------------------------Kessen III Starters FAQ----------------------------------------------Spoiler Free---------------------By Kiba_Miyazawa

Version 1.0
---------------Updates
---------------3/13/2005: Version 1.0 completed with All sections finshed
3/10/2005: Version 0.7 completed with section III finished
3/8/2005: Version 0.5 completed with basic outline and tips
--------------------------------------Contents
--------------------------------------I. The Basics
A. Building a Good Army
B. Class Types
C. Troop Types
II. Eve of Battle
A. Troop Placements
B. Orders
C. Conditions
III. On The Battlefield
A. Support Units
B. Troop Skills
C. Magic and Ninjitsu(Officer's Skills)
D. Restoring Lossed Troops
E. Treasure
F. Rampages
IV. Victory Or Defeat
A. Spoils of War
B. Victory
C. Defeat
V. Life Off The Battlefield
A. Generals' Conditions
B. Buying Equipment
C. Preparing For The Next Battle
VI. Hints and Tips
VII. Arigato
VIII. Legal Notices
-------------------------------------Author's Note
-------------------------------------Hey, The name's Kiba Miyazawa,
This is actually my first FAQ so please be kind.
After hanging around the Kessen III boards i thought
it would be ideal to add a quick FAQ for Info on staring
out in the game. This game does have a bit of a learning
curve so i believe this will help get most people out to
a good start with handling the game. This FAQ is Spoiler-Free
so its perfect for those just starting out in the game. You'll
never have to worry about any pieces of the story being revealed.

Well i hope you find some use out of this guide and if you
found any errors, have any comments, or would like to add some
info to this FAQ, just email me at:
DivineWolf@Gmail.com
Well, on to the actual FAQ!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------I. The Basics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------In this section I'll be covering a few things you should
know while playing this game. I will assume you know all
the controls for the game already. If not just press SELECT
during the game to bring up a screen which will list all
the buttons along with game controls.
-------------------------------------I. A. Building A Good Army
-------------------------------------Nobunaga might be a great character with nice stats but there
is no way that he can carry all the weight in your army. You'll have
to balance out your army with the other characters. Trying to make
your army all one class or troop type will lead to an early defeat.
Also over using an officer can cause a drop in their condition which
will lower their starting skills and attack damage. Having just a few
powerhouses in your army isn't going to get you too far either. You'll need
to build up around at least 13 officers to keep your army in fair shape.
This way you'll never have to worry about putting a level 4 character
in place of a level 20 character whose in bad condition.
Your army is broken down into two areas. Your Generals and Troops.
Your Generals are the actual characters you get to play as. Such as,
Nobunaga, Toshiie, Yoshinari etc. Each General has a class type, a rank,
special skills, an assortment of equipment, and an unit of troops.
Class- Effects which spells and stats will raise quicker in experince.
Rank- Determines how many actual troops are in the General's unit.
Special Skills- Are like magic. Some are offesive, defensive, and both.
Equipment- Improves the base stats for your General
Generals have three different stats that improve from battle.
WAR- Attack power
INT- Magic strenght
STA- Defense power
These three stats can also be improved by equiping certain items.
Weapons- Raises WAR
Armor- Raises STA
Helments- Raises INT
Accessories- Changes Class, Increase Skill level with troops, etc.
Horses- Changes or improves stats in a Rampage. Various special effects
Manuals- Teaches a General a new special skill such as "Rally"
Some equipment will raise more than just one type of stat. Keep an eye
out for them.

Troops- Each General also comes with a unit of troops which can be changed
just like other equipment. There are 9 different types of Troops...
Cavalry Spears(Nagitana)- Horse mounted unit with spears
Cavalry Bows- Horse mounted Bow unit
Cavalry Rifle- Horse unit with rifles
Katana- Basic foot sword unit
Spear- Spear unit but on foot
Bow- Archer unit on foot
Rifle- Unit of foot soldiers with rifles
Mattocks- Unit that hurls bombs
Ninja(Kuniochi)- Quick foot unit with high attack.
Each troop type as a certain special troop skill as well.
Troops will react better with the General they are paired with.
A high level with a troop type will mean stronger attacks.
The most basic thing in this game is to keep your army balanced.
try having at least one type of troops.
--------------------------------I. B. Class Types
--------------------------------As stated above, each General has a Class type. This Class type
determines a lot for the General such as stats and skills increase.
Here is a list of the Classes and their affects on the General.
(To check a General's stats and info press Square while in
the castle on the planning section or unit placement during a
war council.)
All: A basic all around class. Good for high use characters
-Increases in all stats quickly
-Learns Support and Offensive skills fast
Warrior: Strong offensive Generals who can handle and cause a lot of damage
-Increases in WAR and STA stats quickly
-Slow rate on learning any special skills
-Starts a Rampage with TWO kessens attack.
Tactician: A class for offensive skills and great paired with archers.
-Increase WAR and INT quickly
-Learns Tactical and Offensive skills fast
Priest: Not really a good Class. All and Tactician are better.
-Increases in INT and STA quickly
-Learns Support and Tactical fast
Ninja: A slow starting class but great after a few levels.
-Increases in all stats quickly
-Slow rate of learning for all Special skills
-Learns Ninjitsu skils fast.
Your Class type DOES NOT have to match yout Troop type.
You can have your General's class be Ninja and have him
use a Rifle unit if you want.
Any General can change their class. Special Accessories can change the
class type of your General when equiped. You can buy them from the Merchant

or find them in battles.

