WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers isn’t all too challenging to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, it’s early fights provide enough of a challenge as you get used to the games myriad mechanics, but they’re certainly not the type of bosses to have you stumped. As you advance into Tang Emperor Palace and meet Commander Honglan though, this all changes.
Commander Honglan is the first true challenge you’ll come to. She’s much more agile than the bosses you’ll have faced so far, has some brutal combos, and can also dish out some devastating ranged attacks once in her second phase. She’s a real test of both patience and stamina, and if you’re in need of help with taking her down, here’s our WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Commander Honglan boss guide.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers Commander Honglan boss guide
First things first, to actually start the fight against Commander Honglan in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, you’ll want to have placed the Buddha Statue on the small pedestal that is to the right of the Palace Hill Shrine.
If you’re yet to retrieve the Buddha Statue, face the Palace Hill Shrine and U-turn, then go along the path straight ahead of you. You’ll find the statue guarded by some minor enemies at the end of this short path. Once the Buddha Statue is placed, the Palace’s courtyard will be drained of water, meaning you can now enter it. Upon doing so, however, Commander Honglan appears…
Simply put, Commander Honglan is no joke, and given that a tooltip for Clashing and Deflecting attacks is shown before you enter the fight, that’s clearly what the game wants us to use against her. Now, if you’re a parrying veteran, this might be no problem for you, but if you’re instead someone who prefers to hit bosses over the head, dodge, and repeat, you’re going to have more trouble with this fight. There are a few ways of making things easier and a few strategies to try out though.
WUCHANG Commander Honglan’s moveset
Let’s talk about what to expect from Commander Honglan’s moveset first, though. As you enter the arena, she’ll gear up to perform a Dash Strike at you which is easily dodged; she does this often whenever you’re at range, and the attack has a long enough wind-up time for you to prepare for it.
Following her dash strike, there’s a few things she can do. Honglan may immediately try to kick the player before then punching them, or she may alternatively begin trying to sweep at you with her sword. In most instances, these combos consist of three to four attacks before she either retreats or unleashes one final attack, which might be an AoE stomp if you’re unlucky. That said, this AoE attack has minimal range and is easily dodged.
On occasion, she’ll also jump backwards before sending a bunch of projectile daggers at you in a wide arc. This is trickier to dodge given she dishes out the attack much quicker than most can react, but it fortunately does a tiny amount of damage.
When Commander Honglan reaches around 50% HP, things get a hell of a lot more unruly. She’ll now wield two swords instead of one, and dish out projectile arcs of water now that will not only do a significant amount of damage to you, but knock you back. These come out at vertical and diagonal angles, so to avoid these, your best bet is dodging sideways.
With her now being equipped with two swords, her melee attacks become even more aggressive and relentless, and will consist of multiple sweeping attacks at once.
WUCHANG Commander Hongland strategies
Now, there’s a few ways in which you can try and counter Commander Honglan in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers. The first is by making the most of the Clash and Deflect system, which will have been introduced to you just before entering this fight.
Clash and Deflect
Every weapon type has some sort of Clash and/or Deflect Skill that can be unlocked using Red Mercury Essence in the Impetus Repository, but the weapon type that is best for this is the Dual Blades.
That said, Clashing and Deflecting attacks require patience and good timing, as you’ll want to attack at just the right moment so that both yours and Honglan’s blades can meet. If you’re able to master this, you’ll be done with the fight in no time.
Obliterate
The next method of taking down Commander Honglan is best for Strength builds, or anyone who can dish out successive attacks. Every enemy in WUCHANG has an Obliterate value that is indicated by the small circle at their center; this fills up as you attack relentlessly, and if it fully fills, you’ll be able to dish out an Obliterate Strike on Honglan. This is essentially a Critical Hit, giving you an opportunity to do ample damage, and even squeeze in a heal if need be.
This is a risky time, as it requires you to attack Honglan just enough to keep the Obliterate value growing, but you also want to be cautious to not get hit given how quickly Honglan can empty your health bar after one bad move.
You can also try this alongside Clash and Deflect attacks. In the Axe branch of the Impetus Repository, there are Nodes that will allow you to Clash enemy attacks if you time your Heavy Attack just right and so forth. If you managed to time these just right, you’ll have plenty of openings for building up Honglan’s Obliterate value.
Don’t forget that you should also be Tempering your weapon, as this allows you to apply specific properties – including status ailments like Corruption, Burn, or Poise Break – on enemies, which will only make this fight easier.
Magic and Evasive Maneuver
If the prior strategies don’t work out for you in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, don’t fret, as this next one definitely will. It’s a little cheesy, however.
For this Honglan strategy, you want to use the Darkfrost Edge One-Handed Sword and put all of your levels into your Magic stat via the Impetus Repository, then equip the Burning Flames Spell which you should have unlocked by defeating the plague doctor-like enemy found in Doomwillow Beach. You can, of course, experiment with other Spells and see what works for you!
Now, the strategy is simple: keep your distance from Honglan where possible, dodge her attacks, and keep casting Burning Flames at her whenever you have enough Skyborn Might to do so. Don’t worry about melee attacking. Burning Flames is especially good for this situation given that it makes you dodge back before casting, and if you’re hit during this dodge, Alacrity is triggered (which allows you to evade some of the damage dealt to you).
While that’s the basics of this strategy, there is one more thing to consider, and it’s the whole reason we’re using the Darkfrost Edge One-Handed Sword for this fight in spite of the Astral Blade (which innately deals more Spell damage). That’s Darkfrost Edge’s Weapon Skill, Evasive Maneuver.
In between casting Burning Flames, you should also be using Evasive Maneuver (LB) to dodge attacks. Upon activation, this Skill comes with a built-in automatic second dodge, helping you to dodge any of Honglan’s follow-up attacks and ensuring your safety. On top of that, successful dodges stack your Skyborn Might, allowing you to continually cast Spells without too much waiting around.
Ultimately, you want to use Evasive Maneuver when you know you need to dodge one of Honglan’s upcoming attacks, and while trying to evade her follow-ups, this Skill will help ensure you’re safe from at least one of her next attacks while also stacking additional Skyborn Might. Once at a safe distance, you can use this Skyborn Might to cast Burning Flames, then rinse and repeat the whole process. It might take a short while, but it’s one guaranteed, relatively easy way of taking her down if no amount of practice is helping you with dodging her rather intense set of moves.
WUCHANG Honglan rewards
Upon concluding your duel with Commander Hongland in WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, you’ll receive Benediction Wei – Combo Force and the Reverent Temple Key, before waking up back at Reverent Temple.
For more on WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, take a look at our guide to how the Madness mechanic works, as well as what the best early-game weapons are.