Total War Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Cao Cao is a Chinese name; the family name is Cao.
For the faction, see Cao Cao

Cao Cao is a unique legendary Commander hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He leads his own faction, Cao Cao, in 182, 190, 194, and 200.

Description[]

Meet Cao Cao. Cunning and merciless, this strategic mastermind favours the divide and conquer approach, expertly manipulating others to do his bidding.

Cao Cao is the choice of corrupters, conjurors, and puppeteers. Those players who prefer to employ sly methods, pulling strings in the shadows and manipulating others to ensure the future of Wei Kingdom.

Overview[]

Cao Cao’s diplomatic arsenal will help to keep surrounding factions off his back. His manipulation ability can also be used to make people friendlier with him. In some situations, this can mean the difference between being declared war at, or not – or it can mean that Cao Cao is able to form a powerful alliance that can protect his back.

Cao Cao's unique abilities can be taken even further. With Cao Cao's faction, the player can instigate a proxy war between two warlords. In desperate times when swift action is needed, rather than making two factions like each other less and hoping they might go to war – player can directly trigger it without anyone knowing it was Cao Cao's doing. Because of this, the player can conceivably win the game without ever being involved in any major conflicts. By systematically driving factions against each other, by manipulating others into attacking him and calling his allies to defend him, and by later confederating or vassalising the fractured remnants of once-great factions, Cao Cao can grow in territory and power without fighting a single battle.

General Information[]

Attributes[]

Main article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
TW3K ICO expertise
Expertise
TW3K ICO resolve
Resolve
TW3K ICO cunning
Cunning
TW3K ICO instinct
Instinct
TW3K ICO authority
Authority
45 34 96 45 158
-5% construction cost (administered commandery)
+8 melee evasion
+3% general's health
+1k population growth (administered commandery)
+38% ammunition (own retinue)
+9 military supplies (own army)
+5% melee damage
-1% recruitment cost (this army)
+10 satisfaction (faction-wide)
+8 unit morale (own retinue)

Background[]

Main article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Strategic Mastermind

  • +40 cunning
  • +15 instinct
  • +25 authority
  • +1 resilience
  • +50% income from family estates
  • -25% redeployment cost
  • -15% recruitment cost for cavalry (faction-wide)
  • +2 available spies & pawns positions

Commends Perceptiveness, Admires Intelligence.

Unit Statistics[]

  • Morale: 60
  • Melee Toughness: 26
  • Ranged Toughness: 38
  • Melee Power: 27
  • Hit Points: 18k
  • Melee Charge Bonus: 116
  • Melee Attack Rate: 30
  • Base Melee Damage: 1.1k
  • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 1k
  • Base Melee Evasion: 8%
  • Base Armour: 55%
  • Ranged Block Chance: 30%
  • Speed: 118

Traits[]

Main article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Ambitious

  • +8 authority
  • +50% desire for higher office
  • +5% income from all sources (administered commandery)
  • Increases ambition to gain independence as administrator

Admires Power, Wary of Ambition

Dutiful

  • +8 authority
  • -50% desire for higher office
  • +10 satisfaction

Focuses on Duty.

Suspicious

  • +6 cunning
  • +2 instinct
  • +10 undercover network cost for enemy spies

Wary of Ambition, Wary of Power, Disregards Trustworthiness.

Skills[]

Main article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Mobility

  • +8 authority
  • +2 morale when attacking (when commanding)
  • +25% battle running speed (own retinue)

Unyielding Earth

  • +4 resolve
  • +4 authority
  • Ability: Unyielding Earth

Clarity

  • +8 authority
  • -25% building upkeep (administered commandery)
  • +50% campaign line-of-sight

Dignity

  • +8 instinct
  • Enables: Disciplined (own retinue)
  • +5 faction support (faction-wide)


Abilities[]

Main article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
  • Immune to Terror
    • The unit is immune to scare and terror effects
  • Unyielding Earth (Active Buff)
    • Can use if:
      • Not on Elephant
    • +1900% Charge Resistance
    • +100% Melee Evasion
    • Unbreakable
    • Range: 75m
    • Duration: 30s
    • Cooldown: 120s

Ancillaries[]

Main article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Trust of God

  • Base Melee Damage: 1k
  • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 1k
  • Melee Attack Rate: 30
  • -15 instinct
  • +24 authority
  • Enables: Immune to Fear & Terror

Cao Cao's Armour

  • Base Armour: 55
  • +18 authority
  • +30% ranged block chance
  • +12% speed

Shadow Runner

  • Speed: 105
  • Mass: 2k
  • +10 cunning
  • +5 authority
  • +25% chance of evading capture post-battle
  • +5% chance of avoiding ambush (own army)

Guanxi[]

TW3K Cao Cao-Guanxi

Cao Cao's relationship

Main article: Guanxi

Family

Friends

Acquaintances

Negative Acquaintances

Rivals

Nemeses

Biography[]

Main article: Timeline (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
I would rather betray the world, than have the world betray me!
— Cao Cao

Cao Cao was born in 155CE in Qiao county, Han Empire. His father Cao Song was a foster son of Cao Teng, one of the favoured eunuchs of Emperor Huan. It is said that Cao Song’s original family name was Xiahou. This makes Cao Cao related to two of his most trusted generals, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. His family was closely intertwined with politics, and Cao Cao studied hard, maturing into a powerfully cunning and shrewd statesman in his own right.

Cao Cao has seen emperors fall and tyrants rise, he has witnessed power grasped by the undeserving, and it is this world of chaos through which he plots a path to order. Regarded as a strategic genius, Cao Cao pursues victory at any cost, and ensures that the ends always justify the means. Though some call him ruthless, he is nevertheless mindful and considerate, maintaining agricultural garrisons to protect both his supplies and his people during troubled times.

Ingenious and merciless, he’s known as the Puppet Master and has no qualms in controlling others to fulfill his aspirations. He is a leader who dedicates himself to his ambitions and possesses a unique mindset. Caring little for status or hidebound tradition, he judges men solely on their achievements and skill, and his companions respect him for this reason. Gainsaying his reputation for ruthlessness, he looks out for his followers and treats them with generosity. Despite their rivalry, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are very similar in this regard; they are both supported and trusted by the people.[1]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Reference[]

Advertisement