RRRRRRRRRRR OOOOOO TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT KKK KKKK 888888 RRRRRRRRRRRRR OOOOOOOO TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT KKK KKKK 88888888 RRR RRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 88888888 RRR RRR OOO OOO TTT KKKKKKK 88888888 RRRRRRRRRRRRR OOO OOO TTT KKKKKKK 888 888 RRRRRRRRRRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRRR OOO OOO TTT KKK KKKK 888 888 RRR RRRR OOOOOOOO TTT KKK KKKK 88888888 RRR RRR OOOOOO TTT KKK KKK 888888 ================================== Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII ================================== The Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Skills and Tactics FAQ, Version 1.2.1 By: SSJMikes (rotk8faq-at-gmail-dot-com) This is a FAQ about the tactics and skills of officers in Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII. --------------- Version History --------------- Version 1.2.1 - Minor updates. Changed contact information. Version 1.2 - Added a bit more to the green skills, including an alternate method to getting a few of them. I still haven't done the tactics part of the FAQ, just been too busy with my senior year. I'll get to it... (January 22, 2006) Version 1.1 - Fixed errors and added some more explanation. Adjusted some ratings and added to the Frequently asked questions. Still need to do the tactics though...I should have sent this in a few days ago, but forgot... (August 22, 2005) Version 1.0 - Original FAQ. (August 14, 2005) ----------------- Legal Mumbo Jumbo ----------------- "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII" is (c)2002-2003 KOEI Co. This FAQ may not be posted on any other site besides Gamefaqs (and it's respected partners). You cannot change this FAQ in any way or sell this FAQ. This FAQ is for Personal Use ONLY. If you want to use the FAQ on your site, you must contact me (Look at "Contact Me Section" of the FAQ). The FAQ is copyright (c) 2005-2006 by Me, SSJMikes. ---------------- Acknowledgements ---------------- - CJayC for making such a great site and posting my FAQ. - KOEI for making this great game. - A huge thanks to Duke Darkwood who originally came up with the idea of making this FAQ and for providing a large amount of information. - Another thank you goes to ATTACK__CAT, who helped with the information of some of the skills and pointed out some of errors. - A thanks to Aureal who pointed out a second province in which the first four blue skills can be learned. --------------------- The Table of Contents --------------------- 1. Introduction 2. Skills A. Red Skills a. Fight b. Plan c. Govern d. Charm e. Guard f. Hero B. Orange Skills a. Plow b. Trade c. Build d. Patrol e. Invent f. Seer C. Green Skills a. Persuade b. Reverse c. Taunt d. Confuse e. Rumor f. Genius D. Blue Skills a. Infantry b. Calvary c. Bowmen d. Navy e. Scout f. Sage E. Yellow Skills a. Medicine b. Weather 3. Tactics A. Blue Tactics a. Charge b. Berserk c. Spearwall d. Trample B. Orange Tactics a. Fire Arrow b. Volley c. Bombard d. Arrowstorm C. Green Tactics a. Torrent b. Blaze c. Rockslide d. Magic D. Red Tactics a. Harass b. Ambush E. Yellow Tactics a. Siege 4. Frequently Asked Questions 5. How to Contact Me --------------- 1. Introduction --------------- "There are those who possess the power of kings, controlling the minds of the masses. There are those who know no loyalty, waiting to betray their lords. There are those gifted with cunning and eloquence, maneuvering behind veils of secrecy. There are those who would be rulers, wandering in search of their dominion. China would not exist but for the ambitions of these daring men." - Back of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII box "The epic history of China spans more than four millenia, and yet the most admired, the most loved period lasted for barely 100 years. Even though it remains a confusion of intermixed guesswork and historical fact, and even though its highlights the tragedy of war, the hopelessness of life and the inherent dangers of power, still its popularity soars. 'The Three Kingdoms.' Now is your chance to experience this turbulent period first hand..." - Page 3 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms manual In Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII, you control one (to eight) of the major players in shaping China during the power struggle after fall of the Han. There are over 600 "real" individual commanders, along with 100 that you can create in hope to reunite China under one rule and bring a future of peace, prosperity and happiness. The following FAQ talks about the skills and tactics you can use throughout the game. --------- 2. Skills --------- ----------------- |Medicine|Weather | ----------------------------------- | Fight | Plow |Persuade|Infantry| |----------------------------------- | Plan | Trade |Reverse |Calvary | |----------------------------------- | Govern | Build | Taunt | Bowmen | |----------------------------------- | Charm | Patrol |Confuse | Navy | |----------------------------------- | Guard | Invent | Rumor | Scout | |----------------------------------- | Hero | Seer | Genius | Sage | ----------------------------------- *NOTE: Some items give you skills, like the 'Art of War' gives you the skill 'Navy'. Also, your wife can teach you skills as well, though these are random. ============= A. Red Skills ============= -------- a. Fight -------- Fight increases the maximum WAR stat your character can obtain by 10 or to 100, whichever comes first. How to get 'Fight': Maximize your WAR stat, then observe at the Gate