How to defeat the Cloudtreading Deer in Black Myth Wukong

The Cloudtreading Deer is one of the final few bosses you need to defeat in order to make your way to the finale of Black Myth Wukong's main story. On paper, it is one of the easier bosses in the game, with a predictable moveset and low agility. However, going into this boss fight without the right set of tools or Vessel, can end up making it incredibly challenging.

Not only can the Cloudtreading Deer deal a ton of damage with its regular attacks, but it also has the ability to summon Frost-imbued tornadoes in the arena, which obscures visibility and inflicts frost almost immediately. Furthermore, the Cloudtreading Deer has two full phases, each with its own elemental affinity.

Fortunately, defeating this boss isn't particularly difficult once you figure out its weaknesses and make use of all the tools available to you. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to easily defeat the Cloudtreading Deer in Black Myth Wukong.

NOTE: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinion.

---

Tips to easily defeat the Cloudtreading Deer in Black Myth Wukong

The most important thing that you must have equipped before heading to the battle against the Cloudtreading Deer, is the Plantain Fan Vessel. You obtain the Plantain Fan after defeating the Yaksha King and finishing Chapter 5 (The Flaming Mountains). Unlike the other three Vessels in Black Myth Wukong, the Plantain Fan isn't missable.

The Cloudtreading Deer in Black Myth Wukong. (Image via GameScience)

Additionally, having access to the Loongwreathe Staff and fully upgraded Pillar Stance helps immensely against the Cloudtreading Deer boss fight. Lastly, the Loong Amplification Pills, Tiger Subduing Pills, and Longevity Decoction are highly recommended for this boss fight.

Here are some tips to easily defeat the Cloudtreading Deer in Black Myth Wukong:

• For the first phase, you will need to rely on your Spells to create opportunities to dish out damage. The best Spells for this boss fight are Immobilize, Cloud Step, and A Pluck of Many.
• As soon as you enter the arena, head straight to the Deer, and only when you reach close to it, use one of your Spells, preferably Immobilize.
• Make sure you have either the Thrust or Pillar Stance for this boss fight. Since most of the damage will be dealt from range, the Smash Stance isn't particularly effective here.
• When you get the boss down to 50% of its total HP, it will summon the Frost tornadoes. As soon as you see the tornadoes being summoned, run away from the boss (use Cloud Step to safely retreat).
• After reaching medium distance from the Deer, use the Plantain Fan to completely obliterate the summoned tornadoes as well as the boss' posture.
• While the Plantain Fan is active, use either A Pluck of Many or Immbolize to get some damage in, and again retreat when the boss regains its posture.
• The Cloudtreading Deer will summon the tornadoes again, but if you're close to it, use the Pillar Stance's chated heavy attack to finish the first phase.
• The second phase is quite easy compared to the first. However, instead of Frost, the boss now deals Poison damage.
• If you have some Antimiasma Powder available, use it to get temporary Poison immunity.
• In the second phase, the Cloudtreading Deer has very limited defense and hence can be easily staggered with charged-heavy attacks. You also get some help from Zhu Bajie in the second phase.
• Furthermore, to quickly wrap up the second phase, you can use the Red Tides Transformation to deal Burn damage. The Cloudtreading Deer is also extremely susceptible to Burn damage.

The Loongwreathe Staff in Black Myth Wukong. (Image via GameScience)

The Loongwreathe Staff is recommended for this boss fight since it deals bonus Shock damage, which is one of the elemental weaknesses of the Cloudtreading Deer. You obtain the Loongwreathe Staff as part of the Yellow Loong questline. After defeating the Cloudtreading Deer, you'll obtain the Lotus Silk Cloudtreaders, the Leg Armor for the Monkey King's set.