Along his journey, Wukong meets a colorful cast of characters, including a suspicious one, the Man in Stone. This is one of the more hidden NPCs in Black Myth Wukong. If you don’t know what you are looking at, then there is a chance you could easily blow past him.
With this guide, we will help you spot Man-in-Stone and go over his entire quest line so you don’t get stonewalled out of any rewards. Expect all this effort for good returns and sweeten up that playtime.
Step 1: Reach Chapter 2 in Black Myth Wukong
Man in Stone is situated in Chapter 2 – Yellow Wind Ridge. Needless to say, you must have progressed to the second chapter and specifically reached the Fright Cliff location.
Next, you must discover and unlock the Squall Hideout Keeper’s Shrine. It will be easier to direct you from this shrine so make sure you have unlocked it and fast-travel to it.
Step 2: Meeting Man in Stone
Take the path on the right from the Squall Hideout Shrine and start moving straight. Stick to the middle of the trail, and do not go up the slope as you turn the corner from the shrine.
As you move forward, the path will narrow down, and soon, you will come across an overhead rock bridge with an enemy below. Take out the rocky guai and march on straight to the end of the road.
Near the dead end, there will be a lit brazier with a rocky flower bud formation in front. This flower-bud thing is Man-in-Stone, and yes, it is an actual NPC! I told you he was easy to miss.
You can see the “Examine” prompt as you move near it. Interact with him, and he will start talking about how someone turned him into this stone thingy with a spell. He will also ask you to check a nearby cave where a rock guai presides to get some answers to his predicament.
Thus, the Man-in-Stone quest begins!
Step 3: Check the Cave
Backtrack to the Squall Hideout Shrine, rest, and prepare for the next part of the quest.
This time, take the path on the left of the shrine. An enemy will be waiting to burst out of the ground to ambush you here, so be careful. Move past the archway ahead and ascend via the right track into the caves. Keep moving forward until you reach a giant fork in the road with a wooden structure in front and a few enemies.
Before we go towards our objective, proceed through the cave opening on the left of the wooden structure, and straight ahead, you will detect a shrine. Offer the incense to unlock the Rockrest Flat Keeper’s Shrine. This might come in handy, as you will discover later on.
Backtrack a little, and right in front of the wooden structure, you’ll notice a ramp heading up with a few lamps along its sides. Ascend this incline and keep trudging along.
At the end of the path, a pair of enemies will be waiting with three blue crystals jutting out of a rock. This crystal formation is a secret boss, Mother of Stones, and the mark Man in Stone sent us here to kill. You must hit the crystal/boss before the actual boss fight can commence.
The fight itself is pretty simple. Continue to thrash the boss while waves of rock guai try to stop you. The boss has no attacks of her own, so you are safe for the most part. You need to keep an eye out for the swarming enemies and not allow them to overwhelm you. There is a chance these enemies might drop a Spirit.
Kill the Mother of Stones, and you will be rewarded with the key item, Stone Essence. This is what Man in Stone wanted to get.
Step 4: Delivering the Stone Essence to Man in Stone
Fast-travel back to the Squall Hideout Keeper’s Shrine and return to Man in Stone’s location. Deliver the Stone Essence to the NPC, and he will spring out of the ground, revealing his treacherous intentions. At this point, you can Talk to him. He will run out of dialogues soon and tell you to buzz off.
You need to attack Man in Stone to initiate a boss fight. Yes, you have to defeat him to progress his quest.
He’s not a demanding boss, but the narrow arena is a bit annoying. Don’t let yourself get cornered, and you are good to go. Nothing that an upgraded Immobilize spell can’t handle. It is a pretty straightforward fight and will be over before you know it. He only has a limited number of attacks:
- Spinning Attack: He spins his giant head thrice.
- Reaction: Dodge away until the spinning is over.
- Charge: He will rush with his bulbous head towards you.
- Reaction: Move out of the way as he charges at you. He will get disoriented if he hits the wall, providing a short window of free hits.
- Head Slam: Slams his oversized head into the ground in front.
- Reaction: Move away as he drops his head. It’s the best time to use the Immobilize spell and beat him like a piñata.
Afterward, a cutscene will trigger, and Man-in-Stone will bounce back into the ground like before, all frightened. You can now approach him and press the “Pick Up” button to reward yourself with the Azure Dust Transformation. This unique transformation is immune to all Four Banes, which might come in handy in your journey.
Step 5: Man-in-Stone, The Merchant
When he’s defeated, if you talk to him, he’ll tell you to come back and that he might have things to sell you. Upon his request, go to the Squall Hideout Shrine, rest, and return to Man in Stone’s location. This time around, when you go near him, there will be a “Purchase” prompt. Yes, this traitor turns into a friendly merchant, much like other NPCs in the game; I’m looking at you, Yin Tiger the Blacksmith. Fret not; he won’t betray you anymore!
Note: You can always return to this location to purchase his goodies.
He has the following items, only in a single quantity, for sale:
- Blood of the Iron Bull for 3,280 Will
- Gold Ridge Beast for 12,800 Will
- Iron Pellet for 6,480 Will
- Goldflora Hairpin for 12,800 Will
- Sobering Stone for 6,480 Will
Man-in-stone blends so well with the environment that some players might entirely overlook him in Black Myth Wukong. I recommend you to seek this quest out as it not only reveals two secret bosses in the game but also rewards you with a cool transformation and opens up a shop with nifty items on sale.