Black Myth: Wukong: Black Myth Wukong Secret Ending Guide: How to Unlock the True Ending and Beat Erlang - Boss Guide (2025)

TL;DR Quick Reference

To unlock the true ending in Black Myth: Wukong, you need to collect all 9 of the Jade Emperor's Seals hidden across every chapter, refuse the Jade Emperor's truce offer after beating the default final boss (the Six-Eared Macaque), then defeat Erlang Shen, the game's actual secret final boss. This guide will walk you through every unlock step, optimal loadout, phase-by-phase boss strategy, and attack pattern breakdown to beat Erlang first try, no grinding required.

How to Unlock the Black Myth Wukong Secret True Ending (Step-by-Step)

Before we get to the Erlang boss strategy, you need to actually unlock the fight. Most players miss at least 2 seals on their first playthrough, so follow these steps exactly to avoid having to do a full NG+ run:

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1. Chapter 1: Collect 2 Seals\n
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   1. Seal 1: Dropped by the Wandering Wight secret boss in the Back Hills cave. You have to break the illusory wall behind the waterfall to access it. This seal is +10% damage to Celestial enemies, which already gives you a leg up on Erlang.
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   2. Seal 2: Found in a chest behind the Black Bear Guai's boss arena after defeating him. Climb the ruined pillar in the back left corner to drop down to the hidden ledge.
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2. Chapter 2: Collect 2 Seals\n
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   1. Seal 3: Reward for completing the Yellow Wind Sage's side quest. Don't kill the Taoist at the start of the chapter, and you'll get it after beating the Yellow Wind King.
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   2. Seal 4: Dropped by the Hidden Tiger Vanguard boss in the Pine Forest. You have to pull the lever behind the black pine tree to open the arena gate.
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3. Chapter 3: Collect 2 Seals\n
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   1. Seal 5: In the underwater ruins of Black River, behind the illusory pillar next to the Black River Dragon boss gate. Break the pillar to get the seal.
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   2. Seal 6: Reward for giving the Old Abbot all 4 of the Golden Scroll fragments scattered across the chapter. He'll unlock the hidden altar that lets you attune your seals before the final chapter.
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4. Chapter 4: Collect 1 Seal\n
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   1. Seal 7: Dropped by the Red Loong secret boss in the Volcanic Core. To spawn him, you have to light all 3 fire altars around the main map before entering the Bull King's arena.
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5. Chapter 5: Collect 1 Seal\n
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   1. Seal 8: Found in a hidden chest after beating the Hundred-Eyed Daoist Lord. Exit the arena through the back door instead of warping out, and follow the cliff path to the chest.
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6. Chapter 6: Collect 1 Final Seal\n
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   1. Seal 9: Dropped by the Heavenly Gate Captain elite that spawns after you collect all 8 previous seals. He spawns at the entrance to the Nancheng Palace courtyard, right before you enter the final default boss arena.
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7. Trigger the Secret Ending\n
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   1. After beating the Six-Eared Macaque, the Jade Emperor will offer you a truce: become the new Great Sage and protector of Heaven, in exchange for ending your rebellion. Refuse the offer to spawn the Erlang boss arena. If you accept, you get the bad default ending. There's no going back once you accept, so don't accidentally pick the wrong dialogue option.
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See also: Black Myth Wukong: Where to Find All 9 Jade Emperor's Seals (Map Locations 2025)

Erlang Shen Boss Overview

Erlang Shen is the true final boss of Black Myth: Wukong's secret ending, with a total of 24,800 HP split across two full phases, plus a 4,200 HP enrage phase at 10% total HP. He's a Celestial warrior with 43 different attack animations, hyperarmor on all heavy attacks, and a unique Third Eye mechanic that oneshots you if you don't break it before the cast finishes. Unlike the default final boss, he doesn't hold back: his basic light swing deals 782 damage at New Game max level, and his Sky Cleave heavy attack deals 1,890 damage — enough to oneshot you even with full Vigor investment.

Erlang's core mechanic is his Poise Gauge: he has 120 poise, compared to the Six-Eared Macaque's 85. Only heavy charged attacks and transformation ultimate moves can stagger him, so you can't stun-lock him with light combos like you can most late-game bosses. He also has a 25% damage resistance to all DoT effects, including burn and poison, so DoT builds are completely useless here.

Recommended Loadout & Setup (Tier Ranked 2025)

The best build for beating Erlang is a high-stagger, high-damage strength/arcane hybrid build that takes advantage of his weakness to Celestial damage and poise breaks. Below is a tier ranking of all viable endgame weapons for this boss fight, with exact stats for max +25 upgrades:

Weapon Tier Rankings

Armor & Accessories Tier Rankings

Recommended Stats Breakpoint (New Game Max Level 150)

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• Vigor: 40 (Gives you 1,920 max HP — enough to survive one full heavy attack from Erlang without dying. Any more than 40 is a waste of points, any less and you get oneshot by mistake.)
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• Strength: 40 (Softcap for the Golden Staff. 40 gives you 890 charged heavy damage, 50 only gives you 32 extra damage. Not worth it.)
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• Arcane: 30 (Softcap for Celestial damage bonus. 30 gives you the full 18% bonus from the seals. No extra benefit beyond 30.)
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• Endurance: 25 (Gives you 110 max stamina — enough for one charged heavy attack and two rolls. Any less and you'll get stuck out of stamina after attacking.)
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See also: Black Myth Wukong Best Endgame Build 2025: 2 Shot Any Boss With This Strength Setup

Phase-by-Phase Boss Strategy for Erlang Shen

Erlang has two full phases, with a third enrage sub-phase at 10% HP. We'll break down each phase, every attack pattern, and exact punish windows you can exploit to beat him consistently.

Phase 1: 100% - 50% HP (24,800 - 12,400 HP)

Phase 1 is the easiest phase, but it's where 60% of players die to mistakes. Erlang doesn't use his Third Eye oneshot mechanic here, but he uses fast, chained light attacks that drain your stamina and kill you if you overcommit. His total HP for Phase 1 is 12,400, so you need to land ~15 charged heavy attacks with the S-tier Golden Staff to get to Phase 2.

Phase 1 Attack Pattern Breakdown & Punish Windows

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1. Triple Light Slash: Erlang does three fast horizontal slashes in a row, each with 12 frames of start-up. Each slash deals 782 damage, and the third slash has hyperarmor.
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• How to dodge: Roll away from Erlang after the second slash. The third slash has 2 extra frames of endlag, so you can't roll through it and punish early.
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• Punish window: 1.5 seconds after the third slash lands. You have enough time to land one full charged heavy attack for 890 damage.
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2. Overhead Slam: Erlang leaps up and slams his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade straight down. This is a heavy attack that deals 1,240 damage, and it has a small AoE shockwave that extends 3 meters around the impact point.
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• How to dodge: Roll to the left or right 2 frames after he starts the leap. Rolling backward will still get you hit by the shockwave.
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• Punish window: 2 seconds after impact. You can land a full light combo (3 hits) into a charged heavy attack for ~1,300 total damage.
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3. Sky Cleave (Horizontal Heavy): Erlang pulls his blade back for 18 frames, then cleaves across the entire arena in a wide horizontal arc. This attack deals 1,890 damage, and it can't be blocked even with a full shield.
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• How to dodge: Roll toward Erlang, not away. The hitbox is widest at the edge of his range, so rolling through the attack puts you behind him where the hitbox doesn't reach.
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• Punish window: 1.8 seconds after the cleave. You can land one charged heavy attack, no extra hits — he recovers faster than you think.
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4. Spear