Best Skills To Unlock Early in Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth Wukong and its developer, Game Science, were very keen to separate this game from the Souls genre. As this game isn’t a traditional Souls-Like.

It’s much more in line with a hack-and-slash title and, generally speaking, is a lot less punishing than most Souls games. This difference is perhaps best illustrated by the Skill Tree present in the game.

As the player earns XP and Sparks, they can spend these Sparks to awaken unique skills, buffs, stances, and more.

However, you may be looking at this jam-packed skill tree and wondering which skills are best to unlock first. Well, in a bid to help you hit the ground running, we’re going to list our picks of the bunch right now.

10

Mobile Spin

Twirl That Baton!

Our wooden spoon entry is rather situational, but one that becomes more and more necessary as the game goes on. Players will have access to a Staff Spin skill right from the beginning of the game. This skill can block incoming projectiles like arrows, but it’s a very limited skill as you need to stand static to use it.

But, if you unlock Mobile Spin, you’ll be able to spin your staff like a baton, block projectiles while you close the gap between you and the enemy, and this will allow you to take them out without needing to time your runs awkwardly between shots.

You can largely get away without this in the first chapter, but be sure to have it unlocked by the time you enter the second chapter.

9

Deft Evasion

Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive & Dodge

As you may have noticed, the combat in Black Myth: Wukong is akin to a hack-and-slash title, and this means being agile and reactive usually yields the best results.

Initially, your dodges will feel a little sluggish, but if you unlock the Deft Evasion skill, you will be able to leap away from most attacks with ease.

This skill makes the first dodge in a string of dodges much more agile, meaning you get further out of the way, whether that be a roll to the side, or a step back away from danger.

This can be a real asset when avoiding ranged attacks and lengthy combos, so consider spending your Sparks on this one.

8

Pillar Stance

Sitting In The Nosebleeds

One of the biggest ways to shake things up in Black Myth: Wukong is by unlocking and experimenting with a new Stance, as this opens up a whole new way to utilize your focus and charged heavy attacks.

You won’t be able to unlock the Thrust Stance for some time, but you’ll be able to unlock the Pillar Stance early on, and it’s a very helpful skill to learn.

This stance allows players to stand on their staff and climb above enemies, which can be a real asset in the first chapter of this game.

This is because bosses like Guangmou and the Whiteclad Noble mainly use physical grounded attacks, and this skill will allow you to lord above them, stay out of the firing line and choose when to enter the fray once again. It takes some getting used to, but it’s worth having as an option.

7

Swift Engage

Touch, Pause, Engage

With combat in Black Myth Wukong being as dynamic as it is, players will find it hard to stay up close and personal with the various enemies in this game. And this can lead to missed attacks and combo finishers you’d rather be connecting with.

If this is a problem you’ve been having early in the game, the Swift Engage skill can help curb this issue.

This skill increases the range that you can begin a melee combo and have the attack snap to the enemy’s position. Against more agile enemies, this is an essential skill to have unlocked, as otherwise, they will give you the runaround. So consider awakening this one when you have a Spark to spare.

6

Robust Constitution

Made From Sterner Stuff

In a brutal game such as this, staying alive is the aim of the game, and while strong weapons, armor, and curios can help with that, there’s no substitute for having more HP.

Having more health allows you to make more mistakes, and survive moves from enemies that would one-shot more fragile monkeys. So, for this reason, robust constitution should be a skill that you immediately gravitate towards.

This skill has six notches, with each one raising your HP bar by a moderate amount.

This can be further enhanced with the use of Celestial Lotus Pills, but seeing as you won’t have access to those until you defeat the Tiger Vanguard, it’s best to spend a few Sparks early on to enhance your HP.

5

Rampant Vigor

I Could Do This All Day

While health is great to have, I would argue that in Black Myth: Wukong, Stamina is slightly more important, as having enough stamina to consistently dodge to avoid taking damage is better than having the HP needed to survive that hit.

Being able to chain dodges one after the other allows you to dictate the pace of the fight, and for that reason, Rampant Vigor is a vital skill to power up.

Much like Robust Constitution, this one has six notches, and each will increase your stamina by a moderate amount. This can also be further enhanced with the use of celestial nonary pills.

4

Simian Agility

Can’t Touch This

Keeping with the notion that being able to dodge frequently and consistently is directly linked to survival. Players should consider awakening the Simian Agility skill.

This skill lowers the amount of stamina that committing to a dodge roll costs, and this skill has two notches, allowing you to cut down the stamina cost early on.

Running out of stamina and being unable to dodge in this game makes you a sitting duck. At least until you have evasive spells like Cloud Step and Rock Solid to bail you out.

So, in the early game, it’s best to give yourself as many potential dodges as possible because the stamina this skill saves per dodge could make all the difference.

3

Crash

Make The Most Of Your Free Hit

Our next two early-game skills relate to the Immobilization spell, an incredibly powerful spell that players will gain early in proceedings.

This spell freezes your enemy and allows you to attack them freely while they sit there and take it. It’s a spell that remains useful right into the end game, and this is why you should spend some sparks leveling it up early on.

The Crash skill is a great one to do just that, as this will increase your overall damage output when attacking any enemy that is under the effect of the Immobilisation spell.

Plus, this has two notches, so you can double down on this one to seriously up the damage dealt when the enemy is frozen. It’ll be your only spell until you fight the Black Wind King, so it’s best to embrace this spell early on.

2

Stagnation

Don’t Move A Muscle

Then we have our runner-up, Stagnation, my preferred early-game Immobilization skill. This is because this skill stacks over the course of a battle, making it a brilliant one to have active against bosses.

This skill will ensure that every time you land a light attack on an enemy, this will increase the duration of your next Immobilisation cast, and this effect can stack up to five times.

This, when combined with something like Evanescence, is a wonderful skill, as you can keep strong enemies frozen and helpless for long periods of time, allowing you to melt their health bar in complete safety.

This strategy does mean that you can’t land finishers and heavy blows as this breaks the spell, but if you can adapt to this, you can keep them trapped for what will feel like forever.

1

Composure

Achieving A True Flow State

As you get comfortable with Black Myth Wukong’s combat, you come to find that there is a real benefit to creating windows where you can commit your entire melee combo uninterrupted.

This is because each melee combo ends with a powerful jump attack that will usually knock back or stagger enemies. However, when an enemy does attack, and you dodge, this tends to break your combo, forcing you to start from scratch.

However, if you unlock the composure spell, you can dodge incoming attacks, but vitally, you will not lose your combo when you do. This means you can keep your flow, dictate the pace of the fight, and stagger the enemy more consistently without needing to abandon attacks before they reach their destructive conclusions.

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Black Myth: Wukong

An action-RPG set against the backdrop of Chinese mythology, Black Myth: Wukong is a Soulslike adventure game retelling the story of Journey to the West.

Systems

Released

August 20, 2024

Developer(s)

Game Science

Publisher(s)

Game Science

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence

How Long To Beat

39 hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

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