If you’ve played the demo, you already know this, but Team Ninja’s next game, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, is, well, demanding. Centered around acrobatic Chinese martial arts, wielding weapons in Wo Long may make you feel like a tough guy, but the enemies don’t mess around either. To help you prepare for the battle that awaits you, IGN spoke with developer Team Ninja to learn about the strengths and drawbacks of some of the weapon types in the game.. While Wo Long is still two months away from launch (it arrives on March 3, included in Xbox Game Pass), it’s never too early to start preparing.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty features a total of 13 types of melee weapons, as well as three types of long-range weapons. Here, director Masakazu Hirayama explains the features of seven of them, including the Staff that was first shown off in our exclusive gameplay video for the game a few days ago.
“We chose the weapons that were best suited to Chinese martial artsHirayama explains of the team’s overall approach to selecting Wo Long’s weapons. “The moves for each type of weapon were based on shapes captured by actual martial artists specializing in those weapons. Then we tweaked things here and there to make it feel good as an action game.”
Without further ado, let’s see what does Hirayama tell us about the seven types of weapons that concern us today.
Sable recto
“The Straight Saber is Wo Long’s standard weapon type. Its attack patterns are a combination of slashes and thrusts, making it the easiest weapon to maneuver. It has a medium range both vertically and horizontally. Its drawback is that while easy to use, the Straight Saber has few special strengths, which may make it less advantageous than other weapon types in some situations.”
Espada
“The art of sword fighting in Chinese martial arts is very different from Japan. In ancient China, the basic way of attacking with a sword was to push rather than cut. This is what we have implemented in the type of weapon Sword of Wo Long. This makes the sword stronger as a vertical weapon, which is the biggest difference to the straight saber. With a multitude of straight thrust attacks, as well as from above, it has more vertical range. I think the Sword is a good weapon to enjoy typical Chinese martial arts.”
dual swords
“Dual Swords are a flashier and more agile type of weapon. They allow for the acrobatic style of combat that most people imagine when they think of Chinese martial arts. But while their agility is top notch, Dual Swords have a range shorter than other weapon types. That said, with the high emphasis on speed it makes it easier to use Deflection, a key combat technique in Wo Long that can neutralize an enemy’s attacks. This will give you a chance to interfere and counter the enemy. It’s a fancy weapon type that allows you to attack and counter fluently.”
Sword
“This weapon is most famous for the warlord Guan Yu and his iconic Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It is a more dynamic and powerful weapon type. Being much heavier than the more agile weapon types in the game, the lack of The Glaive’s speed makes timing more difficult to master. Its attacks have longer range and can mow down enemies, making it effective when surrounded by multiple enemies.”
Lanza
“As you can imagine, the advantages of the spear lie in its long-range vertical attacks. This makes it a good weapon for one-on-one battles or fighting in tight areas. On the other hand, it is a weak type of weapon when used. tackle it from the side or from behind. In Wo Long, you can equip two weapons at the same time, so it can be a good strategy to equip the Glaive and the Spear. You can use the spear in one-on-one situations, and then Quickly switch to the Glaive when multiple enemies approach.”
Axe
“The ax is one of the heaviest weapons available in Wo Long. Its attacks deal a lot of damage. Its lack of speed makes it not only difficult to learn when to attack, but Deflection also becomes more difficult with slower weapons. It will take It takes a while to master the axe, so it’s arguably a weapon for more skilled players, however, if you manage to Deflect the attacks of humanoid enemies, you’ll be able to deal massive damage while the enemy loses balance. , Wo Long allows you to create an opportunity for yourself without having to wait.
Walking stick
“This type of weapon was first shown in IGN First gameplay. It’s one of the most iconic weapons in Chinese martial arts, and that’s why we focused on acrobatic action. With technical swinging maneuvers as the main attack patterns , your character will use his entire body when using the staff.It is a fast weapon with few slots for the enemy to attack, but it also has some great long range attacks.Another trait of the Staff as a weapon type is that many of them have Arts Martials (powerful moves that differ by individual weapon) that can throw the enemy off balance. However, it’s a very technical weapon, so you’ll have to learn how to use each move effectively.”
Switch weapons tactically or stick with your favorite?
Producer Fumihiko Yasuda recommends Dual Swords as the best weapon for beginners.
“I think dual swords are the best to play,” he says. “I use them too. We’ve improved every type of weapon from the first demo we released, but I think the dual swords fit perfectly with the speed of Chinese martial arts. Plus, they’re very tactical.”
“On the other hand, heavy weapons like the Glaive are harder to master. In fact, I still have trouble with it myself! It’s the kind of weapon that requires you to wait for gaps to open up and deal a lot of damage in one fell swoop,” says Yasuda.
Yasuda adds that while some types of weapons take more time to get used to than others, the team has made sure that players can take on the game with any type of weapon they want. The game has been balanced so that no type of weapon is too difficult to use.
Wo Long allows the player equip two types of melee weapon at the same time, and weapons can be quickly switched while dodging an attack with the game’s Deflection Counter. However, it can also be played without switching weapons. Using the same type of weapon throughout the game is also a valid tactic.
“If you master the combos of one weapon type and get used to the martial arts of your weapon, you should be able to beat the game without switching weapons. However, from a game design standpoint, we advise the player to switch between weapon based on enemy attack patterns,” explains Yasuda.
As you progress, you will be able to improve and fix your weapons in the in-game smithy.
“If you particularly like one of your weapons, you can continue to upgrade it at the smithy. In fact, I’ve been using the same weapon myself during testing,” admits development producer Masaaki Yamagiwa.
“At the Blacksmith, you can upgrade your weapons and armor in exchange for money and materials,” Hirayama explains. “But that’s not all. Also it is possible to bind the passive status effects of one weapon to another. By examining the weapons you’ve picked up and attaching their status effects to your favorite weapon, you can build specialized weapons into all sorts of things, from heavy damage dealers to healing-focused weapons.”
Hirayama assures us that Wo Long has a wide range of individual weapons. Within the same weapon type, each has its own design, different stats, passive status effects, and martial arts. More than 40 armor sets can also be found, and set bonuses will be gained if multiple parts of the same type of armor are equipped, just like in Nioh. Luckily, the Blacksmith allows you to separate an armor’s stats from its appearance, so you can enjoy fashion without taking any chances.
“Fans of the Three Kingdoms period will also be able to find Iconic weapons and armor of your favorite warlords. For example, you can embody Guan Yu by wearing his armor and upgrading the Azure Dragon Crescent Glaive to make him super strong,” Yamagiwa tells us.
“Some bosses also drop their weapons, which you can equip after defeating them. The martial arts of some of these weapons are based on the attacks of that boss, so with these weapons you can become able to perform those same attacks,” says Hirayama.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be out on March 3. Discover more exclusive content throughout January on IGNand don’t miss our exclusive 10-minute gameplay with images of a new area, new enemies and new types of weapons.
