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Before you can advance past Cloudspire into the Snowfall Palace inWuchang: Fallen Feathers, you have to make your way through the entirety of the rebel camp in the mountains, and then lower the pass into Snowpeak Pass. Of course, that’s not enough, either. Now you’re stepping into the stronghold of the remnants of the Ming Dynasty, and they aren’t going down without a fight.
As you enter Snowpeak Pass, you will immediately be greeted by Liu Cheng’en, a general of the Ming army. And if you thought Ai Nengqi, the leader of the rebels was a force to be reckoned with, Liu Cheng’en is about to show you how the the Ming Dynasty has managed to stay around for so long.
Preparation For Liu Cheng’en
Liu Cheng’en is one of the most difficult bosses in the game purely because he does not leave much room for error. You can dodge him, deflect, use Spells, anything. But he has so much HP, andgetting trapped in even a single combo or grab attack can oftentimes be enough to end the fightin the blink of an eye.
As such, we would recommend a more curated build, one that specialises in deflecting.you may unlock deflection for the Longsword quite easily in the Impetus Repository, and there are also Dual Blades you can find in Cloudspire that come with a deflect Weapon Skill if you are more comfortable with them. But really, we feel that deflection is the way to go with this boss.
And to make that easier, there are a few other skills we recommend, too. The first isAlacrity, which lets you use some Spells to dodge at the last second and gain a single point of Skyborn Might. Echo of Lu Bingzhang is a great Spell to pair with this since it launches you into the air, letting you avoid any follow-up attacks from Cheng’en.
The second isSteel Resolve. This gives you a single Skyborn Might with every successful deflection,provided you are above 50% Madness. With how much you will be deflecting Cheng’en, this is an essential skill to make the fight easier. We also find the default Cloudfrost Edge the most useful Longsword here asdeflections allow you to take reduced damage for a few seconds, which can be a lifesaver in combos where you miss a single deflection.
Finally, if you’ve beaten Ai Negnqi, you can bring along the Echo of Nengqi Spell.Cheng’en is weak to Paralysis, and this Spell also allows you to use Alacrity. Win-win.
You could try building your resistances to Frostbite, but if you’re getting hit enough for it to trigger anyway, it’sbetter dodging or deflection that would really save you.
Liu Cheng’en’s Strengths And Weaknesses
For Liu Cheng’en, he truly does not have many weaknesses.Paralysis is a glaring one, though one that isn’t the most essential or impactful in this fight.Deflection is the one weakness you may consistently exploit, as he will always stagger from a deflection if you have the appropriate upgrade.
In terms of his strengths,Cheng’en is very fast. He likes to keep a distance at times to bait you into attacking, but he can also pull out his own attacks incredibly quickly,most of which can knock you to the groundif your Tenacity isn’t high enough.
All of his attacks also build up Frostbite, and this can be harsh when you are trying to keep up with deflections. As such,always keep an eye on your staminawhile battling him so you’re no left empty and don’t have enough to even dodge.
Ming General - Liu Cheng’en’s Moveset
Liu Cheng’en has two phaseslike many bosses up to this point. However,he is a fundamentally different boss in both phases, and that means you must utilise different strategies. Here are all of his moves.
Counter
Triple Slam
Liu Cheng’en closes the distance and performs three leaping slams in quick succession.
These attacks can be deflected quite easily, though all three must be deflected before he flinches. You can also dodge this, just keep in mind he will keep going until all three are performed.
Dash Stab
Cheng’en will stab with his glaive, either up close or at a distance. This can be followed up with additional stabs and a slash if it lands.
Deflecting this will cancel the combo, while dodging will have him continue with it. It can also be useful to use an Alacrity Spell here.
Blizzard Combo
After a slash with the glaive, Cheng’en will summon a quick blizzard around him that builds up Frostbite quickly, before ending with another slash.