Each General starts with a certain Class type. Don't feel confined by it.
If you believe Toshiie is better off as a Ninja change it. Remember this is
your army, mold it any way you want. Just remember to keep a balance.
-------------------------------I. C. Troop Type
-------------------------------Troop type determines how your unit moves, their defense, and attack.
It also determines the special attack of the unit in battle. Try
building an army with different troop types to be prepared for any
situation.
There are Nine Troop types...
Cavalry Spears(Nagitana): Basic unit with average stats.
-Special Troop Skill is "Charge" which rushes enemies with mounted soldiers
Cavalry Bows: Great Range and movement. Best for support attacks
-Special Troop Skill is "Arrow Volley" which pours arrows onto enemies
Cavalry Rifle: Great Range and attack. Troop Skill often hits allies
-Special Troop Skill is "Rifle Volley" Straight forward blast of bullets
Katana: Good Attack and Defense
-Special Troop Skill is "Death Wheel" Troops swirl into a circle of blades
Spear: Unit with great defense
-Special Troop Skill is "Spear Wall" Troops plunge spears forward
Bow: Lower movement but higher defense than Cavalry Bows
-Special Troop Skill is "Arrow Volley"
Rifle: Much lower stats than Cavalry Rifles. Slightly better defense
-Special Troop Skill is" Rifle Volley"
Mattocks: Low stats but great Troop Skill
-Special Troop Skill is "Bombard" Hurls bombs at enemies
Ninja(Kuniochi): Great attack, defense, and movement. Weak troop skill
-(Ninja)Special Troop Skill is"Shadow Strike" Quick forward dash and slash
-(Kuniochi)Special Troop Skill is "Shuriken" Throws small ninja stars.
To use a Special Troop Skill hold down the Triangle button during battle.
A yellow arrow should appear. Use the left analog stick to aim it towards
the enemy. After a few seconds you should hear a "ding" that means the
skill is fully charged. Release triangle and the unit will perform the
skill.
Bows, Cavalry Bows, and Mattocks can fire over enemy barriers. Sometimes
its best to let a group of Archers fire over the barrier than breaking
it down. If the enemy doesn't have a bow or Mattock unit they are just
sitting ducks.
Some troop types Special skill will change when you buy better versions
of the units at the Merchant. Some Bow units will have the special skill
Arrow Storm. Keep an eye out for Troop types with new troop skills.

Troop types always work better with a General who has a high level
with that troop type. If you press Square on a General during the planning
or War council placement you'll get a list of the troop types with numbers
by it. Those numbers are the level the General is at with that Troop type.
Higher the number the better boost in stats the Troop type will have.
To raise the Troop type level for a General, have that General fight in
battles with the troop type you want the level raised in. After a few
fights the level will raise. Also certain equipment will raise the
level. It will show a picture of the Troop Type along with "ability up"
beside it.
Also certain troop types work better aganist others.
Cavalry Spears are great against all foot soldiers including Ninja.
but Archers/Rifles/Mattocks can cause some serious damage at a distance
since Cavalry unit's are slow to escape and change formation.
Ninjas Dominate archers and all range enemies.
their quick speed allows them to sneak up on the enemy and unleash
quick attacks. But in a straight fight with a cavalry spear unit they
usually get killed quickly without help. The same goes
for ground Spears/Katanas
So here's a chart
Cavalry Spears > Ground Troops/Ninjas
Archers/Rifles/Mattocks > Cavalry Spears
Ninja/Ground Troops > Archers/Rifles/Mattocks
Use these to your advantage when dealing with enemies.
Troop types can make a huge difference and turn a losing
battle into an easy victory.
Well those are the main basics to take into mind. Now on to preparing your
army for a battle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------II. Eve Of Battle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Rushing into battle without a plan can call for a quick defeat.
Before each battle your are called into the War Council. Here your
Generals will tell you the situation of the battle and ask for your
unit placement along with orders. Use this time wisely since during
battle most decisions are made quickly and with little room for error.
--------------------------------II. A. Troop Placement
--------------------------------After your Generals explain the situation to you they ask you
to set up the postion of your army. This includes who is gonna
take part in the battle, where they start at, position of support units,
and any orders you wish to give the units before the battle starts.
You can also change equipment, view stats of enemy units, and check

condtions for Victory. Right now we'll just start with, where and how to
place your units on the map.
First select "Position" on the menu. Now you can move around freely. Try
looking over the entire map to check out the enemy's placement if you
highlight the enemy unit you'll see a little box pop up. It will tell
you how many troops the unit has, what kind of troops, and the Head
Officer's name. The thing is... a lot of the enemies in the game aren't
even on the map at first. You have to find them. You'll get ambushed a lot
but its not a big deal. If you just move slowly and watch the camera you'll
be able to catch the enemy before they attack you.
When placing your troops there are two types of positions. There is the
lead unit and on the side of that unit are the support units. They always
follow the lead unit. You cannot set a target for the support units but
since they follow the Lead unit you don't have to worry too much. Don't
worry you can control all units the same during battle. This is just a way
so your units stick together in battle. There is usually two
Battalions(One lead unit and two support units per Battalion) so try to
make sure that at least every battalion is made up of two units total.
you don't want to leave a unit alone in battle especially if it gets
surrounded.
Balance out your Battalions based on the postion of the enemy. If you
see a lot of enemies in an area set your strongest generals there.
Try making a plan while looking at the map.
You cannot pick the starting point of the Battalions. That is already
decided. You just place what Generals you want to make up that unit and
decide the size of the Battalions.
In story battles you CANNOT change the placement of Nobunaga or other
generals that are required for that battle.
You can also pick "Auto-Deploy" and the computer will pick what it thinks
are the best placements for your army.
You can change your reinforcement units in later battles. Except when it's
Ieyasu and his army backing you up.
Be cautious of your General's conditions while placing them.
A blue arrow pointing north is "Excellent".
A green arrow pointing north-east is "Good"
A yellow arrow pointing to the east is "Normal"
A orange arrow pointing south-east is "Down"
A red arrow pointing south is "Wounded"
(The arrows appears by the General's name when you place him)
The lower the condition the less skill slots that General will have
filled. Not only that but also, the General's attack will be lower.
Enemies have conditions to... highlight them during the Posiiton Selection
screen. Press square after the little box pops up to read the enemy's
condtion. There's no arrow but on the left side under their class they'll
have their condition(like, "Excellent", "Normal", etc.) Use this to
take out the weaker enemies faster.
After you placed you troops you have the options of giving them orders
before the battle.

