How to Upgrade Weapons in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

Upgrading your weapons in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers isn’t just a minor power bump—it’s what keeps you alive once the game starts throwing its nastier horrors your way. As you push through crumbling villages and plague-warped forests, you’ll collect weapons at a steady pace. But without proper upgrades, even the strongest blade will feel like you’re swinging a wet rag at a brick wall.

This guide walks you through how the weapon upgrade system works, where to find Red Feathers and Red Mercury, and how the mastery tree ties everything together.

How the Weapon Upgrade System Works

Wuchang doesn’t follow the typical “upgrade one weapon at a time” formula most action RPGs stick to. Instead, it leans into a mastery-based system tied directly to the Shrine. When you invest upgrade materials into a weapon type, every weapon in that category jumps to the same upgrade level. If you bring your spears to +6, every spear you equip automatically hits that same threshold.

It’s a smart approach. You’re free to experiment with new drops without feeling punished for abandoning something you’ve already upgraded. If you like swapping playstyles on the fly, this system is basically a playground.

All Red Feather Types Explained

To level up your weapon masteries, you’ll need Red Feathers—Wuchang’s primary upgrade resource. Each kind is tied to specific upgrade tiers, and you’ll steadily unlock higher-level materials as you progress.

Before diving into the best farming routes, here’s a breakdown of each Feather and what tier it unlocks. Understanding these tiers helps you plan which weapon category you want to push first.

• Faint Red Feather – Upgrades weapon types up to +3
• Brilliant Red Feather – Up to +6
• Radiant Red Feather – Up to +9
• Lustrous Red Feather / Vermilion Ancient Chisel – Unlock +10 (the final upgrade level)

Since the game eventually starts demanding significant amounts of Red Mercury alongside Feathers, you’ll want to stockpile both—especially if you’re upgrading more than one weapon class.

Where to Find Red Feathers

You’ll find these upgrade materials in several reliable ways, and knowing where to look can save you hours of aimless wandering. Each method shines at different stages of the game, so mix and match based on your progress.

Exploration Drops

The world is filled with glowing pickup items—many of them end up being Red Feathers. It’s always worth scanning side paths, cliff edges, and any suspicious-looking nook. Wuchang loves hiding upgrade materials in places you almost miss while sprinting toward the next shrine.

Enemy Drops

Some monsters carry Feathers as well, and once you recognize them, farming becomes far easier. Plague-ridden creatures like Carrion Corpses and Blight Pots tend to drop low- to mid-tier Feathers. Elite variations with a purple haze surrounding them are especially good sources.

If you’re farming intentionally, pick a route near a Shrine so you can reset enemies quickly.

Vendors

Several friendly NPCs offer Red Feathers for sale. Wu Gang and the Giant Panda are the most consistent sources, and their inventory shifts depending on how far you are in the story. Prices can be steep, but vendors are a great fallback when you’re short on one specific Feather type.

How to Upgrade Weapon Masteries

Upgrading is done entirely at the Shrine, inside the Impetus Repository—essentially the game’s mastery tree. This is where all weapon categories sit, each represented by nodes connected by branching paths.

Before jumping in, keep in mind that you’ll need both Red Mercury and the appropriate Red Feather tier to activate upgrade nodes.

Step-by-step upgrade process

A bit of context first: unlike many RPGs where you manually enhance a single sword, Wuchang pushes you to strengthen broad weapon classes. That means every point you invest benefits your entire arsenal of that type, making it essential to choose your first upgraded category wisely.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Open the Shrine and go to the Impetus Repository.
2. Navigate to the weapon category you want to enhance (dual blades, axes, spears, longswords, etc.).
3. Look for eight-pointed nodes—these represent upgrade levels for that weapon type.
4. Spend Red Mercury to unlock the surrounding path if needed.
5. Use the appropriate Red Feather to activate the upgrade node.
6. Repeat for each pip inside the node—some level clusters require multiple activations.

You can reset your skill points at any time, and doing so refunds all Red Feathers spent. The system encourages experimentation, so don’t be afraid to swap to something new if your current build isn’t clicking.

Tips for Efficient Weapon Upgrading

Before closing out, here are a few practical tips that can help streamline the process. These suggestions come from how the game functions under the hood and how players tend to optimize their path through the campaign.

Focus on one weapon type early

Spreading upgrade materials across multiple types will leave you underpowered. Pick a weapon class you enjoy and commit until at least the +6 range.

Farm elites whenever possible

Those purple-glowing variants are your ticket to mid-tier Feathers. A short route with two or three elites per run can skyrocket your upgrade pace.

Buy low-tier Feathers, save high-tier drops

Since late-game Feathers are much harder to come by, resist the temptation to buy the rarest ones early. Vendors are best for topping off Faint or Brilliant Feathers.

Don’t forget Red Mercury

Many players run out of Mercury before they run out of Feathers. Keep an eye on your total and farm enemies that drop it if you’re planning a major upgrade project.

That wraps up our full guide on how to upgrade weapons in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. Whether you’re leaning into heavy axes or nimble dual blades, mastering the upgrade system turns every weapon class into a powerhouse—and lets you focus on what Wuchang does best: brutal, deliberate combat wrapped in haunting atmosphere.