The first boss in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty offers a bit of a challenge. At this point in the story, players are still getting acclimated to a variety of game mechanics and systems, and Zhang Liang certainly acts as a litmus test to ensure that challengers have been paying attention.
Like any Soulslike boss, Zhang Liang is tough but fair. His move set is designed to challenge Wo Long players, but once his abilities are understood, the challenge of this fight is all in the timing. The best way to beat Zhang Liang, General of Man, is to master the techniques that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty impresses upon the player.
How To Beat Zhang Liang, General of Man
First, it’s important to understand what to expect out of Zhang. At the start of every bout, Zhang takes that heavy hammer and slowly slams it directly in front of him. The only way to really get hit by this is to run right at him. Run to Zhang’s side and start smacking him. Timing is imperative in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but equally important are spatial relationships and keeping the pressure on the opponent.
The best strategy for th fight is to continually hit Zhang Liang as much and as often as possible. Sounds obvious, right? Of course, nothing is ever so simple. Zhang doesn’t block very often, so a constant barrage of attacks is a beneficial strategy.
The true focus of the fight, however, is not Zhang’s health bar but rather his spirit gauge. The meter will fill reddish orange when Zhang takes damage, and it will fill blue when he’s delivering it. This is the same way the player’s spirit meter functions. When the player’s spirit meter maxes on the red side, it means that the player will be staggered. This works the same for the enemies. Maxing Zhang’s meter will leave him vulnerable to a heavy attack that will take a very sizable chunk of his health.
Of course, simply hitting Zhang isn’t enough to fill the meter. The best way to fill Zhang’s spirit meter is to perfect-dodge his heavy attacks. For console players, B or Circle will serve as the primary tool here. The heavy attacks are indicated when a red button begins to beam on Zhang as he powers a move.
Zhang has a few variations of the heavy attack, but they all follow the same basic principle. Each heavy attack is on a slight delay. Whereas dodging Zhang’s regular attacks may have a more seamless timing, Zhang’s heavy attacks are designed to disrupt the momentum and trip the player up.
Whether he is simply getting space and keeping the hammer low to wind it into an uppercut or leaping to strike from up high, the fundamental rule is to dodge with precision. Wo Long’s parry mechanic works best at the moment of contact. The timing of the strike needs to be about to hit for the dodge to do what it is designed to do. It may seem daunting initially, but this fight is designed to ingrain this rule into the player and make it habitual for every encounter moving forward.
It is also worth noting that Zhang has a myriad of other basic attacks. These can also be dodged to rack up spirit gauge, though the payout is not quite as big. Blocking can be helpful in a pinch, but more often than not, it may cause more issues than it’s worth, as Zhang can quickly put the player’s spirit meter in the red and cause a costly stagger. Always be sure to heal as necessary. Dodge Zhang’s combinations and keep striking him. Eventually, he will roll back to avoid a swing. After he rolls, it is usually followed by a heavy attack, offering the player the perfect opportunity to dodge and counterstrike.
When Zhang is staggered with a filled meter, there is a brief window where the player must hit him with a heavy attack. Using the heavy attack button (Y or Triangle for console players) will automatically trigger a short stab cinematic that depletes a massive chunk of Zhang’s health and takes him to the ground. Feel free to get more whacks in here because momentum is still key. Eventually, Zhang’s health will be depleted in full.
How to Beat Zhang’s Second Phase
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has added a second phase for Zhang Liang, which is far more intimidating than the first. After a short cutscene, Zhang will begin this phase with two wide swings of his new dragon arm. The distance at which the player begins this phase should be fine to stay out of range to process the timing of the strikes.
This phase still has some heavy-hitting regular attacks. The most concerning difference here will be an attack in which Zhang strikes the ground and causes a straight line of jagged rocks to erupt out toward the player. This is technically a regular attack, but the timing of it is a bit awkward to adjust to. Either sprint out of the way to clear it or dodge right at the point of contact.
Though he may look totally different, the fundamental strategy for beating this Wo Long boss phase is mostly the same. His regular attack combinations are still deadly but avoidable. This time, his heavy attacks have even more distance to them.
His favorite heavy attack will see him jump backward before striking at a great distance with the dragon arm. Again, dodge-parry at the point of contact. One successful parry of a heavy move in this phase should be enough to max his spirit meter and allow for a heavy strike.
The blindfolded boy companion is (remarkably) more useless in this phase than in the previous phase. Whereas in phase one, he at least has the illusion of appearing to assist the player, now he’s gone from the field of battle entirely. However, he does have one important call-out that is worth acknowledging.
Once Zhang is down to about ¼ of his health in this second phase, the blind boy will say, “Now, unleash the power residing in the jade.” This is a cryptic way of exclaiming that the player’s Divine Beast gauge is full. A prompt will appear on the screen with the buttons that must be hit together to activate this ability. Using the jade’s power will automatically end this fight with a victory and a cutscene that sets the tone for what will come.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.