Chapter 1: Fire and Black Clouds
Black Wind Mountain — Where the journey begins.
Chapter Overview
Chapter 1 takes place on Black Wind Mountain (黑风山). It serves as the game's introductory area, teaching core mechanics such as combat, dodging, spell casting, and Spirit absorption. The chapter features three main bosses and a handful of optional encounters. Completing it unlocks Chapter 2: Yellow Wind Ridge.
Boss List
- Wandering Wight (游僧) — Optional boss, Forest of Wolves area
- Elder Jinchi (金池长老) — Story boss, Ancient Temple
- Black Bear Spirit (黑熊精) — Chapter boss, Black Wind Cave
Key Items
- Wandering Wight Spirit (游僧精魄) — Absorbed from the Wandering Wight; grants a powerful stagger ability
- Fireproof Mantle (避火罩) — Reduces fire damage; essential for the Black Bear Spirit fight
- Immortal Tiger Blade (虎筋刀) — A weapon upgrade material found near Snake Path
Area 1: Front Hollows
After the opening cinematic, you awaken at the foot of Black Wind Mountain. The first area is a relatively open grove with a few scattered enemies. This section functions as a tutorial, gradually introducing light attacks, heavy attacks, dodging, and the Gourd healing flask. Take your time to practice the timing of your dodges here — the i-frames (invincibility frames) in Black Myth: Wukong are generous, but mastering them early will pay off enormously in later chapters.
Make sure to explore the starting area thoroughly. You'll find Gourd upgrades and Spirit absorb items. Breakable pots and crates often contain Willow (柳木) and other crafting materials. Don't rush past them.
Follow the path forward and you'll encounter your first group of basic enemies — skeletal warriors and wolf-like creatures. These enemies telegraph their attacks clearly, so use them to learn the parry window. After clearing the initial grove, you'll reach the first Shrine (土地庙). Shrines act as checkpoints: resting at one refills your Gourd charges, saves your progress, and allows you to allocate skill points. The first Shrine is called Front Hollows Shrine.
Just past the Shrine, look to the left side of the path. A narrow trail leads uphill to a clearing where the Wandering Wight (游僧) can be found sitting calmly. This is an optional boss and is significantly harder than anything else in the area at this stage. If you're struggling, you can skip it and return later with upgraded stats and better equipment. Defeating it rewards the Wandering Wight Spirit, which is one of the strongest early-game Spirit abilities — a ground slam that deals massive stagger damage.
From the Shrine, the main path continues deeper into the mountain through a rocky canyon. You'll encounter a few more enemy ambushes along the way — particularly watch for enemies hiding behind rock formations. Keep your guard up and progress toward the Forest of Wolves. Before leaving, make sure you've activated the Shrine so you can fast-travel back if needed.
Area 2: Forest of Wolves
The Forest of Wolves is a densely wooded area filled with wolf-type enemies. These foes are faster than the skeletons from the previous area and tend to attack in packs. Their most dangerous attack is a leaping lunge that covers significant distance — dodge sideways (not backward) to avoid it cleanly. You'll also encounter larger wolf enemies wearing armor; these have a sweeping bite combo that can catch you off-guard if you're too aggressive.
As you push through the forest, keep an eye out for a small side path on the right that leads to a hidden clearing. Here you'll find a Gourd upgrade item sitting on a stone altar. This upgrade increases your healing charges by one, which makes a significant difference in the upcoming boss fights. There's also a crafting material node near the edge of the clearing — collect it for later weapon upgrades.
If you decided to fight the Wandering Wight earlier, here's the strategy: stay close and circle to his left (your right). His grab attack has a long wind-up but tracks aggressively — dodge at the last moment. Use the Immobilize spell (定身术) to freeze him, then land a full heavy attack combo. Spirit abilities that deal stagger damage are extremely effective against him. Don't get greedy — two to three hits, then reposition.
Continue through the forest until you reach the second Shrine, Forest of Wolves Shrine. This is a good place to spend any accumulated skill points. Consider investing in the dodge-extending skill tree and the increased Gourd healing potency. From this Shrine, the path forks: the main route leads forward toward the Snake Path, while a dead-end trail to the left contains a miniboss encounter with a heavily armored wolf commander. Defeating him drops a rare crafting material.
Area 3: Snake Path
The Snake Path is a winding mountain trail that lives up to its name. Narrow ledges, falling rocks, and snake-type enemies make this section treacherous. The snake enemies here have a poison spit attack that leaves a damaging area on the ground — avoid standing in the green clouds. Their melee attacks are relatively slow, so punish their whiffs with a quick light-attack combo followed by a dodge-cancel.
About halfway through the Snake Path, you'll find the Snake Path Shrine. Rest here and prepare for a miniboss encounter just ahead — a giant snake coiled around a ruined pagoda. This miniboss has two key attacks: a wide tail sweep and a forward lunging bite. The tail sweep can be dodged by jumping, while the lunge requires a well-timed sideways dodge. The arena has limited space, so be mindful of your positioning near the edges. Defeating this miniboss rewards a Vessel (法宝) slot upgrade and opens the path to the Ancient Temple.
Near the end of the Snake Path, check the cliffs on the right side for the Immortal Tiger Blade (虎筋刀) material. It's easy to miss because the path to it is partially hidden behind a waterfall. This material is used to craft one of the best early-game weapons, so it's absolutely worth the detour. Once you've collected it, continue forward to the Ancient Temple area.
Area 4: Ancient Temple & Black Wind Cave
The Ancient Temple is a hauntingly beautiful area filled with incense smoke and crumbling statues. Approach the main hall to trigger the Elder Jinchi (金池长老) boss fight. Elder Jinchi is a ranged-oriented boss who summons golden Buddhist projectiles in circular patterns. The key to this fight is constant movement — strafe around him at medium range and close the gap only when he finishes a projectile volley. His most dangerous move is a golden beam attack that sweeps across the arena; sprint to the sides to avoid it. Use the Immobilize spell to pin him down and unleash your heaviest combos. Defeating Elder Jinchi rewards you with the Fireproof Mantle (避火罩), which is critical for the upcoming final boss.
Equip the Fireproof Mantle before entering Black Wind Cave. The Black Bear Spirit deals heavy fire damage, and without this item, many of his attacks will one-shot you. Also stock up on Gourd upgrades and make sure your skill points are allocated. Visit the Shrine just outside the cave entrance as your last checkpoint.
After defeating Elder Jinchi, the path behind the temple altar opens to reveal the entrance to Black Wind Cave (黑风洞). The cave interior is dark and filled with fire-type enemies. Use the Fireproof Mantle's active ability to create a temporary fire shield as you push through. The cave itself is relatively linear with only one major branching path (which leads to a minor loot chest). Follow the burning braziers to stay on the main route.
The Black Bear Spirit (黑熊精) awaits at the deepest chamber of the cave. This is the final boss of Chapter 1 and has two phases. In Phase 1, he uses sweeping claw combos and fire breath in a forward cone. Dodge roll through the claw swings and flank him from the side during fire breath. At 50% health, he enters Phase 2: he grows larger, his attacks gain fire trails, and he gains a devastating slam attack that sends shockwaves across the arena. The Fireproof Mantle is essential here — activate it during his Phase 2 fire trails to negate the burning ground damage. Focus on hit-and-run tactics: land two to three attacks after dodging his combos, then back off. Patience is the key to this fight. Upon defeating the Black Bear Spirit, you'll receive his Spirit and trigger the end-of-chapter cinematic, unlocking Chapter 2.