How to upgrade armor in Black Myth Wukong

Black Myth Wukong, much like its influences, i.e., the souls-like games, hides some of its more advanced gameplay systems behind certain optional questlines that you can completely miss out on. The armor upgrade system is one such feature that Black Myth Wukong hides behind a side quest, which, although brief, can be very easily missed.

The armor upgrade system acts quite similarly to the game's crafting system, meaning you will need to collect certain resources to get upgrades for your favorite armor pieces. Additionally, almost all the armor pieces can be upgraded to the maximum Mythical tier, making them viable throughout the entirety of the game.

Here's everything you need to know about upgrading armor in Black Myth Wukong.

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How to unlock the ability to upgrade armor pieces in Black Myth Wukong?

Unlike other role-playing or action games, Black Myth Wukong doesn't allow you to upgrade your armor sets right from the get-go. Instead, you have to earn the right to do so by completing an easy, albeit very missable side quest. This side quest can be found in Chapter 3 - The New West, after defeating Kang-Jin Star, the first major boss of the chapter.

Chen Loong in Black Myth Wukong (Image via Game Science)

Once you defeat Kang-Jin Star, you will meet Bajie who will take you to the southern side of the island. Once you reach the shore, instead of going straight to the north, where your next main objective is, head to the west while keeping to the shores.

You will eventually come across a Drake-like humanoid named Chen Loong, who you will have to fight. Chen Loong is a formidable opponent capable of using Thunder Spells and also some really devastating AOE attacks. Once you defeat Chen Loong, he will ask you to deliver an artifact to the Fox merchant, who you meet near the Cellar Keeper's Shrine in Chapter 2.

Head to the Fox merchant and talk to him. After that, return to Chen Loong and he will give you a map that will teleport you to the Roundtable of merchants. This area is completely separate from the rest of the game's map and can be accessed anytime, akin to the Roundtable Hold in Elden Ring.

In the Roundtable, you will find a Blacksmith named the Yin Tiger. Talk to the Blacksmith to upgrade your weapons, as well as armor sets. You can also buy some rare crafting resources like the Gold Tree Core from the Yin Tiger, in case you're running low on those. Lastly, you can also choose to challenge the Yin Tiger for a duel.

The Yin Tiger serves as the Blacksmith in Black Myth Wukong (Image via Game Science)

If you do end up besting the beast, he will reward you with the Ebon Flow Spell, which transforms the Destined One into the Yin Tiger. You also get an additional Curios slot as a reward for defeating the Blacksmith.