-----------------------------------II. B. Orders
-----------------------------------After you're done placing your troops press triangle to return to the
main menu in the war council screen. Pick Orders and you can set a few
things up for your Battalions.
Picking "TARGET" will pop up a cursor which will have a little white line
that follows it every time you move it. Once you decided where you want
your Battalion to go press the X button. A little x will show up showing
that it is your destination. The white line is the route the Battalion will
take to get to the target. You can pick just about any place on the map
as long as your battlion can move there(You can't enter some forests
or deep water). If you pick an enemy unit as your destination than your
battalion will follow wherever that unit goes(if it does move) and will
attack upon meeting the unit.
You can also change the "Battle Policy" of your unit.
there is four different policies you can assign. You can only
use one policy at a time. A Battle Policy is how the unit
will act when you are not controling it in battle. Basically
it is how the computer controlled generals will react in battle.
Battle PoliciesEntrust to Officer: Basic actions. Uses officer's skill only when needed.
Actively Attack: Tries the hardest to defeat the enemy. Uses Skills often.
Defense: Focus more on Defense and support. Coordnates attacks and skills.
Do Not Use Officer's Skills: Basic actions. Doesn't use Officer's skills.
(Officer's skills are like magic. Such as Rally or Freeze. All policies
will still use Troop Skills, like Charge or Arrow Volley.)
For beginninger's i recomend sticking to "entrust to officer". It covers
all the bases without much worry. But as your progress through the game
try using a few of the other policies to see how they work for you.
Some policies are better for different units. So experiment and find
what works best in your army. But if you want you can just leave them all
on "entrust to officer". You can beat the game either way.
You can also use "ORDER ALL" which just sets one target for your
entire army. Which means all units will move to that area or enemy.
-----------------------------------II. C. Conditions
-----------------------------------In every battle there is a set goal you must fullfil. Rather it be
killing a certain officer or reaching a certain point on the map.
These goals are called "Conditions" and are the only way to complete the
battle. While placing your troops there is a little bar at the buttom that
tells you the Victory Condition. Keep that in mind when setting up your
army. Also if you pick, "Conditions" from the war council main menu you'll
get a more detail look at the Conditions.
Victory Conditions list what you have to do in order to complete the battle

most of the time it is just defeat a certain officer or killing all

enemies.
Defeat Conditions
In all story battles this condition will always be "If Nobunaga is forced
to withdraw." Which means his unit loses all thier troops. There may also
be extra condtions added on as well. Such as protecting another unit
or your main camp. So pay attention. If any of the Defeat conditions occur
the battle is OVER.
Below the Defeat Conditions the game will give you a few hints in the
battle. Pay close attention to these since they can help a lot. Plus they
give hints on getting special items or Generals in a stage.
At the main menu in the War Council, if you press SELECT you'll be
taken to the "functions" screen here you'll see the game's controls and
will be able to save during the war council or load another game.
If you ever feel like returning to the war council screen during battle
just press START at anytime(except for Rampages). You can set targets,
Battle policies, review the conditions(by pressing L2), pass messages in
battle(press R2), and view enemy units. The only thing you can't do
is change the placement of your units. If the battle gets too fast pace
take a quick breath and return to the war council to devise a plan.
the enemy does not move nor attack while you are in the war council screen.
Once you know what you have to do to win, have a plan, and have your
units set up you can start the Battle!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------III. On The Battlefield
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Unlike
actual
orders
to any

the pass Kessen games, you'll be taking a major part in the

fighting in this game. You control a unit while giving
to other units via the war council screen. You can also switch
unit of yours by pressing L2.

In this game when you control

a unit you must fight for them. Pressing SQUARE allows you to attack.
You can attack up to a combo of 4. After you press SQUARE, you can
press TRIANGLE to do a charge attack(very simliar to that of the
Dynasty and Samurai Warriors games). Also if you hold down TRIANGLE you'll
start to charge up your troop skill which does heavy damage to the enemy.
If you Press CIRCLE you'll bring up a small menu with your General's
Officer's Skills. Press Up or down to pick a skill type(Tactical, Support,
Offensive, Samurai, and Ninjitsu). Once you find the skill type you want
press left or right to pick a spell available in that skill type. After
you find the spell you want press X and you'll be moved to the targeting
screen. you'll see a large blue circle. This is the area you can use the
spell in(RANGE). select a unit within your range and press X again to
use the spell on that unit.
Pressing and holding X will allow your unit to retreat. Their speed
is increased but Defense will decrease as long as you hold X.
Pressing L1 will cause your unit to block attacks. It also re-centers
the camera. L1 will also put your unit back in formation.

R2 calls all the units in your Battalion to the unit you're controling for
support.
R1 is for coordinated attacks. This only appears in battles and only
if certain conditions are meant. If you have archers, gunners, or mattocks
you can press R1 for cover fire. it will appear by the unit's name on the
left of the screen.
The right analong stick controls the camera. If you press down on the
right analog stick you'll zoom in and out.
---------------------------------III. A. Support Troops
---------------------------------Although you can only control one unit at a time you can still
take full advantage of the other units around you in battle.
using support in battles becomes a way of life or death later into
the game so try to get as familiar with it as you can during the
start.
Each Battalion should at least have one Support unit. I'd highly advise
when placing your units that you make sure each battalion has a support
unit to back it up. Support units work in to two different ways. Basically,
all range units(bows/guns/mattocks) will sit back and provide support fire.
Range units offer for constant coordinated attacks. You'll notice R1
flashing by range units name a lot more than other units. Use the distance
of a range unit to add extra damage while ground troops attack the enemy
also. Range units are great for a General with a Tactician class.
Ground troops(Cavalry Spears/Ninja/Katana/Spears) will not offer that
many chances for coordinated attacks. But they will attack close range
causing repeat damage on the enemy. Also if you meet certain conditions
like stunning an enemy, you'll be able to perform a coordinated attack
with the R1 button. So make sure you keep an eye out for it.
So here is a few PROs and CONs for each type:
Range units(Bows/Guns/Mattock/includes Cavalry Bows and Guns also)
PRO:
-Stays at a distance so they'll hardly take damage.
-Can fire over or through most barriers.
-Guns have great stopping power for incoming units.
-Can stun enemies which allows time for ground troops to attack.
-Can stop enemy troop skills.
-Easy Coordinated attacks.
CON
-Easy to get ambushed.
-Low defense.
-Takes a while to charge up troop skill.
-If you're going for an S-Rank you'll lose point is you get hit by a
troop skil.
-If your troops get hit by your own support fire they'll be stunned.
Range units can be leathal, you'll just have to get a hang of them.
Learning when to fire and wait is important. You can avoid getting
hit by a Troop Skill by just holding down L1. As long as you can

