The world of Black Myth: Wukong is full of picturesque landscapes, epic showdowns with dragons, and many hidden features that players might not catch on their first playthrough. Some aspects of Black Myth are made intentionally secret and even lead to otherwise inaccessible, narrative-rich content. Certain gameplay elements, such as upgrading gourds and armor, involve hidden or difficult-to-find areas and retrieving multiple obscure items.
It may be frustrating at first for players trying to make sense of Wukong‘s various weapon stances, dodges, attacks, etc. Replaying Black Myth multiple times is the only way to truly get a sense of what the game offers, inlcuding unlocking its secret ending, and it will help to have a good idea of which hidden features most players probably completely missed.
10 Focus On The Perfect Dodge
A Good Defense Is The Best Offense
While dodging mechanics in Black Myth are essential to the fast-paced gameplay, players might not realize how integral the Perfect Dodge technique combined with Focus buildup is to the Wukong experience, especially early in the game. Timing must be exact to benefit from this tricky feature, which functions similarly to the Soulsborne parry mechanic. Investing Sparks into the Stamina tree will help build up Focus incredibly fast and execute combos without breaking them with a dodge.
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7 Best Defensive Spells In Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong has several Spells the Destined One can learn throughout its six chapters. Find out the best defensive Spells to equip in battle.
Composure, for example, allows the Destined One to dodge without interrupting a light attack combo, while 
Bold Move and Vigilant Heart will increase the amount of Focus built up each time a Perfect Dodge is executed. Further, 
Ephemeral Shadow adds a damage reduction window after a Perfect Dodge, and 
Vengeful Mirage leaves “an illusion in your wake” that explodes and deals damage.
9 Shen Monkey Gourd Upgrades
Totally Not Out Of His Gourd
Typically, upgrading equipment is pretty straightforward, but in Black Myth: Wukong, it takes a little work. After the Destined One encounters Shen Monkey in the Marsh of the White Mist, he will stay posted up there for the rest of the game, meaning players will need to travel back to the Forest throughout their journey to upgrade their Gourd or Drink. That is, unless they have unlocked Zodiac Village, an area that can only be accessed after completing a specific side quest in Chapter 3 involving the Zodiac Village (more on that below).
Players who explore thoroughly will find various useful Gourds throughout the journey, but not all Gourds can be upgraded. Those that can may make or break a fight against any given enemy. Shen Monkey will also sell unique Gourds and Drinks depending on which chapter the Destined One is in.
8 Secret Area Bosses
Tough To Find, Tougher To Beat
Each chapter in Black Myth has a secret area that can be accessed by completing a series of steps, such as ringing all three bells found around the Forest in Chapter 1, which unlocks a secret, strangely familiar area where the Destined One takes on Elder Jinchi in a pretty difficult showdown. It won’t be quite that straightforward in the remaining chapters, however, and it may take some careful observation or the help of a guide to get to access all the bosses.
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Black Myth: Wukong – How to Beat All Secret Ending Bosses
After unlocking Black Myth: Wukong’s secret ending, you’ll have to face six unique bosses in three fights to change the Destined One’s fate.
The rewards for defeating these secret bosses are incredibly useful, and are each designed to aid against their specific chapter’s final boss. For instance, the Fireproof Mantle, rewarded by defeating Elder Jinchi, grants burn resistance, which comes in handy when trying to beat Black Bear Guai.
7 Missables
Careful Planning Is A Must
On that note, missable or hidden quests, items, and bosses are a major feature of Black Myth, even as early as Chapter 1 with the Wandering Wight Spirit, who disappears once players defeat the secret boss discussed above, Elder Jinchi. One rare Curio players will want to snag, the 
Auspicious Lantern, requires defeating nine Lantern Wardens in Chapter 3 before completing the fight against 
Captain Wise-Voice, also unlocking the A Curios Collection trophy/achievement.
Ultimately, missing useful items such as the Wandering Wight Spirit or the Auspicious Lantern are part of the Wukong experience, and they were intentionally made easy to overlook. As players progress through a second or third playthrough, acquiring those items they missed the first time around adds to the challenge and reward of replaying the game.
6 Zodiac Village And Upgrading Armor
All Your Favorite NPCs, All In One Place
As players enter Chapter 3, they will not want to miss this hidden area, especially if they’re tired of fast-traveling between locations to interact with various NPCs. The Zodiac Village can be accessed by finding and beating Chen Loong, another secret boss, and setting out on a series of tasks involving Xu Dog. Eventually, Chen Loong gives the Destined One the 
Ruyi Scroll, opening up access to the Zodiac Village.
