeat Diao Chan
Lu Bu
Hu Lao Gate, Coalition side: get 1,000 KOs
Dong Zhuo
Hu Lao Gate, Coalition side: defeat both Lu Bu and Diao Chan
Yuan Shao
Guan Du, Cao Cao side: defeat Yan Liang and Wen Chou
Zhang Jiao
Yellow Turban Rebellion, the side fighting the Yellow Turbans: defeat Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang
Meng Huo
Nanman stage, Shu or Wu side: capture and release Meng Huo seven times
Zhu Rong
Nanman stage, Shu or Wu side: clear the stage
Fu Xi
Have Lu Bu unlocked, and clear Musou Mode with Liu Bei, Cao Cao and Sun Jian
Nu Wa
Have Diao Chan unlocked, and clear Musou Mode with Sun Shang Xiang, Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao and Zhen Ji
Zi Luan
Clear Musou Mode with any one character
Item unlock conditions
There are 52 items, not counting the pre-order bonus that starts you on Red Hare with its classic look. 25 of them only come as random drops from item pouches in battle, so there is nothing to do for those except keep playing: the 16 general ones and the 9 bodyguard-only versions. The other 27 each have a fixed condition, listed below in the order the game lists them. The first two Challenge Mode events award no item.
The in-game item reference does not always show a condition until you own the item, so each row is identified by the item’s effect. Find the effect you are missing and the row tells you where to go. “(XL)” marks an Xtreme Legends side of a stage.
Effect
Stage and side
How to get it
Start every battle riding Red Hare
Hu Lao Gate, Coalition
Defeat Lu Bu, then destroy the supply unit that appears
Start every battle riding Liu Bei’s horse
Cheng Du, Liu Bei
Defeat every enemy officer except Liu Zhang, then break the crate that appears
Lets you ride any horse
Yi Ling, Shu
Stop the fire attack, defeat the Wu officers the stage marks, then destroy the supply unit that appears
Longer duration for three timed power-up pickups: attack doubling, defence doubling, and one more
New He Fei Castle, Wei
Defeat every guard around the enemy commander, then break the crate that appears
Bodyguards fight better
New He Fei Castle, Wu
Defeat Xu Zhu, then break the crate that appears
Use the True Musou attack at any health
Guan Yu’s ride stage, Guan Yu
Defeat Xiahou Dun and pick up the pouch he drops
When knocked down near death, get up with doubled attack
Wu Zhang Plains, Shu
Let at least one officer in each of the two marked allied groups be routed (your own allies, not enemies), then break the crate that appears
When knocked down near death, get up with doubled defence
Wu Zhang Plains, Wei
Let at least one officer in each of the two marked allied groups be routed (your own allies, not enemies), then break the crate that appears
Shoot fire-element arrows
Chi Bi, Cao Cao
Defeat Zhou Yu before the fire attack starts, then break the crate that appears
No stagger when blocking
He Fei, Wu
Trigger Sun Quan’s bridge jump, wait for Zhang Liao to come back, defeat him and pick up his pouch
Never lose a weapon clash with an officer
He Fei, Wei
Trigger the events where Taishi Ci falls into a trap and Zhang Liao briefly withdraws, then defeat Gan Ning when he arrives and pick up his pouch
Arrows no longer knock you off your horse
Tong Gate, Cao Cao
Trigger the conversation between Cao Cao and Han Sui so Han Sui changes sides, then destroy the supply unit that appears
Immune to stun
Chi Bi, Lu Bu (XL)
Defeat every enemy officer and reinforcement except Dong Zhuo, then break the crate that appears
Getting up from a knockdown doubles attack but lowers defence
Mt. Ding Jun, Dong Zhuo (XL)
Defeat Huang Zhong and pick up his pouch
A mounted charge knocks down any enemy
Shi Ting, Nanman (XL)
Keep Meng Jie and Yong Kai alive, defeat Gan Ning and Sun Shang Xiang, trigger the north gate breakthrough event, then break the crate
Higher combo ratings come more easily
Challenge Mode, combo event (fifth in the list)
