Is Cao Cao useful in The Fantasies of the Three Kingdoms 2: Ballad of the Warlord? Analysis of Cao Cao's Warrior Skills and Effects

In the game "Fantasy Three Kingdoms 2: Ballad of the Warlord," Cao Cao is a very distinctive general, so there's no need to worry about the character's strength when asking if Cao Cao is useful in "Fantasy Three Kingdoms 2: Ballad of the Warlord." From his artwork, he appears more like a calm yet spirited young man. As a high-quality general, he demonstrates astonishing power in single-target burst damage and is a general that many teams require.

Cao Cao's universal skill, Armor Break, is powerful, granting him 10 points of combat will upon activation, while also giving himself an armor-breaking effect, though this effect only lasts for one turn. However, as long as the armor break is successfully applied, it increases his ability to ignore defenses by 20%, with a maximum of 1 stack. This skill plays a significant role in battles, making Cao Cao's attacks more lethal. His basic attack, called Blade Slash, mainly targets the enemy's front row, dealing 100% physical damage.

His ultimate move, Piercing White Rainbow, is a major killing move, capable of delivering two powerful strikes to any target, each hit causing 118% physical damage. If the target's health percentage is higher than Cao Cao's, the damage can be further increased by 10%. This multi-hit attack method allows Cao Cao to perform excellently against different enemies, whether they are heavily armored frontliners or more fragile backline units. Furthermore, as Cao Cao advances in general breakthroughs, after reaching 2-star level 2 breakthrough, the damage coefficient of his ultimate can increase to 124%, and at 4-star level 3 breakthrough, it can reach up to 130%, indicating a great potential for growth.

Cao Cao's breakthrough skill, Tyrant, is also unique. When his ultimate deals damage, it boosts his action bar by 10%. If he has Heart Demon, it additionally pushes back the target's action bar by 10%. This skill is unlocked when Cao Cao reaches 3-star breakthrough. After reaching 5-star level 2 breakthrough, he gains the ability to dispel one debuff from himself at the start of each turn, and the Heart Demon effect is extremely potent, increasing his critical hit rate and vampirism by 30% each, with a maximum of 1 stack, which cannot be dispelled.

Cao Cao's talent, Youthful Spirit, grants him the special state of Fearless Youth permanently at the start of battle. In this state, his critical hit rate is increased by 30%, with a maximum of 1 stack, and cannot be dispelled, adding significant burst potential to his attacks. When his health drops below 35% for the first time, Fearless Youth transforms into Heart Demon, which similarly increases his critical hit rate by 30% and provides a 30% vampirism effect, with a maximum of 1 stack. This transformation mechanism ensures that Cao Cao remains a formidable fighter at various stages of his health.

As Cao Cao progresses in general awakening, after reaching level 2 awakening, the Heart Demon state can increase his critical hit damage by 30%, further enhancing his output when at low health. After reaching level 3 awakening, the condition for triggering Heart Demon becomes less stringent, activating when his health drops below 60%.

Cao Cao also has rich general affinities. One of them is the Tiger Guard Affinity, activated alongside Dian Wei and Xu Chu. When any two of these three generals are on the battlefield, they share 13% of the damage received among themselves. When all three are present, this shared damage increases to 20%, significantly boosting their cooperative defensive capabilities. Another affinity is the Contenders' Strife, which includes Liu Bei, Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Sun Ce, and Yuan Shao. When any three of these generals are on the battlefield, and the affinity is active, each general from the affinity present on the field increases the entire friendly team's damage and damage reduction by 2% each.

This concludes the introduction on whether Cao Cao is useful in "Fantasy Three Kingdoms 2: Ballad of the Warlord." If you like this famous general in the game, he can be utilized in many lineups. It's recommended that players try to acquire him early.