Commander Honglan is one of the most challenging bosses in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. Located in the Tang Emperor’s Palace, Honglan is a fully aware human. Her agility, unpredictability, and combos can give even some of the seasoned players a run for their money.
Defeating her requires quick reflexes, a well-thought-out build, and an understanding of the game’s Deflect and Clash system. Keeping that in mind, this article is going to provide a complete guide on how to defeat Commander Honglan in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.
Wuchang Fallen Feathers: How to defeat Commander Honglan
You can find Commander Honglan in the Lotus Pond area of Palace Hill, inside the Tang Emperor’s Palace. To unlock the boss fight, head down the left path from the Palace Hill shrine. At the end, you’ll find a Buddha Statue. Pick it up and place it in the stone holder on the right side of the shrine to open the gate.
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Recommended Builds and Weapons
Honglan’s speed and attack patterns make slower weapons like the Axe less viable in this fight. Instead, it is better that you pick weapons with fast moves and Deflect or Clash abilities. Here are some recommended builds that you can use in this fight:
- Stagger Longsword Build
- Clash Dual Blades
- Magic Shortsword
- Flame Spear Build
- One-Handed Sword builds like Phantom Flurry
Longswords and Spears are your best options as they can both Clash and Deflect with proper setups. You can respec your build for free anytime using the Impetus Repository, so switch your setup as you see fit.
Honglan primarily deals Slash damage but can also hit you with Stab and Blunt attacks during some of her combos.
So for your armor, equip something with strong Slash and Stab resistance, like the Ming Armor or Centipede Armor sets. Elemental resistances are unnecessary, as Honglan does not use elemental damage or inflict status effects.
Pro tip: Before entering the boss arena, defeat the lone enemy on the rooftop near the Lotus Pond to build up Skyborn Might. Starting the fight with a full stack gives you an early advantage in triggering heavy skills or spells.
Commander Honglan’s Moveset
Commander Honglan has two different phases during her fight. Here is an overview of both of them:
Phase One (Full Health)
Honglan’s attacks in the first phase include a mix of melee strikes, quick martial arts, and ranged dagger throws. Some of her most used moves include:
- Backhand Stab Dash: Honglan opens the fight with this. Its best that you dash sideways or Deflect to avoid any damage.
- Martial Combo: These are unblockable punches and kicks. Dodge around her to avoid getting hurt.
- Flowing Combo: he performs a chain of sword strikes with different delays. Deflecting her attacks during this combo interrupts her rhythm.
- Dagger Throw: She throws daggers while jumping back. You can follow this up with a dash attack.
- Dash Slash: This is a quicker but weaker version of the stab dash. You can dodge or Deflect her attacks here.
Throughout this phase, Deflecting and Clashing are essential for breaking her momentum and creating openings where you can deal damage
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Phase Two (50% Health and Below)
At half health, Honglan shifts to Dual Blades and adds wind-based attacks to her moveset. Her agility and damage both increase here. Some of her most-used moves during this phase include:
- Double Wind Slash & Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal Wind Slashes: These are long-range attacks that require precise dodging. It’s recommended that you never dodge backwards, otherwise you will get hit by the wind slashes coming towards you.
- Charged Wind Waves: These are delayed wind projectiles. You can dodge forward into them to close the gap between you and Honglan.
- Martial Wind Combos: This move introduces kicks instead of punches with an extended wind reach.
The second phase requires you to maintain and control distance during the fight. While Deflect is still useful, relying more on ranged Spells and well-timed dodging will make your chances of survival easier.
How to beat Commander Honglan: Tips and advice during the fight
Stay close, but be careful
Honglan can attack from any range, so it’s often better to stay close to her. This lets you react to her animations and potentially land a few hits between her combos. Use Deflect for her weapon attacks and dodge for her martial strikes, which can’t be countered.
Also read: Wuchang Fallen Feathers: Best Early Game Weapon Locations
Use Alacrity with Spells
If you’re using a magic-based build, unlock Alacrity from the Impetus Repository. This allows you to dodge incoming damage while casting spells, building Skyborn Might, and maintaining pressure. Recommended Spells with Alacrity include Echo of Lu Bingzhang and Aurum Feather Force.
Maximize Poise Break
Using heavy attacks from behind, especially after a successful Deflect, can help you quickly build up Poise Break, which can allow you to land an Obliterate Strike. Unlock the Poise Break Bone Needle from the Temperance tree to further enhance this strategy.
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Best Time to Counter
Honglan’s Flowing Combos and Dash Slashes are the most consistent opportunities to Deflect. Equipping passives like Sword Counter Discipline or weapon skills like Fearless Cleave or Phantom Flurry can help turn the tide by staggering her mid-combo.
Rewards for defeating Commander Honglan
Once Commander Honglan is defeated, she doesn’t die, so you don’t receive any new Spells. Instead, you unlock the following:
- Reverent Temple Key: Opens a side gate leading toward Cloudspire.
- Benediction Rune – Wei: Combo Force: Boosts your damage after performing successive attacks.
- Trophy: Unlocks the Commander – Honglan achievement.
