How to Get Started as Cao Cao | Early Game Legendary Difficulty Playbook Patch 1.7.1

[@TheWastelander86]

"Impossible! Even if it were 80,000 steamed buns, it'd take Liu Bei half a month just to chew through them!"

[@Super-lq2he]

Cao Cao used a scheme on the player, to artificially reduce the "starting difficulty" to easy :)

[@Iacobus90]

So they just left Cao Cao as the most powerful faction in the game and we have to cope with that. CA use When near, appear far to me with their announcement over the abruptly end of 3K´s development. I sincerely hope modder community can finish what CA left behind halfway. This game has so much potential still to be reveal...

[@SiodogRehane]

Ha, can you imagine modders being able to empower also Shu and Wu? that would be amazing specially if they can add the chibi scenario to round it up

[@Iacobus90]

@@SiodogRehane I don´t know what modders can do, but sure they can improve the game as they already did before.

[@sedghammer]

Wasn't sure where to leave this, but since this is your latest Cao Cao content, I'll just leave it here. If you want to migrate south to settle the unsettled commanderies, instead of taking the river to the ocean, consider carving a path through Han land and other factions, selling every territory that you conquer to your nearest neighbor for gold/turn. You can do this until you reach the far south and accumulate quite a large sum of savings to settle down with (I was at around 44k). Once I took the provinces of Northern Jian'an and Linhai, I moved my capital to Linhai for more trade options. Hope this helps someone that wants to try a really different playstyle that's also quite fun. This could be done to migrate anywhere with any faction.

[@francisjeffrey6496]

6:14 Just a little correction. You don't need Fates Divided to have access to the Qingzhou units and Tiger Cubs. They are added to the base game. Same with Yuan Shao's unique units. The only units locked behind the DLC are the Northern army ones and Liu Yan's uniques (for obvious reasons.)

[@bw1678]

Gonna confirm for you that credibility can't be used for confederation deals. Coerce on the other hand is worth like 20 pts so big Dong can easily confederate the whole map once he hits emperor.

[@sedghammer]

Love the faction based scheme that allows you to get a bonus reform every 4 years. That can allow you to go for harder to reach techs a bit faster. In my recent campaign I went down red tree for -10% upkeep cost and instead of my normal path for faction unlocks, I went all the way down the army path for the additional army upkeep reduction. After that I went for the techs that decrease salary. This was surprisingly effective and I was able to sustain the upkeep of a couple extra armies above what I normally would.

[@Rimusaki18]

Hey dude, just wanted to say that this guide (and the legendary let's play series) was really helpful for someone like me who only played Shogun II in the Total War series. Three Kingdoms is much more complex than what I have learned from the Shogun series. I started off with Cao Cao and did a lot of things (which I learned were not efficient btw). After discovering channel and the contents here, I was able to fix my mistakes and ultimately finish the game and proclaim as the emperor by 230ish😄. Now I am on my 2nd playthrough with the Sun faction.

[@jessewilliams1422]

Tried to sneak this in, nice. Quality information, sir.

[@shunyuanliang4397]

I just wish CA would just add a concubine system for a harem setting. I mean its the harem plots that keep the story going strong, with Cao Cao taking a lead role most of the time. I mean this is ancient Chinese history we are talking about, harems were a big thing back then. Monogamy and singlehood was for peasants. I mean most of the powerful warlords fell to the charms of women and many lost their lives. Dong Zhou got done in by Diao Chan. Lady Zhou almost got Cao Cao killed. Liu Bei got held back by Lady Gan and Lady Mi and almost lost his life as well at the battle of Changban. The Qiao sisters both were fated to lead a widow's life and Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were taken off the board. So yeah, the warlords having harems seem to make life very interesting.

[@willo9372]

Sad that these will be the last early play guides :'(

[@javierdariolopez]

Oh yes! Been waiting for this!

[@NTLuck]

One thing I noticed is that after agreeing to Trade with Liu Chong his attitude towards Regular Payment remains the same for that turn. Whether he has 2k/turn or 200/turn he would still value 50 copper per turn at 1.6 diplo value

[@simpleviewer1334]

My favorite play as cao cao Marry off cao song to liu dai, got a trade agreement and a lot of money, Take pengcheng Cao song dies to his event but ignore it instead take huainam and cheese tao qian with money Take luijang Take the minor factoions out first Form a coalition with Liu Bei Marry Cao Ren and Lady Wu from Sun Ce, and keep them both (she brings her legendary weapon for Guo Jia who I hired and the imperial Seal) Unnecessarily be attacked by liu biao Take runan from him and sue for peace and gain money Use spies to infiltrate Dong Min's faction (Dong Zhuo died) Make Lü Bu mad and hire him on turn 34 Take out liu chong but keep him as a vassal with a pass Yuan Shu assassinates Liu Chong Fight my way to chang'an and win Vassalize basically everyone on the map Declare Yuan Shu an enemy of the Han and declare war Hire Zheng Jiang who got her faction destroyed Kill Yuan shu and sue for peace Ongoing

[@Sevatar_VIIIth]

Never played 3K before but decided today to start playing. I mainly play TW Warhammer 2, Medieval 2, and a little bit of Warhammer 3 (waiting on IE). 3K seems so daunting with it's campaign mechanics but looks awesome to play.

