Defeating Commander Honglan in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

I’m diving right in here, a bit all over the place, but bear with me. There’s this moment in “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers”—Commander Honglan. You can’t skip her. Seriously, she’s kind of a gatekeeper. If you thought you could just breeze through, well, think again. She’s like the teacher who surprises you with a pop quiz on everything you didn’t study.

Anyway, once you beat her—assuming you do, because I almost rage quit—you get this Wei – Combo Force thingy. It boosts your damage when you string hits together. Feels like a high-five from the game. Plus, there’s this Reverant Temple Key. Didn’t even know I needed it until I got it. Go figure.

So, let’s talk about finding this boss lady. Head to the Palace Hill shrine, with that unique sound of your footsteps on gravel, like someone’s crushing a bag of potato chips in slow motion. Seek out a Buddha Statue because, for some reason, you need to drain a lotus pond. That scene was unexpectedly calming. But then it hits you with the “boss arena” cutscene. Ominous much?

Okay, prepping for this fight—she’s human, doesn’t really care about elemental stuff. I tried fire. I dunno, just felt like setting things ablaze. Something about Burn damage, makes everything hotter (pun intended).

For gear, slash and stab defenses are your BFFs. Picture playing dress-up but with armor that can take a beating. Centipede Armor Set, anyone? Got it from Tao Qing after dealing with a giant bug. That was… something else.

Now, grabbing a weapon. Someone suggested a Longsword. Sounds fancy, right? With things like Sword Counter. But what stole my heart was the Axe. I mean, who doesn’t love the thought of going full Rampage? Like that time I tried axe throwing and realized I have terrible aim.

Phase one of this fight—Honglan is all business. Think martial arts movie with a twist. Study her moves, like she’s a dance routine, and you can’t miss a beat. Oh, and parrying? It’s like playing a game of “gotcha” with her sword swishes. Keep your hits to a minimum though (a lesson learned the hard way).

Suddenly, phase two and she’s all dual blades and fury. I swear, if you blink, you’d miss her transformation. It’s like she had a caffeine shot. Suddenly, it’s all about strategic dodging. Healing, too, but like, when she’s not looking.

Picture dodging left, right, with these almost ballet-like moves, only with weapons. Maybe try to make her dizzy? Stay calm. I kept telling myself that, though the sweat on my controller might’ve suggested otherwise. Slow and steady can win this race.

So, yes, Commander Honglan—expect to get knocked down but keep getting back up. She’s a skill check—a necessary evil before the game lets you explore further. It’s tough, but hey, overcoming her is kind of a brag-worthy moment, don’t you think?