Best Spells in Black Myth Wukong

Every Mysticism, Alteration, and Transformation Spell you should be using in Black Myth Wukong

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Game Science

Looking for the best Spells in Black Myth Wukong? Ranging from petrification powers to a Stone Monkey transformation, Black Myth Wukong ’s Spells are among the most important combat tools. What better way to defeat a boss than to stun them and unleash your army of minions?

Beware that you can only equip one Spell from each of the categories: Mysticism, Alteration, Strand, and Transformations. Once you’ve chosen four Spells, it’s important to upgrade their skill trees using your Sparks. During combat, keep an eye on your Mana management and the Spell’s cooldown time, as you can’t use them without limit!

To help you pick the best Spells in Black Myth Wukong, here’s an overview of the particularly strong and useful ones.

Best Mysticism Spell

Just want to whack enemies with the big stick? This is the only Spell you’ll need. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Game Science

• Spell Binder : Enhances attack but disables Spells, Vessels, Transformations, and Soul Skills.
• Immobilize : Binds the enemy in place.
• Ring of Fire : Draws a ring on the ground. The ring can enhance healing and provide buffs.

Of all three Mysticism Spells in Black Myth Wukong, Spell Binder takes the top spot. Using this Spell will grant you a massive attack and critical rate boost, but at the cost of your Mana - yes, all of it. Depending on how much Mana you’ve got, a critical rate boost of about 15% and an attack boost of about 80-100 points should certainly be possible in late-game. You won’t be able to use any other Spell, Spirit, or Vessel while Spell Binder is active, but it’s hard to miss them when it only takes a few hits to win most fights.

Spell Binder may seem complicated at first glance, but it actually makes Black Myth Wukong’s combat much easier since you only need to focus on your Varied Combos. If you enjoy mastering Staff Stances , building Focus, perfecting your dodging skills, and landing the best combos, this is the Spell for you. Don’t worry about the 90-second cooldown time either; Spell Binder’s duration is infinite, so the status will last until you fall in battle or rest at a Shrine.

If that doesn’t sound like something you’d enjoy, consider using the second-best Mysticism Spell: Immobilize . It freezes the enemy in place, which allows you to avoid even the heaviest blows and land the best attacks in peace. That said, the Spell can miss its target if the enemy is already upon you, and it has a longer cooldown and higher Mana cost than the Alteration Spells despite fulfilling a similar role. Some of its issues (limited effectiveness on larger opponents, light attack combo interruptions) can be mitigated with passive upgrades though.

The third Mysticism Spell, Ring of Fire , can be a lifesaver, but it’s not my favourite. It may help with HP recovery, Focus buildup, and more, but the need to constantly return to the same spot is quite the hassle. It’s more time-efficient - and arguably more fun - to get your healing from the Gourd and your Focus from fighting.

Best Alteration Spell

When they see you emerge from Cloud Step, it’ll be too late. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Game Science

• Cloud Step : Disperse into mist as you leave a decoy behind.
• Rock Solid : Transform into a rock. When cast before an incoming attack, deflects the damage.

Black Myth Wukong has two Alteration Spells: Rock Solid and Cloud Step. Both are very useful as a means to avoid damage, but since you can only choose one, I recommend Cloud Step . Using this Spell will turn you invisible while spawning a decoy, thus avoiding all incoming damage (no perfect timing required) as you reposition yourself on the battlefield. While the decoy can damage nearby enemies, Cloud Step’s true value lies in the Unveiling Strike; the first attack you’ll use as you emerge from your translucent state.

The fully upgraded “Concealed Observation” passive gradually increases the critical hit chance of the next Unveiling Strike, leading up to a magnificent 40% critical rate boost. If you already have a decent critical rate stat, your Unveiling Strike is almost guaranteed to be a critical hit - combined with the “Thunder Strike” and “Absolute Strike” passives, you can unleash an absolutely devastating charged heavy attack on your opponent. As a bonus, you can use Cloud Step to sneak past enemies unnoticed.

That said, Rock Solid is a close second; it has a much shorter cooldown, can recover Mana, and immediately provides the perfect counter opportunity when timed correctly - but the need for correct timing also makes it a bit harder to use correctly. Furthermore, it doesn’t have the same damage potential and some enemy attacks can break through the stone shield.

Best Strand Spell

There’s no such thing as too many monkeys. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Game Science

• A Pluck of Many : Summons at least four duplicates to the battlefield.
• Life Saving Strand : Every 10 minutes, you can revive at your current location instead of a Shrine.

