Final bosses represent the pinnacle of challenge in video games, serving as the ultimate test that concludes your journey. Among various genres, Soulslike and Soulsborne games are renowned for their formidable final foes, often presenting players with powers that are both inscrutable and awe-inspiring. A case in point is Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, which offers a series of daunting bosses, with one particularly noteworthy encounter.
In the realm of Soulslike games, the Feathery Ambition boss in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers stands out due to its epic scale and nightmarish design. As you engage this eldritch monstrosity, you’ll soon discover that while the battle showcases intricate attack patterns and vast aerial maneuvers, it can also be surprisingly manageable with the right preparation.
Note: The following content contains spoilers for the game’s narrative!
Locating Feathery Ambition
The confrontation with Feathery Ambition marks the climactic challenge in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. This formidable opponent is the transformed version of Xuanyangzi, the enigmatic Taoist character who guides you at the game’s inception. To progress and access three of the game’s four main endings, players must face this foe, located in Chapter 5 within the Forbidden Lands.
Accessing the Forbidden Lands requires navigating the treacherous caverns of the hidden Bo Capital, where you’ll need to collect Sun Disks to unlock the vast gate situated beneath the capital. Upon your arrival, you will witness a breathtaking skybox along a winding path teeming with immense Avian enemies, who may elect to ignore you during your ascent. Once you activate the shrine, ascend until you confront Xuanyangzi.
Preparing for the Battle Against Feathery Ambition
As you gear up for the encounter, understand that Feathery Ambition balances physical assaults with feathering spells. Thus, it is essential to prepare accordingly.
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Weapon |
Lashing Whip |
|---|---|
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Armor |
Consort’s Canopy Hat |
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Consort’s Garment |
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Consort’s Bracers |
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Consort’s Skirt |
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Jade Pendants |
Fiend-Felling Pendant |
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Tigraliz |
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Tiger Pendant |
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Spells |
Ethereal Form |
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(ANY) |
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(ANY) |
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(ANY) |
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Items |
Manna Vase |
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Temperance |
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Bone Whistle |
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(ANY) |
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Temperance Needle |
(ANY) |
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Notable Impetus Repository Perks |
Sword Saint, Rapid Temperance, Energetic |
Feathery Ambition predominantly inflicts slashing, stabbing, and feathering damage. Hence, based on the attacks you find most challenging, choose armor that mitigates physical damage—like the Centipede armor set from Blightweaver—or go for Clerical robes from the Feathered Priest if you’re more concerned about projectile and energy attacks.
In terms of items, keep your loadout straightforward, including healing vases and your preferable Temperance bone and stone needles. Don’t forget stamina-boosting items and extra healing options if necessary. Moreover, bring the Bone Whistle to summon an ally during the battle, as this is essential for gaining an edge against Feathery Ambition.
Summoning Duryal, the Storyteller, is possible if you have followed his questline and agreed to assist him. Additionally, while a Magic build can be quite effective, be cautious as Feathery Ambition may possess resistances against magic attacks. Powerful spells might still expose you to counterattacks, especially considering that even high-level spells may not quickly stun Feathery Ambition.
For maximum effectiveness, consider utilizing my recommended OP longsword build, which details strong synergies and advantageous perks. The Lashing Whip is excellent for this build, with scaling attributes in Agility and Strength. This weapon’s Sword Counter ability effectively counters humanoid enemies, but it can also dispatch monstrous threats like Feathery Ambition efficiently, even without relying on parries.
Instead of the Sword Counter, select a Discipline skill that aligns with your combat style. Skills such as Blink Kick lend agility, while others like Crescent Moon may provide damage boosts. Employing the longsword build is advantageous as it minimizes vulnerabilities to your enemies and enhances survivability, augmented by the game’s most powerful spell: Ethereal Form.
The Ethereal Form is an indispensable tool in your arsenal. With a mere stack of Skyborn Might, this spell grants a three-second window to automatically evade incoming attacks while refunding your stack and possibly even awarding an excess. Many players have experienced instances where a stack used to evade allowed a maximum stack of Skyborn Might to be gained back after dodging a boss’s combination attacks.
A downside to the Ethereal Form is the difficulty in directing your dodges, particularly when facing smaller enemies. The associated smokescreen can obscure your view, complicating your ability to read incoming attacks. For Benedictions, focus on enhancing your accumulation of Skyborn Might as frequently as possible. With the interesting Skyborn Plume set, your next attack will gain increased damage for each Skyborn Might proc, synergizing well with the quick activation capabilities of Sword Saint.