until you obtain it. You may want to save before you start observing because it sometimes takes a long time to get and on other occasions only one or two tries. Rating: 2/10 I really don't find the red skills to be all that useful unless you have an all-around character with stats at about 80-90. Usually if you want a character with high WAR, you pick one with the stat at least 90, making this skill worthless. The only real purpose of getting Fight is to get Hero. ------- b. Plan ------- Plan increases the maximum INT stat your character can obtain by 10 or to 100, whichever comes first. How to get 'Plan': Maximize your INT stat, then observe at the Factory until you obtain it. You may want to save before you start observing because it sometimes takes a long time to get and on other occasions only one or two tries. Rating: 2/10 I really don't find the red skills to be all that useful unless you have an all-around character with stats at about 80-90. Usually if you want a character with high INT, you pick one with the stat at least 90, making this skill worthless. The only real purpose of getting Plan is to get Hero. --------- c. Govern --------- Govern increases the maximum POL stat your character can obtain by 10 or to 100, whichever comes first. How to get 'Govern': Maximize your POL stat, then observe at the Market until you obtain it. You may want to save before you start observing because it sometimes takes a long time to get and on other occasions only one or two tries. Rating: 2/10 I really don't find the red skills to be all that useful unless you have an all-around character with stats at about 80-90. Usually if you want a character with high POL, you pick one with the stat at least 90, making this skill worthless. The only real purpose of getting Govern is to get Hero. -------- d. Charm -------- Govern increases the maximum CHA stat your character can obtain by 10 or to 100, whichever comes first. How to get 'Charm': Maximize your CHA stat, then observe at the Fields until you obtain it. You may want to save before you start observing because it sometimes takes a long time to get and on other occasions only one or two tries. Rating: 2/10 I really don't find the red skills to be all that useful unless you have an all-around character with stats at about 80-90. Usually if you want a character with high CHA, you pick one with the stat at least 90, making this skill worthless. The only real purpose of getting Charm is to get Hero. -------- e. Guard -------- Guard allows you to use 'Scare' during battle. Guard also makes it so that you cannot get surrounded in battle. In a situation where two generals are able to attack you, when one attacks there is a possibility that the other will aid in the attack causing more damage. This negates that situation. How to get 'Guard': Observe at the city's Barracks until you get the skill. You may want to save before you start observing because it sometimes takes a long time to get and on other occasions only one or two tries. Rating: 5/10 I really don't find the red skills to be all that useful, but this is one of the two red skills worth getting. Though 'Scare' isn't all that helpful, the negation of being surrounded really helps when you're outnumbered. ------- f. Hero ------- Hero increases the maximum your character can obtain for all the stats to 100. How to get 'Hero': You must have around 3000 gold (though if you have trade, you can get the skill for 2000) and all the other red skills. Once those two requirements have been fulfilled, Zuo Ci comes to sell the skill to you. Rating: 7/10 Hero is a great skill to have, which is obvious because it's a superskill. The ability to be able to train all your stats up to 100 is great, though this only gives you the ability. To get all your stats up there still takes a long time. ================ B. Orange Skills ================ *Note: Sometimes you can get an orange skill before Support reaches 30. I have had this happen before, but only once, making this a rare occurrence. ------- a. Plow ------- Plow increases the effectiveness of 'Cultivate'. This makes developing your fields a lot faster. For Example, rather than a character with 100 CHA developing at 9, he/she develops around 12 or more. How to get 'Plow': You can learn this skill by observing at the fields until its popular support reaches 30, and then continue to observe. You will get the skill eventually, though I suggest saving after you get the popular support is at 30. Rating: 3/10 Plow makes Cultivating the fields a lot faster, but I don't find it to be all that great. -------- b. Trade -------- Trade increases the effectiveness of 'Invest'. This makes developing your markets a lot faster. Also, it lowers the price of items you can buy at the markets, the price of Zuo Ci's skills, and the price of supplies during council. How to get 'Trade': You can learn this skill by observing at the market until its popular support reaches 30, and then continue to observe. You will get the skill eventually, though I suggest saving after you get the popular support is at 30. Rating: 8/10 Trade is a GREAT skill to have. One of the best skills to get early on, and is still one of the most effective skills later in the game. -------- c. Build -------- Build increases the effectiveness of 'Repair'. This makes developing your gate a lot faster. It also increases the effectiveness of Sap (A tactic in council that allows you to bring down the 'health' of the city gates). How to get 'Build': You can learn this skill by observing at the gate until its popular support reaches 30, and then