Black Myth Wukong: Chapter 3 walkthrough
Here's a complete guide to Chapter 3, including a Pagoda Realm walkthrough
Looking for a Black Myth: Wukong Chapter 3 walkthrough? Chapter 3 of Black Myth: Wukong is the most expansive in the game, sometimes feeling like it's two or three chapters bundled together into one. It features the longest array of bosses and amps up the difficulty from the first two chapters, particularly with the Pagoda Realm, a prison defined with constant debuffs. Exploring the snow-covered fields outside of the Pagoda Realm is no walk in the park either.
Luckily, we've charted the secrets of this chapter to make survival a little easier. In this guide, we'll present a full rundown of everything you need to do to complete Chapter 3 of Black Myth: Wukong, including a full Pagoda Realm walkthrough and how to uncover all of the secret bosses in the New West.
Black Myth: Wukong Chapter 3 walkthrough
Chapter 3 of Black Myth: Wukong is entitled White Snow, Ice Cold. It is divided into the following six areas - click on each name to be taken to the section of the walkthrough where that area begins. You should also check out our guide to all bosses in Chapter 3 for greater details on fighting the foes in your path.
- Snowhill Path
- Pagoda Realm
- Bitter Lake
- Zodiac Village (optional)
- Valley of Ecstasy
- New Thunderclap Temple
Chapter 3 really is quite a maze in places, but you can keep your bearings with the help of our Chapter 3 map below. Be sure to refer back to it if you ever feel lost while following our walkthrough!
1. Snowhill Path walkthrough
Snowhill Path: Frost-Clad Path
Chapter 3 begins in a cave on the outskirts of Snowhill Path. Exit to reach the "Frost-Clad Path" Keeper's Shrine. Continue up the mountain, fighting frozen enemies along the way. You'll soon come to an open area where Macaque Chief challenges you.
Round 1 against Macaque Chief is a breezy intro to Chapter 3's boss battles. Once he's out of the way, keep climbing up the mountain path until you reach a temple complex full of Frozen Corpses. Clear the complex out and approach the tree in the centre of the lake. The Keeper of the New West will greet you, transform you into a cute bat, and lead you to the next area.
Snowhill Path: Mirrormere
After some enjoyable scenery, your Destined One will be standing before a frozen lake. Save at the "Mirrormere" Shrine and give the surrounding area a once-over. The first Meditation Spot of Chapter 3, The Shade, can be found next to a large tree by the lake. When you're ready to take on a dragon, walk onto the lake and the fight against Kang-Jin Loong commences.
Battling Kang-Jin Loong requires patience more than anything else, as she'll regularly avoid your blows by weaving into the sky, all the while summoning lightning bolts down upon your head. Getting in hits is tricky, and your best bet is to deal damage whenever she hits the icy lake with her tail. Using Immobilize and walloping her head with Charged Pillar and Thrust Stance attacks also work well.
2. Pagoda Realm walkthrough
Pagoda Realm: Lower Pagoda
After beating Kang-Jin Loong, you'll awaken in the Pagoda Realm, a multi-leveled prison that's possibly the most irritating area in the entire game. The Pagoda Realm features the following debuff gimmick:
- Every three minutes, the chants coming from the prison's central pagoda intensify and create a curse effect, halving your maximum health. You'll know this is occurring when a grey haze surrounds your screen.
- When the curse is active, creepy Lantern Wardens will appear on the ledges around the central pagoda, and everyone receives a damage boost. All enemies besides the Lantern Wardens will also glow red, as will the eyes of your Destined One. Technically, foes are a lot easier to target thanks to this red glow, but since they hit harder, dying is much easier.
- The debuff lasts for exactly one and a half minutes. Once it's finished, the three minute timer until the next curse starts anew.
You'll probably die a lot in this area due to the curse, tight confines, and enemies knocking you off platforms. (Watch out for Cyan Bats swooping down on you from above; they're the worst.) You'll also notice purple seals blocking certain doors. Take note of them so you can return later - in order to open these doors, you need to defeat Captain Lotus-Vision.