protect a Range unit from going one on one with a ground unit you'll
never have to worry about their defense.
Ground Troops(Cavalry Spears/Spears/Katana/Ninja)
PRO:
-Attacks the enemy constantly.
-High attack and defense.
-Can surround enemy.
-Hard to ambush
-Can handle most units one on one
CON:
-Takes a lot of damage while fighting.
-Easy target for Range enemies.
-If they are grouped together your units will be easy for enemy magic.
-If there is too many units attacking they can prevent others from hitting
the enemy.
-Low chance for Coordinated attacks.
-More likely to get hit by own Troop Skills.
Ground Troops might sound worst than Range units but the Ground troops
are what cause the most damage to the enemy. They do most of the fighting
and are a lot easier to use. You won't be able to win most of the battles
without a few strong units of Ground Troops.
Basically try to balance it out. What i do is make my lead unit in
the Battalion a Ground Troops unit. Than my support unit is a Range unit.
This way i'll have support fire to back up my Ground Troops as they attack
the enemy. But in Stages where you'll get rushed with constant enemies i
suggest that you have Ground Troops as your support and lead units. This
way you'll never have to worry about losing a weak archer unit to a ambush.
Basically try to find your own groove. Range units are great for the
support fire they offer. But Ground Troops will cause much more damage,
and last longer if attacked by an enemy.
Another thing to notice is that you can break off a support unit.
Let's say i set Nobunaga to attack an enemy unit. As the lead unit
he'll march there taking all support units attached to his Battalion
with him. But lets say i want to flank the enemy... what i will do is
press START and go to the war council screen. Select a target for
Nobunaga(Or your lead unit. They are bigger than support units).
I'll return to the game and Nobunaga will start his march to the enemy
target. I'll than pick one of his support units to control (L2 to switch
units), we'll say its Kicho. So i'll select Kicho and instead of following
Nobunaga she'll stand still under my control. Nobunaga will continue to
move to the target will the other support unit(if there is one). Now
here comes the sneaky part... While controling Kicho i'll take a short
cut and sneak around the back of the enemy and attack them from behind.
The benefit from this is it allows your lead unit to attack while you
can sneak up behind the enemy with a support unit or attack a totally
different enemy if you want. I find this works best with Ninjas and
units with fast movement.
Another Example:
The lead unit is attacking an enemy. But in the back there is a unit of
enemy archers attacking your lead unit. Select a support unit with L2 than
have that unit move over to the archers and attack, thus stopping the
enemy archers from damaging and stunning your lead unit.

This is a great feature and comes in handy as the enemy will start to
use more advance tactics on you later in the game. Just make sure
you're ready for them!
-----------------------------------III. B. Troop Skills
-----------------------------------The quickest way to destroy enemy units is by using your troop skills.
However there is a catch with these ablities. If you are hit while charging
up a unit's Troop skill you will take TWICE the damage than normal from the
enemy attack. You'll also be stunned for a short period of time. So
do feel as if you can keep holding down Triangle and expect to get away
with it. The enemy will attack and you'll get screwed. However this works
both ways... If the enemy unit is charging up a Troop skill(you'll see
the same yellow swirls that appear when you charge) and you land
and attack you'll do twice the damage to them. Not only that but
this opens up chances for Coordinated attacks which do even more
damage(you can even get 4 times the damage for a Coordinated attack)
So judge your enemy and watch for a chance to land an attack. Just
pressing SQUARE over and over again doesn't work that well later in the
game so try to break the habit early. Watch your enemy, Block their
attacks, cancel their troop skills, and time coordinated attacks.
If you are going for the S-rank rating than becareful when using
Troop Skills. Since each time you get hit by your own troop skills
you'll lose rating points. Also if an enemy blocks your troop skill
you lose points also. This will only happen if the enemy's defense is
higher than your unit's attack.
If hit by your own troop skills your troops will be stunned for a
moment.
Your own troop skills will NEVER cause any damage to your troops.
They just stun them and lower your rating points.
--------------------------------------------III. C. Magic and Ninjitsu(Officer's Skills)
--------------------------------------------Officer's Skills are broken down into five different sections
Support, Tactical, Offensive, Ninjitsu, and Samurai
Support:
-Cause postive status effects for your unit
-Only effects one unit unless it is an "X-" spell which casts in range
Example: "Rally" -Raises unit's attack
Tactical:
-Causes negative status effects on the enemy
-Only effects one enemy unless it is an "X-" spell which attacks in range
Example: "Berate" -Lowers the enemy's attack
Offensive:
-Attack magic that causes damage to the enemy
-Attacks all enemies within range of the spell
Example: "Freeze" -A straight line of ice bursts from the ground.
Ninjitsu:
-Unleashes a powerful magic attack that damages the enemy

-Attacks all enemies within range of the spell

-Causes special status effect with spell
Example: "Transform" -Transform to a monster and attack. Causes
"No Move" status effect to th enemy.
Samurai:
-Charge alone into an enemy unit and kill as many officers you can
in the time limit
-Only has one spell, "Rampage"
-Great way to get money and experince points
Example: "Rampage" -Charge alone into an enemy unit
Every general starts with their own learned spells. They all start
with Rampage. You can teach any General any spell you want! All you
have to do is buy or find the manual that teaches that spell.
With the manual equiped, the General will be able to use the
spell right away. But he must keep the manual on until he can
raise the spell to level 1. After the spell reaches Level 1 than
that General will be able to use the spell without having the manual
equiped. In order to raise the level of the spell you'll
have to use it in battle a certain number of times. The speed
of learning the spell depends on your General's Class type.
All:
-Learns Support and Offensive skills fast
Warrior:
-Slow rate on learning any special skills
-Starts a Rampage with TWO kessens attack.
Tactician:
-Learns Tactical and Offensive skills fast
Priest:
-Learns Support and Tactical skills fast
Ninja:
-Learns Ninjitsu skills fast.
You can change class types by use of accessories.
Press CIRCLE during battle to bring up the screen to use your Officer's
Skills. Press Up or down to pick a skill type(Tactical, Support,
Offensive, Samurai, and Ninjitsu). Once you find the skill type you want
press left or right to pick a spell available in that skill type. After
you find the spell you want press X and you'll be moved to the targeting
screen. you'll see a large blue circle. This is the area you can use the
spell in(Targeting Range). You'll also see a red square or circle, if you
move the left analog stick you can chose which unit to cause the spell on.
If it is an Offensive/Ninjitsu or X-type Tactical/Support spell than all
enemies withing the red square or circle(the effect range) will be
effected by the spell.
Spells become a keep part later in the game so try to learn them
as early as you can.
I believe every general should have these two spells, Doubt and Freeze.
They can majorly change the tide of battle especially if you get ambushed
by multiple enemies. Doubt of course causes damage to the enemy and
restores your troops in return. but not only that... it restores troops to

