Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty can really test your patience and for a beginner the first few hours of play can easily become overwhelming. Luckily, there are a lot of little things you learn along the way that ultimately make your trip easier.
If Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is your first experience with a Soulslike, all the little bits that add up to make your battles easier or harder are easy to overlook. Especially when the first boss you encounter is incredibly intimidating.
However, fear not, because we have fought and put in place this Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Beginner’s Guide filled with tips and tricks to make your experience much easier.
On this page:
Visit the training grounds
As soon as you start the story and find your first battle flag, you can use the “Travel” option to open the world map. On this map is an area called “Training Grounds”.
Visiting this area will give you a brief but useful insight into how battles work in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. From conjuring wizard spells to using your divine beast, to crucial blocking techniques to defeating the first boss, the tutorials prepare you for the rest of the game.
Certainly in the first mission most of these combat techniques are not available, you will always be well equipped for the challenges that await you.
Focus on Collecting True Qi
Ideally, this should be your priority from the moment you enter the main story. Building up your character’s strength is the best use of your time, especially in the first mission. The enemies you face will challenge you, but defeating them will give you Qi.
You can get Qi by defeating enemies. We found a good trick for this, we basically cultivated Qi when we found an area with a battle flag and easy enemies. Run between flags and defeat enemies along the way. Each time you pick up a piece of Qi, go rest at the flag to spawn enemies, then start again.
Monitor morale
Morale is one of those things that can go unnoticed if you skip the tutorial. We did it and immediately regretted it because it’s a key part of being able to fight difficult enemies. The higher your morale, the less damage you will take from your enemies and the more combat items you will have.
Morale can be cultivated the same way as Qi, but you should try to avoid getting hit by an enemy. When you are hit by an enemy, your morale will be reduced. Additionally, when fighting large enemy bosses, losing to them will significantly lower your morale.
The maximum level your morale can reach is 25, which is more than enough to take on anyone who dares cross your path.
Your enemies also have Morale, and knowing their level will help you prepare for battle. This is more useful for larger bosses, but you can also do this with smaller enemies.
To track an enemy’s morale, look above their head as you approach them. The colors will indicate one of three things:
- Red – Their morale level is much higher than yours.
- Yellow – Their morale is higher than yours, but not by much.
- Green – Their morale is less than or equal to yours.
Enemies in the red or yellow category may be more difficult to defeat, but they offer much better rewards. That being said, if you’re looking to farm Morale or Qi quickly, stick to the greens for now.
Deflect, dodge and counter
Going into any fight with your weapon drawn and swinging around aimlessly will eventually get you killed. Dodging enemy attacks and countering them are crucial things to do in order to win a fight. You can also deflect attacks, although we recommend only doing this for small enemies.
Most enemy attacks can also be dodged, but this uses your spirit level, so use it wisely. For smaller enemies, dodging one of their attacks should open a small window for you to take them down before they notice you.
For bigger bosses and some enemies, dodging is great, but countering is the next best thing. Normal attacks can be countered, but the ones you need to watch out for are uncontrollable attacks.
Before unleashing one of these attacks, your enemy will briefly glow red. If you counter this attack at the right time, you will make a powerful counterattack that will damage your enemy considerably.
Pay attention to your spirit level
Various actions can consume your mind. If your spirit level gets too low, you will be exhausted and extremely vulnerable for a short period of time. In big boss fights, it’s possible to get killed in those few sections, so monitoring your level is vital.
Your spirit level is displayed by the small bar below your HP in the middle of the screen.
The following actions all consume different spirit levels, so keep an eye on your level after each one:
- witchcraft spells
- Dodge
- Deflection after an action attack
- To counter
- Spirit Attacks
- Fatal Strikes
- Martial Arts
However, there are also many ways to raise your spirit level:
- witchcraft spells
- Normal attacks
- Deviant (alone)
- Replenishes over time
As many actions intersect between the spirit of giving and the spirit of consumption, the best thing to do is to constantly monitor the gauge in the middle of the screen.
Use Stealth Attacks
Where you can, use stealth attacks as they can usually take down a basic enemy in one hit. It helps you avoid being engaged in combat that could hurt your morale level, and it’s a quick way to take down enemies to farm Qi.
The easiest way to pull off a stealth attack is from above. Slowly walk towards the edge of the higher area to look at your target. Until they spot you, jump and press the correct command (you can check this in the settings) to perform a stealth takedown.
The next way to perform one is to slowly walk behind an enemy without being detected. Again, if you’re not caught, press the appropriate command to make the withdrawal.
Build and use sorcery spells
Around the middle of the first area, you can access your sorcery spells and learn new ones by resting on a battle flag. These will cost you points, but you collect them as you level up your character.
You can only wield four spells at a time, so if a set isn’t working for you in a fight, go back to a battle flag and change a few to see if they make a difference.
Sorcery spells consume spirit, but they provide many extremely useful benefits and attacks. Here are some examples of the benefits of these spells:
- Reduced consumption of spirits.
- Faster movement for a while.
- Fire attacks.
- Increased protection for a period of time.
- Poison attacks.
- Elemental traps.
There are plenty of sorcery spells to collect, and finding your perfect set will take a bit of experimentation.
Watch your equipment and the weight of your weapons
As you move from area to area slicing through your enemies, you’ll come across new gear and weapons to collect. We recommend picking up as much as you can initially, as you can sell what you don’t want later.
Each piece of gear has unique stats, which you can check to make sure you’re building your character to be strong in the areas you want them to be. However, some items also have a “set bonus” that gives you an extra benefit or two if you wear the full set of that item.
In addition, your equipment and weapons protect you but can also hinder you. Different items have different weights, and the heavier the item, the more it can slow you down in combat. If you want to carry or use a heavier item, you’ll need to think about changing your battle strategy based on the pieces you currently have.
You can check the weight of an item by selecting it from the equipment menu:
Summon your divine beast
Once you reach a certain point at the start of the story, you can unlock a powerful move that will instantly turn the tide of any battle. The Divine Beast is an action worth waiting for, but don’t forget to use it!
In the midst of fast-paced battles where you’re fighting to stay alive, revive your ally, and counter numerous attacks, it can be extremely easy to overlook some of the tools at your disposal. If you need a little time to regain some health, or just need to get away to a safe distance, you can summon your divine beast once its counter is charged.
Your Divine Beast gauge can be seen in the diamond formation to the right of your screen. We marked exactly where on the image below:
Listen to your allies
The allies you meet throughout the story who join you in battle sometimes have a lot to say, but they are worth listening to.
Often, even when it seems like they’re not talking about anything, an ally will actually give you some advice or a clue on how to get past a certain obstacle. Also, if you come across an enemy or area you’re not strong enough to fight, your ally can make a short comment to let you know.
With all this knowledge, it’s time to immerse yourself in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty!
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