When you're ready for some irritation, turn left from your cell and begin running down the ledge until you get to the "Lower Pagoda" Keeper's Shrine. From here, enter the nearby cell and follow the tunnel pathway until you can go outside again. Continue following the ledge until you get to an alcove on your left marked by a lantern. Lanterns mark key passageways in the Pagoda Realm that contain stairs to upper levels.
Go up the stairs, exit the cell, and turn right. Keep going across a wooden beam (watch out for the Yaksha Archer on the other side) and enter the alcove on your right. Keep moving forward until you see a stair that takes you up another level and leads you to the "Upper Pagoda" Shrine.
Pagoda Realm: Upper Pagoda
The "Upper Pagoda" Shrine is located near a pit that leads down into a purple room littered with stone figures. Captain Lotus-Vision lurks here, and if you want to break the purple sealed doors, carefully jump onto the rooftops that lead into the pit to start the fight.
Captain Lotus-Vision specialises in firing small projectiles and larger energy beams at you. Use your staff's spinning move against the small ones and be ready to roll against the large blasts. When his health goes down, he'll send an array of beams across the arena, and you can avoid some of these by ducking behind the room's pillars.
When he's dead, retrace your footsteps (or teleport back to the "Lower Pagoda" Shrine) to check out all of those newly opened locked doors. You'll get a lot of Will and crafting materials, but the most interesting loot is the Ashen Slumber Transformation, which lets you turn into a giant two-headed rat and blow yourself up with the excessive spell Fiery Burst. Finding this loot depends on your actions in Chapter 2:
- If you fought the two-headed Rat Captains in Sandgate Village and listened to the dialogue of the two NPCs hiding in one of the village's huts, you'll find a dead rat's corpse with a blade pierced through its body. Take it to get the transformation.
- If you didn't fight the Rat Captains and skipped out on the dialogue, you'll find a Rat Captain boss in one of the cells. Defeat him and you'll receive his blade and the transformation.
Once you're done retracing your steps, go back to the "Upper Pagoda" Shrine and continue along the platforms until you get to more wooden beams and a lantern-marked alcove. Go up the stairs to the uppermost level of the Pagoda Realm. Turn left at the top and move forward until you reach several broken wooden platforms that take you to the peak of the prison. Once there, turn left to find the next save point.
Pagoda Realm: Mani Wheel
Rest up at the "Mani Wheel" Shrine. When you're ready for a fight, clamber over the rocks that lead to the apex of the Pagoda Realm's panopticon. This is the lair of Captain Wise-Voice, a Yaoguai King who's so large that his bulk exceeds the screen. Target his leg and attack him until he falls, and then Immobilize him and smack the yellow core in his head repeatedly. Captain Wise-Voice's attacks are lightning-based, and halfway through the fight he'll start shooting long-range beams and targeting various spots on the floor with crackling bursts. You'll need to study the patterns on the floor and roll to stay unscathed.
When he falls, breathe a sigh of relief that the hardest parts of the Pagoda Realm are over, and exit via the other side of the boss arena.
Pagoda Realm: Outside the Wheel
From the "Outside the Wheel" Shrine, you have a nice, linear path ahead. Pick up all items and open all chests you find, and be sure to take the stairs near the Luojia Fragrant Vine to come across a snowy path that leads to an offering table on your right and a bamboo fence. Smash the fence and follow the path it reveals until you come upon a secluded snow field with several Frozen Corpses. The Bottom Meditation Spot is just beyond them.
Pagoda Realm: Snow-Veiled Trail
If you keep following the linear path, you'll reach the "Snow-Veiled Trail" Shrine, and a fork in the road follows. The left path leads to the "Warding Temple" Shrine. If you go right, you'll end up at a monumental pagoda built into the side of the mountain where you can unlock "The Great Pagoda" Shrine, but there's not much else you can do there at the moment.
