Survive Shu: Your Essential Guide to Starting Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Stephen Takowsky, Community Manager, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is out today on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Game Pass. Whether you’re a seasoned Soulslike veteran or new to the genre, this guide will help you prepare for the journey ahead.

Set in the final days of the Ming Dynasty, Wuchang places players in the role of Bai Wuchang, a pirate warrior battling both amnesia and the mysterious Feathering disease. Her path takes her across the shattered land of Shu, where every step forward is a test of skill and a battle against fate.

From memorable bosses to lush environments and deep customization, Wuchang’s world is steeped in myth and madness. Each encounter reveals more about the truth behind the Feathering, and your place in it.

Mastering Combat and Weapon Builds

Combat in Wuchang is fast, rewarding, and layered with tactical depth. The game features five weapon classes and over 25 distinct weapons to collect and master. Each part of your arsenal offers unique perks and advantages. Dual blades offer great agility, axes offer powerful defense, and longswords allow for perfectly timed parries.

By landing precise attacks, dodges, and blocks, you build up a combat resource called Skyborn Might. This unlocks devastating spells and weapon-specific abilities to turn the tide of battle. Experiment with timing to discover new combos and strategies for every fight. Find the right combination of weapons, spells, techniques, accessories, and outfits to soar with monstrous power and overcome brutal odds.

You can carry two weapons at a time, and each one has its own skill tree. Whether you favor raw strength or graceful precision, the combat system gives you the tools to evolve with each new encounter.

The Power of Red Mercury and the Impetus Repository

As you fight and explore, you’ll earn Red Mercury, a currency used to level up Wuchang’s core stats and abilities in the Impetus Repository or make purchases from the many shops around Shu. Want to invest in vitality, strength, or stamina? You’re free to shape your build and respec later as needed.

Each weapon has an upgrade path tied to your progression, and the game offers full build flexibility. Swap styles before bosses, optimize for specific damage types, or pursue a glass cannon strategy, every choice has impact.

Gear, Armor, and Customization

Armor in Wuchang isn’t just cosmetic. Each piece affects combat stats and resistance to different damage types. Choosing the wrong gear for a fight leaves you vulnerable to certain forms of damage.

Prepare for each encounter by equipping gear with resistances that match the threats ahead, slash, fire, blight, feathering, tenacity, corruption, frostbite, and paralysis are just some to worry about. Build strategy begins before combat even starts.

Bosses That Define the Journey

Wuchang’s bosses are manifestations of the land’s transformation, born from myth, history, and the Feathering. Each boss fight is a test of resolve forged in the heart of chaos.

From the haunting Perfect Bride, whose sorrow turns to deadly rage, to the grotesque Blightweaver, a centipede made of corrupted monks, each foe tests more than just your reflexes.

Expect to adapt. Some enemies demand aggressive builds, others reward patience and precision. Learn their patterns, time your Skyborn Might, and enter every fight ready to die, and try again.

Deluxe Edition Bonuses

Players who upgrade to the Deluxe Edition will start with several powerful advantages. These include:

Four Deluxe-only armor sets: Soul Ritual Robe, Tiger of Fortune, Overlord’s Regalia, and Draconic Resurgence.
Four legendary weapons: Dragoncoil Lance, Eternal Sovereignty, Moonlight Dragon, and Watcher’s Gaze,
Blood of Changhong, (stat boost item)

These early rewards allow players to personalize their look and sharpen their edge from the beginning.

Begin the Descent

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is available today on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and with Game Pass. Enter a cursed dynasty, discover what the Feathering truly is, and carve your fate by challenging the creeping darkness that threatens the humanity that remains. Nothing is Forever.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers

505 Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is a soulslike, action RPG set in the land of Shu during the dark and tumultuous late Ming Dynasty, plagued with warring factions and a mysterious illness spawning monstrous creatures.

Become Wuchang, a skilled pirate warrior struck by amnesia, who must navigate the uncertainties of her mysterious past while afflicted by the horrific Feathering disease. Explore the depths of Shu, enhancing your arsenal and mastering new skills harvested from fallen foes. Evolve your fighting style by sacrificing elusive Red Mercury and further develop new techniques obtained throughout your action-packed journey. Augment the weapons in your repertoire with powerful enchantments, allowing for a unique approach to combat and strategy that suits your personal style.

