Summary
A key part of combat inBlack Myth: Wukongis the Staff Stances, but how exactly do they work?Black Myth: Wukongis anaction RPG with semblances of soulslike combatset in Chinese mythology, largely based on the novelJourney to the West. Players will take on the role of Sun Wukong as they progress through the story and fight hordes of enemies from mythology. So far, the title has been praised for the lifelike graphics created by Unreal Engine 5.
To gain strength inBlack Myth: Wukong, every level rewards a Spark that is used to upgrade Sun Wukong’s stats. This includes attack patterns, magic, and transformations. This last piece plays into Wukong’s mythological ability to transform his body into almost anything. These transformations are acquired by defeating specific enemies throughout the game.

Black Myth: Wukong Review: The Soulslike Action Hype Train Is A Little Off-Rails
Despite the exceptional qualities of Black Myth: Wukong, the souls-like RPG has some necessary improvements to make, for a truly immersive experience.
All Three Stances In Black Myth: Wukong
Smash, Pillar, & Thrust
Black Myth: Wukonghas three stances players can choose fromas they level in the Smash Stance, Pillar Stance, and Thrust Stance. Smash Stance is based around a balanced style of light attacks that builds up to devastating heavy attacks. Pillar Stance plays around Wukong perching on top of his enlarged staff as a way to evade/mitigate attacks, then respond with his own. Lastly, the Thrust Stance relies on dealing heavy damage from mid-range while charging attacks. This stance can be very defensive but also requires timing to avoid being a sitting target.
How Black Myth: Wukong’s Staff Skill Trees Work
To start,Wukong has six skills that can be leveled up and affect all three stances. This includes basic increases in health, stamina, and overall damage. The upgrades for Smash Stance revolve around enhancing the heavy attack and gaining buffs from combos. Upgrades to Pillar Stance increase the time Wukong can stand perching while creating a powerful combo when dismounting. Lastly, Thrust Stance’s skill tree aims to reduce the penalty for performing charged attacks while creating opportunities to deal more damage from and shortly after it.
Overall,Black Myth: Wukongdoes a good job of varying combat techniques since the game is limited to one weapon. Each playstyle has enough distinctness to stand alone with the proper upgrades. The title also allows players to respec their Sparks at any time by visiting a Keeper’s Shrine, meaning every Stance can be used throughout the story. All these features combine to help showcase howBlack Myth: Wukong’s Staff Stances work and how players can upgrade thenwhen the game goes live in all regions.

Source:YouTube/WiLLiSGaming
The studio behindBlack Myth: Wukong, GameScience, has previously been accused of fostering a toxic environment for its workers. The 2023 allegations include sexualized comments against women, misogyny, fatphobia, and more. More details can be foundhere.
Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG game from the developers at GameScience. Based on the original Chinese novelJourney to the West,players take on the role of Sun Wukong, a legendary monkey warrior who fights against mythical beasts and beings to save his world.
