Storyline#

Prologue: Mount Huaguo#

The game opens at Water Curtain Cave on Mount Huaguo. An old monkey tells the young Destined One the story of Sun Wukong — the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who once wreaked havoc in the heavens, now fallen, his six roots — eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind — scattered across the world. The Destined One’s mission is to set out on the journey, retrace the road to the West, recover the Great Sage’s six roots, and uncover the truth hidden behind the myth.

Before Chapter 1 begins, players must complete a short tutorial. This area is essentially a tutorial level that teaches the basic controls: light attack, heavy attack, dodge, and drinking from the Gourd to recover. After defeating a few small yaoguai, players meet the first elite enemy — Big-Headed Baby. It is recommended that first-time players not linger in this fight and simply push forward into Black Wind Mountain.

Chapter 1 Black Wind Mountain#

Black Wind Mountain is the game’s first proper level, a green mountain of layered ridges with ancient temples hidden among the trees. This chapter’s environment is dominated by verdant forest and dilapidated temples, and the mood gradually shifts from tranquil to eerie. Players learn the game’s core systems here — Shrines (bonfire points), skill point allocation, spell usage, and the transformation system.

Shrine System#

Shrines are the bonfires/save points of Black Myth. At a Shrine you can restore Health and Mana, upgrade the Gourd’s number of uses, allocate Spark points, craft and upgrade equipment, and travel to other Shrines you have activated. Each chapter has a large number of Shrines; once activated they can be used as fast travel points. It is strongly recommended to look for the Shrine first whenever you arrive at a new area.

Opening Flow: Guanyin Temple#

After entering Black Wind Mountain, players follow the mountain path and reach Guanyin Temple. The monks both inside and outside the temple have all turned into yaoguai and attack aggressively. Players find the first proper Shrine here, after which they can choose to explore the fork on the left. In that fork you can find the first absorbable Spirit — Guangzhi (a wolf yaoguai). Defeating it grants the Guangzhi transformation ability, letting you take the form of a wolf yaoguai and use fire attacks.

Lingxuzi#

Lingxuzi is a giant white wolf skilled at fast lunges and claw swipes. During the fight he summons small wolf yaoguai to help him, so players need to use dodges and Immobilize flexibly to find damage windows. It is recommended to use Smash Stance together with charged heavy strikes. Defeating Lingxuzi grants an important Spirit whose skill can summon a wolf pack to attack, making it very useful early on.

Chapter 1 Boss Overview#

Chapter 1 Map Areas#

Chapter 2 Yellow Wind Ridge#

Yellow Wind Ridge is modeled on the desert landscapes of northwest China, with yellow sand filling the sky and broken walls scattered throughout. In strong contrast to the verdant forest of Chapter 1, this chapter’s atmosphere is more desolate and heavy. The Yellow Wind Ridge map is open with many forks, making it easy to get lost, so players need to keep their bearings carefully.

Chapter 2 Boss Overview#

Chapter 2 Map Areas#

Chapter 3 The New West#

The New West is one of the largest and richest levels in the game. The setting is a snowy Buddhist pure land, with giant Buddha statues standing in the wind and snow, solemn yet eerie. This chapter’s map runs very deep and is divided into multiple areas: Sea of Bitterness, Thunderclap Pagoda, Snowy Mountain Path, and finally the inner hall of the New West. Players usually spend more time exploring here than in the first two chapters combined.

Thunderclap Pagoda#

Thunderclap Pagoda is a giant Buddhist pagoda that towers into the clouds, with a complex internal structure and enormous vertical depth. Each floor has different mechanisms and enemy layouts, including flame-spouting Buddha mechanisms, special chambers with reversed gravity, and large numbers of ambushing enemies. The topmost floor is where Yellow Brow King resides. It is recommended to prepare thoroughly before entering the pagoda, because there is no turning back point in this area — once you go in you must fight all the way to the top.

Chapter 3 Boss Overview#

Chapter 3 Map Areas#

Chapter 4 The Webbed Ridge#

The Webbed Ridge is themed around a gloomy spider nest, with a dark, damp atmosphere covered in cobwebs and insect eggs. Compared with the openness of the first three chapters, this chapter’s map is more linear but full of secret passages, and spider enemies ambush players from ceilings and walls everywhere. The core story of The Webbed Ridge revolves around the spider spirit family; the plot was partly revealed in the PS5 demo and is filled with tragedy.

