How to defeat Great Sage's Broken Shell in Black Myth Wukong

The Great Sage's Broken Shell is the true final boss of Black Myth Wukong. As is the tradition for most souls-like or action RPGs, the final boss is admittedly the hardest encounter in the entire game. The Great Sage offers a fantastic conclusion to Black Myth Wukong's main story and also delivers what is easily the most mechanically impressive boss fight of the title.

The battle against the Great Sage's Broken Shell is divided into four phases. The first two phases see the Destined One face the Stone Monkey. And only upon defeating the Stone Monkey does the Great Sage manifest himself. Although he lacks the Relics, the Great Sage is still a formidable opponent.

From endless combos to outright nullifying some of the most powerful Spells the Destined One has access to, the Great Sage is easily the toughest boss you will face in the final stretch of the game. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to defeat the Great Sage's Broken Shell in Black Myth Wukong.

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Tips on how to defeat the Great Sage's Broken Shell in Black Myth Wukong

The Great Sage's Broken Shell is only seconded by Erlang, the Sacred Divinity when it comes to difficulty in Black Myth Wukong. While the basic movesets and abilities of the Great Sage are identical to that of the Destined One, the way the boss uses them can easily blindside you. Furthermore, the Great Sage deals a ton of damage with each of his attacks and combos.

The Great Sage's Broken Shell in Black Myth Wukong (Image via GameScience)

On top of that, the boss, much like Erlang Shen, can see through and dodge the Destined One's attacks, even the fully charged heavy attacks. That's not all, the Great Sage, in his second phase, debuffs the Destined One back to his normal form, leaving him with lower attack power and defenses.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming difficulty of the boss fight, the Great Sage is much easier once you start learning his attack patterns. Countering most of the Sage's attacks is quite easy once you get the timings down. Here are some tips that should help you easily defeat the Great Sage's Broken Shell in Black Myth Wukong:

• I highly recommend keeping the Monkey King's set and Jingubang equipped for this boss fight. Alternatives are the Bull King's set and the Dark Iron Staff. However, these are exclusively for New Game+.
• With the Monkey King's set equipped, you should be able to breeze past the first phase, owing to the additional damage and defensive bonuses.
• The second phase is where the fight gets a tad tricky. To get through the first phase easily, start the battle with a charged-heavy attack (four Focus charges) using the Smash Stance. This, alongside Loong Amplification Pills, will reduce the boss' health bar to roughly 75% in a single attack.
• You can further enhance this attack using the Gore-Eyed Daoist Spirit ability. Other alternatives for the Spirit ability are Apramana Bat and the Wandering Wight.
• For the Transformation Spell, you'd want to use either Golden Lining or Azure Dome.
• The first phase is an incredibly easy save for the Ring of Fire attack. Make sure to not step within the "Ring" when that Spell of the boss is active. Instead, try to kite him out of the Ring and then attack him.
• For the second phase, I highly recommend switching to the Thrust Stance. Furthermore, make sure you have the Plantain Fan Vessel equipped.
• The second phase always starts with an overhead "Smash Stance" slam attack, followed by a multi-hit spin attack combo. Both of these attacks are easy to dodge. However, if you find it hard to time your dodges, use Cloud Step to avoid the initial flurry of attacks.
• The first half of the battle is fairly manageable, as long as you don't try to rush the boss. The key to defeating the Great Sage in Black Myth Wukong is knowing when to attack and when to back off.
• In the second half of the battle, you'd want to use everything at your disposal. I highly recommend saving enough Mana for the second half to use A Pluck of Many. Furthermore, switch Immobilize for Ring of Fire.
• The Great Sage can easily break through Immobilize, so it's not all that effective. You can also use Spell Binder to speed up the boss fight a bit. However, only use Spell Binder if you're confident with your dodge timings.
• Lastly, make sure you're also using the Medicines to not only boost your attack power but also your defenses.

You need to defeat the Stone Monkey to reach the Great Sage's boss fight (Image via GameScience)

The Great Sage's Broken Shell is an incredibly challenging boss fight, but one that rewards skillful gameplay. While you don't need to be a master of Perfect Dodges to win this battle, you do need to know the basics of Black Myth Wukong's combat system thoroughly. That said, do focus on the Medicines. They can be the difference between winning and losing this boss fight.