Black Myth: Wukong is a mix of challenging and exciting. It’s an action RPG, similar to other tough games like Souls, with features like gaining XP, skill trees, and checkpoints where you save progress but also reset enemies. But it also has its own special touches.

This beginner’s guide will help you start your journey in Black Myth: Wukong with tips from the first 15 hours of the game. We’ll give advice on how the game levels work, the confusing crafting system, fast travel, and your gear.

Your Progress is Linear

In Black Myth: Wukong, your main goal is to move from one shrine checkpoint to another, fighting demons along the way. It’s not about grinding to level up, but more about moving from one boss fight to the next—there are lots of them.

This straightforward design also affects your armor and weapons. You don’t really unlock them by choice; instead, when you reach a certain shrine, new crafting recipes for equipment automatically become available. The same goes for spells, which are given to you after beating certain bosses.

But don’t rush through the game because…

Explore Side Paths

Even though your main path is clear, there are hidden paths between shrines that are worth checking out. You might find a treasure chest or even an extra boss to fight.

These extra bosses give you more XP and sometimes rare materials. If nothing else, you’ll collect ingredients that will be helpful later.

You Can’t Make Medicine Until Chapter 2

Early in the game, you’ll collect a lot of ingredients like plants and mushrooms. They say they can be used to make medicine, but you can’t actually do anything with them until Chapter 2, which is several hours into the game. You’ll have to wait until then to unlock crafting medicine.

Sometimes It’s Better to Run

Early on, you’ll meet an enemy called a Wandering Wight. The first time you face it, you won’t be able to defeat it (though it’s possible, it’s very hard). The trick is to run past it.

While you can’t run from every fight, this teaches you how the game works: you’ll get stronger and gain more skills as you move forward. If you find a tough enemy or boss, you can always come back when you’re more powerful.

Fast Travel is Strange Without a Map

You can fast travel between shrines you’ve already visited, but the game doesn’t have a map, which makes it a bit awkward. When you choose to fast travel, you’ll just see a list of shrine names and their regions. Luckily, the names are descriptive enough to help you figure out where you’re going.

Clothes Matter for the Monkey

As you defeat bosses in the game, you’ll unlock new gear to craft at shrines. You’ll always use a staff as your weapon, so that’s easy to understand. But your clothes — gear for your head, body, legs, and arms — add more variety.

Different clothes give you special effects, like extra damage or speed. Some gear sets require you to wear multiple pieces to unlock these bonuses.

Don’t Forget to Use Your Spells

Melee fighting is important in Black Myth: Wukong, but your spells are super useful too. As you play, you’ll slowly unlock new spells, giving you time to try each one. Early on, you’ll get a spell to freeze enemies, which is great. Later, you’ll get spells that let you transform, dodge better, or even block attacks like in Mortal Shell.

Transformations Are Powerful

Some enemies you fight can be transformed into, letting you use their moves. This can help you understand their weaknesses. You can also transform temporarily for a strong attack. Don’t skip these spells—they’re helpful, especially during tough boss fights.

Heavy Attacks Are Tactical

Heavy attacks aren’t just slow, strong hits. They take time to charge up but can stun enemies, leaving them open to more damage. As you fight, you’ll build up Focus, and when it’s full, you can unleash a powerful heavy attack.

Craft and Upgrade Your Gear

You’ll find some equipment while exploring, but most of your gear upgrades come from crafting at Shrines. You’ll collect materials like Will and Silk by defeating enemies. Be sure to explore thoroughly to gather what you need to upgrade your gear and get stronger.

Try Different Drinks in Your Gourd

You’ll find different types of brews for your Gourd, each with unique effects. The default brew heals a third of your health, but others may heal more slowly over time. You can also select brews that give you resistance to poison or extra health. Choose based on your playstyle and the enemies you’re facing.

Upgrade Your Gourd

Gourd upgrades aren’t done at Shrines. Instead, you’ll need to find a monkey near the Marsh of White Mist Shrine to help. You’ll also need to collect Awaken Wine Worms for the upgrades. Plan carefully when upgrading your Gourd as you’ll have different drink options to choose from.

Use Sparks to Upgrade Skills

When you beat tough enemies, you’ll earn Sparks. These can be used to upgrade your skill trees, like increasing health, stamina, or adding new moves. Each spell, stance, and transformation has its own skill tree, so you’ll need plenty of Sparks to enhance everything.

Master the Perfect Dodge

Dodging at the last second gives you a cool afterimage of Wukong, which distracts enemies. This brief moment of invincibility lets you counterattack, but be careful not to get too reckless.

Rock Solid Defense

Rock Solid is a spell you’ll unlock in the second area. It lets you turn into stone, blocking attacks and leaving enemies vulnerable to a counterattack. Spells like this can completely change the flow of battle.

Explore Everywhere

The game’s areas are large with hidden paths and items. You can rush to the bosses and Shrines if you want, but if you’re stuck, take time to explore. You’ll likely find helpful items, bonuses, or buffs that make the fight easier.

There Are Secrets With Rewards

Although Black Myth: Wukong is mostly a straight path, there are hidden secrets you can find. Some of these give you Vessels — accessories that offer helpful perks. To find some of these early secrets, check out guides on hidden bell locations, helping the Yellow-Robed Squire, and more.