Black Myth Wukong features a robust armor system. These gears provide basic stats and defensive attributes, and some come with unique effects, special properties, and powerful armor bonuses if you wear a certain number of items from a given armor set. To top it off, you can upgrade armor to elevate their capabilities further and aid your journey to the west.
Unlike most other action RPGs, upgrading armor is not as straightforward as finding a blacksmith organically on your adventure. You will have to jump through some hoops to unlock the blacksmith and get down to crafting and upgrading armor. We will go over each step in upgrading armor in Black Myth Wukong.
Step 1: Meet with Xu Dog
We will begin in Chapter 2 – Yellow Wind Ridge. Progress through this chapter until you unlock the Sandgate Village’s Village Entrance Keeper’s Shrine.
Turn around from the Shrine, and you’ll see a wooden bridge. Don’t go over the bridge; instead, drop below from the right side of it.
There will be an alcove right in front. Go inside and take a right. You will see a staircase going up on the left and an opening ahead.
You’ll meet up with Xu Dog beside the foot of the stairs inside this cave. Talk to him, and he will speak of the dangers of the lands ahead and how he can help make healing pills to aid you in this journey. For that purpose, he needs some ingredients from the “clamorous pest” right over the edge.
Move to the other end of the cave and drop to the bottom of the watery ditch to face the pest inside. This is the boss, Lang-Li-Guhh-Baw, a giant frog warrior who uses his lightning-infused tongue to shock you to oblivion.
Defeat the boss and return to Xu Dog to deliver the formula. Now that you’ve completed the first step, it’s time to move on to the next one.
Step 2: Meet Chen Loong
Now advance to Chapter 3 – The New West to the point where you find the Bitter Lake’s North Shore of Bitter Lake Keeper’s Shrine.
Make a U-turn from the shrine and start going straight along the shoreline. When you move past the rocks on the left, head into the water; don’t worry, you won’t drown.
You will see a bunch of rocks in the distance with two trees sticking out. Go near them to commence a Chen Loong boss fight. This humanoid dragon is a handful, so be careful when facing him. An NPC, Zhu Bajie, might assist you during this fight if you are following their quest line.
Once defeated, Chen Loong will start wailing about his predicament and that only Xu Dog’s Resurrection Pills can save him now. Talk to him to exhaust his dialogue, then prepare to locate Xu Dog again.
Step 3: Get the Medicine From Xu Dog
Next, fast-travel back to Chapter 2 – Yellow Wind Ridge > Yellow Wind Formation > Windseal Gate Keeper’s Shrine. From here, take the path forward through the doorway.
You will witness three branching paths in front of you. Take the ascending track straight ahead, leading up to a broken structure. We have marked it on the map for your convenience.
Immediately turn to your left as you enter the structure, and you will see Xu Dog in front of a giant incense burner. Make sure to interact with the Crouching Tiger Temple’s Cellar Keeper’s Shrine before interacting with Xu Dog.
Interact with him and choose the Talk option. He will gladly offer you the Special-Made Bone-Strengthening Pellet, the pills Chen Loong requested.
Step 4: Take the Medicine to Chen Loong
It is time to deliver the medicines to Chen Loong. He will be near his original location, Chapter 3 – The New West > Bitter Lake > North Shore of Bitter Lake Keeper’s Shrine.
Take the same shoreside route as before, but continue pushing on the land a little further this time. At the end of the water body, you will see a small hut on the left of the land pathway.
Chen Loong can be seen standing in front of it. Give him the medicine, and a cutscene will play out. By the end of it, you’ll receive the Ruyi Scroll, which will transport you to Wukong Black Myth’s hub area, Painted Realm, AKA Zodiac Village.
Remember to Offer Incense and unlock the Village Entrance Keeper’s Shrine right next to where you stand so you can keep coming back later.
Step 5: Meet the Blacksmith
From this Keeper’s Shrine, turn around and take the path straight ahead through the gate. You will hear the clings of someone working on metal.
As you approach the sound, you will see a tiger man, Yin Tiger, hammering his massive sword. Talk to him, and unlock the ability to craft and upgrade armor in Black Myth Wukong.
Upgrading Armor in Black Myth Wukong
Upgrading is straightforward from here. Interact with Yin Tiger, go to the Craft menu, and select the Upgrade Armor option.
This will open the upgrading menu. There are four tabs, each housing a different piece of armor, such as headgear, arms, legs, and chest. Each piece of an armor set has to be upgraded individually.
Depending on the armor, as you level up a piece, it will start climbing up the rarity ladder, meaning some Legendary pieces will transcend into Mythical, the highest rarity in the game.
Upgrading will require diverse resources. Basic uncommon sets can be upgraded with a combination of some Will and ordinary materials like Silk. In contrast, Legendary pieces will demand heftier sums of Will and rarer materials like Celestial Ribbons.
If you have the required materials, hover over the piece you’d like to upgrade and hold the X button until it’s done.
Pick up every material you will find in the game, as you never know what items might be necessary for your armor of choice.
This game has some of the best-looking armor sets I have seen in a long time. These aren’t just eye candy; they have just as much utility and build crafting potential. I would suggest sinking those scarce resources only into those sets that fit your playstyle more and then focusing on the ones you need to satisfy your fashionista.