Wuchang: Fallen Feathers isn’t a revolutionary Soulslike title that aims to change the subgenre, but it’s catching the attention of many players right now, in part because it’s available on day 1 on Xbox Game Pass. Wuchang, however, does have some issues with underexplaining certain mechanics, which is giving players a little trouble. 

Wuchang makes some changes to the Soulslike formula established by FromSoftware, the developers of Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. Those changes aren’t laid out so clearly, and unfortunately that adds a layer of difficulty to the game that doesn’t need to be there. 

If you’re struggling with Wuchang, here are some tips to help you beat the game. 

Get the Sword Counter 

An easy tip to start with is a better explanation of the Sword Counter. It’s available in the Impetus Repository (the leveling-up grid), at a shrine, and it doesn’t take many levels to unlock. The Sword Counter is the game’s equivalent of the parry found in other FromSoftware games. It looks like a standard block, but if you time it right, you’ll parry the attack and receive no damage. 

But that’s not all. Next to the Sword Counter node on the grid are two variants that are also worth getting. By unlocking all three, when enemies attack you, you can deflect their attacks and knock them to the ground to sneak in extra hits. 

Something to keep in mind is that the Sword Counter can only deflect weapon attacks, so enemy punches or kicks can’t be parried. Also, with bosses, your deflects may only give you a window to get a free hit or two, but they have greater value in raising the bosses’ Obliterate meter, which is a circle that increases after successive attacks. Fill this up, and the boss will be staggered, which will allow for a critical attack to deal big damage. 

Unlocking the upgrades for your weapons

Along with the improved attacks, new weapon abilities, and stat increases, the Impetus Repository (the game’s name for its skill tree) has nodes to improve a weapon class. You need to unlock the node first and then acquire feathers to upgrade the weapon. The upgrade for a weapon class affects all weapons, so improving longswords by +3 means every longsword in the game will also be +3. 

You’ll need specific items for these upgrades, which are usually found on tougher enemies with red eyes and can sometimes be purchased from the merchants. There are Faint, Brilliant and Radiant Red Feathers needed for upgrades, with Radiant ones being the best of the three. 

Respec all the time

One useful mechanic in Wuchang is the option to respec, or reallocate your upgrades, at any time. If you feel like you’re a little weak or there’s something you haven’t tried yet, make sure to respec — don’t worry, it’s free and can be repeated indefinitely. 

On the Impetus Repository, there’s the option to undo an upgrade to just one node, or you can do it for an entire path. If a weapon like the axe has been doing well against bosses but there’s one boss who’s just too fast to land any attacks, then it’s time to respec and try another weapon. There’s no shame in doing so. And who knows? The new weapon might end up being your favorite. 

Wear the right equipment

Like in any Souslike, there are different status effects that build up over time, such as Burn or Blight, this game’s name for poison. Enemies in certain areas will focus on different status effects with their attacks, like how enemies in colder climates can cause Frostbite buildup. There are consumable items you can use to remove the effect or stop the buildup, but in the case of status effects like Despair and Corruption, if your armor resistance isn’t high enough, you can get killed almost immediately from the effect. If you find that happening (and you can tell it happens due to the status effect icon in the middle of the screen), then consider changing your equipment to better resist the status effects you’re running into. 

Armor in Wuchang is very situation-based. Some will offer a lot of slash and stab protection, which is great for bosses with swords or spears, but it may offer no protection against Blight, which means you can be poisoned very quickly. In general, armor that’s the best to protect against physical attacks is horrible for status effects, hence you can die almost instantly in certain areas. If you notice that happening, make sure to switch up your armor for the right occasion. 

Explore, explore, explore 

Like any good Soulslike with quality level design, like Wuchang, there are different paths available and some are easy to overlook. So many side paths in Wuchang seemingly lead to dead ends, but you’d be surprised how many will lead to entirely new areas. Not only can you find powerful items and weapons, but there are entire sections of a map with their own bosses you might have skipped. I missed out on multiple locations as I rushed through the game on my first runs through levels. If you’re having trouble with a boss, spend some time to backtrack a bit and explore every nook and cranny in an area. 

Another point to keep an eye out for is the teleport option at the Shrine. If there’s an NPC you should talk to, there will be a small face next to the location listing. These NPCs can give you items or help out with a boss fight, but some won’t be right next to the shrine. In general, places you come across with no enemies and something like a fire tend to be locations where an NPC will eventually appear. 

Just die if you’re mad 

Probably the most interesting mechanic in Wuchang is the Madness effect, which increases global damage that you deal and get dealt in return. Madness can increase or decrease, depending on what enemies you kill, but it increases significantly after dying. Once Wuchang’s madness reaches above 90%, the next time she dies, an orb that lies where the death happened will manifest into an Inner Demon, and if it kills you or is defeated, the Madness meter goes back to zero. This is very interesting for longtime Souls players because it acts as a punishment for players that can easily be overcome, and in a way, helps get the frustration out for dying. 

There is, however, a problem. If you die at the hands of a boss over and over again, the orb will be inside the boss arena and the Inner Demon won’t spawn. The result is that Madness, which if above 90% will increase the damage of your attacks while also increasing the damage you take, won’t go down. You can try to defeat some enemies to lower it, or make a donation to the statue at the Shu Sanctum, but the Madness meter will still shoot up if you die. 

If this happens to you, then you need to bite the bullet and just die somewhere else, ideally right near the shrine. When you respawn, you can head to the orb, take down the Inner Demon, and you’ll be back to zero Madness. 

