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Combat in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is centered around a unique system known as 'spirit.' Like nearly all games in the 'souls like' genre, combat in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty must be carefully measured against a finite resource. In many of these games, that resource takes the form of a stamina bar, with players needing to keep a close eye on any given action's cost. In many ways, this is true of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Certain attacks, and all spells, are charged against the player's available spirit. However, there are some key differences within the spirit system that are important to keep in mind.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's version of the stamina bar is called the 'spirit gauge.' While many 'soulslike' games will have separate stamina and magic bars, here every action that requires spirit is charged against a single gauge. On the other side of coin, several actions, when executed correctly, will earn spirit. Locating that balance between spending and earning spirit is the key to finding success in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's combat system.
How Does The Spirit Gauge Work in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty?
The Basics:
At its core, the spirit gauge is simply a double-sided bar that is either being filled or depleted. When looking at the gauge, consider it's center point absolute zero. When not in combat, this is where the spirit gauge will rest, with nothing being spent or gained.
While both sides of the spirit gauge are important, the first part to grasp is the left side. To see how it works, simply find a location with no enemies. Perform any action that requires spirit, and watch the left side of the gauge. Because there is not any spirit built up, these actions will count negatively against the spirit gauge, showing up as a small orange section. The cost of each action can be seen in an item's description. Similar to what happens with stamina bars, when the left side of the spirit gauge fills up, the player's spirit will be 'disrupted' (posture broken), resulting in a brief moment of vulnerability. The player cannot move or fight back in this state.
Remember not to continuously hold 'guard,' as every attack blocked builds up a small amount of negative spirit. It is far better to deflect as many attacks as possible. Keep in mind, the only attacks that cannot be deflected are critical blows. Everything else can be deflected.
The ultimate goal is to avoid filling the left side of the spirit gauge at all. To do this, the player must build up the right side of the bar, which is done by landing basic attacks and deflections. The right side will fill with blue sections, which will be spent first when using spirit-based actions. If players monitor their spirit gauge, and carefully execute basic attacks and deflections, then they will rarely end up too heavily in the orange.
If players do not spend their spirit, it will return to zero fairly quickly. The length that spirit remains viable can be extended through the 'Spirit Sustainability,' one of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's passive stats. This will also happen with the negative spirit status, though this returns to zero with far less haste.
How Does The Enemy's Spirit Gauge Work in Wo Long: Fallen Order?
Reduce Spirit Gauge Size:
All combatants in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty have a spirit gauge. With an enemy, the gauge is visible just below their morale level and health bar. In most ways, it functions the same as it does for the player, with a key difference relating to the player's ability to actually shrink an enemy's spirit gauge.
When players successful land Martial Arts, Wizardry Spells, deflections, or spirit attacks, the upper and lower limit of their spirit gauge will shrink. This will make it much easier to put the enemy into the spirit disruption state, leaving them open to a 'fatal blow' attack. This works exceptionally well with bosses. However, when an enemy fills their own spirit gauge completely, any subsequent spirit they gain will begin returning the gauge to its original size.
Advanced Spirit Gauge Techniques in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Once the player has the basics committed to memory, there are several advanced techniques that will significantly shorten almost any fight. Remember the following actions when focusing on an enemy's spirit gauge:
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Deflect Counterattack: R1 + O (PS), RB + B (Xbox)
- This deflect will simultaneously switch weapons, followed by a quick counterattack. Successfully executing this action will remove all negative spirit.
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Enemy Critical Blow: O/LS + O (PS), B/LS+B (Xbox)
- It is hard to miss when the enemy begins glowing red, clearly charging up their critical attacks. Learning to deflect these critical blows may take players some time, but there is not a more powerful action in the game - save for the divine beast. Successfully redirecting a critical blow will considerably lower the enemy spirit, while negating all the player's negative spirit.
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Part Destruction: Attack Body Part
- Some enemies, mostly mini-and-main bosses, have specific body parts that they can use to perform critical blows. These parts are often red, and clearly stand out from the rest of their body. Attack these parts by deflecting their critical blows, performing martial arts, and directly aiming Wizardry Spells at them. Once they break, the enemy's spirit gauge is significantly lowered, and the enemy can no longer use it to perform deadly critical blows.
Make sure to thoroughly examine the statistics of each item. If a chosen piece of gear does not have the desired tools to help with the spirit gauge, consider using the 'embedding' process at Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty's local blacksmith. This will allow the player to add or replace unwanted stats/effects.
With this information, players should be able to handle any of the challenges presented in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Like almost all games in the 'soulslike' family, this game can be extremely challenging. If the player is struggling, check the statistics of each piece of gear, especially the 'Deflect Difficulty' number, which can make the game much harder if too low.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There is a free demo available on all platforms until 03/26/23.