Black Myth: Wukong has captivated the gaming world with its stunning visuals and challenging combat. Among the many formidable foes you'll encounter, the Tiger Vanguard stands out as a true test of skill, often leaving players frustrated in its wake. But fear not, brave Wukong! This comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to not only survive but conquer this ferocious beast.
Are you ready to truly master the way of the Monkey King and take down this formidable foe? Then let's dive in!
The Tiger Vanguard: A Ferocious Foe in the Crouching Tiger Temple
The Tiger Vanguard is a required boss in Black Myth: Wukong, found in the Crouching Tiger Temple within Chapter 2. This arena, often depicted as a pool of blood, sets the stage for a brutal encounter. Unlike the more deliberate movements of earlier bosses, the Tiger Vanguard is a relentless, agile fighter who will constantly press the attack. He utilizes a blend of martial arts, swift punches, devastating kicks, and even a powerful sword, making him a versatile and unpredictable opponent.
Success against the Tiger Vanguard hinges on patience, impeccable dodge timing, and intelligent use of your abilities. Forget button-mashing; this fight demands a calculated approach.
Step 1: Preparation is Key – Sharpening Your Wukong
Before you even step into the blood-soaked arena, a significant portion of your victory is decided in your preparation. Think of it as Wukong’s pre-battle meditation.
Sub-heading 1.1: Gear Up – The Right Tools for the Job
- Armor and Weapons: Ensure your current armor and weapons are fully upgraded. Visit Keeper's Shrines regularly to use your collected materials. The Galeguard Armor set (if you've defeated the Stone Vanguard) is highly recommended for its defensive properties.
- Consumables are Your Friends: Don't hoard your healing gourds, soaks, and especially your medicines. Crafting items like Evil Repelling Medicament (to reduce incoming damage) and Tiger Subduing Pellets (to increase your own damage) can make a significant difference. Use them when you need them! There's no shame in it.
Sub-heading 1.2: Skill Tree Optimization – Where to Invest Your Sparks
The Tiger Vanguard fight emphasizes dodging and survival. Therefore, strategically investing your Sparks is crucial.
- Foundation Skill Tree: Prioritize the stamina section. You'll be dodging constantly, and increased stamina capacity or reduced stamina consumption will be a lifesaver.
- Health: Allocate a good portion of your sparks to increase your health pool. The Tiger Vanguard hits hard, and a larger health bar provides a much-needed buffer for mistakes.
- Resolute Counterflow (Smash Stance): This skill grants you Resolute Strike, a powerful way to utilize your focus points for significant damage. It's a great option for punishing openings.
- Immobilize Spell Enhancements: The Immobilize spell is incredibly potent in this fight. Invest in skills that reduce its cooldown or increase its duration. This will be your primary means of creating damage windows.
Sub-heading 1.3: Embrace the Stances – Choosing Your Combat Style
Experiment with different staff stances to find what suits your playstyle.
- Thrust Stance: Offers good range with its heavy attacks and the "Offense in Defense" skill, allowing for tactical retreats mid-combo.
- Pillar Stance: Can be useful for creating distance or avoiding ground attacks by ascending your staff, but be mindful of your Focus points to avoid vulnerability.
- Smash Stance: Excellent for burst damage when you have Focus points built up, especially for staggering the boss.
The key is to understand their strengths and weaknesses and adapt them to the Tiger Vanguard's relentless assault.
Step 2: Understanding the Beast – Tiger Vanguard's Move Set
Knowing your enemy is half the battle. The Tiger Vanguard has a diverse range of attacks, but they are all telegraphed if you pay close attention.
Sub-heading 2.1: Fist and Kick Combos – The Core Offense
- Two-Punch Combo with Low Sweep: The Vanguard throws two quick punches, followed by a slightly delayed low sweep. Your best bet here is to dodge all three attacks. He often jumps away after the sweep, making it difficult to punish immediately.
- Roar and Smash: The boss gets on all fours, roars, and then follows up with a single, linear punch. This is a relatively slow attack, giving you time to dodge or simply move out of the way.
- Stance Combo (Kick, Punches, Jump Smash): He assumes a martial arts stance, rushes at you with a kick, two punches, then leaps into the air for a ground smash. This combo is highly telegraphed; dodge as soon as you see him assume the stance. The final smash is slow, offering a good dodge window.
- Hit and Ground Smash: A quick two-hit combo: a fist throw followed by a ground smash with the other fist. Both are slow and easy to dodge. You can also sprint away from the second hit.
