We already knew that Black Myth: Wukong was going to get a couple of “surprises” before the end of the year, thanks to some previous teasing from its director, and now it looks like at least some of them are here, courtesy of some big news. update for the record-breaking action RPG.
The new Black Myth begins with the Keeper's Shrine challenges, which are unlocked after completing the game once. These come in two versions: Return of Rivals and Gauntlet of Legends, and both bring back previously defeated enemies for a rematch.
Return of Rivals is all about one-on-one fights, where players can challenge former opponents to a duel on one of three selectable difficulty levels. Meanwhile, Gauntlet of Legends features a number of returning enemies, some with new moves, fighting in succession, with customizable curse-based difficulty. Successfully clearing a gauntlet rewards rare treasures, but developer Game Science warns that challenges will not be available if their corresponding opponents have not yet been defeated in the main game.
Elsewhere in today's update (officially known as 1.0.12.16581, numbers fans), players can now get their hands on Journeyer's Charts, which feature landscapes organized “for orientation and marking.” That is, maps. Traveler Cards are initially unlocked after meeting the Guardian at Black Wind Mountain, and new ones can be purchased for each territory visited at the shrines. As Game Science so beautifully puts it: “Let the graph chart the traveler's journey.”
And for players looking to change up their wardrobe, the new Black Myth update brings four special armor pieces added to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. These can be claimed under “Pioneer's Gift” at any Guardian Shrine.
Beyond the big headline additions, Black Myth version 1.0.12.16581 brings a host of bug fixes and improvements covering everything from performance and localization issues to boss adjustments. Oh, and Black Myth: Wukong Soundtrack Selection has been added to the music library. All of this is available on the Epic Games Store right now, and the update is slowly rolling out to other platforms, so you may have to wait a bit before you can try out their products. The full patch notes are available on the Game Science website.
Black Myth: Wukong's latest update arrives just ahead of this year's The Game Awards, where it has been nominated in several different categories: Best Action Game, Best Art Direction, Best Game Direction, Player's Voice Award, and Game of the Year. anus. And if you're curious to see how it goes, the show starts this Friday, December 13 at 1am in the UK. Or just go to bed and read all about Eurogamer when you're ready enough to start the day.
Will the Game Awards also bring a long-awaited Xbox release date for Black Myth: Wukong (or maybe even a surprise drop similarly to Baldur's Gate 3)? Everything will be revealed soon.