Action-adventure title Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has unique mechanics that shake up an increasingly gray genre. From constant parrying and defending, to removing the need for endless rolling in the soulful genre, to a unique leveling system based on the five virtues. Your gear also interacts with your selected Virtues in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but it can be a bit confusing when you’re first starting out. This is how the Five Virtues work in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Related: Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Pre-Order Guide: Editions, Bonuses, and More
How to level up in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
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Players level up in Wo Long when they upgrade one of five different Virtues, which determine your character’s abilities, into a Battle Flag. All of these five Virtues control unique attributes, similar to how players would level up individual attributes in Elden Ring or the Dark Souls franchise. Here are the five virtues:
- wooden virtue
- Controls HP and amount of spirit lost when hit.
- virtue of fire
- Controls the amount of spirit players gain when attacking successfully and the spirit expended through martial arts.
- Virtue of the Earth
- Determines the team’s weight limit and spirit gain from deflecting the attack.
- metallic virtue
- Control the spirit spent on sorcery and how long you can maintain a high spirit level.
- under water
- Determines how easily enemies spot you and Spirit is consumed when you deflect incoming attacks.
Upgrading any of these attributes will only control your governance stats, such as total health with wood virtue, but they have other interactions as well.
Related: How to defeat the first boss Zhang Liang in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
How Equipment Affects Virtue in Wo Long
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When looking through your inventory for gear, you may have noticed that the gear also has a level of all five virtues. This is displayed in a graphic below the weapon, with letter notes indicating which virtues provide which bonuses for using that weapon. Combining your favorite Virtues with weapons will help smooth out some of the game’s more excruciating difficulty spikes. If your damage isn’t where you want it to be, checking that should be your first step.
Countering Magic with the Five Virtues of Wo Long
Finally, it is imperative to note that the five virtues serve as the basis for magic in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Each element can beat a different element, similar to Pokémon’s element-based battles. In Wo Long, the following in-game item perks are implemented:
- Madeira Beats Earth
- Earth Beats Water
- Water Beats Fuego
- Fuego Beats Metal
- Metal Beats Madeira
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