Black Myth: Wukong’s new major patch adds challenges to the sanctuary, “a diagram describing the journey of the traveler”
We already knew Black Myth: Wukong was due to get a couple of “surprises” before the end of the year thanks to some previous teasing from its director – and now it seems like at least some of them are here, thanks to a big new update for the record-breaking RPG.
Black Myth’s new features begin with challenges in the Temple of the Guardian, which are unlocked after completing the game once. They come in two flavors – Return of Rivals and Gauntlet of Legends – both of which bring back previously defeated opponents for a rematch.
Return of Rivals is all about one-on-one combat, where players can challenge former opponents to a duel on one of three selectable difficulty levels. Meanwhile, Gauntlet of Legends features several returning enemies (some with new moves) that are fought in sequence, with difficulty based on customizable curses. Successfully completing the challenge can reward you with rare treasures, but developer Game Science warns that the challenges will not be available if the corresponding opponents have not already been defeated in the main game.
Elsewhere in today’s update (officially known as 1.0.12.16581, numbers fans), players can now take advantage of traveler’s maps, which feature landscapes organized “for guidance and marking.” That is, cards. Traveler’s Cards are initially unlocked by meeting the Guardian at Black Wind Mountain, and new ones can be purchased for each territory visited at the Shrines. As Game Science so wonderfully puts it: “Let the map mark the traveler’s path.”
And for players looking to upgrade their wardrobe, the new Black Myth update adds four special armor pieces to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. They can be obtained in the “Gift of the Pioneer” section in any guardian temple.
Beyond the headline-grabbing additions, Black Myth’s update 1.0.12.16581 brings a whole host of bug fixes and improvements, covering everything from performance and localization issues to boss tweaks. Oh, and a selection of Black Myth: Wukong soundtracks has been added to the music library. It’s all available on the Epic Games Store right now, with the update gradually rolling out to other platforms, so you may have to wait a little longer before you can try out the goods. Full patch notes are available on the Game Science website.
Black Myth: Wukong’s latest update comes just ahead of this year’s The Game Awards, where it was nominated in several different categories: Best Action, Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, Player’s Voice and Game of the Year. And if you’re interested in seeing how it goes, the show starts this Friday, December 13th at 1am UK. Or just go to bed and read about it all on Eurogamer when you’re ready enough to start the day.
Will The Game Awards also reveal the long-awaited release date for Black Myth: Wukong on Xbox (or maybe even a surprise release similar to Baldur’s Gate 3)? Everything will be known soon.