ALL officers around the enemy unit you cast Doubt on. So lets say you get
ambushed by Toshimitsu Saito (hint hint) and you need to restore troops to
your units. Have all your units rush in and cast Doubt. Troops from
Toshimitsu's unit will leave and join all your units around him while the
spell is in effect. Very handy indeed...
Freeze is an easy to learn two slot magic spells. Its not as fancy as the
ninjitsu and doesn't start that strong but... LEVEL IT UP! I have a level 4
freeze on my Nobunaga and it does way more damage than Transform Ninjitsu.
Not only that but Freeze uses only 2 skill slots. While most
Ninjitsu uses 4 or 3. So you'll be able to cast Freeze twice to do even
more damage. Focus on this spell as it can help a lot in the game. But
don't neglect Ninjitsu althougher. Try to balance out your army. Ninjitsu
has cool status effect like "no move" for the enemy. great way to unleash
a troop skill all over them. Poison is also a great Officer Skill that when
used can take damage and even stun the enemy longer than most spells. It
also knocks them back giving you room to run if needed. Freeze is stronger
and has a wider range. But for a Ninja unit, poison is great to have.
Also spells don't stack in this game. In other words you can only have
one status effect on at a time. So don't try casting Rally three times on
a general hoping that it wll make him three times stronger. It can only
raise one time. But this can come in handy when fighting enemies with
postive status skills like Attack up. If an enemy comes to you with
Attack up just use Berate(attack down) and you'll cancel his postive status
AND lower his attack.
Magic like Rampages DO stop enemy Troop skills.
All attack Magic is done by range. So when you cast Freeze on an
enemy you'll hit all the enemies close to him. Plus with skills
like Freeze and Strike you hit all the enemies in the "line of fire".
Basically all the enemies that stand in between the caster and the enemy
unit, the spell is being used on, will get hit. Its a straight line so
you can easily hit four or five units with a strong freeze spell. Although
the main damage is done to the enemies you actually cast the spell on.
Higher level the spell, wider the range. Also when you raise levels on
Ninjitsu you'll change the cutscene that is played when you cast the spell.
Example: Transform usually shows a slug but once you get it to level three
you'll see a Frog that breathes fire.
Also enemies get knocked down when you use a spell. This is a great time
to ready a troop skill and add more pain to them.
Spells can't be blocked. They never hurt your own troops(unless the enemy
casts the spell haha). They can knock enemies down, stop enemies' attacks,
causes high damage, Hit multiple targets... you get what i am saying...
Magic becomes amazing during the middle of this game. I'd advise teaching
as many Generals Doubt and Freeze that you can.
Also remember that all spells gain experince the more you use them.
Plus if you raise a skill to level one on a general you'll no longer
have to use the manual to have the spell equiped.
Also equiping Support units like bows and rifles with spells can become
very useful. Since bows and rifles stay in the back during battles they
usually never use any of their spells. If you find that all your ground
troops are out of skills and taking a beating. Switch to a Support unit
and have them run in just enough to cast the required spell. After that

let the support unit return to its place and while it waits and lends
support fire, its skill slot will refill.
---------------------------------III. D. Restoring Lossed Troops
---------------------------------As you battle you'll be sure to take some damage. In order to restore
your troops you can do a few things.
You can use Officer's Skills
-Heal restore troops but it takes some time
-Doubt can restore troops but you most have an enemy around
Rampages offer you a chance to restore your troops.
-The amount of "restore troops" items is random
-You need an enemy around
-You can fail in the Rampage
There is also small barrels filled will rice that will restore a lot of
your troops. They have a green glowing light on them so they aren't hard
to miss. But they will only restore troops to the unit who touches the
barrel. There is usually at least two of these in each stage so if
you're low on life you can spend sometime looking for them.
Restoring troops isn't easy and takes some time usually.
You're best bet is using doubt when you're getting attack by an
enemy. Just sit there and block till you restore enough life.
Try to keep the damage you take down. Don't just rush into
battles swinging. Learn to block and use Coordinated attacks(R1)
The better fighter and planner you are, the less you'll have to
worry about restoring troops.
Remember if your troop count is reducded to ZERO that unit will
withdraw from battle.
Even if a unit withdraws they'll still keep all their experince points
earned from that battle.
-----------------------------------III. E. Treasures
-----------------------------------Some items can only be found on the battlefield and not the shop.
Treasures are in glowing red chests hidden across every stage.
Try exploring all areas of the map to find as much treasure as you
can. Sometimes defeating certain enemies and objects will lead to
treasure. So check the "Conditions" screen to see if there is any
hints for getting some great items.
------------------------------------III. F. Rampages
------------------------------------Last but not least, the part of battle that make this game stand
out from past Kessens... RAMPAGES!
Rampage is an Officer Skill that every General has. Pressing CIRCLE
and selecting "Rampage" under the "Samurai" section of the skill wheel,
will start the Rampage.

Rampages are a lot like Koei's other famed games, Dynasty and Samurai
Warriors. You are in control of your General while he fights groups
of enemies alone on the battlefield. Your main goal is to kill as troops
as possible within the time limit. Time increases each time you kill
a certain amount of enemies.
The controls are very simliar to the actual battles in this game.
-SQUARE is to attack(up to four times in a row)
-TRIANGLE used after pressing SQUARE will cause a charge attack.
-X is used to Jump(Pressing X will holding L1 and back on the left analog
stick will allow your general to before a quick 180 turn.)
-L1 allows you to block and fixes the camera into one direction.
-CIRCLE is used to perform your special Kessen Attack which can only be
used if you have at least one skill slot filled.
-Left analog stick moves your horse(you are always on a horse in all
rampages)
-SELECT allows you to pause the Rampage and view the controls.
-Right analog stick rotates the camera
-If you press the right analog stick down(R3) you'll display the enemy's
health meter.
-All other buttons don't have a use
In the upper left corner below your life is a display of numbers
kinda like this "78/100 K.O." This is your K.O. count. Each time
you kill an enemy it will go up. After you kill a certain amount
of enemies you'll get more time in the rampage. After 100 kills
the enemy unit's General will appear. Defeating him will lower
his Condition as well as increase yours. Sometimes the only way to
get secret Generals is by defeating them in a Rampage. Also
sometimes beating a general will increase a certain stat or spell.
Under their name in the upper right corner there will be white text
stating a bonus for beating the general.
Example: INT UP, Rally EXP up, WAR up, etc.
You can also pick
The number of the
left hand corner.
a red flag with a
the better effect

a few special items to help you in the Rampage.

items you've collected will be listed in the lower
Items only appear when you kill troops who have
gold boat on it. The more enemies you've killed
the item will have.