The Great Pagoda is the entrance to Black Myth: Wukong's secret ending. Look around at the walls in the pagoda and you'll see the murals that appear at the end of each chapter painted on the wall. Come back here after you've beaten the main story and unlocked all six murals to find the pathway to the secret ending. Do this before you attempt New Game + mode, or else you'll have to complete the game's six chapters all over again.
Pagoda Realm: Warding Temple
After using the Shrine, go up the stairs and into the temple to face Macaque Chief for a second time. He's trying to break the sealing spell of Yuan Shoucheng, the old man who taught you how to absorb spirits in Chapter 1. Knock some sense into him and the wizened master will teach you the Ring of Fire spell - which I personally never use, but it does come in handy for a sidequest later down the line.
When you're finished, exit the temple complex via the left and slide down into the next area. You'll overlook a mountain (which is actually on the back of a giant turtle) and overhear some dialogue between Kang-Jin Star and an unknown figure trapped in two giant cymbals. At the end of the cutscene, combat with Kang-Jin Star begins.
I found the fight against Kang-Jin Star more straightforward than the fight against her dragon form. She'll weave around the arena and shoot lightning, but she's simpler to target and stagger than she was as Kang-Jin Loong, and when she does take on a wispy version of her draconic form, her attacks are easier to dodge. Don't worry if you die during this fight - you'll resurrect not far from "Turtle Island," a new Keeper's Shrine.
3. Bitter Lake walkthrough
Bitter Lake: Turtle Island
Once Kang-Jin Star is out of the picture, you'll be joined by Zhu Baijie, one of Wukong's original companions from the Journey to the West novel. He'll tell you to join him at the head of Turtle Island, but before doing that, take some time to explore this huge shell you're riding on. More specifically, head to the right of the Kang-Jin Star battlefield to find Cyan Loong.
Like the other hidden loong bosses, you can only battle Cyan Loong if you've found the Loong Scale - if you haven't, you'll just see his statue staring out at sea. (See our Chapter 1 boss guide for info on how to get the scale and start unlocking these secret opponents.)
Cyan Loong's a challenging opponent who heaves off chunks of your health bar with each successful hit and unleashes a lightning attack that has a wide radius. Dodging his moves is an exercise in timing, but like many bosses in this chapter, you can overwhelm him with Immobilize, A Flock of Many, and Red Tide combos. Wind Tamer also temporarily stuns him.
After beating Cyan Loong, go find Zhu Baijie at the head of the turtle, which carries you to the next area.
Bitter Lake: North Shore of the Bitter Lake
This is a nice, open area with a good view of the ocean. There are a few random tasks to complete here, and Zhu Baijie is by your side to help you out. (Try standing still for a while and listen to him ramble to get more insight into the game's lore.) First off, from the "North Shore of the Bitter Lake" Shrine, proceed as far as you can along the coast (to your left if you're facing the sea) to encounter the skeleton of a huge serpent. The Apramāṇa Bat will descend upon you here. Parry Apramāṇa Bat's attacks via Rock Solid and counter with extreme prejudice.
Following this fight, go back to the Shrine and go up the sloping path to find a Treasure Hunter in a temple courtyard. He's being attacked by two bat Guai, so save him and then exhaust all of his dialogue. This NPC will become important later if you want to fight the optional Green-Capped Martialist boss.
Lastly, head north along the shore from the "North Shore of the Bitter Lake" Shrine until you see a hut. Wandering the waters nearby is Chen Loong, a grumpy dragon who will challenge you to a fight as you draw near. Chen Loong has a few deadly lightning attacks, but overall he's a snap to defeat especially with Zhu Baijie by your side.
Following his defeat, Chen Loong asks you to deliver him some medicine. Our Chen Loong questline guide has the full details, but in short, teleport back to the "Cellar" Shrine in Chapter 2, talk with Xu Dog, and then deliver the Special-made Bone Strengthening Pellet to Chen Loong. You'll get the Ruyi Scroll as a reward. Using the scroll transports you to the Painted Realm, a hub world that's home to Zodiac Village.
