Wo Long Fallen Dynasty Zhuyan boss tips and strategy
Ape escape.
Zhuyan is a fearsome ape-like demon of Chinese legend, who you encounter midway through Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty’s second mission - Two Chivalrous Heroes. An ominous creature whose appearance usually heralds the coming of a ruinous war, he can be an intimidating foe and he’s just the first of two beast bosses you’ll need to take down in this mission.
Fortunately, as the title of this Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty mission alludes to, you won’t be facing this boss alone as you’re accompanied by warlord Zhao Yun who will at the very least be able to keep the ape distracted giving you some breathing room.
But, just because you have AI assistance, doesn’t mean Zhuyan will go easy on you, so this guide will provide you with all the information and tips you’ll need to send this mountain monster packing.
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How to prepare for Zhuyan in Wo Long Fallen Dynasty
The Two Chivalrous Heroes mission is recommended for players at Level 5, which you should already be at following the previous mission. Zhuyan’s starting morale is 10, so also ensure you’ve planted flags to increase your Fortitude Rank. If you have managed to avoid dying and fought enough enemies along the way, you may even find it possible to have your morale at 10 by this point.
Enhanced Defence is a Wizardry Spell you should have learned and equipped, but another useful one to have is Absorb Vitality. This allows you and your allies to temporarily restore HP when you deal damage, which is great to have when you’re able to punish a staggered enemy, saving you the need to use a swig of your dragon’s cure pot. This spell requires having your Wood virtue levelled up to three and you’ll also have to learn the Lightning Bolt spell as well.
Indicated by text, this boss fight also teaches you to focus on reducing the upper limit of the boss’s spirit gauge, so they can be staggered much sooner, by using spirit attacks or deflections. Although this is something you should have already been practising against Zhang Liang previously, so you should already be prepared for this.
Zhao Yun will also be fighting alongside you here, so you can sometimes rely on him to bait the ape while you take a moment to recover or score some free hits when his back is turned. He’s tankier than you are but bear in mind he can still be downed, though you’ll have an opportunity to revive him if this happens.
How to defeat Zhuyan in Wo Long Fallen Dynasty
Zhuyan has massive arms that he likes to get up close to pound you with. Good news then that all of these attacks can be deflected, so let’s go over what those attacks are.
His attacks generally consist of him swinging his right arm at you or slamming it down on the ground in front. He may also do a combo where he swings his right, then his left, before slamming his right down, so you’ll need to stay alert to deflect one after the other.
He has another attack where he jumps up and slams both arms down on the ground, which can also produce AOE damage. Sometimes he does this twice in succession or might even follow up with an unblockable somersaulting slam - though this one he can also do on its own.
His other unblockable attack to look out gives you more time to anticipate as he performs a backflip and then flies feet-first towards you with a viciously fast corkscrew kick. We’re not sure if the backflip can damage you as he tends to charge this up from a distance, but be ready to deflect the moment his feet touch the ground after the backflip.
Being able to deflect this unblockable is important as he stands to increase his morale if it connects, but he’s also left open for punishment for a couple seconds afterwards allowing you some free hits. A combo that ends with a spirit attack is highly recommended here as it will greatly push his spirit gauge into the red. In fact, the unblockable attack already consumes some of Zhuyan’s spirit, so we found by deflecting this attack and then performing a spirit combo it can be enough to stagger him for a fatal strike.
Although you’ll take down a morale point with the fatal strike, be warned that Zhuyan quickly restores it once he’s down to about two-thirds of his health, as he roars and creates a red demonic aura around him. Though, fortunately, this aura doesn’t have any adverse effects on you. He will, however, gain a ranged attack where he throws a boulder at you, and, while this can be deflected, it won’t affect his own spirit gauge.
During this time, Zhao Yun will also be fighting alongside you, so it’s a good idea to be positioned at opposite sides of the arena. This will allow you to score some free hits while the ape’s back is turned, retreat to use your dragon’s cure pot or one of your Wizardry Spells (remember to try and cast Absorb Vitality if Zhuyan’s spirit gauge is getting close to stagger). Be warned that when he turns to face your ally, the actual turning of his body (or perhaps it’s his tail whip?) can damage you, so either block or deflect this.
Along with the damage you’re dealing while trying to bring down Zhuyan’s spirit gauge, three fatal strikes from staggering him should be enough to slay that ape, making this a fairly quick fight, provided you don’t get pounded too early.
If you need help getting started in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, then check out our beginner's tips and tricks. When it comes to bosses, we have strategies for Zhang Liang, Zhuyan, Fengxi, Zhang Bao and Zhang Jiao. Don't forget to take a look at our Marking Flag locations, Vengeance Flags and how to feed Shitieshou guides too.
Zhuyan reward in Wo Long Fallen Dynasty
Vanquishing Zhuyan will earn you 3,500 Qi and 3,015 copper (although the totals of both can increase depending on the gear you have equipped) while he also drops a Yellow Turban Champion Helmet (4-star) and a Yellow Turban Champion Armor (3-star).
The end of this fight will also see you swearing an oath with Zhao Yun which then gives you Qilin’s Jade, allowing you to summon Qilin, the first of many Divine Beasts. His summoning attack inflicts powerful sharp stones from the ground that greatly damage any enemy that comes into contact with them, or you can use the Divine Beast’s resonance to imbue elemental stone damage to your weapon for a short time, while you’ll also temporarily take less damage and have increased automatic spirit recovery.
With Zhao Yun continuing by your side, your mission however isn’t over yet, as you’ve got another demonic beast to take on next!