Struggling against Black Bear Guai in Black Myth: Wukong? Unlock Fireproof Mantle and Bronze armor to survive his fiery summit.
I won't lie, after chasing the Black Wind King up to the summit of Black Wind Mountain, my palms were sweaty. The mountain summit was a whole different ballgame compared with that barely lit cave from earlier. Temples were ablaze around us, and the guy had traded his sneaky monk act for a massive, fire-licked bear form. In 2026, I still think this is one of the most cinematic chapter-enders I've played in Black Myth: Wukong.
But here's the thing: Black Bear Guai is not just a bigger Black Wind King. He's the true and final form of that deadly Yaoguai King, and putting him down closes out Chapter 1. I got flattened the first couple of attempts because I walked in underprepared. If you're reading this before your own trip, do yourself a favour: run the Three Bells quest first. Seriously.
Prepping for the Summit
I learned the hard way that the rest shrine right by the boss gate, Bodhi Peak, is a blessing. I sat there more times than I care to admit. The area is technically outside Black Wind Cave, but it is still the top of Black Wind Mountain. From there, I backtracked to finish the Three Bells quest and beat Elder Jinchi. That little detour unlocked two lifesavers: the fire-resistant Bronze armour set and the Fireproof Mantle Vessel.
The Fireproof Mantle is the real MVP here. You activate it with the right trigger and a left stick click once your Qi meter is full. When Black Bear Guai enters his flaming phase, popping that mantle nullifies his fire for a spell. Paired with the Bronze armour set, you can actually stand in front of him and trade blows without turning into a roasted monkey.
If you need more Spark points, this is also a great time to mop up optional bosses and Meditation Points around Chapter 1. But don't sweat it if you haven't ticked every box; you can return later.
Learning the Bear's Rhythm
The first few attempts felt like trying to swat a hurricane. Black Bear Guai can cloud-step, wandering the arena as a drifting cloud before rematerialising right on top of you. His leaping attacks are surprisingly generous though. He hangs in the air long enough that a perfect dodge is very doable once you keep your cool. The tricky part is when he jumps straight up and crashes down; the camera sometimes loses him, so I backed away whenever I lost sight of him. Saved my bacon more than once.
His regular combos are big swiping bear claws, ground slams, and the occasional foot stomp. My early mistake was getting greedy. The punish windows are short. You have to wait until he finishes a combo, then sneak in a couple of hits. The best opening usually comes when he ends with a leaping body slam and lands on his back. That's the moment to drop a full combo, build a focus point, or slam him with a focused heavy attack. Staggering him buys a few more free hits, and that feels fantastic.
One thing I really had to drill into my head: do not waste Immobilize. If he's in cloud form or airborne, the spell can whiff completely. That's a gut punch because mana is precious. I saved it for moments when he was grounded and vulnerable, or for the second phase when it can break him out of his cloud charge. More on that in a sec.
When the Flames Come Out
At around half health, Black Bear Guai usually shifts into his second phase. You'll know it because his arms get wreathed in flames and his attacks start stacking burn damage. This is where the fight stops being cute. He also pulls out Black Wind King's old crowd-pleaser: cloud form into a repeated charge. It is obnoxious, but here's the twist. Unlike the first phase, casting Immobilize on his cloud form during this phase actually works. It breaks him out and staggers him, handing you a free combo.
I tried to hoard my mana for exactly that moment. The cooldown on Immobilize is long, so at best you get one or two uses before the fire bear turns you into charcoal. If you burned through all your gourd uses in phase one, you're in trouble. That's why the Fireproof Mantle matters so much.
When he lit up, I activated the Fireproof Mantle and pushed hard. It nullified his fire just long enough for me to carve away a big chunk of his health. Between that and dodging his cloud charges, the bear finally went down. It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win.
One odd note: sometimes his second phase didn't kick in at half health. In one run, he stayed normal until around ten percent. That felt like an anomaly, but I'd still be ready for the fire phase every time.
The Payoff
After the bear collapsed, I got a long cutscene and a gorgeous animated backstory sequence. That was the sign that Chapter 1 was finally in the rear-view mirror. Then came the loot. I received my first Relic, Craving Eyes, and could choose one of three buffs:
| Relic Choice | Effect |
|---|---|
| Opportune Watcher | Increases Focus gained from consecutive light attacks |
| Eagle Eye | Massively reduces Cloud Step cooldown after a successful critical hit in that form |
| Keen Insight | Considerably increases critical hit damage |
On top of that, I walked away with:
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1641 XP
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990 Will
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1x Flame Ebongold
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5x Yarn
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2x Silk
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1x Stone Spirit
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1x Yaoguai Core
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1x Mind Core
There was also a beautiful painting I could zoom into and poke around for extra lore about the characters I'd met. Once I finished soaking it all in, it was time to head into Chapter 2. If you're still stuck on this fiery old bear, take a breath, prep the right gear, and save your mana. You've got this.