Bitter Lake: Precept Corridor
We'll fully explain the Zodiac Village in the next section, but for now let's wrap up the Bitter Lake by returning to the "North Shore of the Bitter Lake" Shrine. Follow the trail of Frozen Corpses into a cave and go across the bridge to unlock the "Precept Corridor" Shrine. You can find The Statue Meditation Spot next to the Shrine, in front of a big Buddha statue.
From there, go left and up the stairs. You'll fight a Red-Haired Yaksha and then enter upon a temple courtyard complex. A cutscene will ensue; afterwards, you'll need to find four Buddha statues. The first is in the courtyard to the left of the central pagoda. The second is down the left stairs and to your right, nestled against an alcove with a corpse praying in front of it. The third is in the opposite direction from the second, located outside under a few overhanging platforms and down a staircase. The fourth is located through the red gates near the third; follow the corridor all the way up the mountain (it's a long climb) and you'll eventually see it.
After locating all four statues, the pathway through the mountain will be unlocked. Head up the stairs, retracing the steps you took to find the fourth Buddha statue, and go through the small gap at the top of the mountain to walk a new path that leads to the "Mindfulness Cliff" Shrine.
4. Zodiac Village walkthrough
Zodiac Village: Village Entrance
Before detailing the next area, let's talk about the Zodiac Village. You can visit this pocket realm from any point in the game after Chen Loong gives you the Ruyi Scroll, but we're including the village and its denizens in this part of the guide for easy reference.
The "Village Entrance" Keeper's Shrine is at the front of the village, which is home to all of the friendly merchants you've encountered so far. This includes Shen Monkey, Xu Dog, and Chen Loong, who helps you grow materials from any seeds that you've found on your travels.
There's one new NPC here - Yin Tiger, the village's blacksmith. Yin Tiger will not only upgrade your armor, but challenging him to a friendly fight lets you unlock an extra curio slot.
Yin Tiger is one of the toughest bosses you've encountered thus far, and it's devilishly hard to avoid the range of his impressive blade. You can return to fight him at any time you wish, so it might be wise to wait until you're stronger. Spells don't work on him that well, and in our Chapter 3 boss guide, Ollie recommends that you wait until you unlock the Spell Binder spell, found after fighting the Green-Capped Martialist later this chapter, and use it against Yin Tiger. Personally, I was able to beat him through a combination of Red Tides, A Pluck of Many, and a fully upgraded smash from Wandering Wight's head. He's also susceptible to Cloud Step surprise attacks.
However you win, relish in your victory and enjoy the Ebon Flow Transformation, which lets you take on Yin Tiger's form in battle. It's undeniably one of the top Transformations in the game.
5. Valley of Ecstasy walkthrough
Valley of Ecstasy: Mindfulness Cliff
Keep going up until you reach an open area where you'll fight Non-White for the first time. He's got ice, poison attacks, and the ability to block your strikes, but this first fight against Non-White is a pushover compared to what you've been through to get here. He'll flee when his health is halfway depleted.
Following this fight, proceed onwards, and take note that you can drop down on the fallen pillar past the tree in Non-White's arena to pick up a Fiery Gourd and the Skandha of Thought. Keep moving upwards until you encounter Non-White a second time; he's tougher now, but if you watch out for his poison-inflicting jump attacks, he shouldn't make you break much of a sweat. After the fight, be sure to unlock The Track Meditation Spot, which is nearby, before going down the snowy mountain to the next area.
Valley of Ecstasy: Forest of Felicity
The Forest of Felicity is one big valley full of much to do. From the "Forest of Felicity" Shrine, you can get started by examining the corpse with a fox pelt draped around its neck. Our guide to the fox quest has all the details you need to know about this sidequest, which kicks off here and requires you to defeat the boss Non-Void to complete.
After the quest starts, you'll be transformed into a fox immediately via the Snow Fox Brush and encouraged to head to the New Thunderclap Temple, which lies at the end of the Forest of Felicity. I recommend that you de-transform yourself and take some time to explore, as this area easily encompasses several hours of gameplay. You can always use the Snow Fox Brush to take the fox's form again when the time is right.