Spider Spirit Family#

The story of The Webbed Ridge revolves around the spider spirit family. Players meet several spider spirit characters, each with their own complex background and motives. The eldest sister, second sister, and fourth sister each guard different areas of the level. The fourth sister’s storyline is the most moving; unlike her sisters, she holds some goodwill toward the Destined One. Through interactions with the spider spirit family, players can learn the full story of their hundred-year grudge with Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Poison Foe King#

Poison Foe King is a giant scorpion spirit whose tail stinger attacks carry high poison damage and inflict poisoning. His attacks are fast with very short start-up, and the stinger combos require precise perfect dodges to avoid. The difficulty of the fight lies in poison buildup — players must constantly use antidote medicines or equip poison-resistance accessories to stay alive. The Spirit obtained from defeating Poison Foe King is one of the strongest poison-type transformation abilities in the game.

Chapter 4 Boss Overview#

Chapter 4 Map Areas#

Chapter 5 Lion Camel Ridge#

Set against Flame Mountain, Lion Camel Ridge is one of the most visually striking levels in the game. Flames across the hillsides, rivers of lava, and scorched black rocks form a hellish landscape. In the original novel this was the territory of the three demon kings of Lion Camel Ridge, but in the game the story shifts its focus to the father-son relationship between Red Boy and the Bull Demon King, and the curse of Flame Mountain.

Flame Mountain#

Flame Mountain’s core mechanic is the high-temperature environment — while exploring the surface of Flame Mountain, players continuously accumulate burn buildup, and once the burn meter fills they enter a burning state and lose health over time. Players need to use water sources along the way and specific items to lower body temperature. The main enemies here are fire-attribute bull yaoguai and flame spirits. It is recommended to equip armor with high fire resistance and the Fire-Repelling Bead vessel, which greatly reduces environmental damage.

Red Boy#

Red Boy is one of the core characters of this chapter. In the original novel he is the son of the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan, and possesses the ability of Samadhi True Fire. The game’s Red Boy is more complex — he is both a boy longing for his father’s approval and a tragic figure tormented by the curse of Flame Mountain. The fight with Red Boy takes place in the core area of Flame Mountain. He attacks with a flame spear, can summon flame tornadoes, and casts large-area fire spells. During the fight you must watch out for his fire combos and go all out when his Mana runs dry.

Chapter 5 Boss Overview#

Chapter 5 Map Areas#

Chapter 6 Spirit Mountain Path#

Great Sage’s Broken Shell#

The fight is divided into two phases. In phase one, the Great Sage’s Broken Shell uses the golden staff and spells with a fast combat tempo; in phase two it enters a berserk state, its attack speed increases further, and it starts using stronger combos and full-screen attack skills. It is recommended to prepare the highest-tier Gourd, all available medicines, and the equipment setup best suited to your playstyle before this fight. After defeating the Great Sage’s Broken Shell, players can choose to absorb the Great Sage’s Mind Root and complete the main story ending.

Final Ending Choice#

After defeating the Great Sage’s Broken Shell, players face a key decision. Choosing to absorb the Mind Root leads to the normal ending (the Destined One inherits the Great Sage’s mantle and puts on the golden headband); choosing to refuse requires defeating Erlang Shen first, unlocking the true hidden ending — the Destined One breaks the cycle by their own will and is no longer bound by the golden headband. See the endings page for the detailed conditions of each ending.

Chapter 6 Boss Overview#

Chapter 6 Map Areas#

Six-Chapter Summary#

The storyline of the six chapters is not only the Destined One’s adventure, but also a deep deconstruction and reinterpretation of the original Journey to the West. Through fragmented storytelling and environmental narrative, the game lets players gradually piece together the truth — the truth of Sun Wukong’s death, the contest between the Celestial Court and Spirit Mountain, and the Destined One’s true mission.

For first-time players, it is recommended to progress in chapter order and fully explore each chapter before moving on to the next. Many important items and Spirits, if missed, cannot be collected again before you finish the game. At the same time, it is recommended to complete all side quests before entering the final chapter, to ensure the best game experience and the strongest equipment setup.