Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is a grind-heavy game. Those who want to max out a character’s weapon proficiency or their overall levels or get their wallpaper for the loading screens are going to need to put in some serious work. Put simply, they're going to need to jump into one of the game's many stages and start cutting through grunts pronto.
Still, some stages in the game are much better for grinding than others. Some levels end too soon or don’t give the player as many peons, officers, and bosses. Others practically rain EXP and other goodies down on players. For those looking to level up quickly, here are the best Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate stages for grinding.
7 Battle of Ueda Castle
Either this or "Struggle of Ueda Castle" would be good places for grinding, as the same map offers the same advantages. Namely, the narrow streets and alleyways that bunch foes together. Still, the regular version has more enemies on offer to build up the numbers, with Dong Zhuo’s forces at one end and Yuan Shao’s at the other.
It’s also an early stage, due to it appearing in Chapter 1, so it has a simpler objective than its ‘Struggle’ variant meaning there's less to worry about as the player’s allies don’t get into as much trouble. Whether they’re a beginner or a musou game veteran, "Battle of Ueda Castle" offers a good opening to build the EXP up ahead of time.
6 Diversion at Mt Xingshi
This is one of the better stages to go through when starting out, as it appears fairly early on in Chapter 2. The player’s team has to cause enough of a distraction to keep the heat off of Jiang Wei, so he turns up safe in another stage. The player starts off in a good spot too: a valley where grunts and officers slide down from the hilltops.
It gets positively packed, so the player has carte blanche to cause as much mayhem as they like. Eventually, the player has to move on to the surrounding forts, though by then they’re bound to have racked up a 650+ kill count. Even then, those forts aren’t exactly lightly defended. With its simple directives and a high number of enemies, it makes the grind fun and rewarding.
5 Battle of Fan Castle Redux
The regular stages are fine and dandy, but the Redux ones are mostly the better option when it comes to grinding. Fan Castle Redux in Chapter 3 is one such example. In the storyline, it’s the one where the player gets to recruit Guo Jia to their side.
In gameplay, they get plenty of enemies to work with. Grunts and officers turn up, but with less of a combat advantage than in the regular stage. Big-name characters like Cao Pi and Xiahou Dun also appear to give the player more EXP once beaten. That’s just in the starting part of the map too.
4 Rescue at Yiling
After recruiting Guo Jia, the player gets this version of the Yiling Stage in Chapter 3, where he, Guo Huai, and Xingcai set off to find Ina. It’s a straightforward goal, so there’s no need to protect gate-breaking weaponry or keep other characters alive. Players just need to move to each goal and finish off whoever’s there to get to the next lead.
The player starts off within the Stone Sentinel Maze, so they already get to build up a good lead with its mass of peons and officers. Once they make it out, they get to let loose with more enemies as Guo Jia sets up a fire attack. If finishing off foes wasn’t enough of a breeze, this tanks their health enough to really take the weight off.
3 Battle of Changban Redux
The player gets a chance to recruit Dian Wei by redoing Chapter 3’s "Battle of Changban." Unlike its regular version, the fire attacks get nixed before they can drain the player’s health. Not to mention, if successful, Kanbei Kuroda and Jia Xu can enact all sorts of tactics to give the player the upper hand
The stage also has plenty of narrow paths to crowd all the grunts together, making it easier to rack up combos. There are plenty of officers among their ranks too, alongside the likes of Nō, Akechi, and Zhuge Liang. As a result, this stage should provide plenty of goodies with minimal fuss.
2 Battle of Tong Gate Redux
Another Chapter 3 stage, this is the one where, if the player saves Diaochan in time, they can unlock her, plus Lü Bu in another stage. It’s more wide-open than the other stages, though there are still plenty of places that can help bunch the enemies together. Notably the forts in the middle of the stage, and the pathways leading up to the enemy base.
There are some big names in the bunch for that extra boost, like Nezha, Xu Zhu, Cao Pi, and the Sima Clan. The neatest morsel comes in a surprise appearance from Susano’o and an extra burst of foes. They advance together in a big group, perfect for hemming in with a True Triple Attack. With this in mind, players will want to save that green gauge for when they appear.
1 Defense of Itsukushima
This one is a DLC stage, so not everyone will be able to take advantage of it. It’s not a must-get stage either, as the other stages will do in a pinch. There is a regular "Battle of Itsukushima" stage too, but that one is rather difficult with its poison clouds draining everyone’s health. Unless the player’s already at a high enough level, they’ll more than likely fail just because their allies got zonked off-screen somewhere.
"Defense of Itsukushima" takes away the poison clouds and increases the enemy count instead. The officers are almost as plentiful as the peons, so it offers more bang for its buck too. Some of the big names may cause problems though. Sun Wukong is a slippery foe to fight, and while Kiyomori Taira isn’t the hardest boss around, he’s flanked by the multi-armed monstrosity Hundun. It’s a risk, though, with perseverance, there’s a big reward too.
Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and last-gen consoles.