There are two Yaoguai Chiefs that you can now tackle within walking distance - Lang-Li-Guhh-Lang and Old Ginseng Guai. Lang-Li-Guhh-Lang, Chapter 3's frog boss, is the easier to find, as he's located at the end of the shallow path through the cliff to your left of the "Forest of Felicity" Shrine. Refer to our boss guide on finding and fighting Old Ginseng Guai for a detailed set of instructions, as this root-covered foe is tricky to locate in the midst of the forest's endless paths of snow.
Valley of Ecstasy: Brook of Bliss
To get to the "Brook of Bliss" Shrine, head down the path to your immediate right at the "Forest Of Felicity" Shrine, and go past the water. Turn left, keep going forward, and you'll encounter the Shrine down a series of steps.
From there, you can find Non-Able by taking a righthand turn just before the Shrine. Go up the slope and keep walking until you find a clearing with several Frozen Corpses strewn about. Non-Able is kneeling amidst the corpses, and combat will ensue as soon as you reach him.
Non-Able has two forms - one with his hands tied behind his back and the other with his hands free - and he ranks on the harder scale when he comes to Chapter 3's optional bosses. His first health bar can be overwhelmed by your clones and heavy attacks, but you'll need to take some time to learn his moveset to empty his second health bar. You especially want to watch out for his big three-hit fist combos and Qi-infused palm strikes. Beating him is worthwhile, as the Non-Able Spirit you receive afterwards is an excellent addition to your light attack combos, and finally made me stop using Wandering Wight.
Valley of Ecstasy: Towers of Karma
To reach the "Towers of Karma" Shrine, follow our guide to finding Old Ginseng Guai, as the Shrine is located very close to the boss arena. If you saved the Treasure Hunter back at the North Shore of the Bitter Lake, you should hear his dialogue within the Shrine's vicinity. Explore until you see him freezing in the snow nearby.
To warm him up, use the Ring of Fire spell - which marks the one time in my playthrough that I've actually chosen this spell over Immobilize. Then exhaust his dialogue.
Valley of Ecstasy: Melon Field
The "Melon Field" is a secret Keeper's Shrine located within an area of the same name that's only accessible if you've assisted the Treasure Hunter twice. To get there, return to the "Brook of Bliss" Shrine, cross the bridge, and turn right. Go to the far edge of the frozen lake and keep moving until you reach a cliff. You can jump down this cliff with some careful platforming, and at the very bottom you'll reach Melon Field.
Green-Capped Martialist, the true identity of the Treasure Hunter, will attack you as you enter the cave in this field. Green-Capped Martialist's fighting style is unorthodox, as he uses an ignitable chakram and specialises in spinning it around the battlefield. I recommend using Rock Solid against him, and being careful when you activate your clones - they'll be useless when he's disappeared and his chakram is spinning around.
When Green-Capped Martialist is dead, you'll get the Spell Binder spell, which lets you do away with Mana for a temporary boost to attack.
Valley of Ecstasy: Longevity Road
The "Longevity Road" Shrine marks the far end of the Valley of Ecstasy, and is reachable if you follow the path leading from the "Forest of Felicity" Shrine and generally keep moving north. Take a quick detour here to examine the body of Captain Void-Illusion on the ground nearby - if your back is to the "Longevity Road" Shrine, its to your left. Interacting with the body gives you the Spirit of Captain Void-Illusion.
Once you've done checking out dead bosses that you didn't have to fight, go past the Shrine and veer right. You'll see the temple that marks the end of this long chapter, as well as the glowing visage of Captain Kalpa-Wave. Unlike his fellow Captains back in the Pagoda Realm, Captain Kalpa-Wave dies easily as long as you avoid his stomp attacks.