The Oni Mask:

-After the rampage the enemy will be confused. The more you have, the
longer the enemy will be stunned.
Rice Barrel:
-Restores your troops when you exit the Rampage.
Sword:
-This adds extra experince points to your general when you complete
the stage.
Gold Chest:
-This increases the amount of gold you get at the end of the stage.
Rice Ball:
-Restores the health of your General during the Rampage.
Red Orb:
-Refills your skill slot in a Rampage so you can perform a Kessen attack.

Your General starts all Rampages with full health.

If you can't defeat the enemy general its ok to just avoid them.
You don't have to kill the enemy general in Rampages.
The amount of troops you've killed in the Rampage will be taken
away from the unit when you exit the Rampage.
If you lose all your health in a rampage you're condition will be
lower and you'll return to battle without any of your items.
Rampages can change the tide of battle. Use them wisely and your
generals will gain great experince and you'll have easy victories
in battle. If you are getting your butt kicked in battle enter a rampage
and even the odds.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------IV. Victory or Defeat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------In battle there is only two outcomes... Victory or Defeat.
depending on your proformence in battle you'll succeed or be forced
to withdraw and try again. Here's a few tips to help you with dealing
with Victory and Defeat.
---------------------------------IV. A. Spoils of War
---------------------------------If you do claim victory their is much more benefits than just
bragging rights. Depending on your performence in battle you'll
get a ranking. There are four different rankings you can get...
C-Rank:
-The lowest of them all
B-Rank:
-Better than C but you earn nothing special
A-Rank:
-Second highest Ranking. You'll get one of the two special items from
battle
S-Rank:
-Highest ranking in game. You'll get both special items for achieving this
rank.
In order to get a better rank in battle you have to perform well in
4 different fields. Each field is worth up to 100 points.
Troops Killed:
-Amount of enemies you've killed. You must kill all enemies even ambush
troops in order to get 100 points.
Troops Lost:
-Amount of troops you've lost during battle. The more you lost the lower
your points.
Time:

-Amount of time it took to complete the stage. Less time used means
higher points.
Troop Skills:
-Amount of damage caused by troop skills. However each time you are hit
with your own troop skills, and your troop skills are blocked
the points go down.
Each section is worth 100 points. Together there is a sum of 400 points.
You'll need a certain amount of points to meet certain rankings.
C-Rank:
less than 100 points
B-Rank:
100 points
A-Rank:
200 points
S-Rank:
300 points and higher
Getting 400 points is no different than getting 300.
Try you're best to get an S-Ranking since only some items can
be found through getting S-Rankings on certain stages.
After you're ranking you'll be taken to a screen that shows you
all the items you got from the stage(battle and S-Rank). This
allows you to look at the stats of the items and what they look
like.
After that, you'll be brought to a screen that shows boxes with
your Generals' names in them. Each box represents how much experince
that General earned during battle. If the box catches fire it means the
General leveled up. If your General raised a skill level or troop
level a message will pop up telling which General went up a level and
in what skill or troop type.
---------------------------------IV. B. Victory
---------------------------------In order to complete the stage and achieve victory you must follow
the conditions for Victory listed in the War Council screen. If you
win you'll be able to progress with the story and return to the planning
map.
----------------------------------IV. C. Defeat
----------------------------------There is no game over! Even if you lose a battle you'll live to
fight another day. Not only that but you also get a certain amount
of experince points even if you lose. The only bad thing about losing
a battle is that you lose all items you got from the stage and the story
does not progress. Also every General that is defeated will start the next
battle in "Wounded" condition. So don't feel like you have to reset the
game everytime you lose a battle. Take the free experince points and

try again!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------V. Life Off The Battlefield
--------------------------------------------------------------------------After either a victory or defeat you'll be taken to the planning screen to
set up for the next battle. On the planning screen there is three main
icons.
Castle: This is the base of operations for your army. You can change
equipment, check past battle information, and manage your entire army.
Merchant: This is the gold icon. Here you can buy equipment and troops.
You can also sell any unwanted equipment for some gold.
Battles: Two swords crossed together. selecting this icon will take
you to a message that will give you some info about the battle. Including
conditions and who you are fighting. If you accept you'll be taken to the
War Council screen to set up for battle. There are three different types
of Battles:
-Blue Outlined Swords: This is a Minor Battle. It does not progress the
story but you can still earn experince from it. There is always three
minor battles you can fight in each chapter. Nobunaga is not require
for Minor battles.
-Yellow Outlined Swords: This is a Major Battle. It will progess the story
and offers a lot more experince points than minor battles. However in
some chapters you can only select a certain amount of Major battles before
the story takes you to the decisive battle. So choose you battles
carefully.
-Red Outlined Swords: This is a Decisive Battle. It usually results in
the chapter ending and progressing to the next chapter in the story.
You can NEVER go back to a completed chapter unless you start a new
game. So before you start a decisive battle make sure you have done
everything you wanted in the chapter before proceeding.
-------------------------------V. A. Generals' Conditions
-------------------------------After battle, fatigue will set in. The more you use a general the lower
his condition will get. Lower the condition, lower the attack and officer's
skills.
Be cautious of your General's conditions.
A blue arrow pointing north is "Excellent".
A green arrow pointing north-east is "Good"
A yellow arrow pointing to the east is "Normal"
A orange arrow pointing south-east is "Down"
A red arrow pointing south is "Wounded"
If you enter the castle on the planning screen and select equipment.
Whenever you press square you can check the General's condition.
If a General sits out of a battle his condition will usually raise.
However if the General sits out of too many battles his condition will
become worst(Is this Koei's idea of laziness?). Try to make sure you
balance out the use of your generals. Your don't have to use every general

