Black Myth Wukong Spell Guide

The Destined One acquires a wide variety of spells along his Journey. These are split into 4 broad categories you can only use 1 Spell from each category at a given time. Mysticism, Alteration, and Strand Spells use your mana and have a cooldown. Whereas Transformation Spells completely change your abilities and are powered by might. You obtain these Spells by progressing the main story, defeating secret bosses, and completing quests. If you want to switch between different Spells you can do so by selecting "Set Spells" at any Shrine.

Mysticism

This category includes the spells Immobilize, Ring of Fire, and Spell Binder. Spells within the Mysticism category focus on buffing the Destined one or debuffing enemies in some way. You get two of these by progressing through the main story, but for the last one, you need to complete one of Black Myth Wukong's secret quests.

Immobilize - Freeze an enemy in place, you get this in Chapter 1 by progressing the main story and fighting your first mini-boss. Invest your sparks to increase the duration or cause an immobilized enemy to take more damage. This Spell dominates in the early game, but bosses in the later chapters are resistant and may even counter Immobilize so later you might want to use something else.
Ring of Fire - Create a healing zone that buffs the Destined One, you get this in Chapter 2 by progressing the main story and meeting with the Wise Master. The talents add duration and you can use a Relic Perk to build your Focus up to 4 points while standing within the ring! If you're up against a stationary enemy you can maximize the Ring of Fire buffs. Even against more mobile foes, it can provide much-needed healing which makes this a great choice at any point in the game.
Spell Binder - Seal your Spells, Vessels, and active Spirit effects in exchange for vastly increasing your martial prowess! You obtain this Spell by completing the Treasure Hunter's quest in Chapter 3. Initially, Spell Binder consumes all your Mana to boost your Attack. But with enough Sparks invested, it also consumes your Stamina to boost your Critical Hit chance. This provides an alternative playstyle that eschews all of the Destined One's tricks in exchange for the ability to hit things really, really hard.

Alteration

Your Alteration Spells are defensive in nature. The first one you acquire is Cloud Step, gain stealth and travel a distance, leaving a clone behind to distract enemies. During Chapter 2 you obtain Rock Solid, where the Destined One turns to stone deflecting an enemy strike. You can use these Spells to completely negate some enemy mechanics.

Cloud Step - Turn invisible while leaving behind a decoy, you get this in Chapter 1 by progressing through the main story. You can increase the Spell's duration, decoy health, and unlock the ability to charge your Heavy Attack without breaking stealth. Your first attack out of the stealth is an Unseen Strike which gains bonus damage and can disrupt enemy attacks. This is one of the most powerful Spells in the game because it completely negates many dangerous enemy mechanics.
Rock Solid - Temporarily turns the Destined One to stone, preventing you from moving. If an enemy strikes you during this time their attack rebounds. You obtain this Spell after beating the Tiger Vanguard in Chapter 2. Many of the Talents for this Spell lower its Mana cost in exchange for narrowing the deflection window. This makes Rock Solid function more like a "parry window" from other Souls-like titles. Cast the Spell right as an enemy attacks to deflect their strike.

Strand

Your main Strand Spell is A Pluck of Many, the Destined One creates multiple duplicates who independently attack and damage enemies. Later on, you get the Life-Saving Strand which provides a second chance when you fall in combat. Strand Spells are powerful but have high Mana costs or long cooldowns so you need to use them tactically.

A Pluck of Many - Pull a few hairs and transform them into duplicates to attack your foes! You get this by progressing the main story in Chapter 2. While this Spell has a long animation, a long cooldown, and a high Mana cost it does massive damage! Pop this at a crucial phase to overwhelm the boss, this is especially effective against bosses who are most dangerous when at low health! After you get the secret ending and enter a new Cycle (New Game+) this becomes even more powerful thanks to the Freed Mind Relic.
Life-Saving Strand - When the Destined One falls in combat this activates, returning him to life. You obtain this after completing your Journey and entering New Game+. This Spell is incredibly powerful and has no Mana cost but it comes with a substantial cooldown. The other downside to using Life-Saving Strand is that you don't get the massive burst of damage from casting A Pluck of Many.

Transformation Spells

Transformations work differently from your other spells. Instead of spending Mana they use Might, a resource you build up by attacking. When you cast a Transformation, you take on a Yaoguai form and gain new moves. In this form you gain a separate health bar, meaning if you die while Transformed you simply revert to your normal form, making this a potent way to negate dangerous enemy attacks! Whenever you obtain a new Transformation it gives you a new Talent related to the Spell. You can invest into these Talents even when you aren't using the Spell.

Red Tides

You get this Transformation after beating Guangzhi as part of completing Elder Jinchi's quest.
The Light Attack is a series of strikes that light enemies on fire, whereas your Heavy Attack is a dash that covers a lot of distance. Use a dodge into a Heavy Attack to use the special move which is a more powerful strike akin to a Charged Heavy Attack.
Despite being the first Transformation you get, this remains useful throughout the game, especially against enemies who are weak to fire.

Azure Dust

Complete Man-in-Stone's quest to gain the Azure Dust Transformation.
You have very low mobility but plenty of defense and immunity to the Four Banes. The Light Attack is a headbutt, and Heavy Attack is a short-range charge. Build up Focus to unleash the Spell which deals massive AoE damage.
If you want to tank a lot of damage while staggering foes this is a great Transformation to use. Just be aware that the limited mobility can be a problem against mobile foes who like sitting at a distance.

