Use Lock-On to Avoid Ambushes
When entering a new room or unfamiliar area, constantly use the Lock-On feature. It will automatically snap to enemies, revealing ambushes before they can strike.
Beginner's Guide & Tips for New Players
This Wuchang: Fallen Feathers beginner’s guide is the perfect place to start your journey. We cover all the core mechanics, essential combat tips, and crucial tricks for new players to help you survive the treacherous world of Shu.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Beginner’s Guide
Section titled “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers Beginner’s Guide”Before you dive deep into the treacherous world, understanding these fundamental concepts is crucial for your survival and progress.
1. Understand the HUD (Heads-Up Display)
Section titled “1. Understand the HUD (Heads-Up Display)”Your screen is filled with vital information. Taking a moment to understand each element of the Heads-Up Display (HUD) will significantly improve your combat awareness and resource management.
- Health (HP): The red bar representing your life force. It can be recovered with healing items like the Manna Vase.
- Stamina: The green bar below your health. Drains when you dodge, run, or attack. It regenerates gradually when not in use. Managing your stamina is key to survival.
- Skyborn Might: The blue icons under your health bar. This is a combat resource used for casting Spells and executing powerful Weapon and Discipline skills. You gain Skyborn Might by landing hits and performing perfect dodges.
- Madness: The circular meter in the upper right. This unique mechanic increases when you die or kill Humanoid enemies, and decreases when you kill Feathered enemies or offer Divine Gifts at shrines. If it reaches 100%, an Inner Demon will spawn at your place of death, and you must defeat it to reclaim your lost Red Mercury.
- Red Mercury: Your primary currency, displayed in the upper right. Used for leveling up at the Impetus Repository and buying items from merchants.
- Compass: The compass at the top of the screen shows your orientation. It also displays yellow arrows for nearby NPCs and red arrows for undiscovered Shrines.
- Equipped Items & Spells: The bottom-left and bottom-right corners of the screen show your currently equipped consumable items, weapons, and spells.
2. Understand the Story to Progress
Section titled “2. Understand the Story to Progress”Wuchang: Fallen Feathers does not hold your hand with traditional quest markers or a world map. To progress, you must actively engage with the world.
Your primary method of progression is to listen carefully to NPC dialogues. They will provide clues, directions, and context for your next objective. For example, at the start of the game in the Reverent Temple, characters will urge you to travel through the Lightzen Temple to reach the Shu Sanctum. This pattern of information gathering is central to the game’s experience.
3. Equip Weapons and Armor
Section titled “3. Equip Weapons and Armor”Combat effectiveness is heavily tied to your gear. There are 5 main weapon types and 4 armor slots.
Each weapon and enemy attack has a physical damage type associated with it: Slash, Blunt, or Stab. You can often identify the damage type by the visual effects of an attack. Equipping armor with high mitigation for a specific damage type can make a difficult fight much easier.
Similarly, armor provides resistance to various status effects like Burn, Corruption, and Frostbite. Before a tough fight, always check your inventory and equip the armor that best counters the enemy you’re about to face.
4. Familiarize Yourself with Combat Terms
Section titled “4. Familiarize Yourself with Combat Terms”Combat is deep and full of unique terminology. Understanding these terms is essential for mastering the flow of battle.
| Term | Effect |
|---|---|
| Skyborn Might | A resource used to cast Spells and empower Weapon/Discipline Skills. Spells cannot be cast without it. |
| Swift Draw | Expend Skyborn Might to instantly switch to your secondary weapon while executing its Weapon Skill. |
| Shimmer | A perfect dodge performed at the last moment. Successfully shimmering an attack grants you 1 stack of Skyborn Might. |
| Obliterate | A stagger state. Relentless attacks or a backstab will build up an enemy’s Obliterate meter, leaving them vulnerable to a devastating Obliterate Strike. |
| Clash | Attacking at the same time as an enemy will deflect incoming damage. Discipline Skills deflect fully, while normal attacks only negate a portion of the damage. |
| Deflect | A parry that completely prevents damage from certain enemy attacks. |
5. Level Up via the Impetus Repository
Section titled “5. Level Up via the Impetus Repository”The Impetus Repository is the game’s skill tree, accessed at Shrines. You spend Red Mercury here to level up and unlock new skills, passives, and stats.
For new players, it’s highly recommended to first invest in the Skyborn Skill Tree on the left side. This tree allows you to increase your maximum Skyborn Might cap and upgrade your Manna Vase for more healing charges. After securing these essential upgrades, you can then focus on the skill tree for your preferred weapon type.
6. Explore to Discover Hidden Loot
Section titled “6. Explore to Discover Hidden Loot”Exploration is heavily rewarded in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. Side paths and hidden corners often lead to unique armor sets, powerful weapons, valuable upgrade materials, and important NPCs that can advance the story. Before moving to a new major area, take the time to fully explore your current one.
7. Learn Enemy Patterns and Weaknesses
Section titled “7. Learn Enemy Patterns and Weaknesses”This is the core loop of a soulslike game. Every enemy and boss has a distinct set of attack patterns. Rushing in blindly will lead to quick death. Take your time to observe an enemy, learn the timing of their attacks, and identify their weaknesses. Experiment with different weapons and spells to see what is most effective.
Tips and Tricks
Section titled “Tips and Tricks”Here are some quick, actionable tips that can make your early hours in Shu much smoother.
Cuckoos and Pinwheels Show the Way
If you see black birds with gold-tipped feathers (Harbinger Cuckoos) or small Pinwheels, you are on the right track to progress the main story. Hitting a Cuckoo also drops a valuable Aurum Feather.
Glowing Red Mercury Means Level Up
Keep an eye on your Red Mercury count in the top right of the HUD. When the icon starts to glow yellow, it means you have enough Red Mercury to purchase a new level at the Impetus Repository.
Pose at Statues for Rewards
You will occasionally find statues with riddles. These are clues to perform a specific Pose (emote). Doing the correct pose in front of the statue will often reward you with a useful item.
Use Consumables to Save Your Manna Vase
If you ever run out of Manna Vases in the middle of exploration, make sure to equip and use healing items such as Steamed Bunny Bun, Raven Pill, and Health Pill. This can be extremely useful especially if you want to heal only a small portion of your health.
Face Bosses with High Madness
Having at least 90% Madness means that you will have increased damage output, but also have increased damage taken. Keep in mind that Inner Demons will not manifest when your dropped Red Mercury is inside a boss area.
Lure Inner Demons into Enemies
If you die with max madness and an Inner Demon spawns in the world, we recommend luring the Inner Demon to a group of enemies so they can take each other out. Stay at a safe distance and strike when they are low in health.
Smash Every Jar
Make it a habit to smash any jars you see. Some of them are Mimic Jars in disguise, which drop valuable upgrade materials like Red Feathers when defeated.