Summary
Wuchang: Fallen Feathersis a new soulslike game that features plenty of signature elements of the genre, such as free-form exploration, minimal handholding for story and quest progression, and challenging foes to face every step of the way. While thegame brings fresh elements of its own to the genre, such as robust character progression via the Impetus Repository skill tree, flexible combat with dozens of signature moves, skills, and combos to master, and unique Madness mechanics, most soulslike fans will know what to expect and how to approach the game.
The first hours withWuchang: Fallen Featherscan be especially demanding as new players grasp its rules and mechanics, numerous terminology, and important gameplay layers that are easy to overlook. The best advice in such cases is to slow down and progress at one’s own pace, gradually learning all the new things that makeWuchangspecial. Aside from the main story path, there are plenty of optional activities early in the game that not only reward players with new loot and items but also make understanding all the game’s mechanics easier. Below are such optional activities that most players are recommended to tackle during the first hours ofWuchang: Fallen Feathers.
1Hunt For Aurum Feathers From Goldwing Birds
Listen For Bird Noises Around The World
Goldwing birds that drop Aurum Feathersare one ofWuchang: Fallen Feathers' numerous and fun optional collectibles scattered across the world. It’s possible to miss the first few of them, but eventually players will notice the birds' recognizable sound effects at certain spots. When hearing these special bird noises nearby, scan the surroundings for a sitting bird (the lock-on button can help identify them).
The best way to deal with Goldwings is to throw a dagger at them when locking on, although some birds can be hit easily with melee weapons. Each Goldwing rewards players with one Aurum Feather – a precious consumable granting a random boost to the character’s stats that can be quite handy during boss encounters. If knowing what to search for, players can collect over a dozen Aurum Feathers from the game’s opening areas with ease.
2Hunt For Bamboozlings And Trade Them With Panda Merchant
Think You’re Fast Enough To Catch Them?
Running-away Bamboozlings are another type of optional collectible (Bamboo Shoots) available inWuchang: Fallen Feathers, reminiscent of Scarabs inElden Ringor Scavenger Droids inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. These are much less common inWuchangthan Goldwings, pretty hard to miss, but also quite hard to catch. The thing is, upon seeing players approaching, Bamboozlings will run away very fast, giving just a moment for players to chase and hit them. Do not worry if missing them at first, as they will respawn after resting at a nearby shrine. With some practice, luck, and long-ranged weapons, players will soon become much better at hunting for Bamboo Shoots.
But what to do with them? It’s simple: fairly early in the game, near the Shu Sanctum area, players can find a cave with the Storyteller and the Panda NPC near the bonfire.Bamboo Shoots can be traded with the Pandamerchant for unique and powerful items such as new weapons and spells. Keep in mind that the Panda merchant will change location and expand their inventory as the story progresses.
3Talk To Every NPC You Meet, Then Talk Again
Don’t Let Them Get Away Without Rewarding You
Traditionally for the genre,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersfeatures little handholding, particularly when pursuing optional side quests for rewards. During their journey, players will meet numerous NPCs they can talk to to trigger their questlines,give them items, or receive rewards. It is absolutely recommended to talk to everyone as soon as they are encountered in each new location, as key NPCs often give valuable items or consumables to players mid-conversation, and if some interactions are missed, their quests could become impossible to complete.
It is also advised to talk to everyone more than once to ensure they have nothing new to say or extra requests to ask for. Note that many NPCs with optional quests are hidden behind locked doors and never shown in person, almost like inBloodborne, so they can be easily missed. When exploring the village, be sure to check every locked door or small tent for possible interactions, as there are plenty of characters to meet who can reward players with precious items.