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Black Myth: Wukong – How To Find & Beat Chen Loong (Secret Boss)
Chen Loong is a zodiac deity who can plant seeds in the village garden, but not without some convincing. Defeat this dragon in Black Myth: Wukong.
Here, all the NPCs from each Chapter gather and open up easy access to various upgrades, including Shen Monkey for Gourds, as well as armor upgrades from Yin Tiger. Similar to Gourd upgrades, armor requires Will and special materials, but the cost is worth it – armor can be upgraded to legendary status, making endgame boss encounters much more manageable.
5 Harvesting Seeds, Tattered Pages, And Medicine
Monkey Seed, Monkey Do
As players advance through Black Myth, they’ll likely notice various seeds starting to pop into their inventory when attempting to gather various materials. These seeds are intended to be given to a “gardening enthusiast,” who just so happens to be the aforementioned Chen Loong in the Zodiac Village. Collecting and harvesting seeds allows players to grow their own materials for crafting medicines.
At first, the Destined One will need to buy most of his medicines directly from Xu Dog in Chapter 2. However, another option is to collect the many Pill formulas found on Tattered Pages. Once acquired, the formulas allow players to craft medicines for a range of purposes directly from the Keeper’s Shrines. In total, there are 14 formulas that can be picked up, though Xu Dog will always be available in case players have trouble finding them.
4 New Game Plus Loot
Back To The Beginning
All the completionists out there have no other option than to play through the game again because Wukong has certain loot that can only be obtained in New Game Plus. These items include three weapons, the 
Adept Spine-Shooting Fuban Staff, the 
Stormflash Loong Staff, and the 
Dark Iron Staff. Similarly, the 
Qing-Tian Gourd and 
Guanyin’s Willow Leaf soak are sold by Shen Monkey, and the 
Soul Remigration Pill formula is sold by Xu Dog once the Destined One finds those NPCs in NG+.
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Black Myth: Wukong New Game Plus – Everything That Carries Over & Changes
Black Myth: Wukong’s New Game Plus mode, also known as a New Cycle, allows players to carry over a lot of their progress and adds in new features.
Another very interesting feature of NG+ (and NG++ for that matter) is that when collecting a Relic, a second or third passive node slot can be selected. Further, players will gain access to the Free Mind relic if they completed Erlang, the Sacred Divinity’s questline in their initial playthrough.
Yin Tiger Isn’t Messing Around
After players gain access to Zodiac Village and upgrade their armor with Yin Tiger, an option to challenge him will be available. As this fight ranks among the toughest in the game, it’s wise to spend some time leveling before taking Yin Tiger on in earnest. After defeating him, the Destined One is rewarded with the 
Ebon Flow Transformation Spell, which allows them to take Yin Tiger’s form in combat. However, if players speak with Yin Tiger again, they’ll notice a new dialog option that grants them a third Curio slot.
An additional Curio slot makes a major difference, especially for tough late-game bosses such as the Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast. Players will be able to duel with Yin Tiger again after their initial bout, but there will not be any rewards for doing so.
2 The Five Skandhas
Form, Thought, Feeling, Choice, Consequence
While most of the items players pick up have a relatively clear purpose, the Skandhas found throughout Black Myth are typically difficult to gather, and their use isn’t very clear. There are five Skandhas in total; one of Form, Thought, Feeling, Choice, and Consequence, and each requires some often complicated steps to acquire. For example, players must collect six Buddha Eyeballs and defeat the difficult Stone Vanguard in Chapter 2 in order to spawn another difficult boss encounter with Shigandang for the Skandha of Feeling.
After acquiring all five Skandhas, the Destined One can take them to Xu Dog in Zodiac Village and obtain the Five Skandhas Pill by showing him the items. This pill gives players a much-needed boost to Health, Stamina, Attack, Mana, and Defense.
1 True Ending
Is It Really Over?
If players felt unsatisfied by the relatively demure ending after beating the Stone Monkey the first time, they’ll be happy to learn that another, secret ending to the game exists. In order to see the true Ending, they will need to find and complete the secret areas in each chapter and finish the Treasure Hunter side quest in Chapter 3. Then players will need to return to Mount Mei in order to see the True Ending and finally understand the Destined One’s fate.
All in all, these hidden features are likely to be missed if players aren’t observant and mindful of the order in which they take on certain enemies, or if they do not explore and talk with the various NPCs found in each chapter. Taking advantage of the New Game Plus features and replaying Black Myth: Wukong multiple times will also allow players to seek out these hidden features they probably completely missed the first time around.
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG game from the developers at GameScience. Based on the original Chinese novel Journey to the West, players take on the role of Sun Wukong, a legendary monkey warrior who fights against mythical beasts and beings to save his world.
- Released
- August 20, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Game Science
- Publisher(s)
- Game Science
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