Don’t forget to emote

Across the game, there will be certain shiny spots that aren’t signs. It could be a statue, an urn, or a grave marker. Inspect these locations and a message will pop up with a few words in blue. Those words can be «Pay your respect» or «Tai chi.» 

When you come across these spots, pull up the pose, or emotes, menu. You’ll see multiple poses, such as worship, examine and a very obvious one, Tai Chi. Assuming the pose at the specific location will unlock a clue about Wuchang’s past, or give up an item. 

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series consoles for $50. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the game as part of their subscription. 

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is one of the best Soulslike games released this year. It’s also one of the cruelest, as players will be having a fun time with the game only to be smacked hard in the face by a punishing boss — in my case, it was the formidable  Commander Honglan who stopped me in my tracks.

Located at the Lotus Pond at the Place, Commander Honglan is Wuchang’s first real challenge and an obvious skill check by developer Leenzee Games. It’s evident that to proceed, players need to get to a certain skill level when fighting her, and if not, they’ll be in a lot of trouble, slamming themselves against this wall of a boss until they find a way forward. 

Here are some tips on how to defeat Commander Honglan in Wuchang. 

Make sure you’ve leveled up enough

First off, make sure you’re at the appropriate level to fight Commander Honglan. Yes, you can fight practically every boss at level 1 if you want to, but leave that to speedrunners. Ideally, you should have five Manna Vase charges so you have enough healing. Also, your weapons should be upgraded to plus-3 to be doing enough damage. 

You should also consider unlocking the Rapid Temperance node and either the Blight, Corruption or Poise Break Bone Needles, which she’s weak to. Blight and Corruption will slowly deplete her health, while Poise Break will cause a big chunk of damage when it builds up to 100%.

Try a different weapon 

I get it — up to now, you’ve probably used the axe or the war staff to run over enemies. Just forget about using the slow weapons on her. She’s just too tough. Your best bet is to switch up to the longsword because…

Counter, counter, counter

The Sword Counter is an unlockable ability in the longsword path of Wuchang’s skill tree, and it’s necessary for this fight. There’s even a message before jumping into the Lotus Pond mentioning deflecting attacks, which is the game’s version of parrying — but it’s not clear you need this specific skill unlocked to parry. 

With the Sword Counter, you’ll be able to deflect her sword attacks if you’ve timed it right. The window isn’t as tight as might be expected from a Souls game, so as long as you hit the Sword Counter button as soon as an attack starts, you’ll be able to deflect. If you unlock the variant nodes connected to Sword Counter, you’ll be able to land two free hits after the deflect. Take advantage of this because the parry as well as the attacks will contribute to Honglan’s Obliterate meter, allowing you to make a critical hit. 

Bring an extra heal or two

Nothing’s more frustrating than being one hit away from defeating a boss only to be out of health flasks. Make sure to bring in one extra consumable healing item equipped in a quick access slot, such as a Steamed Bunny Bun, Soulgrass or Cornucopia Elixir. Keep in mind, these items won’t auto-replenish, so use them as a last resort when you’re a hit or two away from taking her down. 

Prepare your equipment before jumping in

To get an advantage at the beginning of the fight, consider using some items at the start. You can use Temperance to start with an attack buff on your weapon, Lantern Fruit to reduce stamina costs for your dodges, and Soft Rush to increase your stamina recovery. 

Prepare your armor and equipment before heading into the fight, too. You should have two pendants to reduce the damage you receive and one pendant to increase your stamina recovery. Also, your armor should be focused on slash, stab and blunt resistance: her sword attacks impart slash and stab damage, and her kicks deal blunt. 

Buy the ward from the Panda

Outside the Shu Sanctum is a path that leads to a Panda. This bear is a merchant who wants only bamboo shoots. You can acquire these shoots from Bamboozlings, the little green creatures that quickly run away when you’re near. Attacking one of these creatures will drop a Bamboo Shoot for special items. 

One of those items is the Divine Ward spell. This will reduce the physical damage you receive, and because you’ll be dodging many of Honglan’s attacks, you’ll have plenty of Skyborn Might points available. Use this spell whenever you have a quick second to cast it because it’ll help in the fight. 

Watch her moves 

When fighting Honglan, here are the moves to focus on. 

Lunge attack: This is the first move she makes in the fight, and it’s easily counterable. Remember, after the deflect, just hit her for two attacks and don’t get greedy, or else you’ll run smack into her foot, which can’t be parried. 

Punch and kicks: Honglan has multiple martial arts attacks, including a big overhead stomp. Don’t try to counter these attacks or even be within arm’s length, because you’ll get hit. Just keep dodging. 

Dagger throw: If you’re far away, Honglan will throw out multiple daggers. These are easy to block or dodge. 

Wind slash: In the second phase of the fight, Honglan will proceed to attack with wind slashes that are either vertical or horizontal. It takes a little bit of practice, but the vertical ones are easily dodgeable — just move right or left. The horizontal slash, however, is tricky with the timing. You either need to dodge twice to the left or right, or dodge forward. Don’t try to dodge back. 

Quick lunge: Honglan has another very quick dash attack. Better to dodge than try to counter, because it’s so fast. 

Spinning sword attacks: She’ll also use two different spin attacks at different times. Though the first hit can be deflected, the follow-ups can’t, so it’s better to just dodge this attack. 

Leap attack: The attack where Honglan is the most open is the leap attack. She’ll jump in the air and come down with a powerful twin sword attack. Luckily, it’s easy to dodge. Time your dodge so you can avoid the attack, and then dash-run into her to make follow-up attacks. 

Commander Hoglan’s fighting in Wuchang can seem impossible at first, but with these tips, you can be successful. 

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is out now for $50 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play the game as part of their subscription.