Beat the default first-place record
Shoot lightning-element arrows
Yi Ling, Yellow Turbans (XL)
Keep Huang Zhong alive and destroy the supply unit that appears ten minutes into the battle
The third pickup from the New He Fei Castle (Wei) row (neither attack nor defence doubling) lasts twice as long
Guan Du, Yuan Shao (XL)
Leave at least one camp gate unopened, trigger the event in the southwest of the castle where Cao Cao is away, then break the crate that appears
Larger riding gauge
Challenge Mode, horse-riding event (third in the list)
Beat the default first-place record
Enemy morale drops more easily
Nanman stage, Yellow Turbans (XL)
Defeat Zhuge Liang inside the time limit, then break the crate that appears
While attack is doubled, hits also damage guarding enemies
Wu Zhang Plains, Dong Zhuo (XL)
Defeat Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Wei Yan and Jiang Wei, then destroy the supply unit that appears
Recover automatically when launched, and gain Musou gauge
Challenge Mode, fourth event in the list
Beat the default first-place record
During a Musou attack, spend extra gauge to break through guards
New He Fei Castle, Meng Huo (XL)
Avoid triggering Zhuge Liang’s traps, keep Zhang He and Cao Ren alive, defeat Zhuge Liang, then break the crate
Arrows no longer make you stagger
Any stage
Reach a running total of 99,999 in combo ratings; it is awarded at the end of a battle
Officer merit is tripled
Chang Ban, Liu Bei
Defeat Xu Huang or Dian Wei, plus Yu Jin and Zhang He, then destroy the supply unit that appears
Bodyguard merit is multiplied by 1.5
Wu commandery, Sun Ce
Defeat Taishi Ci, Yan Bai Hu and Liu Yao, then destroy the supply unit that appears
Bodyguards can heal themselves once
Challenge Mode, sixth event in the list
Beat the default first-place record
Hidden stages
There are six hidden stages: one for each of Wei, Shu and Wu, plus the Coalition side of each of those three. You can see each kingdom’s hidden stage on the Musou Mode character select screen.
A kingdom’s hidden stage has two conditions, and they do not have to happen in the same run. Meet condition 1 whenever you like, get condition 2 whenever you like, and the stage opens once both are done. Clearing it then lets you play its Coalition side in Free Mode.
Shu hidden stage (New He Fei Castle)
Condition 1:
Play Musou Mode as Guan Yu, on Hard or above, and reach Fan Castle (Shu side).
Wait for the water to rise.
Defeat one of Xu Huang, Cao Ren or Pang De.
Go to the southwest of the map to trigger the Wu reinforcement event.
Defeat Lu Meng when he appears, then clear the stage.
Condition 2: unlock Liu Bei.
Wei hidden stage (Chi Bi)
Condition 1:
Play Musou Mode as Dian Wei or Zhen Ji, on Hard or above, and reach Shi Ting (Wei side).
Defeat Sun Shang Xiang, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao.
Keep at least one of Zhang He, Dian Wei and Zhang Pu alive. Since it is unclear whether a player-controlled Dian Wei counts, keep Zhang He or Zhang Pu alive too.
Keep Cao Xiu and Zhou Fang alive and wait until Sima Yi sees through Zhou Fang’s ambush plan.
Clear the stage.
Condition 2: unlock Cao Cao.
Wu hidden stage (Wu Zhang Plains)
Condition 1:
Play Musou Mode as Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, Sun Shang Xiang, Gan Ning or Xiao Qiao, on Hard or above, and reach He Fei (Wu side).
Keep Taishi Ci alive.
Defeat Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and one of Xiahou Dun or Dian Wei.
Clear the stage.
Condition 2: unlock Sun Quan.
Stage by stage
Each stage below lists every playable side and what that side holds: which characters’ 4th and 5th weapons, and any item, character or hidden-stage unlock. The exact requirement for each weapon is in the game’s own weapon reference. Item conditions are in the item table and character conditions in the character tables, so the stage tables only point to them.