Since Pluck of Many is the only Strand Spell you can use in your first playthrough, it’s automatically the best. There’s also the Life Saving Strand Spell, which is quite useful as it revives your character on the spot instead of at a Shrine, but since it’s only unlocked in New Game Plus , it takes too much effort to obtain. Don’t overstate its usefulness either; while it gives you more time and resources to beat a boss, it doesn’t add anything to your build.

Pluck of Many , on the other hand, is a handy defensive and offensive ability that summons four duplicates to the battlefield. They’ll distract and attack your opponent while you plan your next attack or drink from your Gourd . Through passive upgrades, you can summon two additional duplicates and improve your minions’ health, attack, and duration. While this creates great damage potential, especially when you summon the duplicates following a Spell like Immobilize, the Pluck of Many truly shines when the “Volition” passive is unlocked, which enables the duplicates to use Immobilize, Rock Solid, and Ring of Fire. In my experience, this usually gets you one free Immobilize effect per Spell use.

Beware that the minions don’t copy your every move. Their attacks are fast and deal decent damage, but they’re nowhere near as strong as your own. The “overpowered” version of Pluck of Many, where the duplicates mimic the player’s charged heavy attacks, is linked to the “Unified Minds” Relic ability obtained in New Game Plus.

Best Transformation Spells

So many Transformations to choose from, but none as mighty as the Stone Monkey. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Game Science

• Azure Dome : Stone Monkey Transformation. Has immunity to Shock and Poison and converts Frost and Scorch into a damage buff. Can use other Spells.
• Golden Lining : Yellow Loong Transformation. Gain immunity to Shock and the ability to see through enemy attacks. Successful hits inflict Thunder Bane.
• Ashen Slumber : Rat Guai Transformation. Inflicts Scorch Bane, builds Focus, and can cause a massive explosion.

Unlike the previous categories, there are up to 10 Transformation Spells to choose from. You can use them to take the form and abilities of another creature, such as a wolf guai or a worm guai. Note that they require Might instead of Mana.

Azure Dome

The best Transformation Spell in Black Myth Wukong is without a doubt Azure Dome, the Stone Monkey . You typically start the Transformation with a light attack sequence to build Focus before unleashing an incredibly powerful charged heavy attack, but you can also hold the charged heavy attack and then “cancel” it by dodging - you will keep the acquired Focus Points.

Why you would do this? Depending on the amount of Focus you’ve gathered, it’s possible to unlock Spells while in Stone Monkey form. That’s right; this Transformation Spell allows you to use variations of your usual Spells while in Stone Monkey form. You won’t have enough time or resources to use all Spells, so I recommend using Pluck of Many to spawn a second Stone Monkey before hammering away at your opponents.

As you would expect, this brilliant Transformation Spell is unlocked near the end of the game. You must defeat the “secret boss”, whom you’ll find on the way to Black Myth Wukong’s Secret Ending .

Golden Lining

Taking on the form of the dreaded Yellow Loong boss, the Golden Lining Spell makes you incredibly fast and strong. You can easily close the gap between you and your enemies using a charged heavy attack before inflicting Shock Bane on them - if they’re still alive, that is.

That said, Golden Lining is one of the trickiest Transformation Spells to use since you must trigger the heavy attack at the right moment to see through an enemy attack, thereby counterattacking and gaining a Focus Point. It’s worth the practice though; having at least one Focus Point replaces the heavy attack with an even stronger one, which you may repeat until your Focus Points are depleted.

To get the Golden Lining Spell, defeat the Yellow Loong boss in Chapter 4.

Ashen Slumber

The Ashen Slumber Spell’s Rat Guai deals decent damage with its light attack combo, but you’ll be able to switch to the more powerful fire-breathing heavy attack as soon as you have enough Focus. The heavy attack quickly stacks Scorch Bane on the opponent, causing extra damage over time, but beware that you’ll need to upgrade the passive skill “Rage Burst” to make the Scorch Damage truly impressive.

And that’s not all; if the Rat Guai quits the battlefield before the timer runs out, he will cause a fiery explosion that deals massive damage to surrounding enemies. As such, this Transformation Spell is by far the best Transformation for players who don’t like Transformations all that much; swap in, trigger the explosion, and continue as normal.

To unlock Ashen Slumber, you must defeat the Captain Lotus-Vision boss and speak with the NPC in one of the cells in Chapter 3 (close to the Lower Pagoda Shrine).

That concludes our picks for the best Spells in Black Myth: Wukong. If you’d like to further improve your build, take a look at the best weapons as well as the best armour in the game. Be sure to pair them with the best Spirits and the best Gourds too!

Black Myth: Wukong

PS5 , PC

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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