In Black Myth: Wukong, the Gourd is both a health potion and helps absorb spirits. But the number of uses and the initial amount of health restored are quite small. Don’t worry! With over 100 hours of gameplay experience, I will guide you in detail on how to upgrade the Gourd, increase the number of uses and the amount of health restored, along with useful tips. Guaranteed to be easy to understand and easy to follow!
Unlocking the Ability to Absorb Spirits and Starting to Upgrade the Gourd
Encountering the “Cannot Absorb Spirits Without Guidance” error? Don’t worry, here’s how to fix it and start upgrading the Gourd
Step 1: Unlock Absorption
Find the strange man with a large wine gourd near the Snake Trail Shrine in the Bamboo Grove.
Talk to him to upgrade the Gourd, unlocking the ability to absorb spirits.
Tip: Use Spirit Cultivation at Shrine to reclaim missed spirits.
Step 2: Meet Shen Monkey
Go to the Marsh of the White Mist Keeper’s Shrine, still in the Bamboo Grove.
Opposite the Shrine, find a tree with yellow vines, Luojia Fragrant Vine, and collect it.
Go to the bridge, defeat the snake, and watch the cutscene introducing Shen Monkey.
Follow Shen Monkey into the cave and talk to start upgrading the Gourd.
Upgrading the Number of Gourd Uses
After paving the way in step 1, you can now start upgrading the number of uses of your Gourd. In Shen Monkey‘s cave, you will see the Upgrade Gourds option. Select this item, and you will see the upgrade interface. Here, the game will clearly show how many Luojia Fragrant Vine are needed to increase the number of Gourd uses. Important note: Each Gourd needs to be upgraded separately. This means that you cannot use Luojia Fragrant Vine to upgrade all Gourds at once! And if you need to find more Luojia Fragrant Vine, I have a detailed guide on the location of all these vines. Feel free to farm!
Upgrading the Amount of Health Restored
Not only can you increase the number of drinks, you can also increase the small amount of health restored for each use of the Gourd. Still at Shen Monkey‘s interface, select the Upgrade Drinks item. Here, you will see a list of the drinks you have. To increase the effectiveness of health restoration, you need Awaken Wine Worm. Just like Luojia Fragrant Vine, I have a separate guide on the location of all Awaken Wine Worm. Feel free to collect them! Another small tip, according to the experience of experts on Steam, you should prioritize upgrading the original wine gourd. Because later on, the original wine gourd becomes stronger, and can reach up to 10 health restorations.
Brew
In addition to upgrading the number of uses and the amount of health restored, Black Myth: Wukong also allows you to mix items to add special effects to your Gourd. Still at Shen Monkey‘s place, select the Brew item. Here, you can add various Soaks to drinks to receive additional buffs. For example, the Gall Gem that you receive from Shen Monkey‘s quest will give you poison resistance. The good news is that after meeting Shen Monkey for the first time, you can use the Brew feature right at the Keeper’s Shrine without having to trek back to Shen Monkey‘s cave. However, to upgrade the number of uses or the amount of health restored, you still have to go back to Shen Monkey! Small tip: Don’t forget to return to Shen Monkey‘s place after starting each new chapter. His goods will be updated, and there may be more cool stuff!
About Other Types of Gourds During your adventure, you may find or purchase other types of Gourds. However, there are a few points to note:
- Jade Lotus Gourd: This gourd is quite good in the early stages of the game, even better than the original wine gourd. Those who like to play magically with body techniques will definitely love it.
- Other types of Gourds: Most of the other Gourds that you pick up later often cannot be upgraded. They are usually only useful in certain situations, or are only temporarily stronger than the original wine gourd, until you upgrade the original wine gourd to the maximum.
About the quantity of materials: Don’t worry about running out of upgrade materials. According to my experience and that of many other players, the game provides enough Luojia Fragrant Vine to upgrade all upgradeable Gourds in one playthrough. As for Awaken Wine Worm: This material is a bit scarce. You won’t have enough to upgrade all types of alcohol in one playthrough. You may have to grind again in New Game Plus!
So, you have almost all the secrets to upgrading the Gourd in Black Myth: Wukong! From finding NPCs, collecting materials, to using the upgrade and brewing interfaces, everything has been revealed. Now you can freely grind, increase the number of Gourd uses, restore full health, and try out special drinks. I wish you success in transforming into a monkey and don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any questions, or share your experience!