10 tips to triumph in Black Myth: Wukong

Looking for some Black Myth: Wukong tips? Though not as tough as your typical soulslike—in part due to the wealth of tools the game gives you to overcome challenges—Wukong is still tricky from time to time. The game may offer plenty of spells to use, spirits to summon, and abilities to unlock, but actually understanding how they all fit together is another matter entirely. 

Black Myth: Wukong draws together lots of different smart soulslike concepts into a single game, though since it isn't all that hard—at least in comparison to most other games in this genre—the extent to which you engage with these is really up to you. If you find you need some tools to take down a boss, they're there, but you can also get by with what you have if you're a reasonably skilled player.

All that said, here are my ten tips for Black Myth: Wukong, which cover most of the game's main mechanics, plus a few hints about how to get extra will for crafting weapons and armour.

Gain Focus Points and consume them for more damage

Though Black Myth: Wukong has a whole range of stances and attacks that you can use against enemies, the fundamental principle of combat is building Focus Points—filling the empty circles in the bottom right through light attacks, perfectly-timed dodges, and charging a heavy attack—and then consuming them to perform a powerful damage-dealing strike. 

The most basic version of this is holding down the charged attack button, waiting for both Focus Point dials to fill up, and then releasing to perform a downwards spinning attack. It's hard to overstate how strong these are, especially if you use them in tandem with the Immobilize spell and use the heavy attacks to shatter enemies in that state. 

Grab a Transformation spell early

Transformation spells are a special category that let you temporarily turn yourself into an enemy with a new set of attacks. These are very strong for bosses since while you're transformed you don't take damage but can still deal it. The first one you can grab is the Red Tides spell by defeating Guangzhi in the Forest of Wolves. This Yaoguai Chieftain wields a fiery twinblade and that makes him perfect for building up the fire bane on bosses and setting them alight for extra damage. It's worth noting that Transformation spells are different to spirits and the one-off attacks you can use them for.

Meditate (or kill more enemies)

While exploring each chapter of Black Myth: Wukong, you'll occasionally find a cushion you can sit down and meditate on. Each meditation gives you a new spark to spend on abilities, so it's well worth keeping an eye out. If you happen to be struggling with bosses, remember that you can also just go off and kill enemies to get more sparks and unlock more powerful abilities and stat boosts. If you ever want to re-spec your sparks, all you need to do is go to a Keeper's Shrine and choose the reignite the sparks option.

Smash pots, sell gold, and consume Will o Wisps

Will is the currency you use to purchase and craft new items in Black Myth: Wukong such as weapons and armour, and these can be pretty expensive. You'll get some will by defeating enemies, but you can also smash pots to get more and sell the pieces of gold you find at the Keeper's Shrine. The best way to get a lot of will is to look for Will o Wisps. You can consume these floating green spirits for a big chunk of the currency, and they'll also partially refill your healing gourd, which is a nice extra.

Take your medicine

You won't unlock the ability to craft medicine yourself until chapter two when you meet Xu Dog, but using these consumables is one of the best ways to deal with enemies who apply banes like fire, poison, and thunder, or just generally to buff yourself in a boss fight. Once you find Xu Dog in the Crouching Tiger Temple basement in chapter two, you'll also be able to craft Celestial Medicines; permanent bonuses you can apply to health, mana, stamina, or specific bane resistances.

Spec into your playstyle with secondary effects

On the surface, Black Myth: Wukong may seem straightforward in terms of playstyle, but as you unlock more weapons, armour sets, spirits, and abilities, you'll quickly realise that you can actually customise your playstyle extensively. Weapons provide unique effects, armour grants set-based bonuses depending on how many pieces you have equipped, and even the spirit you equip provides a passive benefit.

You've also got curios you can wear for additional effects, plus the Soak you use in your healing drink, i.e, the additional effect it applies whenever you take a swig. Say you want to spec into the Immobilize spell for instance? You could don the Bronze Monkey set for more shatter damage and reduced Immobilize cooldown, and use the Twin Serpents Staff for more damage on light attack combo finishers when attacking Immobilized enemies—there are plenty of build options to experiment with.

Return to Shen Monkey to upgrade your gourd

After chapter one, it's easy to forget that Shen Monkey exists, but this NPC plays the all-important role of upgrading your healing flask. Luojia Fragrant Vines let you add more uses to your gourd, while Awaken Wine Worms upgrade the potency of your choice of healing drink. If you haven't found an Awaken Wine Worm yet, look for gold-glowing pots that you can smash. The first one is located in the Black Wind King's boss arena. Once you unlock the A Pluck of Many spell, you can also buy the Jade Lotus Gourd from Shen Monkey that'll let you heal your clone minions.

Enemies hurt other enemies

This isn't that typical for a soulslike game, but it's pretty useful in certain situations. Enemy archers, for instance, will damage other enemies if they're in the path of their arrows, meaning you can tactically shield yourself behind an enemy if you're fighting him with an archer nearby. Certain bosses with minions—such as Elder Jinchi—will damage those enemies if they get in the way of their attacks, so use this knowledge wisely.

Time your ability uses or lose them

Spells and abilities are a precious resource in Black Myth: Wukong since you only have limited mana and most spells work on a cooldown system. If you get hit by an enemy or stunlocked while using an ability, it will go on cooldown but you won't perform it, so be extra cautious when casting spells near foes. Some spells, like A Pluck of Many, have a pretty long animation, so you should only use them when you're at a safe distance or the boss is otherwise occupied. 

Track down vessels to get powerful abilities

These special items are one of Black Myth: Wukong's best-kept secrets, granting you an extra ability you can activate when your Qi is full. The Fireproof Mantle that you get in chapter one massively boosts fire resistance and makes you immune to damage when walking on lava-covered terrain, which is pretty useful in a variety of scenarios. You have to defeat some extra bosses and ring some bells to get this, so it's not the easiest to acquire, but if you locate the secret Obsession area in each region you'll unlock a new vessel for completing it.