Battle against grotesque abominations, drawing on ancient lore to challenge the creeping darkness that threatens the humanity that remains. Your quest for truth will take you through forgotten temples, overgrown ruins, and shadowed paths fraught with peril. As you piece together Wuchang’s lost memories, your choices will lead you to one of several endings—each determined by the choices made, secrets unearthed and the allies you choose to trust.

Immerse yourself in a rich storyline, dynamic combat system, and breathtaking visuals that offer an unforgettable adventure through lands veiled in chaos and death. Will you reveal the truths of Wuchang’s curse and bring peace to Shu, or will you succumb to the encroaching horrors? The fate of the land rests in your hands.

The post Survive Shu: Your Essential Guide to Starting Wuchang: Fallen Feathers appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Battlefield 6 Campaign Teaser Shows NATO Under Attack, and Includes the Return of the Series’ Classic Theme

Ahead of EA’s full Battlefield 6 reveal tomorrow, a brief teaser for the game’s campaign has been posted online, revealing a major conflict.

Set in the near future, Battlefield 6’s campaign will see NATO under attack. Its base in Georgia is hit, the British territory of Gibraltar is invaded, and NATO’s secretary general is assassinated inside the organisation’s Brussels headquarters. The perpetrator? An organisation named Pax Armata.

A number of countries, including France, are then confirmed to have left NATO to form a new coalition, as in-universe news headlines question whether NATO itself is now a “thing of the past”. Hmm…

The teaser then concludes with Battlefield’s trademark theme — you know the one, that ‘dun dun dun dun dun’ drumbeat — and a reminder that the game’s full reveal will take place tomorrow, July 24, at 8am Pacific / 4pm UK time.

Eagle-eyed viewers will spot the logo for “BF Studios” on the end of the teaser — this is the coalition of developers that EA has pulled together to work on the game, including franchise founder DICE, Los Angeles-based sister studio Ripple Effect, Montreal-based Dead Space Remake developer Motive, and British Need for Speed studio Criterion.

There’s also the note that “no weapon, military vehicle or gear manufacturer is affiliated with or has sponsored or endorsed this game.”

Pax Armata rises as NATO cracks. Their motto? “Our protection, your peace.”
But who’s pulling the strings and to what end?#Battlefield6 Intel drop here: https://t.co/kFnyLHbbGu pic.twitter.com/Pr2kSkIaDL
— Battlefield (@Battlefield) July 23, 2025

“Pax Armata rises as NATO cracks,” a message posted on Battlefield’s X / Twitter account reads. “Their motto? ‘Our protection, your peace.’ But who’s pulling the strings and to what end?” Presumably we’ll find out more tomorrow.

In recent months, footage of Battlefield 6 from various closed playtests has started leaking online, showing the game’s modern setting, various firefights, destructible environments, quality of life improvements, and the start of a battle royale match.

Battlefield 6 is currently slated to launch sometime during the current fiscal year, before March 2026. It seems likely we’ll see that window narrowed considerably when the game is fully unveiled.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Wheel World review

For a low-stakes open world cycling game, Wheel World has a lot of lore. You wake up in the forest and discover a spirit called Skully, a ghost who offers the player a rusty bike and immediately ejects so much fantasy jargon and frontloaded backstory that I started to think it was an intentional joke. Thank Cog (the god of cycling) that this loredumping is not habitual. The rest of the game plays out as a chill and happy-hearted racer in a small but well-crafted world of rolling vineyards, bumpy forests, and honking city streets. It’s a short tour, lasting only about five hours, but it’s five hours nicely pedalled.

The Rat King is dead, long live the Fool King. In this medieval roguelite autobattler, you must murder a skeleton monarch with dice. You will do this not by loading bags of D20s into a culverin and shooting the Fool King point blank, though yes, that sounds like an amazing lategame unlock. Instead, you will be rolling the dice to determine how many knights, peasants, wizards and crossbowmen you can summon to each battlefield. I’ve been playing the prototype, and while roguelites are thick as wheat these days, this is a promising contender. Here’s a trailer.

