If you’re playing Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, then you know that Zhang Liang is the first boss you’ll encounter in the Village of Calamity. And if you’re not prepared, this Yellow Turban general can seem almost impossible to beat. But don’t worry, this guide will give you all the tips and strategies you need to prepare for and triumph over this brutal fight.
Preparing for the Battle
As the first mission in Wo Long, there’s not a whole lot of preparation you can do apart from the basic weapons you have and the three uses of the dragon’s cure pot for healing. However, you can make sure you’re ready for the fight by learning some basic Wizardry Spells. It’s highly recommended that you learn Enhanced Defense from the Earth Phase Spells, which will temporarily reduce any damage you receive.
To cast Enhanced Defense, you’ll need to have leveled up your Earth Virtue to at least two, while your Morale needs to be a minimum of three. Practice the deflecting mechanic, too, as this will be important to surviving the fight. Every attack can be deflected, but you should focus on parrying the glowing red unblockable critical blows. This will decrease Zhang Liang’s spirit, which can break his stance and leave him open to a fatal strike.
Strategy for Beating Zhang Liang
Now that you’re prepared, it’s time to take on Zhang Liang. Here’s a strategy you can use to defeat him:
- Dodge his attacks and wait for an opening. Zhang Liang is quick, but he has a few tell-tale signs that will give you an idea of what he’s about to do. When he starts to glow, that means he’s charging up for a powerful attack. This is your chance to dodge out of the way and prepare to counter.
- Deflect and parry his attacks. As we mentioned earlier, every attack can be deflected. But focus on parrying the glowing red unblockable critical blows to decrease his spirit.
- Attack him when he’s open. After you’ve deflected or parried one of his attacks, he’ll be open to a counter-attack. This is your chance to deal some serious damage.
- Repeat steps 1-3. Keep dodging, deflecting, and attacking until Zhang Liang is defeated.
Preparing for the battle against Zhang Liang is crucial, and there are a few things you can do to make the fight more manageable. First and foremost, make sure you plant flags on all possible locations on your way to the boss. Doing this will raise your Fortitude Rank, which is the minimum value that your Morale will not fall below if you die. Having high morale is essential, as it makes fighting tougher enemies more bearable. By planting all possible flags, your maximum Fortitude Rank will be 10, which matches Zhang Liang’s starting morale.
Another crucial thing to keep in mind is the Divine Beast mechanic. This is a crucial gimmick that will end the fight early and save you from unnecessary frustration. Make sure you pay attention to the prompt and use the Divine Beast mechanic to your advantage.
It’s also essential to practice the deflecting mechanic, which is crucial to surviving this fight. You can deflect every attack, but make sure to parry the glowing red unblockable critical blows, as this will decrease Zhang Liang’s spirit and leave him open to a fatal strike.
How to defeat Zhang Liang in Wo Long Fallen Dynasty
The arena where you’ll face Zhang Liang is quite unique – it overlooks a cliff and is surrounded by pillars of rock that can provide cover. But don’t get too comfortable hiding behind them – Zhang Liang’s large club can smash through them in one go! In the first phase of the fight, he wields his intimidating weapon with both hands.
The good news is that you can deflect any attack that Zhang Liang throws at you. The game even gives you a tutorial prompt to encourage you to do so. When you successfully deflect his attack, you’ll have a brief window to strike back and chip away at his health. You can also use spirit attacks (i.e. heavy attacks) to reduce his spirit gauge, which starts out long. As you do this, the gauge will whiten from the edges, making it easier to stagger him.
It’s worth noting that spirit attacks are more likely to interrupt his attacks than just a standard attack. Zhang Liang’s standard attacks involve bringing his club down from overhead, sometimes followed up with a leaping overhead attack. He also has a horizontal swing animation and a much higher jumping attack. However, all of these attacks have a long wind-up animation that you can anticipate, so focus on deflecting them rather than trying to score a quick hit.
Once you’ve punished Zhang Liang with a fatal strike, his morale will drop by one point, although his spirit gauge will also reset. Keep up the deflections and spirit attacks, and you’ll eventually defeat him.
When he winds his club back and a red glow emanates from within his chest, brace yourself for his unblockable attack. It’s important to anticipate this move, and if you have trouble with timing, creating some distance can buy you time to react as it takes a moment to connect.
After chipping away at his health and spirit gauge, staggering him twice and delivering fatal strikes should be enough to end the first phase of the battle. But don’t get too comfortable yet, because, in his second phase, he’ll have a new health bar and reset his morale to 10. He’ll also be much more ferocious, wielding a demonic left arm that can deliver some devastating attacks. Even with just his right hand, he’s still strong enough to swing his club with great force. So stay on your toes and keep up the fight!
Let me give you some more tips on how to handle Zhang Liang’s attacks in the second phase of the Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. He now wields a demonic left arm that he can extend to catch anyone within range with a sweeping motion. He’ll then wind up the arm before swinging it around again, so be sure to keep your distance.
Zhang Liang’s club attacks consist of a combo of two swings with a brief pause before the second swing, as well as a charged thrust that has a wind-up animation. He also has a ranged attack where he thrusts his club into the ground, unleashing a trail of spikes that shoot out in front. But don’t worry, just like in the first phase, all of these attacks can be deflected.
Watch out for his unblockable move, which comes from his demon arm. He’ll wind it up and shoot it toward you with great speed and range, so be prepared to deflect it. If you fail to do so, he’ll grab you and slam you down for some serious damage.
Stay focused and keep your guard up, and you’ll eventually defeat Zhang Liang in this epic battle.
As if Zhang Liang wasn’t tough enough already when he’s down to a third of his health, he gets even angrier. A red demonic aura shoots up in the area around him, and his morale is restored. He gains an extra combo with his club, swinging it up and down, and another unblockable attack, a charging three-hit combo with his club. And if you manage to deflect these attacks, he can still wind up his previous unblockable attack with his demon arm. It can feel like an overwhelming amount of attacks to deal with, especially when you’re running low on resources.
But there’s a ray of hope in the Blindfolded Boy. At the start of the second phase, he mentions something about “that jade,” which might give you the power to overcome this challenge. He’s referring to the Divine Beast mechanic, represented by a gauge on the bottom right corner above the Wizardry Spells. As you fight Zhang Liang, the gauge slowly increases, but it greatly increases when you deliver a fatal strike after staggering him. If you can manage to deliver two fatal strikes, the gauge will be full, and the boss will be down to around half his health. That’s good news because you won’t have to take down Zhang Liang’s whole health bar to beat him.
In the heat of battle, it’s easy to miss this prompt, especially if you’re playing with non-English audio. But if you summon the Divine Beast the moment you see the prompt, a dragon spirit will come to your aid and trigger a cutscene.
Even though you can’t stop the Taoist in Black from taking the Blindfolded Boy and your protagonist gets knocked off the arena, defeating Zhang Liang will still earn you some rewards. You’ll get his General of Man Bandana (2-star) and his weapon Great Club of Polaris (3-star), as well as 3,000 Qi and 3,000 copper. Remember to use the Qi to level up at the start of the next mission!
The adventure in Wo Long is far from over, and you’ll soon be crossing paths with the remaining Zhang brothers. But fear not, you’ll have some extra assistance to aid you on your journey.
