Wuchang Fallen Feathers: 8 tips for beginners
Looking for some tips and tricks for the first few hours of Wuchang Fallen Feathers? While it takes a lot of inspiration from other heavy hitters in the Soulslike genre, Wuchang Fallen Feathers also features its own innovations. To master this game, you’ll need to contend with an ever-rising Madness mechanic, an Inner Demon that manifests when you die, and one of the most expansive skill trees that I’ve seen in recent times, allowing you to do everything from becoming reliant on Madness to developing a style entirely dependent on mid-combat weapon swaps.
Beginners can easily be overwhelmed, especially since it takes a few hours for the nuances of the game to become apparent. In this guide, we’ll get you started by offering 8 tips and tricks for beginners in Wuchang Fallen Feathers, to help keep you safe as you set out across the lands of Shu.
1. Learn the game’s terminology
Wuchang Fallen Feathers hits you over the head at the start with a bunch of terms that are actually just renamed versions of what you see in many other games. The most obvious is Red Mercury, which is essentially currency and experience (or Souls/Runes if you’re used to Dark Souls and Elden Ring). But there’s also Shimmer (dodging), Clash (parrying), Skyborn Might (stacks that are consumed when you use abilities and magic), and even a unique stat called Feathering, which refers to how much damage you can inflict with certain spells. (In Wuchang Fallen Feathers, spells are categorised via three types of damage – Magic, Feathering, and the awkwardly named ‘Others’.)
All of this can be a lot to take in, but thankfully Wuchang Fallen Feathers provides a Terminology section in the Tutorial tab of its menu. I highly recommend that you give it a read after playing for an hour or so, just to make your brain comprehend what all of these newfangled words mean.
2. Learn how to Shimmer, build Skyborn Might, and Obliterate
Learning how to Shimmer (AKA dodge) is vital. This isn’t a game where you can parry from the getgo, since in order to do that, you’ll need to invest in Clash skills. Instead, Wuchang Fallen Feathers focuses on perfect dodges a la Black Myth Wukong, and whenever you dodge at the last second you’ll hear a notable sound and Wuchang will be surrounded by a blue aura (which eventually turns pink). Successfully using Shimmer generates a stack of Skyborn Might, a resource that is used to unleash powerful skills, weapon swaps, and spells.
Many enemies in the game also have an Obliterate meter that appears as a little circle when you attack them. When that circle is full, a Chinese character will appear on their bodies and they’ll be staggered. Lunge in with an attack for extreme damage, and know that this is the best way to stun some of the game’s tough bosses. Performing a charged heavy attack on a small or medium-sized humanoid from behind will also instantly open them up for an Obliterate attack.
3. Pick 1-2 weapon types and invest in their skill trees
Wuchang can use Longswords, Axes, Spears, One-Handed Swords, and Dual Blades. She has two slots in her inventory, and you’re rewarded for using two weapons thanks to the Swift Draw ability, which lets you expend a stack of Skyborn Might to quickly pull out your secondary weapon and unleash an attack.
Whatever weapon you select, be sure invest in its respective section of the Impetus Repository, the giant skill tree of Wuchang Fallen Feathers. That said, you don’t necessarily need to invest in two different weapon types – just two weapons, because each blade you pick up in Wuchang Fallen Feathers has its own unique attack. For instance, one Longsword might have an entirely different skill than another, and you’ll eventually unlock Disciplines, which let you customise these skills to your liking. So feel free to use two Longswords and only invest in the Longsword section of the Impetus Repository, if that’s your jam. Or, go with a Longsword as your primary weapon and a faster pair of Dual Blades as your alternate.
It’ll take time and experimentation to figure out which weapon type works for you – I started with a preference for the heavy thrusts of Spears, which are great for slicing the health of mobs down quickly, but I soon gravitated towards One-Handed Swords thanks to their magic capabilities (more on those below).
4. Respeccing is free
Wuchang Fallen Feathers is incredly generous with its respec system. You can respec whenever you want in the Impetus Repository simply by selecting a skill node and choosing the Reset Points option. If you reset a node that’s linked to other nodes, all of those nodes will be reset in a domino effect, and the game will tell you how many points you’re getting back.