PC gaming mouse ‘n’ keeb manufacturers Endgame Gear have admitted to and apologised for unknowingly spreading malware, after an infected version of the OP1w 4k v2’s Configuration Tool software was left available to download from their website.

After Reddit user Admirable-Raccoon597 raised the alarm, having installed the Configuration Tool and found the malware hiding inside, German tech site Igor’s Lab confirmed that the publically available application had been compromised for at least two weeks. Endgame Gear have since replaced the dirty software with an apparently safe version, and today shared a post admitting the oversight – though claimed no sensitive data was stolen via the server infrastructure that was hosting it.

Review: Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV – A Fantastic Addition To An All-Time Party Game

The motion-controlled air hockey will be televised!

I wasn’t expecting to give Super Mario Party Jamboree a big juicy 9/10 when I sat down to play it for its initial release on Switch. Not by a long shot, truth be told. And returning to the game for this Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV edition (that’s the last time I’m typing that out), I was a little worried that perhaps I’d gotten a bit excited. A 9?! Surely no.

Anyway. Long story short, and after several raucous hours spent refamiliarising myself with the core board-gaming aspects involved here…well, 2024 me was 100% right. Jamboree is absolutely excellent stuff, provided what you’re looking for is fun, frantic, family-friendly entertainment that’s full of surprises and activities to get everyone involved. Honestly, these Nintendo board game nights do be getting competitive lately.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Gran Turismo 7 Update 1.61 available today

Only 19 of the ‘05 NISMO R34 GT-R Z-tune were produced by Nissan’s performance division. Nineteen. With some mathing, that’s one of Z-tune R34 for every 424,315,789 humans on Earth. If you happen to be one of the ridiculously few, good for you. For the rest of us, we have the free Update 1.61 from the Polyphony team. In addition to being able to drive the grail-status Z-tune the ’22 Honda N-ONE RS and ’22 Nissan Qashqai Tekna 190 2wd e-Power are also available in this free update.

Three new events, a new Lone Pine location added to Scapes, and a ’17 Lexus RC F GT3 with the “ANEST IWATA Racing 2025” livery in the Lexus Showroom are additional content for the month. The Sophy AI racing agent will be available to battle against on the High-Speed Ring circuit.

Update 1.61 for Gran Turismo 7 is available as of today, Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00pm PT / July 24 at 6:00am GMT / 3:00pm JST.

NEW CARS**

’22 Honda N-ONE RS

(Can be purchased from Brand Central / Used Cars)

This “hot” model boasts the first front-wheel drive turbo, 6-speed manual transmission combo is a kei car.

The N-ONE was introduced as a new basic car featuring motifs from the original N360, Honda’s first kei regulation passenger car. The first generation was released in 2012 and found critical and commercial success for its charming looks and driveability.

In 2020, the N-ONE entered its second generation. Though the body frame was overhauled, requests from fans to not change the car’s looks led to the body panels from the first generation model being carried over and reused. Instead, subtle changes were made to the shape of the grille and bumper to tastefully express the evolution of the model.

The second-generation sports model was dubbed the “RS,” standing for “Road Sailing.” While this grade also existed for the first generation, the 2nd gen. model featured the first combination of a front-mounted turbocharged engine with front-wheel drive paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, which made it even more of a joy to drive.

The RS features an exclusive exterior design with black trim parts, but its most interesting feature is probably the 6-speed transmission. Designed for the enthusiast, it uses a close-ratio gear set as in the S660. The 2nd and 3rd gears feature heavy-duty synchros, and the clutch also uses heavy-duty parts.

On the other side of the coin, it also features many assistance functions like any other modern manual car—from the peak torque limiter, which reduces shift shock when suddenly releasing the clutch, to automatic brake hold, which makes things like hill starts much easier.

Thanks to its compact size and light weight at just under 1,000 kg, the driving feel is much more direct than one would expect from a car of this type. Overall, it makes for a very attractive package which brings the joy of sports driving closer to home.