in this game. But make sure you have 13 generals that are in really good
shape and can fill in if another general gets into a bad condition.
---------------------------------V. B. Buying Equipment
---------------------------------Merchants sell various equipment for you to use in battle.
Make sure you stock up on the best armor and weapons for your
best generals. Especially Nobunaga since he fights in so
many battles. After you buy what you need try handing down your
past equipment to other characters. After that sell everything you
don't want. But remember the best items are not bought in the shops
but earned through S-ranks.
----------------------------------V. C. Preparing For The Next Battle
----------------------------------I suggest that you fight all the Minor battles in the Chapter first.
They are usually a lot easier and you'll get good experince points.
Plus you can get S-Ranks on Minor battles too which means better items.
Minor battles will help prep you for Major battles. Before you
head into a Major battle make sure you have all the equipment you want
and save! Press Select to enter the "Functions" screen so you can save.
This way if you take bad equipment into battle you can just load the
game from this point to buy different stuff.
Kessen is a very long game...
and you'll be putting well over 20 hours into just beating it the first
time(The game has Three diffculties, secret Generals, multiple story
paths, a hidden chapter, and even bonus battles!). Just take your time
and always keep your army balanced. With that in mind i hope you enjoyed
this FAQ and the game. Now rush into battle and win Victory, Victory,
and even more Victory!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------VI. Hints and Tips
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Here is few extra tips to help you on your way and as you progress through
the game. Use them wisely and you'll find victory!
-Stoping Enemy Skills:
if an enemy uses a Troop Skill(like charge), start a rampage and afterwards
the enemy should be stun as well as stopping their attack. Magic also
works. To stop an enemy from using a Special Officer Skill(like Freeze)
you'll have to hit them with magic before they are able to cast it.
When an enemy officer starts to use an Officer Skill they usually
appear in a small pop-up box in the lower right corner of the screen.
This is your time to strike and stop the enemy attack.
Also if your unit's Defenese stat is higher than the Enemy's Attack stat,
Hold L1 and you'll be able to block and stop the enemy's troop skill.
-Raising Condition:
If you beat a general or kill all the enemies in a rampage you'll raise
the condition of the general you're using. This is a great way to keep
using your strong characters even if they start a battle in bad condition.
Also Nobunaga has a great accessory called the "Shibazutsu Pot" which

always keeps the user in exellecent condition.

-Support units:
Support units are great! Bows appear to be the best. Bows can hit at
long distances and since they arch they are a lot less likely to hit
your troops. Having a good bow unit for a support can quickly tear down
any enemy unit. You can even shoot over barriers with bows. Guns are
stronger but are more likely to hit your unit since they fire straight
forward. Mattocks are even stronger but slower and a LOT more likely to
hit your own unit. remember R1 calls for support fire!
-Samurai Warriors and Xtreme Legends:
Ina and Keiji are amazing in this game. Plus you can start from the
beginning with them. They both have really great equipment to share as
well. I advise loading your data from these two games or just renting
them because these two characters are amazing. Keiji is just like a
stronger version of Toshiie.(You must have save data on your memory card
from Samurai Warriors in order to get Keiji. Data from Samurai Warriors
Xtreme Legends is required for Ina. To load these characters: During battle
press SELECT and an option will be available for you to load the data from
the other games.)
-Doubt Spell:
This two slot spell can come in handy during a pinch. It allows you to
take away troops from the enemy and have them join your unit. its like
heal but causes damage to the enemy as well. Also when the enemy troops
leave the enemy unit they'll join ALL ally units close to that enemy.
So you can heal more than one of your units at a time.
-Lure The Enemy To You:
In most cases if you get close enough, the enemy will start to run at you.
This is a great chance to charge up your troop skill and let them have it
as they rush in. However if you are facing a bow/gun unit just run right at
them and let your speed knock them down.
-Sharing the Wealth:
A great way to save on money is by sharing your equipment. You usually
just take about 4 or 5 units in battle(6-7 later in the game). So what
you can do is just equip about four or five General's with the latest
equipment. You can keep doing the "raise condition trick"
(explained earlier) to keep playing as the same guys but that can get
risky over time as the enemies get stronger. But during the battle
placement exchange the equipment from one gerenal to the next. Like if i
play with Toshiie all the time and he's in a Down condition. I'll just go
to the equipment screen and change his equipment with Keiji who is in
Execellent condtion. Don't feel like you have to give everyone in your
army the best equipment. You'll save a lot more money this way.
Hand-me-downs, are also great. Instead of selling all your old equipment
when you get new stuff, try seeing if any of your other Generals could
benefit from using the old equipment.
-Items and S-rank:
Its good to have one unit attack at a time while the other can search the
map. Basically just go to the START screen and pick a target for a unit
than take control of another unit and have them attack the enemy. This is
great because it doesn't waste a lot of time which is needed for a S-rank.
Also for a S-rank try to kill all enemies possible. And use Troop skills
(triangle button held down) as musch as possible. Support fire also counts
as a troop skill. but becareful because each time you hit an ally unit
with a troop skill(including support fire) you'll lower your points for

a S-rank. Also by getting a S-rank you can get real rare and helpful
items.
-Horses:
Your mighty stallion is more than just mere transportion. Buying new
horses at the shop can lead to helpful boosts in battle. The Skylark does
not stop when it gets hit during a rampage. Which means you can keep
swinging without ever slowing down. Other horses can cause for
only Gold to drop during rampages(easy money), or just experince points to
drop during ramapages. Also some horses have field effects like Faster
movement, quicker refilling of skills slots, etc. Horses are really great
so don't forget to spend some time in the shop looking at the new horses
and ablities they bring. But remember with horses that allow only one type
of item to be drop you'll not get ANY other kind of item.
Example: If i have a gold only horse in a rampage i'll never get any
health, restore troops, experience, or Kessen attack orbs.
-Protect your rear:
As you get farther in the game... there are ambushes a plently. This can
be a problem since if you have archers the enemy will come from the rear
and take them out thus canceling your support fire. PROTECT YOUR ARCHERS.
What i see happening a lot is that a enemy unit will lead in my ground
troops and have a small unit of their's sneak around and beat down my
archers. It can be a problem trying to sneak away and protect your archers
when you got problems of your own. Magic and Rampages can stun the enemy
so you can leave and protect the archers or just go for the kill. Also as
you go later in the game you'll get more units for your army. Try having
two ground units(or mounted horses just no archers or rifles) and a
support fire unit. So you'll have two quick up close fighters and a
distance unit for suport fire. This way you can protect the archers
while the other ground unit attacks.
But no matter what, if you get circled by the enemy you'll be in for
some major pain. don't let one unit handle an entire army or the enemy
main general alone. You have enough guys to change the odds to your favor.
surround the enemy and let them have it. Break enemies off too. If you see
that there is a horde of enemies in one area try spreading them out by
attacking from different sides.
Also remember there is always HIDDEN enemy troops on the map. Try to pay
attention and use the camera to see if you can spot an enemy up a head
that's hiding. Also becareful when you send troops to a target since
they might get ambushed. Sometimes on harder battles its best to move
the units one at a time with you in control, so you can easily take out
hidden units.
Also in group battles your troops can block you from getting an attack in.
So you'll just be swinging at air. If let's say Toshiie has the front you'll
want to hit the back with Nobunaga so you can cause maxium damage. Add some
support fire and its an easy victory.
-Yellow Numbers:
If you notice at the top of the screen there are yellow numbers that count
up to 4. They are by both your general's and enemy officer's name. They
are your attack number. in other words... how many times your pressed
SQUARE. They help you line up a triangle attack easier since its hard
to see whats going on down on the battle sometimes. Also it tells you
the enemy's attack. The number by the enemy's name is how many times they
attacked. This is great to set up a counter attack. Just hold L1 and block
until the number hits four or stops, than come back with a combo of your

