Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, taking a good chunk out of the FromSoftware Souls book, introduces various mechanics tied to combat, particularly to dying.
Instead of reverting to a hollowed state, getting cursed, and losing half of your HP, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers features Madness. This mechanic, tied to the enemies you kill and your likely countless deaths, influences the game significantly, increasing (or decreasing) how much Red Mercury you lose, how much damage you take and deal, and whether the Inner Demon is going to spawn.
As a layered mechanic, it needs proper explaining, which is precisely what we’re going to do in this Wuchang Madness guide.
What is Madness in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers?
Madness is a unique mechanic in Wuchang which adds a lot of complexity to the game’s combat system. Much like in the OG Souls trilogy and Demon’s Souls as well, killing and dying influences the world state and your character, and in the case of Wuchang, even spawns a formidable enemy.
Madness is increased each time you kill a non-feathered human enemy or every time you die. The exact amount of Madness you’ve accumulated can be checked at the Character screen.
But what does Madness do, exactly? A lot. Firstly, depending on how much you have, it impacts how much Red Mercury (the game’s equivalent of souls) you’ll lose. If you’re under 50 percent Madness, you’ll lose only a bit of your hard-earned Red Mercury; between 50 and 90 percent, you’ll lose a lot of them; at over 90 percent, you’ll lose all the Red Mercury you have.
Madness build-up can also be used to your advantage, depending on which nodes you’ve activated in the Impetus Repository. These effects kick in at 50 percent or more Madness.
When Madness is above 90 percent, you will start seeing Demonic Marks, granting you increased damage and Red Mercury gain, while making you take more damage from enemies. If Conversion is unlocked, you’ll also have stronger Swift Draws that will heal you on-hit.
If Madness reaches its maximum level, and you die with it at 100 percent, an Inner Demon will spawn. This is a copy of your character and is quite the opponent. If you defeat them, you’ll get all your Red Mercury back, but if you don’t, they’ll be lost forever.
How to cure Madness in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers?
If you simply don’t wish to interact with such a complex mechanic, you can always ensure Madness is at a low level and cure it if it gets too high.
The first would be to target feathered enemies, like birds. Killing them reduces your overall Madness, while killing humans makes it go up. You can also pray at altars and offer gifts, particularly the Divine Gift and Divine Gift Shards, to cleanse your Madness build-up.
Certain items, like the Plumed Branch, Feathered Pearls, and Pills can increase Madness when used, so if you don’t want it to go up, avoid using them if you can.
Lastly, you can also lose all your Madness by letting the Inner Demon kill you. Be sure to spend all your Red Mercury beforehand, though, as you’ll lose them all otherwise.
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