Total War Three Kingdoms: How to Duel

Total War Three Kingdoms is a return to form for the historical side of the franchise, which has largely been brushed aside with the popularity of the Warhammer spin-offs in recent years. After the somewhat middling Thrones of Brittania, Creative Assembly has changed and added a bunch of new mechanics with its most recent effort, and it’s really elevated the experience. One such mechanic is dueling. Here’s how to duel in Total War Three Kingdoms.

How to Duel in Total War Three Kingdoms

In the age of the Three Kingdoms, entire battles could be settled by two generals agreeing to engage in one-on-one combat. Only for the brave, this fight to the death would have provided a chance to have one’s name etched in history.

Developer Creative Assembly had the bright idea to include the feature in Total War Three Kingdoms, but it’s a mechanic that won’t be familiar to even returning Total War players, so here’s how it works.

A duel between generals can be initiated at any time during a battle. You simply need to highlight your general and click the duel button.

First, select your general by either clicking him out on the field or his icon in the bottom part of the screen. Then, there will be a button that appears above his picture that says Duel.

How Dueling Works

A duel will essentially call out the opposing general and you’ll see the two of them duke it out as the rest of the battle unfolds around them. You don’t have to manage anything once it takes place, but it is very cool to take the time and watch if you can.

The best time to initiate a duel is at the start or middle of a battle. Given that the objective is to weaken your enemies’ morale, there’s not a great deal of point doing so once the battle is already won or lost.

That said, it’s worth keeping in mind that, tactically, forcing a duel means the opposing general is tied up for the remainder of the battle, which could prove a big advantage.

Note that Strategist Warlords cannot engage in duels. Also, not every general you attempt to duel will be up for the challenge; a general can deny you the opportunity to duel if he feels there’s more chance of beating you in battle.

You can escape duels if you feel you’re about to lose (keep an eye on the health bar at the top of the screen), but your general will be shamed and will flee the battle, and your troops will take a morale hit.

Obviously, the benefits of dueling include a big morale boost to your troops if you emerge victoriously, and it’s obviously a great alternative to open battle if you’re not all that confident in your odds of winning a pitched battle.

That does it for how to duel in Total War Three Kingdoms. For more useful guides on the game, be sure to search Twinfinite.