This makes experimenting with different builds an absolute breeze. Falling victim to a swift boss who makes your heavy Axe swings useless? Respec and invest in an Agility build. Tired of dying or losing energy all the time? Respec so that you’re focusing on the nodes that specifically increase your Endurance and Stamina. More games could benefit from free respeccing, and Wuchang Fallen Feathers makes it so easy that you’re guaranteed to respec at least once or twice within your first few hours of gameplay.
5. Monitor your Madness – or embrace it
Madness is an interesting wrinkle in the Soulslike formula, and we’ve written an entire guide on how to monitor your Madness level and Inner Demon. In short, you’ll gain Madness whenever you kill humanoids who aren’t suffering from the Feathering plague, as well as when you die. You can lose Madness by defeating Feathered enemies and using certain items. As your Madness level increases, Wuchang’s eyes turn red and demonic marks expand on her body – meaning that she deals increased damage and receives additional Red Mercury from enemies. However, she also loses more Red Mercury if she perishes, and if she dies at above 90% Madness, an Inner Demon appears at the site of her death.
The Inner Demon’s basically like an Invader in Elden Ring, and you’ve got to defeat it if you want to recover all of your dropped Red Mercury. Beating your Inner Demon provides great rewards but also offers risk, not to mention a twist when it comes to the classic Soulslike problem of “how do I trek back to my corpse to get my stuff, and should I even try?” Best of all, the Inner Demon will attack whatever is in its sight when you approach – including enemies!
All of this is a sign that you can make your Inner Demon work for you, and you can embrace the Madness if you so desire. There’s an entire section of the Impetus Repository focusing on skills that amplify your attacks or generate health when your Madness level is high, and it’s very possible to make a character build that depends on Madness to be effective.
6. Summons are limited
Summons do exist in Wuchang Fallen Feathers if you get the Bone Whistle, a neat little item that will pop up in the game’s beginning when you chat with an NPC named Nian Suichang. But alas, summons are not the key to winning boss battles in this game, as you’re only allowed to use the whistle during certain fights.
Our how to summon guide has more details, but you should expect NPC helpers to only come into play when you’re facing a boss connected to their specific questlines. Don’t expect to have many tagteam combats in the early hours of the game, and most of the time, you probably shouldn’t bother equipping the Bone Whistle, since inventory space is precious.
7. Magic and One-Handed Swords go hand-in-hand
I’m sticking this tip in here as my preferred build at the moment requires two One-Handed Swords. Basically, if you want to go with a magic build – either as a sometimes-magus or a full-on spellslinger – you need to use these short but vicious blades. One-Handed Swords possess the Biding Time skill, letting them generate stacks of Skyborn Might over time. You need Skyborn Might to cast spells and use abilities, so a One-Handed Sword gives you passive generation, which is always appreciated!
The downside is that One-Handed Swords have limited range and aren’t as heavy-hitting as the other weapon types. You’ll need to invest in Agility and Magic skill nodes to make the most of them, and if you’re better at heavy strikes and spacing, you might want to go with something like the Axe. Personally, I love always having Skyborn Might at my disposal, and I’ve found that ranged magic is useful for many bosses who tend to overwhelm me when I get close.
8. Experiment with Pendants, Benedictions, and Tempering
You’ve got a few ways to customise Wuchang and increase her survivability. There’s equipping different pieces of armor, of course (all of which can be transmogrified using the game’s Alteration system), but don’t forget about Pendants, Benedictions, and Tempering.
In a nutshell, Pendants and Benedictions are accessories that respectively affect Wuchang’s stats as well as certain values such as her Stamina, Skyborn Might, and Obliterate power. Tempering is a series of acupuncture needles that let you buff your weapon, typically with elemental damage. A good build will balance all three of these. As a beginner, be aware that Pendants and Benedictions are available to use shortly after you start playing, while you’ll need to beat the first mandatory boss (Master Raider – Man-eating Dhutanga) to get Tempering.
And that’s a wrap on our beginner’s tips and tricks for Wuchang Fallen Feathers – you now have a good basis of knowledge for your first steps in Shu! If you’re ready to start strategising against bosses, check out our boss list, which contains the locations of all bosses in the game. And keep your eyes on Rock Paper Shotgun as we continue covering Wuchang Fallen Feathers in the weeks to come!
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