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Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – Fighting Honglan
Throughout most of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, you’ve faced off against feathered bosses, each more terrifying than the last. The Tang Palace has its own puzzles to solve, even though there aren’t many feathered creatures or rebels—just palace guards protecting something special.
When you meet Honglan, you realize how hard the fight is to protect a secret. Honglan isn’t a feathered creature but a human aware of her actions. This makes her one of the toughest enemies so far.
Preparing for Honglan
The fight begins when you drop into the drained pond at the center of the Tang Palace. Make sure you’re fully ready before entering this battle.
The game offers a tutorial on Deflects and Clashes, which are very useful here. Keep this in mind as you prepare.
Honglan is extremely quick and can reposition easily. Therefore, slower weapons like the Axe aren’t very effective here. Better options include Dual Blades and One-Handed Swords. Remember, you can change your skills at any time for free in the Impetus Repository.
Most of her damage comes from slash attacks, but she also uses stab and blunt strikes. It’s best to build your defenses to handle various damage types, but since she doesn’t use elements or causes status effects, focus on high defenses instead.
Using Clash and Deflect is very important. Clash lets you reduce damage and avoid interruptions, while Deflect cancels damage and briefly stuns her. These moves are most accessible with the Longsword and are very effective against her.
Honglan’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Honglan is almost fearless—she has very few weaknesses. She can be deflected because she attacks rapidly, but that’s about it. If you don’t have a Deflect, your options are mainly dodging or using ranged spells.
Her strengths are many: she moves super fast, can change her position instantly, and can extend or shorten her combos at will. She doesn’t have specific damage resistances, so you can add status effects like Burn or Corruption to her.
Remember, her quick attacks often can be deflected. If you don’t have Deflect, keep dodging to avoid damage and build Skyborn Might.
Honglan’s Moveset
Honglan fights in two distinct phases. The second phase requires maintaining distance. Here’s a quick look at her moves:
Phase One
| Attack | Description | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Backhand Stab Dash | Starts the fight. She performs a quick sword dash from afar, dealing high damage and knocking you back. | Dodging into the attack is best; dodging to the side gives extra room. Avoid running away because it tracks your position. |
| Martial Combo | If close, she punches and kicks with her free hand. These do decent damage but can’t be blocked or deflected. | Dodging around her is most effective. Keep your distance to avoid it. |
| Dagger Throw | When she wants to create space, she leaps back and throws daggers. She can follow up with a Dash Slash to close in. | Block or deflect the daggers. Watch for her follow-up attack after you dodge or block. |
| Flowing Combo | A series of sword slashes while she dodges around. These can be delayed or stopped. | Deflect if possible to interrupt her combo or Clash to avoid damage. |
| Dash Slash | A quick dash with a sword slash that closes the distance. | Dodging works well because it gives you time to react. |
Phase Two
| Attack | Description | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Wind Slash | From afar, she fires wind waves at multiple angles. | Dodges only; don’t deflect these, as they can catch you in the air. |
| Wind Dash Slash Combo | Her dash slash and flowing combos gain wind effects, making them harder to dodge or deflect. | Dodge away to avoid the wind effects and follow up with your own attack. |
| Charged Wind Waves | She pauses and charges wind waves, which can be single or multiple. | Dodge into them, and get close for follow-up attacks. |
| Wind After Effects | Most of her attacks gain wind effects, extending their reach. | Dodge away or deflect to cancel the attack. |
| Martial Wind Combo | Uses kicks and wind effects now, with no punching in the second phase. | Dodge away to avoid damage. |
How to Defeat Honglan
The Battle
Stay close to Honglan but not too close. It’s better to stay within range so you can attack and defend effectively.
Use Deflect whenever possible to block damage and interrupt her combos, but don’t rely solely on it—she uses punches and kicks that can’t be blocked or deflected.
An excellent skill is the Alacrity node in the Impetus Repository. It allows you to dodge just before an attack to negate damage and gain Skyborn Might. This is very useful in both phases.
Tip: After dodging her initial attack, you can still take damage from subsequent hits during her animation. Stay alert.
Another useful trick is to use a single Skyborn Might to perform an instant Charged Heavy Attack—if you get behind her, it can quickly break her stance.
In her second phase, Deflecting becomes harder, but skills like Alacrity and certain spells become even more useful.
The Rewards
After winning or surviving the battle, you return to Reverent Temple. You receive the Reverent Temple Key to open the side gate.
You’re also awarded a new Benediction Rune, Wei – Combo Force, which boosts your damage after consecutive attacks.
Unlike other bosses, you won’t get a new spell after beating her, probably because she’s still alive. With this victory, you can now explore the Cloudspire area.
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