Yellow Turban Rebellion
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Forces fighting the Yellow Turbans
Cao Cao 4th, Huang Gai 5th
Character: Zhang Jiao
Yellow Turbans
Zhang Jiao 4th, Nu Wa 5th
None
Yellow Turbans (XL)
None
None
Nanman (XL)
None
None
Hu Lao Gate
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Coalition
None
Item: start on Red Hare. Characters: Diao Chan, Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Diao Chan 4th, Lu Bu 4th, Dong Zhuo 4th
None
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
None
Coalition (XL)
Yuan Shao 5th
None
Nanman (XL)
None
None
Liu Biao stage (Sun Jian’s surprise attack)
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Sun Jian
Sun Jian 4th, Sun Ce 5th, Da Qiao 5th
None
Liu Biao
Fu Xi 4th
None
Yellow Turbans (XL)
None
None
Wan Castle
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Cao Cao
Dian Wei 4th
None
Zhang Xiu
Nu Wa 4th, Fu Xi 5th
None
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
None
Wu commandery (Sun Ce’s campaign)
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Sun Ce
Sun Ce 4th, Zhou Yu 5th, Xiao Qiao 5th
Item: bodyguard merit x1.5. Character: Taishi Ci
Coalition
Taishi Ci 4th
None
Nanman (XL)
Meng Huo 5th
None
Guan Du
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Cao Cao
Zhang He 4th, Zhen Ji 5th
Character: Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao 4th
None
Dong Zhuo (XL)
Zhang Liao 5th
None
Yuan Shao (XL)
None
Item: one timed power-up pickup lasts twice as long
Guan Yu’s ride stage (also played as Diao Chan’s ride)
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Guan Yu
Guan Yu 4th
Item: True Musou at any health
Cao Cao
Xiahou Dun 4th
None
Lu Bu
Zi Luan 5th
None
Diao Chan
Diao Chan 5th
None
Chang Ban
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Liu Bei
Zhao Yun 4th, Zhang Fei 4th
Item: officer merit x3
Cao Cao
None
None
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
None
Yuan Shao (XL)
None
None
Yellow Turbans (XL)
Zi Luan 4th
None
Nanman (XL)
None
None
Chi Bi
Chi Bi has the most sides of any stage, including two hidden-stage sides (Wei and Coalition) and a special Xtreme Legends story.
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Liu Bei
Zhuge Liang 5th, Pang Tong 5th
None
Cao Cao
None
Item: fire-element arrows
Sun Quan
Zhou Yu 4th, Huang Gai 4th
None
Lu Bu (XL)
Lu Bu 5th
Item: stun immunity
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
None
Yellow Turbans (XL)
None
None
Nanman (XL)
None
None
Wei (hidden stage)
None
Opens the Coalition side of this hidden stage
Coalition (hidden stage)
None
None
Special story (XL)
None
See below
Special Chi Bi story. This Xtreme Legends stage opens once you have cleared Musou Mode with every character in the Other faction, all ten in the Other table. Clearing it unlocks a special Chi Bi music track. It also holds two costume unlocks, listed in the costumes table.
Cheng Du
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Liu Bei
Pang Tong 4th, Ma Chao 5th
Item: start on Liu Bei’s horse. Character: Pang Tong
Nanman (XL)
None
None
Tong Gate
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Coalition
Ma Chao 4th
None
Cao Cao
Xu Zhu 4th, Xiahou Yuan 5th, Xu Huang 5th
Item: arrows cannot knock you off your horse
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
None
He Fei
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Wei
Zhang Liao 4th, Dian Wei 5th
Item: never lose a weapon clash. Character: Gan Ning
Wu
Gan Ning 4th, Taishi Ci 5th, Sun Quan 5th
Item: no stagger when blocking. Characters: Zhang Liao, Sun Quan. Wu hidden stage, condition 1
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
None
Yuan Shao (XL)
None
None
Nanman (XL)
None
None
Fan Castle
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Shu
Guan Yu 5th
Shu hidden stage, condition 1
Wei
Xu Huang 4th
None
Wu
Lu Meng 4th, Sun Shang Xiang 5th
Character: Lu Meng
Yuan Shao (XL)
None
None
Mt. Ding Jun
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Shu
Huang Zhong 4th, Zhang Fei 5th
Character: Xiahou Yuan
Wei
Xiahou Yuan 4th, Cao Cao 5th
None
Dong Zhuo (XL)
None
Item: knockdown doubles attack, lowers defence
Yi Ling
Side
Weapons
Other unlocks
Shu
Liu Bei 4th, Huang Zhong 5th, Jiang Wei 5th, Wei Yan 5th
Item: near-death defence boost. Character: Sima Yi
Dong Zhuo (XL)
Dong Zhuo 5th
Item: doubled attack hits through guards
Yuan Shao (XL)
None
None
Wu (hidden stage)
None
Opens the Coalition side of this hidden stage
Coalition (hidden stage)
None
None
Stages with nothing to collect
The three extra Xtreme Legends stages (the village rescue, the bandit stage and the pirate stage) hold no weapons, items or characters on any side. You do not need to play them for completion.