continue to observe. You will get the skill eventually, though I suggest saving after you get the popular support is at 30. Rating: 5/10 Build makes raising the 'health' of your city's gates, which helps greatly in a defensive battle. Also you can decrease an enemy's gate by using sap. This, of course, helps when you're on the offensive end. --------- d. Patrol --------- Patrol increases the effectiveness of 'Patrol'. This allows you to make the city's safety higher, faster. Patrol also makes your character less susceptible to tactics used by other forces against you (Scare, Confuse, etc.) in battle and tactics outside of battle (Mole). How to get 'Patrol': You can learn this skill by observing at the tower until its popular support reaches 30, and then continue to observe. You will get the skill eventually, though I suggest saving after you get the popular support is at 30. Rating: 6/10 Safety is a big issue in cities, low safety causes riots. This makes patrol a pretty important skill to have, but makes the skill a good one is that it makes tactics used against you in battle have a lesser chance to succeed along with Mole having a lesser chance to succeed. --------- e. Invent --------- Plow increases the effectiveness of 'Research'. This makes developing your factories a lot faster, which helps your faction get new troops and siege equipment. How to get 'Invent': You can learn this skill by observing at the factory until its popular support reaches 30, and then continue to observe. You will get the skill eventually, though I suggest saving after you get the popular support is at 30. Rating: 4/10 By researching, your faction can get stronger troops, which, of course, helps in battle. ------- f. Seer ------- Seer gives you the permanent ability to see all the stats of every city in China. How to get 'Seer': You must have around 3000 gold (though you will get the skill for 2000 gold because of trade) and all the other orange skills. Once those two requirements have been fulfilled, Zuo Ci comes to sell the skill to you. Rating: 10/10 One of the best skills in the game. A MUST HAVE if you want to be successful. =============== C. Green Skills =============== *Note: If you befriend (Trusted) Sima Hui, one of the Sages who wanders China, he can teach you all the Green skills along with the blue skill 'Scout'. ----------- a. Persuade ----------- Persuade makes the following more successful during council: Hire, Gift, Demand, Annex, Ally, and Defect. How to get 'Persuade': Through Sima Hui. Also, if you train POL at your Home there is a chance that you can learn Persuade, just keep training until you get it. Rating: 9/10 One of the most important skills. Persuade, combined with max CHA can be an awesome combination. By having that, you can recruit a large number of enemy generals more easily or cause them to defect in battle. This can give you an amazing, and much needed edge in battle. ---------- b. Reverse ---------- Reverse makes it so that your character has a chance to reflect a tactic such as Scare or Confuse back at the person who used it on you character. How to get 'Reverse': Through Sima Hui. Also, if you train INT at your Home there is a chance that you can learn Reverse. Just keep training until you get it. Rating: 4/10 Reverse helps on occasion in battle, but I don't find the skill to be as great as the other Green Skills you can get. -------- c. Taunt -------- Taunt makes 'Riot' more successful during council. It also allows your character to use 'Taunt' during battle. How to get 'Taunt': Through Sima Hui Rating: 5/10 Taunt is a decent Green Skill, better than Reverse, but like Reverse, the other Green Skills are better. ---------- d. Confuse ---------- Confuse makes 'Mole' more successful during council. It also allows your character to use 'Confuse' during battle. How to get 'Confuse': Through Sima Hui. Also, if you train CHA at your Home there is a chance that you can learn Confuse, just keep training until you get it. Rating: 6/10 Mole makes an officer weaker in battle, making them more vulnerable to attacks and tactics. -------- e. Rumor -------- Rumor makes 'Alienate' more successful during council. It also allows your character to use 'Rumor' in battle. How to get 'Rumor': Through Sima Hui Rating: 7/10 Alienate is very handy if you have the Persuade-Max CHA combo. Alienate decreases an officers loyalty which makes persuading them to join you a lot easier. --------- f. Genius --------- Genius, combined with Weather, allows the use of the ploy 'Lightning'. How to get 'Genius': You must have around 3000 gold (though you will get the skillfor 2000 gold because of trade) and all the other green skills. Once those two requirements have been fulfilled, Zuo Ci comes to sell the skill to you. Rating: 6/10 Genius is perhaps the worst of the 'Super Skills'. In order to benefit from the skill, you need to have Weather. And even then, the ploy hit random targets, and may hurt you more than it benefits. Still, if it hits the enemy, it does MAJOR damage to both troops and morale. ============== D. Blue Skills ============== *Note: If you train tactics such as Charge or Spearwall at the Barracks of a city of a specific province, there is a possibility that you can learn a blue skill (one of the first four). Some believe this doesn't work, but I've gotten Navy once at random. Pretty much besides this method, learning it at random from your wife or getting it from an item are the only other ways. ----------- a. Infantry ----------- Infantry increases the mobility of infantry units and causes your troops to fight better. How