’05 NISMO R34 GT-R Z-tune

(Can be purchased from Brand Central)

The second wave GT-R finishes with the ultimate complete tuned car.

In 2004, Nismo (currently Nissan Motorsports & Customizing) celebrated the 20th anniversary of their founding. To mark the occasion, they decided to create the ultimate road car as a culmination of their 20 years of experience. The result of this passion project was the Nismo R34 GT-R Z-tune.

However, production of the R34 model Skyline GT-R, which formed the base of this project, had already ceased by this time. To get around this, Nismo selected 20 used cars that met a strict set of requirements and dismantled all the bodies so they could be carefully reconstructed by hand.

Naturally, every part that was added was of the highest level, befitting of the “Z” label. At its core sits the RB26DETT Kai-Z2 engine. Starting with the same 2.8L setup as the contemporary GT500 class GT-R race car, every component—from the pistons to the block to the conrods—was selected for strength and reliability. The turbochargers are IHI-made units, which had seen success in the 2004 Nürburgring 24-Hour race. Meanwhile, the exhaust is constructed from titanium, increasing catalyzer performance and exhaust flow rate.

To increase chassis rigidity, extra spot welds were added around areas like the door frame, while areas more prone to distortion from the heat of welding were reinforced with molded CFRP parts. The suspension features specially tuned bolt-on dampers produced by SACHS, a company with a proven track record in GT500. In order to achieve the target of 1.6G braking force on semi-slick tyres, bespoke brake parts were developed in conjunction with Brembo.

The exterior also received a number of refinements focused on weight reduction, cooling, and aerodynamics. In particular, on the front end, the bumper, fenders, and bonnet were all replaced with CFRP parts.

In the end, only 19 cars were produced, including the prototype, but the R34 GT-R Z-tune is almost certainly Nismo’s greatest contribution to the second wave of GT-R models.

’22 Nissan Qashqai Tekna 190 2wd e-Power

(Can be purchased from Brand Central)

Nissan’s Compact SUV Is Even Better with e-Power.

The Qashqai is a compact SUV that occupies the C-segment in Nissan’s lineup. The first model was released in 2006, with a second-generation model introduced in 2013. The model presented here is the third-generation incarnation, which debuted in 2021.

The third-gen Qashqai features a styling overhaul to go along with its new, larger body. The sharp lines of the bold exterior design converge upon Nissan’s emblematic V-Motion grille. The car uses the latest CMF-C/D3 platform, which provides improved ride comfort and handling.

Looking toward the powertrain, along with more traditional gasoline engines, the Qashqai is also available with Nissan’s proprietary e-Power series-hybrid system. This system uses the engine to power a generator, the electricity from which is sent to electric motors that turn the wheels. What’s more, Nissan’s electric-generating engine is the world’s first mass-produceable variable compression ratio engine. Its excellent thermal efficiency also offers great improvements in CO₂ emissions.

‘Tekna’ refers to the model grade. The Tekna offers a wealth of equipment, with larger wheels, ambient lighting, and a head-up display included as standard.

World Circuits (New Events)

The following new events have been added to “World Circuits”:

Lightweight K-Cup: Nürburgring Nordschleife
Japanese FF Challenge 450: Alsace – Test Course
Race of Turbo Sportscars: Fuji International Speedway

Gran Turismo Sophy

The next-generation racing AI agent, ‘Gran Turismo Sophy’ is now available on the following course. Look for the Sophy icon in ‘Quick Race’ and ‘Custom Race’ on each track to test your skills against Sophy.

High Speed Ring

Scapes

“Lone Pine” has been added as a featured Curation in Scapes.

Brand Central: Lexus

Added a new base color “ANEST IWATA Racing 2025” for the ’17 Lexus RC F GT3 on sale in the Lexus Showroom.

*Internet connection and Gran Turismo 7 game required for update.
**Credits (paid or via game progression) required to purchase vehicles.

82% of Nintendo Switch 2 Owners in the U.S. Also Bought Mario Kart World

If you bought a Nintendo Switch 2 in June, the odds are good you also bought Mario Kart World. In fact, according to Circana, 82% of Nintendo Switch 2 purchasers also picked up Mario Kart World.

