Stone Vanguard
Stone Vanguard is a boss fight in Black Myth: Wukong. This boss is a skill check boss, as you cannot just attack at random. You will need to use everything you’ve learned so far, and utilize all tools at your disposal to bring this boss down. Luckily there are a few tips that should help make this fight a little easier.
The first attack you have to watch for is his ground slam attack. The Stone Vanguard will rear up on his hind legs before slamming down with both fists. The slam itself is easy to dodge. However there is a follow up attack that can happen shortly after that was a bit tricky for me to manage. After he slams his fists down, his arms will glow with a golden pulse. Immediately afterwards a large spike field will shoot out in a circle from where the boss is hunched over.
You can deal with this attack in one of two ways. First, you can play it absolutely safe. When he rears up to do the slam, just run far away and wait out the attack. You can then watch to see if his arms turn gold, and then wait out the ground pulse if they do. Or, you can play it a bit riskier and jump the spike field to keep pressing your attack. The moment you see his arms glow, jump, and you should avoid the field.
The next attack you have to watch out for is his summoning swarm. Stone Vanguard will repeatedly slam his fists into the ground while standing still. About five or six adds with boulder heads will spawn and fling themselves at you. Afterwards Stone Vanguard will launch in the air and land on you, which if you were stunned by the adds will lead to you taking massive damage. This attack wrecked a few of my attempts, and I really struggled to counter it. But allow me to introduce you to our good friend, Cloud Step.
Cloud Step is a Game Changer
If you read my article on the First Prince of the Flowing Sands, you know I struggle with utilizing Cloud Step. This fight may have converted me. When he starts summoning adds, you can use Cloud Step immediately, and be safe from the entire attack. Wait for Stone Vanguard to jump on your clone, and then safely execute an Unveiling Strike.
You can watch my attempts at Stone Vanguard here:
Once I started using Cloud Step, I was able to beat him first try.
Final Thoughts
It’s only chapter 2, but I can feel the difficulty creeping up a bit. Stone Vanguard felt like the first big challenge of the chapter, where I had to really sit back and analyze his attack patterns and think about the best way to counter. It all boiled down to once again being patient and picking when to press my attack. Most importantly though was avoiding taking colossal damage from his summoning leap by using Cloud Step. Pretty soon I earned that sweet victory screen.
How did you fare against the Stone Vanguard? Did he give you as much of a hard time as he did me? Are you using Cloud Step at all? Let me know how you guys are enjoying Black Myth: Wukong in the comments below.