Commander Honglan Boss Guide for Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

If I had one complaint about Wuchang: Fallen Feathers after my first 10 hours, it was this: The bosses were just… a little too easy for a Soulslike. Then I met Commander Honglan. She flipped that opinion hard. Honglan is fast, unpredictable, and merciless. Her mix of teleport slashes and martial arts combos makes her the first true skill check in the game, and if you’re not ready, she will absolutely wipe the floor with you. So I died. A lot. And eventually, after hours of trial, I stopped trying to fight her “fair” and built something safe, cheesy, and borderline brilliant.

Commander Honglan Boss Guide

So in this guide, I’m going to walk you through exactly how I beat her using a cheesy but very effective spellcaster feathering build. I’ll also include a more “honorable” longsword deflect strategy and a high-risk dual blades clash build, just in case you’d rather go toe-to-toe with her instead of dancing around the arena like a magical mosquito.

Spellcaster Feathering Build – The “Cheese” That Works

Stay safe, deal damage from range, and let magic carry you through madness.

Best Build Summary

Talent Tree Pathing (Impetus Repository)

Right Path – Damage Focus:

• Biding Time – Regenerate Skyborn passively
• Swift Blade – Spell damage boost
• Ascending Wrath + Feathering Nodes – Main source of damage

Left Path – Skyborn Sustain:

• Elusive – Gain Skyborn by dodging
• Skyborn Call I–III – Increase max Skyborn
• Energetic → Fury of the Skyborn – Reduces spell cost
• Alacrity & Unbroken Focus – Auto-dodge window + keep buffs active at high Madness

Combat Prep Tips

• Use Maddening Incense to reach 90%+ Madness before the fight
• Warm up your Biding Time stacks by light-attacking an enemy near the rooftop before the boss
• Right before the drop, pop Temperance to boost damage and start with full Skyborn

How to Fight Commander Honglan – Phase by Phase

Dangerous Moves to Watch Out For

• Charge Attack: She lunges forward from a stance.
  • Dodge toward her so she overshoots. Free evade and Skyborn stack.
  • She’ll follow with a combo—if it’s martial arts, spear her. If it’s slashes, wait until after the first hit, then cast or elacrity through.
• 50% Phase Transition – Water Blades: She flips back and throws two water blades.
  • Dodge left—the angle makes both blades easier to avoid.
  • If you’re off-timing, just Evasive Maneuver the second blade for safety.
• Post-50% Aggression Spike: More spells, more martial arts, more pain.
  • Prioritize Evasive Maneuvers here. It’s okay to burn Skyborn on defense—better than getting comboed.
  • Try to avoid capping Might by squeezing in a spell when it’s safe.
• Water Blade Variants – Three types:
  • Vertical / Diagonal – Same timing.
  • Horizontal – Slightly slower and tricky.
    • Watch her arms: one blade = fast (V/diag), two blades = slow (horizontal).
    • Evasive Maneuvers dodges all of them if timed like the faster ones.

Phase 1: Stay Safe & Cycle Spells

• She always opens with a teleport-dash → dodge away or use Evasive Maneuver
• Kite her at mid-range and only cast spells when you have 2+ Skyborn
• If you’re hit, wait for her high kick slam to safely heal
• Basic Loop:
  • 2+ Skyborn Might: Cast Echo of Lu Bingzhang.
  • 0–1 Skyborn Might: Focus on dodging, spacing, and building back your resources.
  • Stay mid-range: Easier to bait her charge and respond to other moves.
  • Optional: Light attacks can keep Biding Time stacks up if you’re comfortable.
• Finding Openings:
  • Use Echo of Lu Bingzhang at the end of her attack sequences.
    • Alacrity activates.
    • She pauses briefly before restarting her combo.
  • Avoid casting at the start of her combo—Alacrity might expire before she finishes.

Phase 2: Water Blades & Aggression

At 50% HP, she backflips and throws water blades. Things get spicy:

• Dodge left to avoid both blades
• Prioritize Evasive Maneuver for defense
• Don’t hoard Skyborn—cast to avoid capping
• Watch out for her horizontal slash variant (it’s slower—use dodge or EM accordingly)

Additional Tips

• Echo of Lu Bingzhang’s backstep animation helps you dodge passively
• Important Upgrade: There’s a talent in the left tree that drops all Echo spell costs to 1 Skyborn Might while you’re above 50% Madness. Take it. It supercharges this build.
• Don’t cast mid-combo—wait until her sequences end to fire spells safely
• Use your light attacks only to maintain buffs—not as a main damage source
• Alternate Spell: Consider Corruption for other magic-using bosses

Longsword Deflect Build – The Classic Souls Method

Prefer blocking and punishing? Here’s a more honorable method from fellow players using a two-handed sword:

• Bait her teleport-dash
• Use Sword Counter Variant 2 to deflect
• Follow up with counterattacks
• Patience and timing win this one—no fancy tricks, just good reactions

Perfect if you enjoy learning enemy patterns and rewarding parries.

Dual Blades Clash Build – The Risky DPS Machine

For experienced players looking to melt her with clash-heavy dual blade build:

• Use Battlem’s blade buff to heal on clash
• Stay up close and clash through most attacks
• Mix in Perfect Aim pistol shots to build stagger
• Keep weapons imbued with flame using extra Temperance charges

This one’s high risk, high reward—but incredibly satisfying if you can pull it off.

What If I’m Using Spear or Axe?

No problem—you can still bait her dash, dodge, and punish.
Just be careful: these weapons don’t have great deflect or clash synergy. Play safe, and heal only after long animations like her ground slam or water blade toss.

Wrap-Up: When Cheese Becomes Strategy

This build got me from rage-quitting to nearly no-hitting. And no, I don’t think that makes me a master of the game—but I do think I played smart.

Commander Honglan is the game’s way of saying,
“Hey, you actually need to learn the systems now.”

Whether you choose to cheese, clash, or deflect your way through her, the key is:

• Stay calm
• Don’t get greedy
• Know your openings
• And abuse the hell out of Echo of Lu Bingzhang if needed

If this helped you, feel free to drop a like or share your build in the comments. I’d love to test out your strats. And remember—sometimes, the cheese is the skill. Up next, if you’re looking to max out your character or you’re falling behind on your skill tree, check out our Red Mercury farming guide for Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.