to get 'Infantry': Training in the barracks of a city in the Qing or Yan Provinces. Rating: 5/10 Infantry units are good, and this skill makes them better, but I find some of the other units to be better than infantry. ---------- b. Calvary ---------- Calvary increases the mobility of calvary units and causes your troops to fight better. How to get 'Calvary': Training in the barracks of a city in the Liang or You Provinces. Rating: 6/10 Calvary troops are great. Great attack and mobility even without this skill, which, of course, makes it so that with this skill they're amazing. --------- c. Bowmen --------- Bowmen increases the mobility of archery units and causes your troops to fight better. How to get 'Bowmen': Training in the barracks of a city in the Ji or Jing Bei Provinces. Rating: 7/10 The reason I rated this skill so high is because of the large amount of damage an Arbalest can do. Bowmen + Arbalest + 110 War + Arrowstorm can do about 15000 damage, which I have had happen before. ------- d. Navy ------- Navy increases your skill in the water, increasing both attack and defense. How to get 'Navy': Training in the barracks of a city in the Jing Nan or Yang Provinces. Rating: 5/10 A good skill to have. Especially if you in areas with a lot of water (around the South East). -------- e. Scout -------- Scout makes it so that when you spy on a city, you also get the information of some of the surrounding cities. Scout also increases your ability of both movement and avoid/disarming traps. How to get 'Scout': Through Sima Hui Rating: 8/10 or 6/10 Once you get Seer, the spy part of Scout becomes worthless, though it still gives you other benefits in battle. ------- f. Sage ------- Sage allows the use of the tactic 'Mirage' and the tactic 'Chain'. How to get 'Sage': You must have around 3000 gold (though you will get the skillfor 2000 gold because of trade) and all the other blue skills. Once those two requirements have been fulfilled, Zuo Ci comes to sell the skill to you. Rating: 7/10 Mirage can only be used in bad weather (rain, cloudy, storms), and it causes troops to be confused. Chain, freezes enemies on the river, which isn't really as great as it sounds. Not every map has rivers going through it, and most of the time, there isn't a chance for you to use this tactic. I have used Chain only once on one enemy. ================ E. Yellow Skills ================ ----------- a. Medicine ----------- You can use 'Heal' during battle, which allows you to heal ally troops or your own troops. If you visit a wounded officer, you can heal them. It also makes it harder for you to get wounded and get the plague. How to get 'Medicine': If you befriend (Trusted) Hua Tuo, he will give you an item that gives you the skill. You can also buy a book that will give you the skill. Rating: 10/10 This skill is one of my favorites. The ability to heal wounded troops really helps in battle. For example, if one unit has 1000 troops and 7000 troops that are wounded, by using the tactic 'Heal', the unit will find itself with 8000 troops. Unlike 1000 troops, 8000 is something you can work with, and can benefit you severely in the battle. ---------- b. Weather ---------- Weather allows you to control the weather. Combined with Genius, it allows you to use the ploy 'Lightning'. How to get 'Weather': No idea. I think you can only get it from your wife. Rating: 6/10 Like before, lightning isn't that a great ploy; it's good, but not great. It can do great damage to both you and your opponent in both troop count and morale. Controlling weather can be good, it can allow you to do Mirage easier by changing the weather from sunny to stormy, and you can redirect the wind so that fires spread in a certain direction. ---------- 3. Tactics ---------- ------------ ------------ | Charge |M| | Torrent |M| |------------| |------------| | Berserk |M| | Blaze |M| |------------| |------------| |Spearwall |M| |Rockslide |M| |------------| |------------| | Trample |M| | Magic |M| ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ |Fire Arrow|M| | Harass |M| |------------| |------------| | Volley |M| | Ambush |M| |------------| ------------ | Bombard |M| |------------| ------------ |Arrowstorm|M| | Siege |M| ------------ ------------ ----------------------------- 4. Frequently Asked Questions ----------------------------- Q: Why don't you think Lightning is a great ploy? I've used it battle when I was vastly outnumbered and came out on top because of it. A: Simply because the skill isn't 100% on your side. The lightning is random, hitting anyone on either side or missing completely as it fires it's bolts upon the battlefield. Yes it does do a lot of damage to the enemy's troops and morale when it hits them, helping extensively in battle, but when it hits one of your own, it can turn the battle full-circle against you. Q: I want to train one of my tactics in hopes of getting one of the blue skills, but whenever I goto the Barracks at one of the specified provinces, it only lets me observe. What's up? A: KOEI made it some that in Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII, you can only train stats and tactics in the city that has your house in it. ----------------- 5. How To Contact Me ----------------- E Mail: rotk8faq-at-gmail-dot-com AIM: StrmSabre You can also just post on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII message board on Gamefaqs. Closing ------- If there is any questions or comments, contact me. If you want to add to the FAQ, please contact me. An update shall come soon. Perhaps tomorrow. Thanks, SSJMikes January 22, 2005