WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers features multiple systems that you’ll be spending some time getting to grips with, and following your first boss, you’ll be introduced to Tempering. This particular system allows you to use items known as Needles to imbue your weapons with certain status elements and effects.
This is one of multiple ways in which you can upgrade the power of your weapons and enhance your overall build in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, and it shouldn’t be neglected. Here’s everything you need to know about Tempering in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Tempering guide
Tempering is a system that allows you to enhance and transform your chosen weapon in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, and will become available to you at any Shrine following the defeat of your first key boss, Master Raider, Man-eating Dhutanga.
Ultimately, Tempering lets you improve your weapons by adding items known as Needles into slots called Acupoints; you could think of Tempering as similar to WUCHANG’s Benedictions (which are essentially weapon charms), but Tempering is a lot more transformative, allowing you to add status elements such as Burn and Lightning to your gear if you fancy, and so forth.
There are two types of Needles: Bone Needles and Stone Needles, and only one Bone Needle can be equipped at a time when Tempering. This acts as your primary Temperance effect, while all effects provided by Stone Needles – which can be socketed in the remaining Acupoint slots – will enhance your chosen Temperance effect.
Once unlocked, you can access the ‘Temper’ menu at any Shrine. Here, you are presented with five different Acupoints: the Yangchi Acupoint, Huizhong Acupoint, Tianjiing Acupoint, Xiaoluo Acupoint, and Jiaoliao Acupoint. That said, only the Yangchi and Huizhong Acupoints are unlocked following the Master Raider fight.
Another Acupoint can be unlocked in the leftmost branch of the Impetus Repository – the specific Skill node is named ‘Alteration’ – using Red Mercury Essence. As for the remaining Acupoints, we aren’t certain when you unlock these just yet, but we’ll update this page once we do.
With your Needles socketed into Acupoints, you can then use the ‘Temperance’ item in your inventory to apply Tempering to your weapon, transforming it into a Fire weapon or whatever other ailment you’ve chosen to equip. If you plan on Tempering often, equip this item to your toolbelt.
If you’re hoping to unlock more Needles to assign to these Acupoint slots, keep on reading.
How to unlock more Tempering Needles in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers
Different Bone Needles and Stone Needles can be inserted into each available Acupoint when Tempering in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers. The special effects that your weapon receives will be dictated by the Needle you assign to your weapons, as well as the innate traits of your chosen weapons.
While some of these Needles can only be acquired after beating specific enatmost branch of the Impetus Repository.
Here, you’ll find multiple Bone Needles that provide various status element effects such as Lightning, Blight, or Poise Break, that you can unlock using Red Mercury Essence. You can then revisit the Tempering menu to equip these before continuing your journey across the land of Shu.
There are some light enemy encounter spoilers ahead.
Needles tied to specific encounters are as follows.
- Bone Needle – Flame: Unlocked after defeating Master Raider, Man-eating Dhutanga.
- Shadow Stone Needle – Strength: Dropped by Wuchang’s Inner Demon after going down the elevator from Lu Mansion (Doomwillow Beach).
For more on WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, take a look at our guide to the Madness mechanic and how it works, as well as our tips and tricks to help you out with the rest of the game.