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How to beat Whiteclad Noble in Black Myth Wukong

'Pray tell, to what end do you seek?'

Whiteclad Noble
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

Half man, half serpent, the Whiteclad Noble fits his description well, as someone wearing a white robe and speaks to you in elegant rhyme, making him one of the more sophisticated bosses you’ll fight in Black Myth: Wukong.

You’ll have already faced a series of bosses in Chapter 1, but this spear-wielding opponent is all the more challenging because he also has two distinct phases. Along with a full health bar for each, which means you’re going to have to be even more sparing with the limited resources you currently have in this early part of Black Myth: Wukong if you’re going to survive.

Here we'll provide you with all the information you need on how to beat Whiteclad Noble in Black Myth: Wukong.

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How to prepare for Whiteclad Noble in Black Myth Wukong

You will fight Whiteclad Noble in Bamboo Grove, the nearest shrine called Marsh of White Mist, probably in reference to the area where you actually fight him in Black Myth: Wukong.

This is also near where you will meet an NPC called Shen Monkey, who can help upgrade your Gourd and drinks. If you have obtained a Luojia Fragrant Vine earlier then you’ll be able to upgrade your Old Gourd, allowing you to consume it five times to recover HP. If you have obtained an Awakening Wine Worm, you’ll also be able to upgrade the drink so that you recover more HP when you do take a swig.

Shen Monkey and upgrade options for gourd and drink
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

Remember to spend any Spark points on self-advancing your skills and abilities. The Pillar Stance is also effective in this fight so consider upgrading this stance as well, or also the Immobilize spell so that you can do more damage or have the effect last longer. If you want to self-advance more, you can consider rinsing and repeating enemies although you can also seek out meditation spots, which will also grant you a Spark point.

How to beat Whiteclad Noble in Black Myth Wukong

Whiteclad Noble fights with a spear in Black Myth: Wukong, which gives him an advantage on range. He can also close the distance with a charging thrust either on the ground, by leaping into the air followed by a landing thrust or by circling you while skipping on water before making a jumping thrust.

He can also throw that spear at you, which he usually does by jumping in the air first, and he’s got some kind of force power that lets him instantly retrieve it. He’s also able to just use it to fire off water-based projectile waves at you, which you’ll have to time your dodges well against. That said, he dishes out those waves while spinning around, so you don’t have to worry too much until one comes in your direction.

Whiteclad Noble attacking with water-wave projectiles
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

You can also make use of your own range attacks as well. With the Pillar Stance, not only do you place yourself on top of your staff to avoid his ground-based attacks, but the drop attack that follows has a decent reach that should be able to catch him on your descent.

Whiteclad Noble’s tactics can vary as he can just as easily skip backwards along the marsh to keep his distance or just slowly circle you while staring down, waiting for you to make your move. Don’t get complacent however, as he has some fast acrobatic combos up his sleeve that kick up water as a distraction, though they’re also a good indicator for when you need to back off. He’ll nonetheless try to close the distance by using his spear to launch himself at you, such as sticking it in the ground then swinging off it like a catapult, while his swinging his spear at you. If that somehow misses, he’ll jump around you and come back down for another swing. These can all be dodged with the right timing - the key being to watch and anticipate his movements before dodging.

He also has an AOE attack that he’ll charge up for a good second before using his spear to whip up the water around him and damaging anyone nearby. You can tell he’s about to do this if he’s standing still while holding his spear in the water, a cue for you to back off.

Whiteclad Noble attacks with spear and water-based AOE
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

His health bar is fortunately not too big, and, if you land a heavy attack or the finishing hit of your combo, you can see substantial damage dished out. Immobilize is also good if you’re struggling with some of his fast combos, which can also allow you to get full combo off him. Yet, you also want to use your Mana sparingingly as well as your healing Gourds since this is only the first phase of the fight. At most, you should only use Immobilize once for an emergency, though given its cooldown time, that’s not unreasonable.

After you’ve depleted Whiteclad Noble’s health bar, a cutscene will play and he will reveal his true serpent form that he had been hiding beneath the water. He’s now not only faster and more slippery with his attacks, he’s also got a brand new health bar. So it’s time to do it all again.

Whiteclad Noble reveals serpent form
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

His attack patterns are largely similar to the earlier phase but, for instance, the water-wave projectiles he flicks at you with his spear are actually aimed at you, albeit fewer, than when he was randomly unleashing them. He still has his jumping then downward charge thrust with his spear, though now it’s his snake body that’s raising him up in the air.

On the whole, he’s just more aggressive with his heavy charged attacks and, while they’re telegraphed, they hit hard with an absurdly long reach so it’s a case of trying to get the timing down to dodge them. They’re still mostly ground attacks, so adopting the Pillar Stance means you can avoid them. If he does knock into you, the worst thing is it will knock you off your staff but you won’t take damage.

Destined One uses Immobilize spell on Whiteclad Noble
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

Immobilizing is another strategy against these attacks and, if you had upgraded this spell to ensure you'll deal more damage, then this is better than just freezing him while he’s standing still. Just make sure to land a heavy attack or finish a combo, so you actually cancel his attack too to ensure you don’t get caught by it after the spell ends. Of course, the relatively long cooldown time and limited Mana means you can only rely on this a handful of times.

It can be a little frustrating at this early stage with limited resources, but, if you can clear the first phase without making use of your Gourd or magic, you’ll have a better advantage with the Whiteclad Noble’s second phase. Considering you already have two take down a second health bar, he at least doesn’t come up with any other nasty tricks towards the end.

Whiteclad Noble rewards in Black Myth Wukong

With Whiteclad Noble defeated, you will earn 1049 XP, enough to level up and earn another Spark point, as well as a Jade Fang, 699 Will and three Yarn.

Wideshot of Whiteclad Noble and Destined One in the marsh, the former sunk to his knees
Image credit: Eurogamer/Game Science

As he fades into the ether, he will also mention something about three bells, alluding to three secret bells you can find and ring in this region if you want to find a secret boss that will also help you with an upcoming boss. It’s a quest we’d highly recommend following up on. After all, anything will help, as the journey of Black Myth: Wukong only gets tougher!

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