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

Lü Bu is a unique legendary Vanguard hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He is a member of Dong Zhuo in 190. In 194, after having killed Dong Zhuo, he leads his own faction, Lü Bu.

Description[]

As one of the mightiest warriors under the heavens, Lü Bu has proven himself on multiple occasions to be an expert combatant, as well as a most imposing presence on the battlefield. While he is indisputably fierce, Lü Bu is unpredictable, and has a penchant for betrayal.

General Information[]

Attributes[]

Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Expertise: 104
    • -21% construction cost (administered commandery)
    • +32 melee evasion
  • Resolve: 58
    • +17% general's health
    • +2k population growth (administered commandery)
  • Cunning: 32
    • +2% ammunition (own retinue)
    • +1 military supplies (own army)
  • Instinct: 178
    • +43% melee damage
    • -12% recruitment cost (this army)
  • Authority: 49
    • +2 unit morale (own retinue)

Background[]

Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Warrior Without Equal

  • +40 expertise
  • +15 resolve
  • +25 instinct
  • +1 resilience
  • -15% recruitment cost for shock cavalry (faction-wide, if prime minister, heir or faction leader)
  • +15 melee damage for all shock cavalry (faction-wide, if prime minister, heir or faction leader)
  • +3 morale in enemy territory (faction-wide, if prime minister, heir or faction leader)

Commends Physical Strength, Commends Physical Ability, Supports War.

Unit Statistics[]

  • Morale: 100
  • Melee Toughness: 37
  • Ranged Toughness: 43
  • Melee Power: 47
  • Hit Points: 21k
  • Melee Charge Bonus: 326
  • Melee Attack Rate: 44
  • Base Melee Damage: 1.2k
  • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 1.8k
  • Base Melee Evasion: 32%
  • Base Armour: 80%
  • Speed: 112

Traits[]

Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

Formidable

  • +4 expertise
  • +8 instinct

Commends Physical Strength, Commends Physical Ability, Supports War.

Feared

  • +8 instinct
  • +4 authority
  • Enables: Scare
  • +2 morale in enemy territory (own army)

Supports Intimidation, Admires Power.

Disloyal

  • +2 cunning
  • +6 instinct
  • +50% desire for higher office
  • Increases ambition to gain independence as administrator

Unconcerned by Friendship, Unconcerned by Duty, Unconcerned by Family.

Skills[]

Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Flexibility
    • +8 resolve
    • -25% redeployment cost (if prime minister, heir or leader)
    • +5% replenishment (when commanding)
  • Smouldering Fury
    • +4 expertise
    • +4 instinct
    • Ability: Smouldering Fury
  • Passion
    • +8 instinct
    • Unlocks Assignment: Conscription
    • +25% melee damage for all shock cavalry (own retinue)
  • Zeal
    • +8 expertise
    • +10% melee armour-piercing damage (own army)
    • +40% melee attack rate
  • Intensity
    • +8 instinct
    • Enables: Mighty Knockback
    • +25 charge speed (own retinue)
  • Rage of Lü Bu
    • +4 expertise
    • +4 instinct
    • Ability: Rage of Lü Bu
  • Fury
    • +8 instinct
    • +2 morale in enemy territory (when commanding)
    • +25 charge bonus (own retinue)

Abilities[]

Main Article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Scare
    • Reduces nearby enemy morale. Does not stack.
  • Mighty Knockback
    • Causes extra damage when knocking back enemies.
  • Unbreakable
    • Does not suffer any morale loss and will never rout.
  • Rage of Lü Bu (Melee Attack)
    • Can use if:
      • In melee
      • Engaged in a duel or has an attack order
      • Not on Elephant
    • Splash Damage: 1.9k
    • Duration: 10s
    • Cooldown: 60s
  • Smouldering Fury (Passive Buff)
    • Enabled if:
      • In melee or engaged in a duel
    • Phase 1 (15s)
      • +25% Base Melee Damage
      • +25% Armour-Piercing Melee Damage
      • -2% Melee Evasion
    • Phase 2 (10s)
      • +50% Base Melee Damage
      • +50% Armour-Piercing Melee Damage
      • -5% Melee Evasion
    • Phase 3 (6s)
      • +100% Base Melee Damage
      • +100% Armour-Piercing Melee Damage
      • -9% Melee Evasion
    • Phase 4 (3s)
      • +200% Base Melee Damage
      • +200% Armour-Piercing Melee Damage
      • -12% Melee Evasion
    • Phase 5 (∞)
      • +400% Base Melee Damage
      • +400% Armour-Piercing Melee Damage
      • -15% Melee Evasion

Ancillaries[]

Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)

  • Sky Piercer
    • Base Melee Damage: 809
    • Armour-Piercing Melee Damage: 1.6k
    • Melee Attack Rate: 24
    • -15 expertise
    • +24 instinct
    • Enables: Unbreakable
  • Lü Bu's Armour
    • Base Armour: 80
    • +6 expertise
    • +15 instinct
    • +15% chance of evading capture post-battle
    • +12% speed
    • +5% melee attack rate
  • Red Hare
    • Speed: 100
    • Mass: 2.5k
    • +5 expertise
    • +10 instinct
    • +25% chance of evading capture post-battle
    • +50 charge bonus

Guanxi[]

Main Article: Guanxi

While the Guanxi paragraph usually focuses on the character in 190, Lü Bu's relations change so drastically between 190 and 194 that both are included.

