The first boss in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is Zhang Liang, General of Man, and defeating him requires understanding the game’s deflect mechanic.
The fight can feel extremely challenging at first, especially since it has two phases.
However, understanding and mastering the deflect mechanic will make everything significantly easier. Additionally, mastering the deflect mechanic will be essential for other boss fights.
In this guide, I will explain how to defeat Zhang Liang, the first main boss in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Also, before engaging the boss, consider checking out our guide on the best settings for the game to maximize performance and limit stutters.
How to Prepare for the First Boss – Virtues, Spells, and Equipment
Since this is an early-game boss, there’s not much preparation needed. However, there are some things you can do to make this fight easier.
In terms of armor, focus on having a Yellow Turban set (pieces are gained as random drops by killing Yellow Turbans). As for weapons, the best one, for now, is the Polearm Podao.
For virtues, I highly recommend leveling up Earth or Wood (or both) to level two and aiming for the following spells:
- Unstoppable Force (Wood Lv. 2) – Increases automatic spirit recovery and decreases automatic depletion
- Enhanced Defense (Earth Lv. 2) – Reduces damage taken and you can’t get displaced from anything except certain powerful attacks.
Then, place your remaining points into the virtue of your choice based on the build you want to go for. Early on, Fire is a great option as it increases the damage dealt.
Zhang Liang Boss Guide in Wo Long Fallen Dynasty
Overall, to defeat Zhang Liang, you will need to practice deflecting his attacks. Ideally, you want to deflect everything, but if you can’t, focus on at least the red-charged attacks.
Deflecting these will reduce Zhang Liang’s Spirit significantly and allow you to follow with a critical strike.
Zhang Liang Phase 1
The first phase is easier than the second, so it’s important to try and save your potions for now. There are two main tips here to make this fight easier.
First, your attacks, even normal ones, will almost always knock Zhang Liang back. Thus, you can stop his combos by attacking. The only exception to this is his red-charged attacks, which can’t be interrupted by attacking him.
Thus, for Phase 1, offense is your best friend as the boss will get staggered whenever hit.
For the second tip, it’s essential to deflect all of his red attacks. By deflecting them and then attacking the boss with your Spirit Attacks, you’ll break his Spirit very quickly. Then, you’ll be able to follow with a critical strike, which deals a huge portion of the boss’ HP.
When the boss’ HP reaches zero, a cutscene will play and Phase 2 will begin.
Zhang Liang Phase 2
For the second Phase, the boss will get significantly more aggressive and you won’t be able to stagger him and stop his attacks by attacking.
Instead, the best tip here is to deflect everything and attack once or twice when you have the opportunity. Deflect as many attacks as you can, especially the red-charging ones, and use your Spirit Attacks to break the boss’ Spirit quickly.
Additionally, after hitting him enough times, you’ll break and shatter his red-glowing arm while dealing massive damage.
Lastly, when the boss reaches low HP (around 1/3 of its max HP), you’ll be able to summon your Divine Beast (Triangle + Circle on the controller) to finish him.
Wrapping up
To summarize, that’s everything you need to know on how to defeat Zhang Liang, the first boss in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
As soon as you master the deflect system, this fight will become extremely easy. Also, learning how to deflect attacks will be key for facing most enemies in the game.
How many tries did it take you before defeating this boss? Do you have any other tips to offer? Let us know in the comments below.
With Zhang Liang defeated, you’re on your way to unlocking Divine Beasts. Check out our guide on the best Divine Beasts in the game that will help you thrive in combat.