Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty - Lu Bu Boss Guide

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has plenty of challenging boss battles throughout its long and winding campaign, but for most players, the game's first major skill check is likely to be the initial showdown against warlord Lu Bu. This big fella has a huge health bar and hits like a truck, making him a challenge for even the most hardened veterans of the genre--but we've got a few tips and tricks that might help you deal with him a bit better.

How to beat Lu Bu in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Lu Bu is fast and deadly, so you'll need to be prepared for the fight by ensuring your gear is leveled as much as you can get it and that you've got some pretty decent deflecting skills. When you're ready to take him down, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Master the horseback phase first

The battle against Lu Bu is likely to be a long one, so mastering the very opening of the fight is important. You'll want to be sure you can complete this phase without needing to use your Dragon Cure Pots to heal--you'll very likely need them later. Lu Bu will begin the fight on horseback, and his moveset will be pretty limited. He'll frequently charge at you with a swipe that is easy to dodge or deflect, and then he'll post up and shoot some arrows at you, which you should usually just block (more on that below). He also has two critical strikes--a high leap attack and a charge--both of which are pretty easy to time deflects for so that you can get massive spirit damage on him.

When his spirit breaks while on horseback, you won't get a chance to perform a fatal strike. Instead, Lu Bu will simply jump off his horse and fight you on foot. However, he will occasionally whistle for his horse throughout the fight, forcing you to go through the horseback phase again. Once you've mastered it, though, it's likely to feel like a reprieve, so use it as an opportunity to prepare for another on-foot onslaught.

Interrupt his critical blows to avoid or end his flame phase

When Lu Bu performs a successful critical blow, he'll enchant his weapon with fire for a while. This can be devastating, as it will lead to you taking additional damage over time when he lands hits on you. Luckily, if you manage to deflect his critical blows, you can avoid having to deal with this phase--or if he's already in the flame phase, deflecting the critical blow will end it.

His two most common critical blows are a leap into the sky and a charge attack where he drags his weapon on the ground for a bit. For the former, it's fairly easy to time your deflect right as he's about to land on you--but the latter will require more patience. As he charges at you, don't try to deflect right away or you'll miss the window and get pummeled. Instead, wait just a bit longer than it feels like you should, then deflect right as he's about to try to swing upward.

Blocking instead of deflecting many attacks can increase survivability

Lu Bu is quick and relentless with his attacks, so it can make it very challenging to time your deflects. Because of this, it's not unreasonable to opt for blocking much of it instead. You'll still need to perfect your deflect timing for his critical blows if you don't want to get absolutely demolished by them, but for many of his other heavy swings or rapid combos, simply holding down the block button and absorbing the hits can make things a bit easier. Of course, if you fail to avoid his fire phase, you'll want to take the chance on deflecting his attacks, as you'll take fire damage even while blocking.

All of that being said, absorbing Lu Bu's attacks with a block will have negative effects on your spirit, so be sure to put some space between you two when necessary to regain some of what you've lost. This shouldn't be too hard, either--you can outrun him fairly easily by just sprinting away, giving you ample time to get yourself situated before engaging him again.

Pair Absorb Vitality with your own fatal strikes

Due to the long and tiring nature of the battle against Lu Bu, you may find that you run out of uses of your Dragon Cure Pot. Using a nifty trick we outlined in our beginner's guide, though, you can gain back big chunks of health. Simply pick up the Absorb Vitality wizardry spell from the Wood virtue tree and equip it. When you break Lu Bu's spirit, use Absorb Vitality quickly before performing a fatal strike on him. Doing so will ensure that you get a substantial dose of health back, potentially letting you save a Dragon Cure Pot for another moment in the fight.

Bring companions to make things significantly easier

Look, there's something to be said for taking down difficult bosses by yourself, and you should absolutely stick to your guns if that's important to you. But Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is designed around building bonds with various companions, so bringing one or two of them along to fight Lu Bu can make the experience drastically less stressful. They'll wail away on him for you, and he'll frequently target them to give you some time to breathe or get behind him for some attacks of your own. It won't make the fight so easy that you don't have to think, but it'll certainly help move things along much more easily.

Equip the Divine Beast Qinglong for a party-wide heal or revive

Bringing along the Divine Beast Qinglong can be a lifesaver in the showdown against Lu Bu. Summoning this creature at the right time can really turn the tides of a battle--especially if you opted for the above advice to bring along a companion or two. Qinglong will fully heal you and your allies when summoned, and it'll also revive a fallen companion if you're not in a position to aid them.

For more on Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, check out how to respec your attributes.