own. Or as i say "Ichi, ni, san, yon!"

-------------TIPS FROM ANDY_MCNAB:
1) Have every general you can use rampage. It really helps increase
thier skills, etc. Plus, they have nifty KESSEN attacks to watch.
(Don't forget to use the Kessen attack!)
2) If you have a unit getting clobbered by 2 or 3 enemy units,
immediately use Rampage on the toughest attacking enemy. Collect as
many Restore troops and Confusion items as possible. Also, defeat the
enemy general if possible. When you come out of rampage, while the one
enemy is confused/stunned, use officer skills on the others, and then
try to even the odds before the stunned opponent wears off. Also, the
confusion will give you time to either run, or have another unit arrive
to help.
3) Ninja Raid - Send a Ninja unit into the midst of an enemy encampment
and use Ninjutsu on one of the units, then pound them a few times. As
other enemies close in, go rampage. Collect alot of confuse. When rampage
ends, use the confusion to run away.
4) Go rampage on the enemy commander and collect confusion. When rampage
ends, use the confusion time to kill the enemies support units. This is
also useful if archers are hitting you while you fight another unit.
Stun that unit, and run after the archer
5) Its in the manual, but some people don't realize you can block cav
charges and Katana death wheel attacks with foot spear troops. Always
make sure you have some of these guys for defensive scenarios/battles.
(Hold L1 to block incoming Cav charge/deathwheel... and remember that
any unit can block normal attacks in this way too.)
6) Make sure to use your Generals skills all the time. If your general
has some available skill slots, be sure to fire off a skill. They get
experience this way, and it never hurts to have the bonuses active.
7) If you have a character with the Warrior class, try to get them an
item that switches their class to one that gives Skill experience
bonuses. (Basically, warrior does not increase in ANY skills
exceptionally. They may however increase more quickly in WAR, INT,
STA... so its sometimes helpful to leave your mega-Rampage generals
as Warriors.)
8) Even though they give stat bonuses, get rid of your generals fancy
little necklaces as soon as possible and give them an item that really
benefits them or their troop type. (Like a fan, a mirror, a tea cup, etc.)
9) Your troop special attacks can devastate an enemy unit. Always try to
set one up as the first strike when closing with an enemy.
10) Here's another newbie tip. I may have mentioned it before...
Set up your units for Troop attacks whenever possible. They are
incredibly damaging if used correctly, and as long as you don't
smash your own guys, you are guranteed a better score at battles end.
11) Also, cavalry can charge through bad guys using pure speed alone.

You don't always have to stop and charge up CHARGE Attack. If you
have some hefty speed going, just plow through the enemy ranks.
12) Here's my new favorite trick via Nobunaga and Mitsuhide.
I place Mitsuhide (who is a rifle unit) behind Nobunaga (who is Spear Cav).
Then I use charge attack on the enemy units. Nobunaga will smash through
them, and be able to turn around for a rear attack. Meanwhile, by
pressing R1, Mitsuhide is blowing the crap out of them with his rifles,
w/o any chance of hitting Nobunaga (who is on the other side of the enemy.)
-------------------------------------That's it for all the tips. If you have any you'll like to add just email
them to me at:
DivineWolf@gmail.com
Please include a name so i can give credit. Also remember to keep
everything Spoiler-Free.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------VII. Arigato(Thanks)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Koei: For making such a wonderful and fun game. And taking a step
closer to blending their two greatest series, Kessen and
Samurai(Dynasty) Warriors.
---Masato Kato: Because he taught me the power of a good story.
---Gamefaqs: For hosting this FAQ, for making FAQS cool, and being a site
for gammers from all walks of life.
---Oda Nobunaga: Because if he wasn't alive than this game would've really
sucked. haha.
---Budda: Because no one ever thanks Budda...
---Andy_McNab: For letting me use his tips and for keeping the Kessen 3
Board on Gamefaqs intresting.
---Ujisato Gamo: For being my favorite character in this game.
---And a final thanks to all those who kept the legend and history of
Nobunaga alive. Neither a true hero or villian... Nobunaga was a man
who changed history and whose eyes were always on the future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------VIII. Legal Notices
--------------------------------------------------------------------------In no way do i claim ownership of Kessen III or any of the characters
and names represented in this FAQ. Kessen III is copyrighted to Koei,
2005, all rights reserved. However i do claim ownership of the expression
of ideas in this FAQ. This written piece is copyrighted to Blake Woodruff
(Kiba_Miyazawa)2005.
This FAQ shall not be posted without giving the Author credit. It
shall also not be posted outside of the internet site(s) www.Gamefaqs.com,

Neoseeker.com, without written permission from the author. Violating these

conditions may lead to legal action. By reading this FAQ it is assume
that you accept these conditions and understand the consquences for
violating them.
If there is further questions please email,
DivineWolf@gmail.com
This FAQ Copyright is to Blake Woodruff, 2005, all rights reserved.
Redistribution in any form,including reprinting, without Author's
permission is forbidden.
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