Black Myth: Wukong | How to Get the True Ending (All Endings Explained)

Black Myth: Wukong has two endings depending on whether you’ve defeated a specific boss at the end of the game. There’s the normal, which will be the ending most players see at the end of the game, and then there’s the rarer true ending which is locked behind several secret areas. If you manage to unlock the true ending, you’ll be greeted by one of the game’s beautiful animated music videos, making it well worth the effort, even if you will have to beat one of the toughest enemies in the entire game to unlock it. 

Here’s how to unlock the true ending in Black Myth: Wukong. 

If you’re looking for some more Black Myth: Wukong guides, check out our other articles here on KeenGamer:

1. Black Myth: Wukong | All Buddha Eye Locations and How to Use Them
2. Black Myth: Wukong | How to Unlock the Ruyi Scroll Secret Area (Chen Loong Quest)
3. Black Myth: Wukong | All Skandha Locations and How to Use Them
4. Black Myth: Wukong | How to Unlock the Chu-Bai Spear

A Choice

How to Get the Normal Ending in Black Myth: Wukong

To get the normal ending in Black Myth: Wukong, you simply need to defeat the final boss, the Great Sage’s Broken Shell. This boss is the final obstacle standing in your way at the end of Chapter 6, Unfinished, and it’s a gruelling four-phase boss encounter against both the Stone Monkey and the power of Sun Wukong himself. 

If you manage to defeat the Great Sage, he will fade away, his relics and power passing on to the Destined One once more. He will also drop his infamous golden headband which the Old Monkey will then place on the Destined One. As the final cutscene shows, the Destined One now takes the place of Wukong in the Birthstone, waiting for another descendant to come and take his place. 

In myth, Sun Wukong’s golden headband tightens painfully around his head at acts of mischief and, at the start of the game, that headband is the reason why he loses his battle against Erleng and the Celestial Court. The headband is a representation of the shackles of Wukong’s Buddhahood and, in this ending, the Destined One cannot understand Wukong’s wishes for freedom or why he fought the Celestial Court in the first place, leading him to wear the torturous headband once again. To many, this is the Bad Ending to Black Myth: Wukong. 

Normal Ending

How to Get the True Ending in Black Myth: Wukong

To obtain the true ending in Black Myth: Wukong, you must defeat the Great Sage’s Broken Shell after having beaten the game’s secret boss, Erleng, the Sacred Divinity. This is the same boss you fought during the opening of the game and you will find him in the Secret Area of the New West.

Beating the game once will allow you to start New Game + by choosing the “Enter A New Cycle” option on the main menu. However, this will wipe your existing save, so we recommend getting the True Ending before starting New Game + as choosing to “Continue the Journey” will just put you outside of the Birthstone. 

Wukong’s Freedom

Unlock and Complete All Secret Areas 

To unlock Chapter 3’s Secret Area, you need to both unlock and complete all of the other chapter’s Secret Areas, first. In total, there are four secret areas which you must unlock in Black Myth: Wukong to gain access to the Erlang boss fight. Those areas are:

• Chapter 1: Ancient Guanyin Temple | Ring the three bells throughout the Black Wind Forest
• Chapter 2: Kingdom of Sahali | Complete the Yellow-Robed Squire’s questline in Yellow Wind Ridge
• Chapter 4: Purple Cloud Mountain | Battle the Venom Daoist twice in the Webbed Hollow
• Chapter 5: Bishui Cave | Destroy all five elemental carts in Flaming Mountains

Once you’ve unlocked and finished the final boss of each of these secret areas (which usually awards you with a Mantle associated with the final boss of that area’s main chapter), you must reach the Great Pagoda in the New West. This area is very off the beaten path and, to reach it, we recommend starting at the Snow-Veiled Trail Keeper’s Shrine. Instead of walking up the stairs to progress further, go down the nearby slope and cross the rope bridge. From here, follow the linear path until you reach the doors of the Great Pagoda. 

Inside the Great Pagoda, you will find the walls emblazoned with intricate paintings from the end of each chapter. Now that you have completed all of the secret areas, six of the murals on the wall are complete. Only the one at the back of the room is incomplete. This is where you’ll find Yellowbrow waiting for you and speaking with him will finally unlock the secret area for Chapter 3, Mount Mei.

The Final Mural in the Great Pagoda

Defeat the Great Pagoda Secret Boss, Erlang

Mount Mei is most similar to the Ancient Guanyin Temple and Kingdom of Sahali Secret Areas. There isn’t anything to fight or find other than the area’s secret boss, who awaits you at the end of a great trek through a stretch of snowy mountains.

Erlang, the Sacred Divinity, is one of the hardest bosses in all of Black Myth: Wukong. Not only does he have a lot of health, but he has a ton of power backing him up. He primarily fights with Lightning attacks so we recommend entering the fight with high Shock Resistance or Shock-Quelling Medicine. Additionally, this might be the best time to use your Resurrection Pills if you have any spare. 

The biggest difficulty when it comes to fighting Erlang is that his attack cadence differs greatly with each attack. Some are very slow and floaty while others are near instant. Whenever Erlang reaches key health thresholds, he’ll dish out several massive and imposing attacks that you need to be aware of; at 75% health, he summons a giant axe and will begin using new, faster moves, whereas, at 50% health, he’ll fire off a barrage of lightning beams followed by a fast red spear smash. 

Erlang, The Sacred Divinity

Once you finally manage to take down Erlang’s base form, you’ll transition into phase two. Fortunately, it seems almost impossible to lose the fight at this point, so don’t be too worried. This time, your main targets are the Four Heavenly Kings, the massive imposing beings from the start of the game. Fortunately, you’ll get a hefty upgrade, transforming into a mountain-sized Stone Monkey who can easily rival these four behemoths. Just remember to use your Heavy Attack often as that will heal you. 

Upon defeating the Four Heavenly Kings, you’ll need to take down Erlang’s true form, Erlang Shen, a massive tiger-like monster who wields a flaming sword. He does deal a lot more damage than the Kings but, once again, remember to use your Heavy Attack for healing and use Rock Solid often to quickly regenerate Focus. This second phase is a lot more about spectacle than challenge, so enjoy the journey. 

Clash of the Titans

Finish the Game Again

With Erlang defeated and the Destined One’s prowess over the Celestial Court proven, return to the Birthstone and prepare to battle Sun Wukong’s shell once more. The fight will play out exactly the same as before, with the first two phases being against the Stone Monkey while the last two are the completed Great Sage’s Empty Shell. 

When you have proven yourself better than even the great Sun Wukong, the final cutscene will begin playing again. Most of the cutscene is the same, with the Old Monkey still retrieving Wukong’s cursed headband from the waters. However, before he can place it onto the Destined One’s head, his eyes flare with light and the sixth and final music video for Black Myth: Wukong plays. This final animated video – which is called Unfinished, the same name as Chapter 6 – shows the life and tribulations of Sun Wukong before his defeat at the start of the story.

In this ending, the Destined One’s battle with Erlang allows him to successfully inherit and understand Sun Wukong’s wishes for freedom, which is displayed in the final music video. By refusing the golden headband, the Destined One truly breaks free from the Celestial Court’s control, fulfilling Wukong’s desires. This is the Good Ending of Black Myth: Wukong. 

True Ending

That was how to unlock the true ending in Black Myth: Wukong.