When it comes to Jade Pendants, prioritize ones that boost damage, stamina recovery, and survivability. The Fiend-Felling Pendant is critical, as it enhances your damage against large bosses like Feathery Ambition.
Understanding Feathery Ambition’s Moveset
Phase One: The Initial Encounter
The battle against Feathery Ambition unfolds in a grand arena reminiscent of the fights against the Reborn or Dragon Emperor. Utilizing its massive wings, this adversary can reach intimidating altitudes quickly, delivering devastating dive bomb strikes that can inflict substantial damage.
While airborne, Feathery Ambition may initiate a charging attack, flying just over your position, briefly stunning you and leading to a coughing animation, though it deals no damage. A common maneuver involves stomping and hopping back, remarkable for its unexpected damage potential while disrupting your rhythm.
Feathery Ambition also employs a charged thrust attack that releases a dangerous red beam, significantly increasing the range of its strikes. This move can strip away a sizable portion of your health.
Additionally, be aware of attacks where Feathery Ambition winds up for a spinning strike, threatening to disengage you from close range with its wide-reaching motions.
Phase Two: The Climax
Upon depleting half of Feathery Ambition’s health, it will teleport to a door at the back of the arena, channeling immense energy to summon three gigantic tsunami waves, which can obscure your vision and create confusion about when they will inflict damage. A wise approach involves using Ethereal Form to evade the waves as they approach.
In phase two, Feathery Ambition’s previous assault patterns are augmented with additional attacks, such as randomized red lightning strikes while airborne and a more aggressive tail swipe when leaping down. Furthermore, expect it to utilize spells that inflict feather damage, such as imbued sword strikes and fiery projectiles that track your position.
Significant indicators include the orange-yellow glow of its sword—this visual cue precedes the launch of flame orbs, which may be deployed in tandem with other attacks.
Moreover, Feathery Ambition can activate a powerful spell reminiscent of the tsunami attack, where it plunges its weapon into the ground to generate geysers that strike your last known location. Your best bet is to maintain mobility when this occurs.
Strategies for Overcoming Feathery Ambition
When facing Feathery Ambition, engaging closely while dealing damage remains the optimal strategy, as its melee strikes often miss due to your smaller hitbox. This tactic largely mitigates damage from its formidable wing assaults, claws, and sword strikes.
That said, be mindful that this approach is not infallible; remaining vigilant and dodging incoming attacks is essential. Deploying the longsword build in this encounter can feel almost overwhelming for Feathery Ambition, as maintaining proximity beneath the creature allows you to evade most attacks. Regularly activating Ethereal Form will further tighten your defenses.
Summoning Duryal can provide brief respite, allowing him to absorb some of Feathery Ambition’s attention, although his spells may prove unreliable. Applying the same strategy as with the longsword build—emphasizing the first two hits of your basic light combo—will pave your path to victory. One stack of Skyborn Might is all you need to initiate this rhythmic assault.
Following your second hit triggers the “Sword Saint”ability, resulting in a critical Skyborn Might stack. By then activating Ethereal Form, you can continue targeting its legs, remaining out of reach of its more dangerous attacks. Repeat this combo: one-two, Ethereal Form, one-two, Ethereal Form, until you’ve whittled down the boss’s health to zero. Due to this methodology, Feathery Ambition ultimately becomes a surprisingly straightforward final boss in any Soulslike experience.
Should you choose to summon Duryal, it is advisable to do so after the transition to Feathery Ambition’s second phase, as the tsunami waves often deplete his health entirely.
Aftermath and Rewards
Congratulations on vanquishing Feathery Ambition and completing the principal storyline! You will be rewarded as follows, alongside the opportunity to interact with the summoning door to conclude your adventure:
- Fa – Blood Magic (Benediction): Receiving damage temporarily boosts your spell damage.
- Unknown Meat (Pendant): Increases both damage dealt and taken for each unoccupied armor slot, presenting a high-risk, high-reward dynamic.
- Plumed Grace (One-Handed Sword): A one-handed weapon boasting decent damage statistics and a level 5 Feathering scalar, ideal for Feathering builds.
- Echo of Xuanyangzi (Spell): Allowing for a leap and slash forward while magic orbs home in on your target, inflicting Feathering damage.
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