If you deflect the first attack, this combo is canceled. If you miss, it will continue. If this happens, dodge, as the blizzard cannot be blocked or deflected.
Retreating Slash
To get distance from you, Cheng’en will perform a slash with his glaive that also allows him to move backwards quickly.
Dodging towards him will keep you close, allowing you to follow up with a dash attack. You can also deflect this to cancel the attack, keeping him in the same position.
Spinning Leap Slash
While at a distance, Cheng’en will jump with a spinning slash with his sword to close the gap.
Dodge or deflect at the very last second, as the initial spin is unlikely to hit you unless you are using Spells that pull you into the air.
Frostbite Daggers
While at a distance. Cheng’en will throw two volleys of daggers that inflict frostbite.
These daggers can be deflected, or just as easily dodged for some Skyborn Might.
Executor’s Grab
This is one of Cheng’en’s most devastating moves. Used after being deflected, he will reel back with a kick, and will lock you into a grab that depletes over half of your maximum HP.
When deflecting, try not to use attacks that lock you into long animations as this makes you easy bait for this grab. The attack also has a sound effect that plays before it, making it clear when he is preparing the grab.
Icy Whirlwind
Cheng’en summons a blizzard around himself that blocks you from getting close to him that bursts outwards after a few seconds.
You have to keep your distance while this attack is active, so use this time to heal or use raged spells to attack Cheng’en. You can also dodged the blizzard at the end to gain Skyborn Might.
Foot Slam
Cheng’en will slam his foot into the ground, throwing snow into the air to hide his presence. Typically follows up with an Advancing Spin.
Scary as it might be, dash forward after the snow cloud appears. This puts you in range of Cheng’en’s next attack, letting you dodge it to get behind him, or deflect it to cancel the combo immediately.
Advancing Spin
Cheng’en will advance towards you with a series of spins. These attacks are deceptively powerful and deal heavy Frostbite.
Getting hit will knock you down, and will make it very easy for Cheng’en to hit you with follow-up attacks that will almost immediately kill you. Dodge away from him, or use Alacrity Spells.
In his first phase,just about every single one of Cheng’en’s moves can be deflected, making this first section an overall breeze. His second phase throws in many more ranged attacks and martial attacks, meaning you must become more agile yourself to counter him.
How To Beat Ming General - Liu Cheng’en
The Battle
Cheng’en is ruthless, rarely giving you a moment to breathe in his first phase. He attacks relentlessly, so try to keep steady anddeflect all of his attacks and perform follow-up attacks to whittle him down. This should also make it easy to build up his stagger meter, opening him up for an Obliterate attack.
Spells aren’t all that useful in the first phase, even if you dodge with Alacrity, as Cheng’en will typically follow up with his own attacks so quickly that you will take a massive amount of damage while you’re stuck in the animation. Just keep deflecting. When attacking,try not to unleash more than two at a time after a deflectas Cheng’en can typically retaliate quite quickly, long before your third attack might end.
Once you reach the second phase, which occurs at around 65-70% HP remaining, Cheng’en’s attacks become more diverse and powerful, though he also gives you more room to breathe, keeping at a distance himself.This becomes the ideal time to start using your Spells, especially with Alacrity.
Because he throws in some kicks in this phase, be mindful of his animations so you’re not attempting to deflect a martial attack. That said,aside from the blizzard he summons, every other attack can still be deflected. However, he retaliates even faster after a deflection in this phase, meaningyou may struggle to even land a second hit. Instead, attack once and try to dodge around him to get at his back.
Keep up with this pace andyou should, slowly but surely, defeat him.
The Rewards
After defeating Liu Cheng’en, you are finally free to proceed deeper into the Snowfall Palace. You are also given two rewards - theEcho of Liu Cheng’en Spell, which lets you summon a small blizzard around yourself that causes Frostbite build-up before ending in a swing of an icy glaive. The second is theWooden Stripkey item, which can be given to Tao Qing to unlock new items for purchase.