Ebon Flow

Earn this Transformation by defeating the Yin Tiger in combat.
Your Light Attacks are a series of strikes that are more likely to stagger foes as your Focus increases. The Heavy Attack hits hard but requires full Focus to be at its most effective. This Transformation's unique mechanic is the ability to block enemy attacks, building Focus as you do. You can spend this Focus to enter Windwalker state, empowering your attacks and letting you phase through enemies.
While this is a powerful transformation, it's difficult to use. You need to know when to block enemy attacks and then look for an opening to unleash your Windwalker state for maximum damage.

Ashen Slumber

Get this by completing the Rat Guai's quest in Chapters 2 and 3, or fighting the Rat Guai in the Pagoda Realm.
The Light Attack is pretty simple, but your Heavy Attack results in the Destined One unleashing a fiery torrent, rapidly draining might to deal damage in a wide area. When you end the Transformation or run out of might you explode to deal a large burst of damage.
The fiery breath is quite fun and highly effective against groups of foes plus the self-destruct can do a good chunk of damage but overall this Transformation is a bit weaker than the other options.

Hoarfrost

Defeat the Monk from the Sea in Chapter 3 to get this Transformation.
Your Light and Heavy Attacks are tentacle sweeps that you can use to rapidly build Focus. Then unleash it to create a chilling zone that lets you throw snowballs.
Unfortunately, this is also a pretty weak transformation, and Umbral Abyss is better at both dealing damage and applying Chill to foes.

Umbral Abyss

After beating Yellowbrow, you have this Transformation.
Unleash a flurry of blows with both your Light and Heavy Attacks! After you build enough Focus you enter an empowered state which causes each slash to expel waves of energy. Spamming your Heavy Attack rapidly drains Might but inflicts a lot of chill and helps to restore your health.
If an enemy is vulnerable to being frozen, this is a very powerful Transformation Spell. It's at its strongest during the empowerment but these attacks rapidly drain your Might so you don't get to stay in that state for very long.

Violet Hail

Complete Daoist Mi's quest before beating the Duskveil to obtain this Transformation.
Use the Heavy Attack to imbue your blade with poisoned eggs, then implant them into the enemy with your Light Attack. The Transformation's Spell causes these eggs to burst dealing more damage and healing you a bit. You also get a self destruct when your transformation ends.
Violet Hail is a unique playstyle, and honestly not that strong in comparison to the other options you have. If you want to use it you can, and remember to always use your Heavy Attack early on to inflict as many eggs on an enemy as you can.

Golden Lining

To get this Transformation, you need to beat Yellow Loong.
Your Light Attack deals a bit of damage and inflicts the Thunder Bane, the Heavy Attack is a more damaging strike, but neither of these are why this Transformation is so strong. Start with a Light Attack, then use a Heavy Attack right as an enemy attacks you to parry and build a point of Focus. Then spend this Focus by charging your Heavy Attack to execute up to 3 jump strikes against your enemy. If you're good at parrying you can use this to deal massive damage to bosses while negating their damage.
Whether this is for you or not entirely depends on your ability to parry with the Varied Combo. If you can pull this off then Golden Lining is one of the strongest Transformations in the game. On the other hand, when you can't parry enough to reliably build 3 Focus then this is one of the weaker Transformations.

Dark Thunder

Encounter the Horse Guai, Ma Tianba in Chapters 1 through 4 then bring his quest to a close in Chapter 5.
Use your Light Attack to inflict the Thunder Bane to an enemy, or the Heavy Attack to do the same in a wider area. When you build enough Focus, you can consume it to enter a Thrilled State which empowers both your Light and Heavy Attack. The Thunder Formation Heavy Attack does solid damage against larger foes but doesn't always strike the smaller and more mobile ones reliably.
You can use this to inflict Thunder Bane and Shock enemies, or AoE down groups of weaker foes. It's a bit weaker than Golden Lining, but also much easier to use as you don't need to learn parry timings. Try to build up the Thunder Bane on the boss as quickly as possible to maximize your value from this Transformation.

Azure Dome

Defeat Erlang Shen to obtain the Azure Dome.
Take the Stone Monkey's form and unleash devastation upon your foes! In this form, your Light Attack is a series of punches, and your Heavy Attack is a charged overhead slam. Like with the Transformation you get during the Erlang Shen encounter, your Heavy Attack can be charged and provides healing when used. What makes the Azure Dome Transformation unique is that you can consume Focus to cast your Alteration and Strand Spells while Transformed. In this state you are immune to the Four Banes and absorb both ice and fire to empower your attacks!
This is hands down the most powerful Transformation Spell in the game, and it's not even close! The Stone Monkey lets you stand on equal footing with the most powerful bosses in the game. It's also very easy to use as most of your damage comes from mixing Light and Heavy Attacks. The Rock Solid you get here is particularly effective if you're already using that Spell.

Summary

Learn about the Mysticism, Alteration, Strand, and Transformation Spells in Black Myth Wukong. Use each in combat by expending Mana or Might to give yourself an advantage in combat and negate many boss mechanics.

Mysticism Spells enhance the Destined One's combat in prowess by buffing him or debuffing enemies.
Alteration Spells provide a defense against your foes. Cloud Step in particular is a highly effective way to negate many complex mechanics or enemy attack sequences.
Strand Spells are extremely powerful, use them to summon your own personal army or even cheat death.
Transformation Spells completely change your kit, temporarily giving you access to a unique Light Attack, Heavy Attack, and special interaction. These Spells use Might instead of Mana.

Written by: Tenkiei