- Tackle into Smash: A short tackle followed by a jumping aerial smash. Avoid the tackle by creating distance or dodging backward. The second hit is similar to other jumping smashes.
Sub-heading 2.2: Sword Attacks – The Deadly Blade
Once the Tiger Vanguard draws his sword, his attacks become even more lethal.
- Horizontal Slash: A single, close-range horizontal slash. Easy to avoid with a dodge in any direction.
- Sword Slash Combo (4-hit): Begins with a quick kick into two fast slashes, with the final slash being significantly delayed. This delay is designed to catch you off guard, so be ready to time that final dodge. He may follow up with another quick 3-hit combo.
- Blood Tornadoes: When holding his sword, he may summon one or multiple blood tornadoes that track you. Dodge forward just as they are about to hit you to avoid them. They dissipate after passing you.
- Blood Slashes (Ranged Projectiles): Often follows blood tornadoes. He performs three slashes that launch ranged projectiles. These are very linear, so you can avoid them by repeatedly dodging forward.
Sub-heading 2.3: Defensive and Tricky Moves – When to Hold Your Fire
- Rock Solid: The Tiger Vanguard gets on all fours and turns into stone. Do NOT attack him during this phase. Your attacks will bounce off, leaving you vulnerable to a counter-attack. Use this time to heal, use consumables, or charge a heavy attack for when he comes out of it.
- Teleporting Rock Solid (Phase 2): After depleting about half his HP, he'll turn to stone, speak, and disappear. He will then reappear somewhere else in the arena and launch a quick, high-damage attack in your direction. The moment you see him freeze and disappear, be ready to dodge as he reappears. You'll often see a sandstorm or visual cue before he strikes.
Step 3: The Battle Plan – Step-by-Step Execution
Now that you're well-prepared and know your enemy, let's break down the fight.
Sub-heading 3.1: The Opening Salvo – Gaining an Early Advantage
- Initial Staredown: The fight begins with a staredown. Use this time wisely!
- Charge a heavy attack: If you have the "Force Unbound" skill, you can charge a full Focus heavy attack and dash towards him for an impactful opener.
- Immobilize: If you're confident in your spell timing, you can open with an Immobilize spell to get some free hits in.
- First Attack – Jumping Slam: He will typically dash right and leap into the air for a slam. Dodge out of the way and unleash a light attack combo, but stop before the heavy attack finisher to avoid being caught by his follow-up.
Sub-heading 3.2: Phase 1 – Learning the Dance
In the first phase, the Tiger Vanguard primarily uses his fists and kicks. Your strategy should revolve around observation and punishment.
- Short Combos are Your Best Friend: The Tiger Vanguard is extremely agile and can easily interrupt long combos. Aim for short, quick attack strings (1-3 light attacks) after dodging his attacks. This allows you to quickly recover and be ready for his next move.
- Master the Dodge Timing: This is the most crucial aspect of the fight.
- Focus on perfect dodges to gain Focus points and potentially deal bonus damage.
- Many of his attacks have slight delays; learn these timings. For example, after his two-punch combo, there's a small pause before the low sweep.
- Stay Close: Don't create too much distance. Many of his most dangerous attacks, like the blood tornadoes and charge attacks, are used when you're further away. Staying in close allows you to manage his moves more effectively.
- Punish Openings: After certain combos, particularly the jumping slams or delayed attacks, he will have a brief recovery period. This is your chance to land a quick combo.
- Utilize Immobilize: Save your Immobilize spell for key moments when you have a full Focus bar. Freezing him in place allows you to unleash your most damaging attacks, like a charged heavy attack or a spirit attack (e.g., Wandering Wight for shield breaking). Avoid using Immobilize when he's mid-jump, as he'll freeze in the air and you won't get proper damage.
- Manage Focus Points: Continuously build Focus by landing hits and executing perfect dodges. Use your Focus for powerful heavy attacks or to enable certain skills.
Sub-heading 3.3: Phase 2 – The Sword and the Stone
Once you've depleted roughly half of the Tiger Vanguard's HP, he will become even more aggressive and introduce new attacks.
- The Sword Unleashed: Be extremely wary when he draws his sword. His sword combos are fast and deal immense damage.
- For the delayed sword slash, dodge the first few hits, then count a beat or two and dodge again for the final, delayed swing. This is a common trap for players.
- For the blood tornadoes, dodge forward through them. For the blood slashes, keep dodging forward to avoid the linear projectiles.