That comes from Circana’s June report, which shared that the Nintendo Switch 2 is officially the fastest-selling video game console in the U.S. In total, the Nintendo Switch sold 1.6 million units in the U.S. in June, beating out the PlayStation 4’s previous record of 1.1 million units in November of 2012.

Of those 1.6 million unit sales, 82% either purchased the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle, or bought the game standalone. This helped propel Mario Kart World to become the third best-selling game of the month in Circana’s rankings, though it’s possible it could have ranked even higher due to the exclusion of Nintendo’s digital data from the sales charts.

As a comparison point, when the Nintendo Switch 1 launched, over 100% of new console owners that month also purchased its launch game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, worldwide. Yes, the game sold more copies on Switch than Nintendo did Switch systems. “This may be attributed to people who purchased both a limited edition of the game to collect and a second version to play,” Nintendo suggested at the time. So Mario Kart World isn’t quite beating those numbers.

But it may also be doing even better in other countries. According to a report from Wccftech, attach rate for the game to system in France was over 95%.

Additionally, we learned from Circana this morning that 32% of Nintendo Switch 2 purchasers in June also bought a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, helping make it the best-selling accessory of the month in the U.S. by dollar sales.

Unshockingly, one of the reasons people are buying Mario Kart World is because it’s pretty dang good. We gave the game an 8/10, saying that it “may not make the most convincing case that going open-world was the boost the series needed, but excellent multiplayer racing, incredible polish, and the thrilling new Knockout Tour mode still more than live up to its legacy.”

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

League Of Legends fighting spin-off 2XKO dangles Vi in front of fans alongside a closed beta

Riot’s spin-off fighting game with the terrible name, 2XKO, is getting a closed beta in a few months and, to entice fans to sign up, the developers have released a new video showing off pink-haired League Of Legends bruiser Vi doing some biffing. I know you like biffing, so I’m telling you about this despite being unable to reliably write the title of this free-to-play wrecker without carefully typing it out like my mum composing an email with a single forefinger.

Julian LeFay, ‘Father of The Elder Scrolls,’ Has Died Aged 59, a Week After Stepping Back From Game Development Due to Cancer

Julian LeFay, Bethesda’s former chief engineer known among fans as the ‘Father of The Elder Scrolls’ series, has died aged 59.

It was announced last week that LeFay, now co-founder and technical producer at OnceLost Games, had stepped back from game development after a lengthy battle with cancer, in order to spend time with his family and loved ones.

A statement from OnceLost Games, published today, has now confirmed LeFay’s passing — “with profound sadness and heavy hearts”.

“Julian LeFay was not just a colleague — he was a visionary who fundamentally shaped the gaming industry as we know it today,” OnceLost Games’ statement reads. “Known as the ‘Father of The Elder Scrolls’, Julian directed the creation of legendary titles including Elder Scrolls 1 and 2: Arena, Daggerfall, and Battlespire.

“His pioneering work established the foundation for open-world RPGs and influenced countless developers and games that followed.”

Born in Denmark in 1965, LeFay began his career working on early Amiga and NES games, before becoming one of Bethesda’s earliest employees in 1987.

After working on a string of Elder Scrolls titles, his career next took him to Sega, and then ultimately to found OnceLost Games in 2019 to develop a new open-world RPG, Wayward Realms, that was successfully pitched on Kickstarter as a Daggerfall spiritual successor.

“Throughout his courageous battle with cancer, Julian never wavered in his passion for The Wayward Realms,” OnceLost Games’ statement continues. “Even during his illness, he continued to share his vision with our team, mentor our developers, and ensure that every aspect of the game reflected his commitment to creating something truly extraordinary. His strength, determination, and unwavering focus inspire us all.”

Development on The Wayward Realms will now continue under the guidance of fellow former Bethesda veteran and OnceLost Games co-founder Ted Peterson, the studio concluded, with its team “more committed than ever to bringing The Wayward Realms to life exactly as Julian envisioned it”.

Image credit: Shae Jensen/Julian LeFay

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Author: Game Infliction