190

194

Biography[]

Lü Bu is easily one of the most legendary warriors to ever come out of Chinese history. While his skills and achievements have undoubtedly been exaggerated in the past eighteen odd centuries, it can be safely said that he was the most skilled fighter in China at the time. He first rose to power under Ding Yuan, a minor warlord. While starting his military career as just another soldier, Yuan quickly picked up on his skill, eventually making him a low-ranking officer.

Lü Bu's spree of betrayal would begin soon, however. As the Han Empire began to crumble, Ding Yuan predicted Dong Zhuo's rise to power. He revealed his plans to Lü Bu to assassinate Zhou, not to preserve the Han but to uphold his own power. Lü Bu protested at first, but Yuan wouldn't listen to him, and after getting more and more frustrated, he killed the warlord, cutting his head off and offering his head to Dong Zhuo as a gift in 189.

Lü Bu now served Dong Zhuo, who had just seized Emperor Xian and became regent of the Han Empire. He joined Zhuo in his war with Yuan Shao's coalition, and while mostly insignificant at first, Bu later managed to defeat Sun Jian. At this point, Lü Bu had a good amount of won duels with enemy officers under his belt, and he started to gain notoriety amongst the coalition. As a result, Dong Zhuo would keep Lü Bu near him at all times so that any would-be assassins would be too scared to even try to kill him. Eventually, he even adopted Lü Bu and appointed him the head of his personal guard in Chang'an.

The tale of Dong Zhuo taking Diaochan, the lover of Lü Bu, as a concubine is often portrayed as the reason for his betrayal, but this is more or less a romanticized event. What truly caused Lü Bu to join the assassination plot against Zhuo came down to a massive difference in personalities between the two, as they disagreed on practically every move either made and fought often. It was Wang Yun, the leader of the plot, who ultimately convinced Bu to join the rebellion.

In 192, Lü Bu, along with other soldiers, ambushed Zhuo at the entrance of his own palace, with himself landing the killing blow. Wang Yun then gained control over Dong Zhuo's territory and the Han Empire. However, a civil war broke out almost immediately, causing Wang Yun to be overthrown by Li Jue and Guo Si. Just before Chang'an fell, Lü Bu gathered a small group of horsemen and fled towards the south without a destination or purpose.

He eventually looped around to the northeast, joining the court of Yuan Shao. Here, he was briefly employed to fight the Black Mountain Bandits of Zhang Yan. However, Shao feared that Lü Bu would betray and kill him and prepared an assassination plot against him. Lü Bu got wind of this plot and managed to escape southwards, travelling to the court of Zhang Yang. Yang planned to betray Lü Bu and collect the bounty from Li Jue and Guo Si, but ultimately grew to like the man and refused to kill him.

In 194, Zhang Miao and Chen Gong requested that Lü Bu become the leader of their future rebellion against the tyranny of Cao Cao. Lü Bu managed to defeat and capture the famous Xiahou Dun, overthrowing most of Cao Cao's home commandery while he was away fighting Tao Qian in the east. While Xiahou Dun would later be freed by Han Hao, many of Cao Cao's officers defected to Lü Bu's side. When Cao Cao returned, a bitter campaign broke out between the two, eventually dragging down into a stalemate. Lü Bu got the worst of this stalemate, as his ranks began deserting and his people were starving.

Bu would abandon Cao Cao's commandery altogether with many ringleaders, fleeing to Liu Bei in the east. Liu Bei took in Lü Bu with open arms as he sought to integrate Lü Bu and his small army into his own. When Bei left his home commandery to deal with threats on his border, Lü Bu immediately overthrew him, taking Xiapi commandery for himself. However, Liu Bei couldn't take back his territory, as Lü Bu held his entire family hostage at the time.

Eventually, Cao Cao and Liu Bei, two long-time enemies, joined forces and took the fight to Lü Bu. Somewhat unexpectedly, Yuan Shu also joined the war against Lü Bu, but his intentions were to take the land for himself, not to hand it back to Liu Bei. Chen Gong later managed to broker a fragile peace with Yuan Shu, although the two would end up at war later over a failed marriage. Just as had happened in Cao Cao's territory, Xiapi was under a constant siege, and once again, Lü Bu was running out of supplies.

In 198, most of Lü Bu's army was either dead or demoralized, and he was captured. During his captivity, he offered to become a member of Cao Cao's army. Cao Cao had heard and seen tales of Lü Bu's power in combat and briefly considered accepting his offer. However, Liu Bei talked him out of it, pointing his new ally at the fate of Dong Zhuo. Lü Bu would be beheaded the same year. His last words were directed at Cao Cao, warning him to not trust Liu Bei.

A little over a year later, Liu Bei would backstab Cao Cao, joining Yuan Shao and declaring war on him.

Trivia[]

Despite being one of the most powerful characters ever, Lü Bu was the most defeated faction in Total War, along with Greenskins, Vampire Counts, Skaven (Warhammer), Danaan (Troy) and Amenmesse (Pharaoh) in 2023.

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