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The staff has some of the flashiest moves in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, but if you’re bringing a stick to fight thousands of people with swords and spears, you’d better know how to use it. If smart combos and thinking on your feet are your thing, then the staff can be the most satisfying weapon type in the game; if you just want to press the attack button and watch bad guys fall over, then it will come up short.
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If confounding enemy officers with expert flurries and precise Battle Arts appeals to you, read on to master the way of the staff!
Dynasty Warriors: Origins Staff Moveset
The staff is the only weapon in the game capable of an effectively infinite combo; holding the Heavy Attack button causes you to continue attacking until you release the button or get hit yourself, whichever comes first.
|
Combo |
Attack |
|---|---|
|
Hold Heavy Attack (Standing Still). |
Rapid close-range melee combo until the button is released. You cannot move while performing this attack. |
|
Left Stick + Hold Heavy Attack (While Moving). |
Repeated forward leaps and attacks until the button is released. Can change direction between leaps with Left Stick. |
|
Left Stick + Heavy Attack while Dodging. |
Rapid close-range melee combo while running until the button is released. You cannot stop while performing this attack, but you can turn with the Left Stick. |
|
Heavy Attack during a Normal Attack. |
Circular sweep attack. Holding the button follows up a combo |
|
Block + Heavy Attack |
Launch enemies in front of you, then leap after them. Holding the button starts an aerial combo. |
|
Normal Attack while midair. |
Horizontal strike. Can combo up to one additional Normal Attack while airborne. |
|
Heavy Attack while midair or on horseback. |
Gliding spin attack. Dismounts if used from horseback. |
Staff Combat Tips
As fun as the endless Heavy Attack Combos can be, don’t lean on them too heavily. Instead, wait for the right opportunity. The moving combos are great for cutting through large groups, but the stationary combo has a very specific purpose; following up a parry or Special Art.
When you successfully counter an enemy via a perfectly-timed parry or using a Special Art to interrupt an orange move, they’ll be briefly staggered. While they’re down, move next to them and start a stationary combo to hit them multiple times before they can get up. This will do damage and usually wear down an extra shield’s worth of their Fortitude.
If it’s the last shield, keep holding the button until just before your Assault opportunity expires for maximum damage.
The staff also has lots of Battle Arts that launch enemies, so take advantage of its multi-attack aerial combos and glide to take down foes while they’re helpless in the air.
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Best Staff Build
Building around the staff’s air combo potential lets you make the most of its unique properties.
Recommended Gem
The Vortex Gem, which increases damage dealt to airborne enemies, is practically tailor-made for staff builds. The only reason not to equip it is if it isn’t sufficiently leveled, in which case you should gather some Pyroxene and Moongrass to try and bridge the gap.
In the meantime, many high-tier versions of the staff have traits that increase the input window for parries, so the Scorch Gem can be a useful second-place pick. It also helps increase the overall damage you do when you parry into a combo strike.
Recommended Battle Arts
Vaulting Leap becomes available to buy from Shops starting in Chapter 3. For just one Bravery, it launches the enemies in front of you into the air then jump up after them, letting you follow up with an easy air combo. Once you reach Proficiency 6, you can also follow up with Soaring Sky Dance or just lead with that move, bringing more foes from the ground into the sky.
While you’re making your way to unlocking those Arts, be sure to equip Chaotic Flurry when you get it at Proficiency 4. It’s a short-term rush attack similar to the Running Combo, and its status as a Special Art lets it interrupt key enemy moves. Its mobility means it can break up multiple formation tactics if deployed strategically!
You can also use Chaotic Flurry from the air, which is good for stopping some leaping attacks.
Since Chaotic Flurry costs three Bravery, it’s always good to have reliable old Palm Strike equipped as a backup. With this loadout, you’re a threat both on the ground and in the air, so nobody is safe from your combos!
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