Black Myth: Wukong features a fast-paced, melee-focused combat system that prioritizes rapid movement and the stringing together of staff combos. However, that doesn’t mean it’s without a touch of magic. Indeed, the wildly successful action-RPG provides you with a handful of spells, used during encounters to turn the tide in your favor. And while each spell can be powerful, using each in the right scenario is the secret to unlocking their true power. So, to help you prioritize, let’s rank the spells in Black Myth: Wukong from worst to best.
Coming in last place is Life-Saving Strand, the game’s only passive spell. It’s also the one that can only be obtained in NG+ mode, meaning you won’t even have access to it until you’ve already beaten the game. Lame.
Life-Saving Strand will automatically resurrect you one time after being killed, but its extraordinarily long cooldown, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t provide any other boons, makes it a very situational spell that is outclassed by every other incantation on offer in Black Myth: Wukong.
Ring of Fire lets you apply—wait for it—a ring of fire on the ground. You can stand in to receive enhanced protection from enemy attacks, and while inside the ring, the effects of consumables are also improved.
Unfortunately, Ring of Fire’s strict focus on defense makes it suck in a game with attacking combat as frenetic as Black Myth: Wukong. Enemies come at you quickly, and require you to stay on the move far too much to make this spell truly feel worth keeping around.
Rock Solid is Black Myth: Wukong’s parrying spell, letting you deflect an enemy’s attack and then unleash a counterattack. It can be great when you perfect your skill with it, and it has a short cooldown that allows you to make use of it frequently. However, it requires a lot of practice to nail the timing, and even slightly missing the right moment to cast the spell can result in unnecessary damage.
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but Black Myth: Wukong has very fast-paced combat that makes dodging and quickly countering enemies the most efficient way to overcome challenges. As such, it’s hard to recommend Rock Solid unless you’re willing to invest a whole lot of time learning how to use it just right.
Spell Binder is a pretty straightforward spell that increases your attack power. This can make you extremely powerful against enemies that are less affected by your other spells, allowing you to focus strictly on relentlessly whooping their asses with your staff. But there’s a downside.
Spell Binder uses all of your mana when cast, meaning that you won’t have any available for using other spells you may need against specific foes. This makes the spell situationally helpful, but it’s not easy to recommend it for every encounter, as other spells can be invaluable depending on the situation.
Cloud Step lets you be a trickster of sorts, temporarily disappearing from your foes’ sight while leaving a decoy behind for them to attack. When you’re ready, you unleash an attack from the shadows that will deal more damage than your average attacks.
Cloud Step can be particularly useful against enemies with shields, letting you get behind them easily for an easy surprise attack. Its low mana cost and reasonable cooldown time also make it a good choice any time you just need a brief moment to analyze a situation. As such, it’s definitely one of Black Myth: Wukong’s must-use spells.
Immobilize is your bread and butter in Black Myth: Wukong and could just as easily take the top spot due to how immensely important it is to your kit. This spell, which freezes enemies temporarily to allow you to beat the hell out of them without fear of retaliation, is one you’ll be using in almost every fight throughout the entire game.
Immobilize isn’t just good for offensive onslaughts. When facing off against aggressive enemies, using this spell can also give you a second to breathe and take a sip from your gourd, or pop a consumable to aid you in the battle. Use it. Use it a lot.
Though it could be interchanged with Immobilize as the best spell in the game, I’ve decided to list A Pluck of Many as number one because of how easy it can make many encounters. This spell spawns clones of yourself that will rush forward and start walloping any enemies in the vicinity, and it’s so damn satisfying.
A Pluck of Many can help you cheese a lot of tough encounters, and in many cases, your little army of clones can demolish nearly half of the health bar of some bosses before you even have to lift a finger. It’s brutal. It’s effective. It’s awesome. Pluck ‘em up.
Keep in mind that each of these spells has its use, and can be viable if your build supports them, so experiment and enjoy your time with the game your way. Just because my ranking is objectively correct and the best ranking of all the rankings forever and always doesn’t mean you can’t disagree and be wrong. Have fun!