Samurai Warriors is a spinoff of Dynasty Warriors and is the fan-favorite of the two. The last game in the series, Samurai Warriors 4, was released in 2014. There were three spinoffs after that though with the last new one being in 2017. It has been a while since a brand new numbered title graced the digital airwaves and the store shelves. A lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same with this new PS4 and Switch game from Koei Tecmo.
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The most striking change was with the new art cel-shaded art style which is reminiscent of this series’ anime spinoffs like One Piece: Pirate Warriors. Another big change was setting the game earlier than any other title previous. It reversed the age of many well known characters such as Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, the two leads of this game. What else has changed and what are some tips to help newbies get started? Let’s find out.
10 Find The Right Character And Stick To Them
One of the hardest things to do in one of these Musou games is to find the right character to play. Characters typically unlock as one progresses through the story.
While it may be tempting to try every new one out, find one character early on and stick to them as a main but always keep a constant rotation in the partner seat if possible. Among the main two, Mitsuhide is really good.
9 Go Back And Forth Between Nobunaga And Mitsuhide
At first, players can only progress through Nobunaga’s timeline. Eventually, Mitsuhide’s will open up as well.
One could go through each in a straight line but the difficulty ramps up considerably. A better solution would be to alternate. That way characters can get stronger in a fast and easy way along with unlocking new characters faster.
8 Micromanaging Partners
One of the coolest additions in the series from the portable games was allowing players to zap between characters on the map. For example, players could play as Nobunaga on one side of the map and have one of the new characters, Yasuke, be on the other side.
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This is a basic strategic formation of divide and conquer. The AI isn’t perfect at following commands so be sure to stay on the other character in order to utilize both characters to their full advantage.
7 The Best Skills
The Ultimate Skills are new to Samurai Warriors 5 although skills like these have existed in the series before. In this game, players can equip four skills ranging from secondary attacks to passive skills such as Recuperation which restores the Musou gauge. Always have that equipped along with an attack command. As for the other skills, it’s a good idea to add in Pride which raises attack power. Also be sure to raise the Musou gauge and to unlock the other Ultimate Skill for every character as soon as possible in the skill tree.
6 The Best Uses For The Shop
There are three shops in Samurai Warriors 5 including a literal shop, a blacksmith, and a stable. A horse is a horse so buy one and be done with it. Use the blacksmith to dismantle weapons to earn extra money.
Actual cash should be spent on getting materials such as lumber which can be used to upgrade buildings. The other thing to purchase are the Strategic Tomes which give players skill points.
5 Japan Language Only
For those hoping Samurai Warriors 5 has an English track, think again. It has been a while since any game in this series has had an English dub in it.
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This hasn’t mattered to most players which is presumably why Koei Tecmo hasn’t spent money to get an English cast. One can at least be happy that these games, the spinoffs included, still come out in the West.
4 PlayStation Over Switch
Along with the PS4 and Switch versions, Samurai Warriors 5 is also available on Xbox One and PC. Performance, as far as glitches and the graphics go, are pretty even on the PS4 and Switch.
Presumably, this is true for Xbox One as well. The load times are the only real issue, especially on the Switch. Thankfully playing the PS4 version on the new console makes the waiting time almost non-existent. So if one is lucky enough to have a PS5, it might be better to get the PS4 version over the Switch.
3 Play With A Friend
Samurai Warriors 5, and others in the series, are perfect for co-op action no matter what skill level a player might be at. The game can be enjoyed alone but predominantly this should be played with someone else.
Thankfully this supports couch co-op along with online play. The reason why someone should wait to play it with someone else is that it will save time. Maps can sometimes take up to thirty minutes or more, even with an AI partner. If one is lucky enough to have a friend or partner, wait for them before picking this game up.
2 Interim Saves
If one is not lucky enough to play Samurai Warriors 5 in co-op, then there are other ways to help out with time. One of the nice features of this series is its interim saves. At any time players can go into the settings menu and save the game and then opt out to the title screen.
If one tries to play Musou mode again, the game will automatically load up that save exactly where the player left off. This is true even in the middle of a fight. It may not save time exactly but it can at least help suspend it.
1 Run Toward Goals, Ignore Hordes
An actual way to save time would be to ignore the massive hordes of soldiers on the battlefield. Instead of doing what comes natural in these games, hack and slash, ignore the cannon fodder and go straight for the officers.
This will make map completion go by faster. The only thing that can be harmful to this strategy is that the fewer soldiers players kill, the less experience they earn. This can make the later maps tricky.
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