[@SeriousTrivia]

welcome to Three Kingdoms! it is quite different from most total war games in the past (unless you played Thrones of Britannia) but once you learn the basics the game plays great with one of the best diplomacy engines in the game

[@skryes]

I use a similar strategy but with a twist. On turn 1 i don't use Rival Tigers and One Prey but i use the 50% bonus movement for army one. I insta change my commanding general to Xiahou Dun, capture Yuan Huan, get Chen, Peixian and then with the army inside Peixian, i use the scheme and that gives me enough movement to reach Pengcheng and get 3 settlements in one turn. But you probably already knew about this.

[@simpleviewer1334]

What I did only use Dominion over the realm (skill tree) to get the battlefield add ons, subjugate the yellow turbans in pengcheng, and rapidly take huainan a turn with hawk and tiger maneuvers

[@DarthBodya]

I maybe try 5 Cao Cao campaigns and still don't complete, most time screw up in late game. I agree, Cao Cao more like medium to play, because his faction spy mechanic need to learn even early version. If someone ask what faction is easy to play, I say Sun Jian. Actually Cao Cao's replanishment potential you can use in MOH campaign.

[@lesdeuxanes6203]

That's a very good point. If you confederate with cao Song and rule a lot of rice counties you can get a good army to go meet the yellow turbans. Assuming by that time that there's any Yellow Turbans left.

[@bluto212]

That was INSANE!

[@b52747]

Can not praise more for this excellent job

[@jeromegeorge9228]

Nice Early Game Video Trivia!!

[@CapitalTeeth]

That -100% charge bonus scheme is so busted it's not even funny. Cavalry relies on charge bonus, and you just take it away with a single left click

[@SilentNamikaze]

it still wasn't fixed ?

[@lmowni6760]

They should have added the Three Kingdom DLC where Wei-Shu-Wu struggle instead of jumping straight to Eight Princes

[@ghostslinger3148]

Another Brilliant updated guide! Missed this haha Watched lots of the other videos. Learning more everyday! Missed some great diplomacy tricks at the start of the game, oh well haha

[@ghostslinger3148]

Is the diplomacy 1 copper trick not that good mid game? I just tried it and attitude doesnt increase and some only increase by 1, even if they are just neutral

[@SeriousTrivia]

it is good at all time. the 1 copper does not improve your diplomatic attitude. It merely refreshes the calculation from your current diplomatic standing to your trending diplomatic standing. You have to improve your relationship with other deals which are not reflected right away then use the 1 copper trick to instantly move your diplomatic standing to key levels of 15+, 60, and 150 to reap the benefits of better opinions in deals.

[@Fengxain]

Wouldn’t you want to take out Yuan Shu before he can assassinate Liu Chong? I’m not sure how you would be able to get him in your faction without developing a grudge against you or killed by one of your proxy wars, but the chance of having show of force and half the cool down could be worth it.

[@afufu-b5k]

amazing ty! I learned a lot about this game !

[@commanderjet]

Thanks for the guide

[@lesdeuxanes6203]

I have captured Yuan Huan every game I have played with Cao Cao. As long as I manually fight the battle and let him run away I've always captured him. In fact normally for this first fight I only use the generals. Now That is on Normal difficulty so I guess take that with a grain of salt.

[@simpleviewer1334]

his assignment to lower construction time and double food production for a commandery is just perfect for cao cao

[@kallevandergeer283]

Just watched the old version of this video and then saw an updated version 1 hour ago :O

[@saberpendragon271]

"With just 4 copper coins, you'll end up liking me. Wanna bet?" - Cao Cao probably

[@skipper2962]

A question: Is there a clever way for player Cao Cao faction to obtain Sun Ce via marriage in the 190 start? Also, can you list all the diplomatic opinion break point that the AI will have more positive reaction that you know of? Like that 15 and 60 you mentioned above.

[@SeriousTrivia]

I don't know the next breakpoint for attitude some it is a bit hard to test since opinions sometimes are not part of most deals especially once you break the 60 breakpoint (like they already lose all negative opinion against you). As for Sun Ce, it is always going to be luck based since if Sun Jian dies first then you are just out of luck so there is not much you can do unless you are playing as Sun Jian or Liu Biao since they are the two factions that have the event that kills Sun Jian.