4Get Rare Benedictions From Wu Gang NPC
Some Items In The Shop Are Superior To Others
Fairly early in the game, players will meet a Wu Gang NPC whom they can help on their journey. Later, Wu Gang will be available as one of the key merchants inWuchang’shub areas, with an ever-expanding array of goods, consumables, and valuable unique items. The best things offered by Wu Gang are generallyweapon Benedictions with unique propertiesthat can be used on any weapon, akin to runes in sockets. Such Benedictions can’t be found elsewhere, so players are encouraged to save enough Red Mercury to buy them early on. If struggling to gather enough currency, consider trading Red Mercury items often dropped by enemies or found during exploration to Wu Gang before buying what is needed from him.
However, don’t go on a shopping spree mindlessly inWuchang: Fallen Feathers, as many items sold by Wu Gang can be found during exploration. In particular, costly weapons and armor pieces can all be obtained in nearby locations, although players might need to farm enemies for specific and random armor drops if they wish to, but that’s entirely up to them.
5Explore A Lot To Unlock New Shortcuts
“This Door Doesn’t Open From This Side”
Like any great soulslike,Wuchang: Fallen Feathersfeatures sprawling, interconnected levels with numerous passages, locked doors, long detours, and secret shortcuts. At first, it’s easy to get lost when exploring the surroundings, as players constantly stumble upon branching paths, with several roads to follow, ladders connecting the ground floor with high-up areas and an expansive roof system, while checkpoint shrines are quite rare, often taking several minutes to reach from one to the next.
Thebest advice here is not to rush things, and to keep exploring every possible path to see where it leads. While many passages inWuchang: Fallen Feathersmay lead to dead ends containing only rare items or optional NPCs, many others will lead players to the other side of gates that can be unlocked (although some doors and gatesmay require a special key), or to ladders that can be pushed down, revealing much faster and more convenient ways to navigate the levels or reach another boss arena from the nearest shrine. So just take your time to explore, andWuchang’slevels that once felt intimidating will soon feel like home.
6Try Every Weapon Type
Not Too Many, But Each One Is Special
InWuchang: Fallen Feathers, there areonly five different weapon categories: Longswords, Axes, Spears, One-handed Swords, and Dual Blades, with around five weapons available in each category. Players can equip two different weapons at once and switch them freely mid-combat, even gaining access to special attack moves involving both weapons. The first weapons from each category are obtainable within the first couple of hours in the game, and it’s recommended that players actively try every new weapon they find to get used to their special movesets, weapon skills, and discipline moves (special attacks unique to each weapon).
Every weapon inWuchang: Fallen Feathersis different in terms of attack speed, damage, range, and other parameters, so unless players test them all, they will miss out on unique tactics for approaching specific enemies or bosses that can be much easier to deal with when equipping certain weapons. In addition, try to select what suits you most early on, and then stick with these armaments, upgrading weapons and their respective skills via the Impetus Repository skill tree at shrines. However, there is no pressure here, as players can respec their skills at any point in the game at absolutely no cost or penalty.
7Die At Max Madness And Face Your Inner Demon
A Valuable And Blood-Pumping Lesson
The Madness mechanic is one of the brand-new and standout additionsWuchang: Fallen Feathersbrings to the genre.Madness builds up through certain conditions, like killing humanoid enemies or dying, and can also be reduced through various methods, so managing one’s Madness levels is an important layer of gameplay. Achieving high Madness has its benefits, like dealing higher damage (but also receiving more) or unlocking certain combat perks, as many skills trigger only at 90% Madness or higher.
When dying at max Madness levels, players lose all their Madness and prompt a powerful foe, known as the Inner Demon, to appear at that spot, preventing them from collecting their lost Red Mercury. The Inner Demon attacks everyone in sight, so players can even lure it and use it to their benefit, but eventually, they will need to face and defeat the Inner Demon in combat.
The good thing here is that players most likely won’t have to try hard to trigger this element inWuchang: Fallen Feathers. Given that the game expects players to die often, sooner or later they will trigger their first death at max Madness, prompting Wuchang’s Inner Demon to appear at the place of their death. The first standoff against the demon may catch players off guard, but do not worry even if failing to defeat it. Treat this experience as a valuable lesson for the future and be ready to face it again.