6. New Thunderclap Temple walkthrough
New Thunderclap Temple: Temple Entrance
Finally, you've reached New Thunderclap Temple! Tired of Chapter 3 yet? Well, now there's an entire temple complex for you to explore, and while it's not quite as large as the forest you just endured, it's still pretty big. This area is populated with vicious enemies, including blind monks who hit like a tonne of bricks and the Clay Vajra, a multi-legged monstrosity. It's also a stellar place to level up, open some chests, and practice your fighting skills - just be warned that there are only two Keeper's Shrines here, and you'll have to do a lot of backtracking if you die.
If you care about completing the fox sidequest, your first priority should be tracking down Non-Void. We've got detailed instructions on finding and defeating Non-Void in our boss guide. Once you reach the temple he stands in, be sure to use the Snow Fox Brush to turn into fox form and see his reaction. And then proceed to use A Flock of Many or the Red Tides charge attack to pulverise him for his sins.
Non-Pure is another optional boss that can be found if you go straight from the "Temple Entrance" Shrine, and keep going in this direction until you reach a large courtyard area with two Dark-faced Overlords (the large blue giants). From here, enter the temple to your right to fight Non-Pure. He's got a mean reach with his polearm, but I found Non-Void a little harder, all things considered. Once Non-Pure is dead, activate The Hall Meditation Spot.
Last on the list of extra bosses is Monk From The Sea, who's hidden away in a far corner of the temple. From the entrance Shrine, head right, go up the ramp and steps, and keep going through the big doorway to the next area. Veer northeast until you reach a platform where several monks are training; you'll know you're in the right place if you see a turtle statue. On the far end of the platform is a plinth that manifests Monk From The Sea when you get near.
Monk From The Sea's tricky due to his tentacles, which give him immense reach, as well as the fact that nearby enemies can join in the fight (if you haven't cleared out the surrounding area). After you beat him, you'll get the Hoarfrost Transformation, which lets you assume his form.
Finally, the friendly horse Guai Ma Tianba can be found if you run past the "Temple Entrance" Shrine, go through the first temple, and up the lefthand stairs. At the top of the platform, take the next set of stairs on your left and then proceed into the next temple building in front of you, which is full of blind monks. Ascend the stairs on your right to reach the top floor, then head left to come across a wooden platform bordered by pillars. Ma Tianba will be standing by one of the pillars, waiting for you to talk with him. Finding him in each chapter of the game is necessary to eventually unlock his Transformation.
New Thunderclap Temple: Mahavira Hall
At last, let's wrap up this quest in the New West. The "Mahavira Hall" Keeper's Shrine is located up the stairs from the two Dark-faced Overlords that you previously passed. Enter the uppermost temple building when you're ready and you'll face the final boss battle - Yellowbrow and Macaque Chief.
This is a lengthy, multi-phased affair. You'll need to beat Yellowbrow in a straightforward one-on-one match first, and then he'll trap you in his magic sack. Once there, you'll fight the Macaque Chief for the final time with Zhu Baijie's help. And then, you'll be transformed into the Macaque Chief himself in a surreal moment that sees you running across the platforms of Yellowbrow's Buddhist installation until you get to the very last boss arena.
The last fight against Yellowbrow is much harder than the first, as he'll turn his body into gold and absorb your attacks. Use multiple charged attacks or a well-timed smash from Wandering Wight to remove this golden shield. If you've gained the ability to transform into Yin Tiger or the Spell Binder spell, both will come in handy for unleashing maximum damage. It may take a few tries, but eventually Yellowbrow will go down...finally bringing an end to the longest chapter in the game.
Congratulations on completing Chapter 3 of Black Myth: Wukong - that's a wrap on the snow fields of the New West! For a more detailed look at all of the Yaoguai in every chapter of this expansive game, take a deep dive into our guide to all bosses in Black Myth: Wukong. If you'd prefer a quick rundown of places to level up and rest, check out our guides to all Keeper's Shrine locations and all Meditation Spots. And last but certainly not least is our guide to all Journal entries, which will help you make sense of Black Myth: Wukong's awesome take on Chinese legend.