- Wei Yan is a Chinese name; the family name is Wei.
Wei Yan is a unique legendary Champion hero in Total War: Three Kingdoms. He does not exist at the start of the game but joins Liu Bei via an event in 195 AD.
General Information[]
Attributes[]
Main Article: Attributes (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
 Expertise |
 Resolve |
 Cunning |
 Instinct |
 Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 112 | 50 | 96 | 40 |
| -1% construction cost (administered commandery) +2 melee evasion +47% general's health +6k population growth (administered commandery) +12% ammunition (own retinue) +3 military supplies (own army) +19% melee damage -5% recruitment cost (this army) +1 satisfaction (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister) +1 unit morale (own retinue) | ||||
Background[]
Main Article: Background (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Disobedient Tiger
- +20 resolve
- +15 cunning
- +30 instinct
- +1 resilience
- +3 morale when attacking (faction-wide, if leader, heir or prime minister)
Unconcerned by Friendship, Unconcerned by Duty, Unconcerned by Family.
Traits[]
Main Article: Traits (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Vengeful
- Fiery
- Fraternal
- +8 resolve
- -50% desire for higher office
- Focuses on Friendship.
Skills[]
Main Article: Skill (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Consideration
- Reckless Strike
- +4 resolve
- +4 instinct
- Ability: Reckless Strike
Abilities[]
Main Article: Ability (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Encourage
- Provides a morale bonus to nearby allies.
- Reckless Strike (Melee Attack)
- Can use if:
- In melee
- Engaged in a duel or has an attack order
- Not on Elephant
- Cost: 5% of own health
- -50% Melee Evasion
- -50% Armour
- Splash Damage: 11k
- Duration: 15s
- Cooldown: 60s
- Can use if:
Ancillaries[]
Main Article: Ancillary (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
- Spear
- Wei Yan's Armour
- Base Armour: 50
- +18 resolve
- +10% melee evasion
- +30% ranged block chance
- Red Horse
- Speed: 97
- Mass: 1.5k
- +2 instinct
Guanxi[]
Main Article: Guanxi
Wei Yan doesn't have any relationships with other characters.
Biography[]
Wei Yan was born in present-day Nanyang, though details on his early life are non-existent. He is first mentioned as a regular soldier in the armies of Liu Bei, most likely joining Bei in his chaotic time in Jing province after the death of Liu Biao and the invasion of Cao Cao of the area. Wei Yan is listed amongst the soldiers participating in Liu Bei's invasion of Yi province held by the pacifist governor Liu Zhang, where he supposedly distinguished himself in battle, catching the eye of Liu Bei himself. After the end of the campaign in Yi in 214 AD, Wei Yan was immediately promoted to the rank of General by Liu Bei, marking the start of a meteoric rise in both rank and prominence.
Wei Yan fought against Cao Cao in the so-called Hanzhong Campaign of 219 AD, which ended with the death of Xiahou Yuan and Bei's takeover of Hanzhong commandery. After the campaign ended, most of Bei's military staff suggested that Zhang Fei take control over Hanzhong as its administrator. However, to the surprise of almost everyone, Liu Bei overruled them and appointed Wei Yan as the administrator of Hanzhong instead. Liu Bei promoted Wei Yan one final time when he crowned himself Emperor of Shu-Han in 221 AD.
Liu Bei died in 223 AD and was succeeded by his son, Liu Shang, who retained Wei Yan's position as administrator and important general. Wei Yan was pressed into the fold by Zhuge Liang during his so-called Northern Expeditions aimed at conquering territory held by the Kingdom of Wei. Zhuge Liang was the second-most important man in Shu-Han, eclipsed only by the Emperor himself, which led to Wei Yan becoming an underofficer under his larger army. The two had a falling out almost immediately over strategy, with Wei Yan hurling a myriad of insults and accusations at Zhuge Liang, ranging from cowardice to incompetence and everything in between.
