As you make your first steps into Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, you’ll be challenged from the get-go. It is not a title that will take it easy on you, so prepare to see the Crushing Defeat screen a fair number of times at the start of your adventure. While your character controls like a dream, learning the perfect timing for Deflections and Fatal Attacks will be much more important than you think, especially by the time you come across Zhang Liang, the first boss. Let’s dive in and find out why he is so much trouble.
How To Prepare For Your Battle Against Zhang Liang in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
The first thing you will want to do is grind to your heart’s content. You’ll want to be at least Morale Level 25 before jumping into this fight, so you have a bit of an advantage over Zhang Liang. This also gives you plenty of time to learn how to master the Fatal Strike Ability, as well as how to properly deflect. He is fast and furious, so making sure you’re ready for his attacks is key to surviving this battle.
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Make sure you are coming into the battle with as little weight on your character as possible, as it can affect your deflection ability in a myriad of different ways. Find a weapon that you are comfortable with, farm with it, learn it, and become one with it. If you are lucky enough to have either a Staff or Dual Katanas, you may have an advantage and can stagger him repeatedly.
Finally, be patient. It can be tempting to run in and attempt to hack and slash your way to victory, but be smart in this battle. Leading in for a hack-and-slash fest is just going to result in you meeting your doom rather quickly, so lower your Aggro and get ready for one of the most challenging first bosses in a recent video game.
How To Beat Phase One Of Zhang Liang Fight in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
A few things to note about this first phase: Zhang Liang is going to be pretty slow, but also powerful. If you are feeling a bit hesitant, you’ll be able to block the majority of his attacks before your Spirt Guage fills to the brim, so you’ll have time to get it down before charging in for a few swipes.
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All of Zhang Liang’s standard attacks can easily be blocked, but we would strongly recommend deflecting them, as it will give you the perfect opportunity to unleash a Lethal Strike. Memorizing his tells, especially when it comes to his Critical Blows, can signal the difference between life and death.
Once your confidence has hit a proper high, you’ll be ready to deflect anything he throws your way, but until then, either block his standard attacks or dodge his Critical Blows until you can unleash a few swipes of your preferred weapon. Dodge backward for the best chance to avoid getting hit by a Critical Blow.
Once you have chipped away at his health enough, Zhang Liang is going to move on to his Second Phase. Yes, you heard that right, the first boss of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a second phase. This is going to require your deflection skills to be on point, so if you fail the first phase, make sure to keep practicing your deflection.
How To Defeat Phase Two Of Zhang Liang In Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
This phase is going to require one of two things: mastery of deflection, or a way to maintain distance. With two main attacks this phase, you’ll need to be on your toes throughout the whole phase, or have to suffer through the first once again.
Zhang Liang will drive his club into the ground, sending a wall of spikes in your general direction. If you’re far enough away, continue sprinting or dodge to either side to avoid taking a large chunk of damage.
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He will also ready his weapon and charge directly at you, which is a death sentence if you aren’t ready to block or deflect it. It has a rather large tell before the attack begins, so it will give you a fair amount of time to prepare. Run and make some tracks after slashing him a few times to chip away at his health.
His Critical Blow is the easiest attack to deflect, so continue baiting him into trying it on you. Deflect his long-range attacks as often as possible, so you can break his Spirit Gauge and unleash some major damage of your own with either Spirit Attacks or your own Lethal Attacks.
If you can deflect and hit him with three Lethal Attacks, you should have enough to fill up your Divine Beast gauge, which will trigger the end of this fight. It’s a challenge for certain, but the feeling of winning this battle is one of the sweetest parts of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, and you can wear this victory proudly.