[@simpleviewer1334]

​@@SeriousTrivia what I did was marry lady Wu and Cao Ren together and she joined my faction, removing Sun Ce's heir when he takes the faction and getting her legendary weapon as well as the imperial seal which will always have equipped

[@SeriousTrivia]

It is a nice grab but the real prize is Sun Ce himself with the double charge faction wide bonus

[@simpleviewer1334]

​@@SeriousTrivia sadly I'm pretty sure Sun Jian will always die and sun ce becomes the leader or my rpg is just that bad over 20 different playthroughs

[@jwh4299]

Did CA forget about 曹洪? He should be in Cao Cao’s faction since Guandong coalition.

[@siripongnoppachaiaumnuycho1855]

this video is really useful. thx a lot sir!!

[@mikelee5445]

Do they not let you capture Yuan Huan anymore because I did it a few times and it says he refuses to join my faction

[@SeriousTrivia]

I have done it on the latest patch so it’s definitely still possible

[@mikelee5445]

I've got him now it maybe because I attacked him on the second turn or just got unlucky

[@Roastedpot]

I'm trying to follow this guide but the Diplomacy UI button and hotkey are greyed out and I can't even open the diplomacy menu on turn one. Restarted, Verified contents, currently in the process of reinstalling. Anyone have any ideas?

[@SeriousTrivia]

not sure but I am assuming there are no mods or other issues. does this happen for all factions for you?

[@Roastedpot]

@@SeriousTrivia nope, no mods. i just deleted all user data, launcher & reinstalled. it is on all characters on the 190 start, if i start in a different time period it appears to work.

[@Roastedpot]

@@SeriousTrivia GOT IT. Someone in another forum mentioned something about High Advisor maybe being the problem but it being weird that it only affected the 190 start. I cleared everything out again and turned off the Advisor and it is working now.

[@SeriousTrivia]

interesting bug but glad it is working now

[@bparnt]

I just bought all the dlc during the steam sale, this is my first total war. I'm currently following your walkthrough and still in turn 1. Should I be able to use this in conjunction to understand what different choices I should make? Or should I just use this? Love the detail you go into!

[@SeriousTrivia]

you should consider checking out the tutorial let's play which is also on Cao Cao. Even if it's on an older patch, it is very detailed for new players

[@bparnt]

@@SeriousTrivia that is exactly what I am doing! I'm following it turn by turn. Was hoping this would give me the details around schemes and imperial intrigue and how they impact the game. Then I saw that Cao Ren was a commander in my game (vs a green class in your tutorial) and wasnt sure if there were major changes or not.

[@SeriousTrivia]

the newer Cao Cao let's play (in the Fates Divided start) will cover a lot of the changes

[@sakukangas5335]

Do you think armorsmith and weaponsmiths are worth it? I myself love to play factions with a lot of unique characters and getting those smiths and fish for those epic weapons etc.

[@SeriousTrivia]

They are nice to have but not worth going out of your way to get. Most gold weapons end up with the Nanman rebels so farming them might actually bring you better luck on that front.

[@AnimeNoel]

I never played a total war game but I love the 3 kingdom era having played Dynasty Warriors and watching the 2010 series. Even though they stopped on the game is it worth buying still and do you think 8 princes is a good dlc?

[@SeriousTrivia]

the game is still a good game (just no more new content). The eight princes is probably not where you want to start as it doesn't add anything to the base game while the other DLC add content that can be used in the base game

[@AnimeNoel]

@@SeriousTrivia ah ok thank you! I heard that the additions from dlcs dont transfer over to 8 princes so that sucks but maybe ill get fates divided first then

[@SeriousTrivia]

my personal favorite is actually a world betrayed since it adds two very unique campaigns in Lu Bu and Sun Ce

[@bahakaracay3361]

we want to cao cao videos. continu this cao cao.

[@jaywall4591]

Are you going to do a TROM/TUP/WDG for Cao Cao? Love your videos, thank you! (TUP OP item remover mod essential!)

[@SeriousTrivia]

Not anything soon since the current let’s play is Cao Cao

[@jaywall4591]

@@SeriousTrivia you can never have enough Cao Cao :( (I joke, I know I'm reaching, just enjoyed the Liu Bei one a lot)

[@darksamurai6]

could you do tips and tricks video for three Kingdoms like dat 4 money trick?

[@SeriousTrivia]

yes I am thinking of doing bite size videos (like under 3 minutes) for tips and tricks on all different aspects of the game

[@northover6015]

@@SeriousTrivia This is a great idea. You should look at doing KZbin shorts as they, for some reason, work with the algorithm weirdly well :D

[@kanetsugu100]

can you link the migration strategy?