In 234 AD, during Zhuge Liang's fifth and final invasion of Wei, he died of illness. Before his death, he had secretly ordered his other underofficers, Yang Yi, Fei Yi, and Jiang Wei, to retreat back to Shu in the event of his death. If Wei Yan was unwilling to go with them, they were to leave him behind. Soon after, Zhuge died, and the plans went into motion. The three other generals deceived Wei Yan, as Yang Yi and Jiang Wei both pretended to stay and continue the campaign, whereas Fei Yi cooperated with Wei Yan to leave. However, as soon as Fei Yi and his forces left, Wei Yan regretted allowing him to leave and chased after Fei Yi, though it was too late to catch up.
As Wei Yan returned north, he encountered the other two generals in the middle of a southwards retreat. As Zhuge Liang's orders to abandon the campaign became clear to Wei, he was enraged and destroyed the gallery roads that could lead them back to Shu-Han territory. Both sides had a stand-off and accused each other of treason, though Emperor Liu Shang ultimately sided against Wei Yan, deeming his actions suspicious and bordering on treason. Having lost imperial favour, most of Wei Yan's army abandoned him, leaving him with only his closest followers as he hastily tried to flee towards Hanzhong commandery. Fearing rebellion, Yang Yi sent another officer named Ma Dai (a nephew of the late Ma Teng) after Wei Yan's party. Ma Dai intercepted and killed Wei Yan for treason against the empire, bringing his severed head back to Yang Yi as proof of his success.
While not betraying Shu-Han outright, Wei Yan's actions in 234 AD certainly raised some eyebrows at the imperial court. Notably, a lack of reliable information about what was occurring between the armies led to half-truths being seen as established facts and incorrect assumptions being made as a result. At one point, Emperor Liu Shang mistakenly believed that a full-scale rebellion under Wei Yan at Hanzhong had already broken out, and he deployed a small imperial army to march on the commandery, only for them to be turned around halfway upon learning of Wei Yan's death. To this day, the details are still quite murky, though he most likely never betrayed the empire outright. Instead, his fierce and confrontational attitude towards his fellow generals seemed to have simply created the illusion of rebellion, which led to Wei Yan's downfall being as rapid as his rise.
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| Champion | Cai Zhong・Cao Ang・Cao Hong・Cao Shuang・Cao Xi・Cao Zhang・Chang Xi・Chen Jiu・Chen Lan・Cheng Yi・Dong Feng・Dian WeiS・Gao Ding・Gao Sheng・Guan Xing・Guan YuS・Han Fu・Han Hao・Hong Ming・Huan Lin・Huan Zhi・Huang Gai・Huang Zu・Huo Nu・Ji Ben・Jiang Gong・Li Damu・Li Huan・Li Yu・Ling Tong・Liu Shao・Lu Kang・Pang De・Qu Gong・Quan Rou・Sen Pei・Song Yang・Tao Ying・Tuoba Liwei・Wang Xi・Wei Huang・Wei Jie・Wen Chou・Xiahou DunS・Xianyu Yin・Xin Ping・Xu ChuS・Xu Rong・Xuan Fan・Yang Feng・You Tu・Yu Qin・Zang Ba・Zao Zhi・Zhang Fang・Zhang Fu・Zhang Guang・Zhang Lu・Zhang YanS・Zhao Du・Zheng Yan・Zheng JiangSF・Zou Lin・Zuozi Hangba |