- The Rock Solid Bait: When he turns to stone, resist the urge to attack. Instead:
- Heal: This is a perfect window to use a Gourd or medicine.
- Charge a Heavy Attack: Get ready to unleash a fully charged heavy attack the moment he comes out of his stone form.
- Prepare for the Teleport: As mentioned, after half health, he will eventually disappear after turning to stone and reappear with a devastating dash attack. Pay close attention to visual cues (like a sandstorm) and dodge precisely when he reappears.
- Transformation Time: If you have a transformation available (like Red Tides), consider using it in Phase 2, especially when his attacks become more unpredictable. Transformations often provide a separate health bar and increased damage, giving you a crucial advantage.
- Moon Roam (Wolf transformation) is particularly effective for pummeling him with light attacks and building focus.
- Patience is Paramount: The second phase is a war of attrition. Don't get greedy with your attacks. Prioritize dodging and only strike when you have a clear opening. One extra hit can often lead to your demise.
Step 4: Refinement and Persistence – Learning from Defeat
You will die. This is a challenging boss. Each death is a learning opportunity.
- Analyze Your Mistakes: After each defeat, take a moment to understand what went wrong. Did you miss a dodge timing? Get greedy with attacks? Fail to use your spells effectively?
- Practice Specific Moves: If a particular attack is consistently catching you, focus on just dodging that attack for a few attempts, without even trying to hit the boss. Once you consistently dodge it, integrate it back into your combat.
- Don't Panic: When the Tiger Vanguard's HP is low, it's easy to panic and make rash decisions. Maintain your discipline and stick to your strategy. A calm mind will see you through.
- Utilize the Environment: While the arena is simple, remember that staying close minimizes some of his more dangerous ranged attacks.
By following these steps, practicing your dodges, and understanding the Tiger Vanguard's patterns, you will eventually emerge victorious. The feeling of finally felling this beast is incredibly rewarding!
10 Related FAQ Questions (How to...)
How to effectively dodge the Tiger Vanguard's attacks?
To effectively dodge, focus on perfect dodge timing which often involves a slight delay after the initial visual cue. For multi-hit combos, learn the rhythm of each individual strike rather than dodging wildly. Staying close to the boss can make some attacks easier to predict and avoid.
How to deal damage to the Tiger Vanguard when he turns to stone?
You do not deal damage to the Tiger Vanguard when he turns to stone. Instead, use this brief invulnerable phase to heal, consume buffs, or charge a heavy attack for when he emerges.
How to manage stamina during the Tiger Vanguard fight?
Manage stamina by taking short, controlled attack bursts (1-3 light attacks) after dodging, rather than lengthy combos. Invest in stamina-increasing or stamina-reducing skills in your Foundation skill tree, and avoid unnecessary sprinting.
How to use the Immobilize spell effectively against the Tiger Vanguard?
Use the Immobilize spell when you have a full Focus bar to maximize your follow-up damage. It's best used when he's on the ground and vulnerable, allowing you to unleash charged heavy attacks or powerful spirit attacks. Avoid using it when he's mid-air.
How to counter the Tiger Vanguard's delayed sword slash?
The key to countering the delayed sword slash is to be patient. Dodge the initial quick slashes, then anticipate a significant pause before the final, wider swing. Time your final dodge to coincide with that delayed attack.
How to avoid the Tiger Vanguard's blood tornadoes?
When the Tiger Vanguard summons blood tornadoes, dodge forward just as they are about to hit you. They will pass by and dissipate, leaving you safe.
How to deal with the Tiger Vanguard's teleporting stone form in Phase 2?
As soon as he turns to stone and disappears, prepare for his reappearance. He will dash at you from a new location. Watch for visual cues like a sandstorm and dodge precisely as he materializes to avoid the high-damage strike.
How to best utilize transformations in the Tiger Vanguard fight?
Transformations, like Red Tides (Wolf), are best used strategically, especially in Phase 2. They grant you a new health bar and increased damage output, providing a crucial second wind and an opportunity for significant burst damage.
How to build Focus points quickly against the Tiger Vanguard?
You build Focus points by landing successful attacks and, more importantly, by executing perfect dodges. Prioritize perfect dodges to quickly fill your Focus meter for heavy attacks or spells.
How to learn the Tiger Vanguard's attack patterns faster?
Dedicate your initial attempts to purely observing and dodging his attacks without trying to deal damage. This "learning run" approach helps you internalize his move set and timings, making subsequent attempts much more manageable.