Black Myth Wukong Old Rattle Drum questline walkthrough
Here's what to do with the mysterious item you get in Chapter 2
Wondering what to do with the Old Rattle-Drum in Black Myth: Wukong? Quite a few of the items that you obtain even as early as the first two Chapters of Black Myth: Wukong have purposes which are left deliberately unclear to the player. One such item is the Old Rattle-Drum - a unique boss drop from Chapter 2 which has an entire questline attached to it, if you're enterprising enough to find all the places dotted around the landscape where you can use it.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the entire Old Rattle-Drum questline in Black Myth: Wukong, starting with how to get the Rattle-Drum itself, and following up with every step of the questline so you can reap the final quest rewards.
Old Rattle-Drum quest steps
Below we'll walk you through everything you need to do in Black Myth: Wukong with the Old Rattle-Drum in great detail; but for those who want a quick overview, here are all the steps to complete the Old Rattle-Drum questline:
- Reach the Windrest Hamlet in Chapter 2.
- Defeat the Tiger's Acolyte.
- Use the Old Rattle-Drum inside Windrest Hamlet.
- Defeat the Stone Vanguard to gain Sterness Of Stone
- Use the Old Rattle-Drum in the Valley Of Despair.
- Use the Old Rattle-Drum at the far end of Sandgate Village.
- Follow the boy's spirit down the well.
- (Optional) Rest at the "Bottom Of The Well" Shrine.
- Defeat the Mad Tiger.
- Obtain the Plaguebane Gourd from the nearby chest.
As a note: you can go to the first two places where the Old Rattle-Drum is used (Steps #3 and #5) in either order if you like; I only presented it this way because #3 is much closer to where you defeat the Tiger's Acolyte.
How to get the Old Rattle-Drum
1. Reach the Windrest Hamlet in Chapter 2
The Old Rattle-Drum can be picked up from the Yellow Wind Formation region in Chapter 2 of Black Myth: Wukong. To reach it you need to defeat first the King and Second Prince at the end of Sandgate Village; and then defeat the Tiger Vanguard in the Crouching Tiger Temple.
Beyond the Temple is the Yellow Wind Formation, a mercifully linear area which you should progress along until you arrive at the "Windrest Hamlet" Keeper's Shrine.
2. Defeat the Tiger's Acolyte
From the "Windrest Hamlet" Shrine, head along the nearby bridge and down the sloping path on your left. There'll be a chest in front of you containing some Silk, and then to your left is a much larger bridge. On this bridge is a Yaoguai Chief called the Tiger's Acolyte.
If you've got this far, you've already defeated the Tiger Vanguard, who is quite a bit stronger than the Acolyte. Still, you shouldn't underestimate him, as his graceful sword attack combos can deal massive damage if you're not careful. However you like to do it, defeat the Tiger's Acolyte. When he dies, you'll automatically receive the Old Rattle-Drum item.
You can look at the Old Rattle-Drum in your inventory if you like - it's found under "Key Items". But the description merely reads:
"Though this rattle-drum is somewhat worn and tattered, when shaken, it still makes a lively clatter."
The next steps cover exactly where to go in order to make use of the Old Rattle-Drum and earn the rewards of its quest.
Old Rattle-Drum quest walkthrough
3. Use the Old Rattle-Drum inside Windrest Hamlet
There are three different locations where you must now use the Old Rattle-Drum within the Chapter 2 map, and the first is very close by. Head back to the "Windrest Hamlet" Shrine, and then head the opposite direction from where you fought the Tiger's Acolyte, back towards the Hamlet itself.
Once you get to the Hamlet, go through the main doors in front of you, and then take the first left. You'll see a small cluster of enemies kneeling around an empty square in front of some more double doors. As you approach this area, the screen will turn grey and you'll hear the voice of a child speaking to you:
"I'm here, little monkey. Let me hear my rattle-drum."
Step further into the area and you'll receive a prompt in the centre of your screen to hit X (or E on keyboard) to sound the Rattle-Drum. Doing so will turn the screen back to normal, and wake up all the kneeling undead enemies. Hooray.
4. Defeat the Stone Vanguard to gain Sterness Of Stone
Now, if you haven't already, you need to defeat the Stone Vanguard at the end of Fright Cliff. This is because you need both Vanguard bosses (Tiger Vanguard and Stone Vanguard) dead before you can unlock the next area where the Old Rattle-Drum is used.
There are two ways to reach the Stone Vanguard:
- Jump off the ledge in the cave beyond the Tiger's Acolyte bridge.
