Black Myth Wukong: How to defeat the boss Tiger Vanguard? Black Myth Wukong guide, tips
On this page of our guide to Black Myth Wukong, we described the fight against the Tiger Vanguard - one of the bosses you will face in the second chapter of the game.
Last update: 28 August 2024
The Tiger Vanguard is a mandatory boss in Black Myth Wukong. He is the first main boss of the game's second chapter, encountered at the entrance to the Crouching Tiger Temple. On this page of the guide we've described how to defeat the tiger, listed his moveset, recommended strategy and rewards for killing him.
Tiger Vanguard in a nutshell
- The Vanguard ends many of his combos by jumping back. This is a good time to use the Thrust Stance's heavy attack and hit him when he charges at you.
- The gaps between the boss' attacks are barely too short for you to squeeze in a full light combo - it's safer to stop the combo right before the final hit.
- Be careful when the boss turns into stone and becomes invulnerable - he'll turn back in a moment, either counter-attacking or manifesting somewhere else with a powerful, long-range punch.
- The boss's projectiles - blood tornadoes and blood waves - cannot be deflected like other ranged attacks. You can only avoid and dodge them.
- Remember to use spells, as they'll let you catch your breath during the enemy's most aggressive combos.
Tiger Vanguard's attacks
- Diving smash - the boss jumps up and tries to land on you. He can do it immediately or after charging forward very briefly.
- Punch combo - the boss quickly swings his right fist, punches forward with his petrified left fist, sweeps with a very short delay and jumps back, away from you.
- Sword combo - the boss quickly spins and kicks forward. Next he slashes twice diagonally, spins again (it looks like an attack, but it is not - he's delaying the strike) and slashes one last time.
- Dash combo - the boss dashes to the side and then dashes at you, quickly punching twice, stomping down before jumping and going for a diving smash.
- Draw sword - the boss reaches behind his back and grabs his sword. After a very short delay he immediately charges forward, drawing his blade as a powerful, single slash. He then sheathes the sword again. He can also do this with his sword already drawn - in such a case he telegraphs it by holding the sword above his head horizontally.
- Diagonal combo - the boss raises his fists and does a quick diagonal roundhouse kick, then two diagonal punches, a jump and a diving smash.
- Uppercut - the boss goes for a quick uppercut before doing a quick overhead punch.
- Petrification - the boss stands on all fours and turns to stone, becoming invulnerable. Try to spot the wind leaking from the statue - he'll appear again where the wind goes, immediately going for a powerful, long-range punch. If there is no wind, it means he's trying to parry you - don't attack, or your staff will bounce off and he'll immediately counter.
- Stone fist - the boss lowers his arms, leaking dust. After a moment he delivers a single, powerful punch with his petrified fist.
- Blood waves - with his sword drawn, the boss sends three waves of blood towards you. Although they're ranged attacks, they can't be blocked by spinning your staff - you must dodge them.
- Blood tornado - the boss very quickly draws his sword and starts spinning it around. He creates two blood tornadoes you must dodge or sprint away from, then fires three waves of blood. None of these projectiles can be deflected by spinning your staff.
How to fight the Tiger Vanguard?
The Vanguard requires caution and attention. He deals high damage and strikes quickly. Luckily, his combos are quite short, which will give you some time to go on an offensive. An important part of the fight is the fact the Vanguard jumps back frequently, keeping away from you, only attacking again after a few seconds or when you get close. This makes Thrust Stance a great choice for this fight due to its high range and its strong attack's near instant animation. While the boss is far away you can charge an attack and wait for him to get close. Many of his combos are preceded by a quick charge forward. Strike him with a heavy attack mid-charge and you'll stagger him, interrupt the combo and deal some serious damage. Try to save up your focus points gained by light attacking, as they'll make the charging quicker.
The pauses between the boss' attacks are just barely not long enough for you to fit in a full light combo. Since the final hit's animation is longer than the ones before, it may prove safer to abandon the combo before the final strike. On the other hand, if you do manage to get off a full combo, the final strike will stagger the boss - it's useful, but risky.
Be especially careful when the boss turns to stone. If there's no wind coming from the statue, this means the Vanguard will counter if you hit him. If there is wind coming from the statue, the boss will appear where the wind goes, immediately going for a powerful, far-reaching punch. Beware of his projectiles too - blood waves and blood tornadoes. Unlike most other projectiles, they cannot be blocked by spinning your staff, so you must avoid them.
Remember to use spells, as they'll let you catch your breath during the enemy's most aggressive combos. Cloud Step is especially handy - using it will keep you safe for a moment and you can stagger the boss mid-combo with Unveiling Strike. Use transformations too - the boss has only a single phase, so don't stress too much about wasting them.
Rewards
For defeating the Tiger Vanguard you'll be rewarded with:
- 1,652 experience points,
- 1,380 Will,
- 2x Yaoguai Core,
- 1x Mind Core,
- Keeness of Tiger (one of two keys needed to open the door in the Second Prince of Flowing Sands' arena),
- Spell - Rock Solid.