[@SeriousTrivia]

here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hl7Kd5uPopyDlas

[@MarkofWisdom]

seeing you've done so many legendary playthroughs, what faction would be your recommendation for a legendary playthrough for the achievement/fun vs just being tedious like I imagine quite a few factions would be when playing on legendary? Part of what keeps me from wanting to play on legendary is that blasted battle realism option that they force being on, which is just incredibly obnoxious to me and very much not fun to play with

[@SeriousTrivia]

I feel like they are all pretty easy now…

[@MarkofWisdom]

@@SeriousTrivia from looking around and watching TW3K stuff, it seems like it's between Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian/Ce as the factions that have the most raw power/opportunity based on faction mechanics, and location for Sun Jian/Ce since they start in the south where they're mostly unopposed? I imagine the hardest parts of legendary campaigns are the very beginning before you can really get things running, and once your land is stable and you have a good economy and some solid armies you can put in a lot of work even with legendary penalties/AI bonuses and cheats, but getting to that position of being stable can be very difficult on legendary difficulty. After you've stabilized, as long as you don't overextend or make massive screw ups with diplomacy, campaign, and battle tactics, you should be set, right?

[@xjuliussx]

i like your video, and your pronunciation is perfect, are you chinese?

[@SeriousTrivia]

Yep I am Chinese

[@hongwu1691]

Cao Song’s death event will still trigger even if you marry him away😅

[@SeriousTrivia]

I mean at least he is bringing you value at that point

[@_Gnome.]

Awesome video! I felt good about myself for having figured out all these diplomacy tricks by myself (and was made fun of by a friend who plays this who said it's too much work for minimal returns... I'd say the returns are pretty substantial). Your pronunciation of these Chinese names is on point! Are you a Chinaman??

[@SeriousTrivia]

I am Chinese

[@mohirender]

I mean I beat Cao Cao as Liu Bei on literally my first attempt, I think people overestimate his strength, he's challenging but not aggravating

[@YummyPie532]

ahh my bedtime story is back.

[@carrickbarr886]

Can you still capture Yuan Huan at the start? 30 attempts in and I think I'm going to give it up haha

[@SeriousTrivia]

it is possible! but man that sounds like terrible luck

[@ahmedaak88]

you can also grab liu dan hair she has the brillient trait. Edit : she no longer is brilliant in the game sorry 😢

[@lesdeuxanes6203]

I love playing and Cao Caos faction but I dont like doing it because he is the bad guy. So I play as Liu Bei, but I feel bad wiping out Cao Cao first thing. In fact I kind of like playing Cao Cao bc I can leave Liu Bei Alone and even vassalise him later. I will have to be Good Guy Cao Cao in my next Campaign with him.

[@thebaron6481]

The irony in your comment is the fact in reality Liu Bei is one of the villains from this time period.

[@Akaeus]

Yea, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms paints Cao Cao as some evil genius while portraying Liu Bei as an innocent, virtuous, and humble man with little regard for his own benefit. It's quite laughably obvious, really.

[@dG7DraGoSs]

this game seems so much more complicated compared to shogun 2

[@SeriousTrivia]

yes the diplomacy is much more intricate in 3K than most of the total war games to date!

[@Mauriziobarenboim]

I don't think the copper coin works anymore

[@ValosarX]

Married off my father and he still died in the event, just FYI

[@sorenvongruner2592]

Wtf is this Faction. He is far too strong in my opinion

[@caocalo2485]

one more comment

[@csexton07]

I failed every playthrough on hard... Easy on normal...

[@SeriousTrivia]

1. Are you struggling with the battles (like how to fight cleaner) 2. Are you struggling with your economy (like how to build your commanderies and manage trades) 3. Are you finding yourself facing too many enemies at the same time (not using diplomacy effectively in terms of preventing war declarations and ending wars favorably instead of going for a full wipe)

[@csexton07]

@SeriousTrivia watching this vid it's definitely 3

[@SeriousTrivia]

I think unlike most total war games, the diplomacy aspect of three kingdoms is much more dynamic and requires a lot more attention. I would recommend trying the following: 1. check diplomacy more frequently (just the quick deals would give you a good idea of some options that you have) 2. have a general idea of where you want to expand (for Cao Cao this is tougher because of how centrally located you are) but once you have this set, you want to try to plan out deals with the factions on the opposite sides of your planned conquest. this might be just a small food deal since you have ample food. 1 food for 10 turns will buy you ten turns of peace while you go attack and expand. 3. don't always look to fully wipe out an enemy. the balance of power is a big factor in diplomacy so after wiping out a few enemy armies in quick succession, there will usually be very favorable peace deals for you, so in the case that you have enemies on multiple fronts, it is best to beat down one quickly, sign a good peace deal and have them pay you money per turn while you turn around to take down your other enemies. 4. Cao Cao is also quite complex with the schemes and spies that can further push many of these strategies forward so he is not the most beginner friendly when jumping to higher difficulty, but overall once you mastered some of these concepts, he is definitely one of the strongest factions to play as.