- Take a left turn after the Rockrest Flat Shrine in Fright Cliff.
Both these paths will take you to the arena where the Stone Vanguard (and, incidentally, the secret Buddha's Eyeball boss Shigandang) can be found. Defeat the slow and hulking Stone Vanguard to receive the Sterness Of Stone item.
5. Use the Old Rattle-Drum in the Valley Of Despair
Next, fast travel back to the "Valley Of Despair" Shrine where you fought the Rat King and the Second Prince. Now that you have both the Keeness Of Tiger and Sterness Of Stone items from the Vanguard bosses, you can open the large doors near the Shrine.
Go down the staircase beyond the doors, and then immediately turn right and head underneath the wooden structure there. Go out the other side (staying mindful of the couple of rat enemies hiding under the building), and your screen will turn grey again as you hear the child's voice asking to hear his Rattle-Drum.
Walk into the area and press the interact button to use the Old Rattle-Drum again, and you'll hear the child's voice saying:
"Pa told me, when the dust stops, my cough ends. I know you're not from around here. Don't frown like that. Our village is fun! I know an old man in the stone and a piggy who steals all the drinks. And at the bottom of that well... Ah! That's a secret!"
Feel free also to open the chest in this area before continuing onto the final area where the Old Rattle-Drum can be used.
6. Use the Old Rattle-Drum at the far end of Sandgate Village
As the child says, your next destination is the bottom of a well. This particular well can be found back near the start of the Chapter, in Sandgate Village. Specifically, you must head to the area where you fought the Earth Wolf boss, and found the horse-man tied to the pillar. Don't know what I'm talking about? It's on the other side of the door directly in front of the "Village Entrance" Shrine, but if the door is still locked you need to go the long way around the right-hand side to get there.
Once you're at the other side of the door, head through the hole in the wall between the door and the giant Buddha statue. As you round the corner, you'll be able to sound the Old Rattle-Drum one last time. This time, the spirit of the boy you've been hearing will actually appear in front of you.
"Hmm? How did you even know I was here? Just Pa and I know of this place. Don't tell anyone, but I have a friend in this well. He helped me with my coughing fit. It's been so long. I hope his wounds have healed too... Come down and play with us!"
7. Follow the boy's spirit down the well
The spirit-boy then jumps down the nearby well. When you regain control of your character, follow the boy by going up to the well and interacting with it. Doing so will transport you to a secret location: the "Bottom Of The Well".
8. (Optional) Rest at the "Bottom Of The Well" Shrine
The first time you go down into the well, you'll immediately be treated to a cutscene that leads straight into the boss fight in the next step. But if you die, you'll respawn at the "Bottom Of The Well" Shrine inside this secret region.
Feel free to rest and recuperate at this Shrine before properly engaging with the boss, because he can be a little tough.
9. Defeat the Mad Tiger
The Mad Tiger roams the arena in the "Bottom Of The Well". When you first see him, he speaks to you in a cutscene:
"Rotten mutt. And he dares bear our father's title under that Yellow Wind guai. Brother or not, I will have my vengeance! Mm-mm? The kid's dad ran off, but now you've shown up to be eaten!"
Then he attacks. This big Yaoguai Chief is an even more deadly version of the Tiger Vanguard you fought earlier in Chapter 2. He's fast, agile, and very damaging with pretty much all his attacks, so you should make good use of all your best Skills and Spells - particularly Immobilize and either the Red Tides or Azure Dust Transformation Spell to give yourself as much safe damage output as possible.
Once the Mad Tiger is defeated, you'll be able to obtain his Spirit using your Blessed Gourd as a nice little reward for your actions.
10. Obtain the Plaguebane Gourd from the nearby chest
The last thing you can do to round off the Old Rattle-Drum quest is to open the chest at the far end of the Mad Tiger arena. Inside this chest, you'll find the Plaguebane Gourd - a unique Gourd which only provides half the usual healing when used, but also increases the damage you deal for a short while after drinking.
I will be honest, fellas - it's not my favourite Gourd. Nor is the Mad Tiger Spirit my favourite Spirit. In truth, the rewards for this quest are a little lacking - but really, the reward was getting to find an area and a challenging boss that you otherwise wouldn't have encountered. Congratulations for making it to the end of the Old Rattle-Drum questline!
If you're looking for more hidden bosses that you may have missed, be sure to consult our guides on all the Chapter 1 bosses and our round-up of all Black Myth Wukong bosses and their locations. You can also check out our guide on the Man-In-Stone questline, which also occurs in Chapter 2, or head to our explainer on how to absorb Spirits.