Summary

  • Black Myth: Wukong NPC belittles players for using A Pluck of Many spell, calling it a "wee trick" and a shortcut.
  • The player highlights an exchange with Headless Monk, insulting the use of the powerful spell called Pluck.
  • Many pinpointed the issue to localization challenges in Black Myth: Wukong through some mistranslation of NPC lines.

Players of Black Myth: Wukong have noticed that they're getting derided by one of the game's characters for using a certain spell. The Black Myth: Wukong NPC, the Headless Monk, is encountered in the in-game Yellow Wind Ridge area.

Black Myth: Wukong has made waves by briefly becoming one of the best-selling games in the world shortly after its debut on August 20, 2024. Thanks to its sheer popularity, Black Myth: Wukong broke records on Steam and drew attention to the size of the underserved Chinese-language audience. Players all over the world are also paying closer attention to Chinese game development, as they explore the game and discover more of its secrets and encounters.

side-quests-black-myth-wukong
All Side Quests in Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong features a plethora of side quests that are extremely easy to miss, and players can find all of them here.

One such encounter appears to even belittle the player for using the powerful A Pluck of Many spell. In a post on the Black Myth: Wukong Reddit community, player k0ks3nw4i highlighted an exchange they had with the Headless Monk describing the spell as a "wee trick," indirectly insulting a player that might enjoy the spell. The spell itself uses strands of The Destined One's hair to summon clones to gang up on a target, potentially inflicting massive damage on an enemy or boss.

Black Myth: Wukong Player Insulted By NPC for Using A Pluck of Many Spell

The post showed the Headless Monk in Black Myth: Wukong Chapter Two speaking about A Pluck of Many in his characteristic poetic verse. He said it is "deemed as mighty," but later claimed that "shortcuttin," presumably by using it, "makes nothing great." The comment lead k0ks3nw4i to wonder why the Monk would say such things, given that he's the one that gives the player the spell in the first place.

Other players responded, saying that the issue could be related to the English-language text drifting from the meaning of the original Chinese lyrics, which are more nuanced. According to one commenter, the Monk's lines in Chinese are framed differently, considering A Pluck of Many to be popular, but unorthodox, and even "overrated" compared to its more niche usage. The English-language framing, in attempting to retain the poetic style of the Monk's speech, reframed the lyrics as a judgment of those who use A Pluck of Many rather than an observation of its reputation.

The discussion over what would otherwise be an innocuous line in Black Myth: Wukong highlights the challenges its localization team likely faced. Wukong uses a stylized language that even modern native Chinese speakers can find difficult to parse. Not to mention that at launch, the game's localization was hardly spotless, with Black Myth: Wukong reviews highlighting bugs and rough edges related to the game's language display.

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Black Myth Wukong Tag Page Cover Art
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Action RPG
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 80%
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Released
August 20, 2024
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
Developer(s)
Game Science
Publisher(s)
Game Science
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Black Myth: Wukong Gets New Update for September 2025
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology and based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past.

As the Destined One, you shall encounter powerful foes and worthy rivals throughout your journey. Fearlessly engage them in epic battles where surrender is not an option.

Aside from mastering various staff techniques, you can also freely combine different spells, abilities, weapons, and equipment to find the winning strategy that best suits your combat style.

Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Steam Deck Compatibility
Unknown
Genre(s)
Action RPG
How Long To Beat
39 hours
PS Plus Availability
N/A