| Strategist | Bao Xun・Bian Rang・Bu LianshiF・Cai YanF・Cai Yong・Cao Chong・Cao Zhi・Chang Lin・Che Zhou・Chen Biao・Chen Di・Chen Gong・Chen Lin・Chen Qun・Chen Zhen・Cheng Xu・Cheng Yu・Cui Lin・Cui Yan・DiaochanF・Ding Yi・Dong Yun・Dong Zhao・Du Qiong・Fa Zheng・Fan Qin・Lady FengF・Feng Shuo・Fu Gan・Fu Jia・Fu Wan・Gao Rou・Gaotang・Gongsun Xiu・Gu Yong・Guan Chun・Guan Jing・Guan Lu・Guan Ning・Guanqiu Dian・Guo Jia・Guo Tu・Han Ji・Han Ran・Han Rong・Han Yin・Handan Chun・Handan Shang・He Yan・He Zeng・Hu Zhao・Hu Zhi・Hu Zong・Hua Biao・Hua Tuo・Hua Xin・Huan Dian・Huan Fan・Huan Jia・Huang Wan・Hungfu Mi・Ji Miao・Ji Mu・Jia Chong・Jia Cong・Jia Xu・Jiang Ji・Jin Yi・Ju Shou・Kan Ze・Kong RongS・Kong Zhou・Kuai Liang・Kuai Yue・Liu Ba・Li Chao・Li Fu・Li Kang・Li Ru・Li Shao・Li Xiu・Liang Mao・Liu Dai・Liu Fu・Liu He・Liu Ji・Liu Yan・Liu Ye・Liu Yi・Liu Zhen・Lu An・Liu Fan・Lu Ji・Lu Kai・Lu Mao・Lu Su・Lu Xing・Lu Xun・Lu Yi・Lu Yu・Lu ZhengF・Ma Liang・Ma Midi・Ma Qiu・Ma Su・Ma Yu・Mao Jie・Mi Heng・Mi Zhu・Miao Xi・Min Chun・Pan Xu・Pang Ji・Pang Tong・Pei Jun・Pei Qian・Peng Yang・Qi Zhou・Qiao Zhou・Qin Mi・Quan Ji・Que Xuan・Ren An・Ren Jun・Ruan Yu・Shan Gu・Shan Tao・Shen You・Sheng Xian・Shi Wei・Shi Xie・Shi Yi・Shi Zhi・Sima Feng・Sima Fu・Sima Lang・Sima YiS・Su Shuo・Su Ze・Sun Qian・Sun Xu・Tao QianS・Teng Yin・Tian Chou・Tian Feng・Tian Jing・Wang Biao・Wang Can・Wang Dang・Wang Fu・Wang Jian・Wang Lan・Wang Lei・Wang Lie・Wang Su・Wang Xiang・Wei Dan・Wei Feng・Wei Shu・Wei You・Wei Zhao・Wei Hui・Wu Fan・Wu Shuo・Wu Zhi・Xiahou Rong・Xiahou Xuan・Xiahou Zuo・Xiahou Lang・Xiao QiaoSF・Xin Xianying・Xing Yong・Xu Gan・Xu Jing・Xu Miao・Xu Shao・Xu Shu・Xu Ta・Xu Xuan・Xu You・Xue Zong・Xun Wei・Xun Yu・Xun Yue・Yan Pu・Yan Xiang・Yan Yu・Yang Chou・Yang Dao・Yang Xi・Yang Xiu・Yao Tai・Yao Zhou・Ying Qu・Ying Yang・Ying Yu・Yu Fan・Yuan Long・Yuan Yi・Yue Dun・Zhang Chao・Zhang Cheng・Zhang Chunhua・Zhang Hong・Zhang Ji・Zhang Miao・Zhang Min・Zhang Quan・Zhang Song・Zhang Wen・Zhang Yun・Zhang Zan・Zhang Zhao・Zhang Zhen・Zhang Zhi・Zhao Ang・Zhao Qi・Zhao Wei・Zhao Yan・Zhao Yi・Zheng Mao・Zheng Mo・Zheng Sui・Zheng Tai・Zheng Xuan・Zhong Yao・Zhongchang Tong・Zhou Huan・Zhou YuS・Zhou Zhi・Zhu En・Zhu Gui・Zhu Han・Zhuge Jin・Zhuge LiangS |
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| Commander | Lady BianF・Lady CaiF・Cai Xun・Cao CaoS・Cao JieF・Cao Ren・DaqiaoF・Da QiaoSF・Dong PeishanF・Guan YinpingF・Liu BeiS・Liu BiaoS・Lady LiuF・Liu Yu・Liu ZhangS・Wang Lang・Lady WuF・Sun QuanS・Yuan AnyangF・Yuan ShaoS・Yuan ShuS・Yuan Tan・Yuan Xi |
| Healer (YTR) | Han Xian・He YiS・Liu Pi・Wang Du |
| Veteran (YTR) | Gong DuS・Guan Hai・Liao Hua・Pei YuanshaoS・Zhang KaiS・Zhao Bo |
| Scholar (YTR) | Guo Da・He ManS・Huang ShaoSWang Rao・Xu He |