Costumes and bodyguard outfits
Unlock
How
Second colour scheme for a character
Clear Musou Mode with any character from that character’s faction
Yellow bodyguard outfit
Clear Musou Mode with Zhang Jiao
Black bodyguard outfit
Clear Musou Mode with Dong Zhuo
Pink bodyguard outfit
Clear Musou Mode with Diao Chan
White bodyguard outfit
Clear the special Chi Bi story (XL)
Male Nanman bodyguards
Clear Musou Mode with Meng Huo
Female Nanman bodyguards
Clear Musou Mode with Zhu Rong
Lu Bu’s alternate costume
Clear the special Chi Bi story (XL) on the hardest difficulty with any character except Lu Bu
Sun Shang Xiang’s alternate costume
Max out every playable character’s merit and collect every weapon
For Sun Shang Xiang’s costume, at the time of writing it is not confirmed whether Zi Luan has to be included. If you are close, finish everyone else first: if the costume unlocks then, Zi Luan was not needed.
Endings, and how to avoid losing one
Warning for Lu Bu, Diao Chan, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, Zhang Jiao, Meng Huo and Zhu Rong. Once you meet the exclusive ending condition for one of them, that character can never play their normal ending again. The only way back is to reset all of your save data. If you want to see a normal ending, clear that character’s Musou Mode before you have cleared both characters in the “Exclusive ending” column of that character’s row in the exclusive endings table.
There is no gallery for endings. An ending plays at the end of a character’s final Musou stage, and the only way to watch it again is to clear that final stage again with that character. Musou Mode has exactly ten record slots, enough to keep the final stage for the three kingdoms plus the seven characters above, so do not overwrite a slot holding an ending you want to keep. A saved slot cannot bring back a normal ending that the warning above has already locked out.
There are four kinds of ending:
Normal ending: plays when no special condition is met.
Rare ending: Wei, Shu and Wu only.
Exclusive ending: only the seven characters in the warning above.
Perfect exclusive ending: only the same seven characters.
Wei, Shu and Wu rare endings
For each kingdom, first clear Musou Mode with the characters listed. Then clear the final Musou stage with any character from that kingdom in under 15 minutes.
Kingdom
Clear Musou Mode first with
Wei
Xiahou Yuan, Cao Cao, Dian Wei
Shu
Guan Yu, Liu Bei, Pang Tong
Wu
Sun Ce, Taishi Ci, Sun Jian, Zhou Yu
Exclusive and perfect exclusive endings for the Other characters
The exclusive ending plays once the two characters in the middle column have cleared Musou Mode. The perfect exclusive ending needs all three characters cleared, and then that character’s own final Musou stage cleared in under 15 minutes.
Character
Exclusive ending: clear Musou Mode with
Perfect exclusive ending: also clear Musou Mode with
Lu Bu
Diao Chan, Guan Yu
Zhang Liao
Diao Chan
Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo
Zhen Ji
Dong Zhuo
Lu Bu, Ma Chao
Sun Jian
Yuan Shao
Zhang Jiao, Zhang He
Cao Cao
Zhang Jiao
Yuan Shao, Sima Yi
Zhou Yu
Meng Huo
Zhu Rong, Zhuge Liang
Lu Xun
Zhu Rong
Meng Huo, Sun Shang Xiang
Zhen Ji
More DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered guides
How to unlock every officer in Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, from the six Musou Mode runs that cover the regular roster to Nuwa and Fuxi.