Black Myth: Wukong contains magic spells that can be used in combat. Knowing how to get them is important to exploit boss weaknesses and make the game easier. Unlocking all Spells and then starting New Game+ unlocks the Master of Magic trophy & achievement. There are 18 spells total. Having all Transformation Spells is also one of the requirements for the Fickle Forms trophy, with the other requirement being all Spirits.
You can fast travel between chapters at any time from Keeper’s Shrines. There’s still free-roam after the story. After the endboss you are put back in the Title Screen, here choose to Continue, it will spawn you before the final boss. You can still revisit all places from this point. Just don’t “Enter a New Cycle” in the Title Screen as this starts New Game+ and overwrites your save with no way back.
Chapter 1: Black Wind Mountain
1. Immobilize
Automatically given during boss fight against “Bullguard” (unmissable from story in Chapter 1). You encounter this boss in the woods after the very first main boss, shortly after the start of the game.
2. Red Tides (Transformation)
Unlocked from beating the optional boss “Guangzhi” in Forest of Wolves > Outside the Forest > from this shrine take the left path, go across the wooden bridge and follow the torches along the path to reach the boss arena at the end.
3. Cloud Step
Unlocked automatically after “Black Wind King” main boss (unmissable from story in Chapter 1).
Chapter 2: Yellow Wind Ridge
4. Rock Solid
Unlocked automatically after “Tiger Vanguard” boss.
5. A Pluck of Many
Crouching Tiger Temple > Temple Entrance: after defeating “Tiger Vanguard” boss, interact with the statue in the boss arena. If you can’t interact with it, make sure you also defeated the boss “Stone Vanguard”. It will trigger a cutscene where the blood drains from the arena and a hatch opens from the ground. Enter the hatch and drop down, follow the path through the cellar until you get a cutscene. You get this automatically after the cutscene. Alternatively, you can also get to this place via the Shrine Yellow Wind Formation > Windseal Gate, by opening the big gate and going up the sandy path directly across from the gate.
6. Azure Dust (Transformation)
Reward for defeating “Man-in-Stone” boss. He is located at Fright Cliff > Squall Hideout > from the shrine, take the path to the right, go through the ravine that has a little bit of water in it. At the end of the ravine are some black thorns, interact with them, it’s actually a guy trapped in them. You have to give him the key item “Stone Essence” which is dropped by the “Mother of Stone” boss, she is found in the cave between the shrines “Squall Hideout” and “Rockrest Flat”. Go up in the cave and hit the 3 blue crystals (Rockrest Flat). Afterward you can return to the Man-in-Stone and give him the item.
Chapter 3: The New West
7. Ashen Slumber (Transformation)
Reward from Prisoner Questline. After finishing the quest, pull the sword from the rat corpse inside the prisoner’s cell. If there’s no corpse in the cell, you can find the two-headed rat in the prison, one floor up from Lower Pagoda Shrine, on the way to Upper Pagoda Shrine.
8. Ring of Fire
Pagoda Realm > Warding Temple: From this shrine go up the stairs into the temple courtyard to trigger boss fight against “Macaque Chief“. Defeat him, afterward you get a cutscene where an old man gives you this spell.
9. Ebon Flow (Transformation)
First, you must finish the Chen Loong questline to reach Zodiac Village. On the left side of Zodiac Village, talk to the blacksmith (Yin Tiger) and challenge him to a duel. Win the duel to get the spell.
10. Spell Binder
Reward from completing the Treasure Hunter side questline in Chapter 3.
11. Hoarfrost (Transformation)
New Thunderclap Temple > Temple Entrance: From this shrine take the path to the right. Go up the path, then in the courtyard exit through the gate on the left. In the next area in the left corner the “Monk from the Sea” boss will spawn. Before some monks that are punching trees. He looks like a big tentacle enemy. He hits very hard and uses frost magic to freeze you. He drops the Hoarfrost spell.
12. Umbral Abyss (Transformation)
Reward for finishing Chapter 3, after the main boss “Yellowbrow” (after second encounter with him).
Chapter 4: The Webbed Hollow
13. Violet Hail
Reward from Daoist Mi Quest. Has to be done before beating the boss “Duskveil” in the Chapter 4 Secret Area.
14. Golden Lining (Transformation)
Webbed Hollow > Relief of the Fallen Loong: Reward for defeating “Yellow Loong” boss. This requires the Loong Scales from Chapter 2 AND you must have defeated the other 3 Loong bosses (Chapter 1: The Red Loong, Chapter 2: Black Loong, Chapter 3: Cyan Loong). Then the Yellow Loong will spawn to the right of the “Relief of the Fallen Loong” shrine. To get here, start at Webbed Hollow > Cliff of Oblivion, go down the broken hand and follow the path until you can drop down the left side to a hanging bridge. Go over it to reach a narrow wooden beam with slashing spider cocoons around it. Use Cloudstep to beam past the spider cocoons and walk over the wooden beam. At the other end you reach the hidden area “Relief of the Fallen Loong”.
Chapter 5: Flaming Mountains
15. Dark Thunder (Transformation)
Reward for freeing the horse NPC from the element cart he’s stuck in.
- First, you must beat Chapter 5.
- After reaching Chapter 6, fast travel back to Chapter 5 > Furnace Valley > Valley Entrance: From this shrine walk down the path, then enter the lava pool on the right. Go to the corner of the lava to find a stuck Element Cart surrounded by a bunch of enemies (the cart won’t attack you). Interact with the cart to pull a string. After pulling out the string you unlock this character entry. You can’t pull the string during Chapter 5. You have to beat Chapter 5 first, then come back here. Doing so will unlock this trophy as well as the “Dark Thunder” spell.
Note: it’s currently unconfirmed if you need to talk to the horse NPC at each of his locations throughout the game or if he spawns at the end even if you missed him earlier. I did talk to him at every spot throughout the game which is 100% confirmed to spawn him in Chapter 5. He can be found in every Chapter from Chapter 1 – 5 but when you start a new chapter he disappears from the previous chapter (could be a missable trophy if it’s required).
Horse NPC Locations:
- Chapter 1 > Bamboo Grove > Back Hills: From this shrine go down the stairs and then take the path left to find a cave entrance. Inside you find the horse NPC sitting on the side of the cave. Exhaust all dialogues with him. (A meditation spot is also here in the middle of the cave)
- Chapter 2 > Sandgate Village > Village Entrance: From this shrine go forward and then to the right to enter the village area. Keep going forward through the village (past rat archers on the cliffs), then take the road left to get to a meadow where the Earth Wolf boss awaits. This is the opposite side of the gate you saw from Village Entrance shrine. After defeating the Earth Wolf, check the pagoda on the side to find the horse NPC. He’s tied-up there. Exhaust all dialogue.
- Chapter 3 > New Thunderclap Temple > Temple Entrance > From this shrine go forward, through a temple building, then up the stairs in front of you. Then go down the stairs on the left side and straight ahead into the next building. Inside this building go up the stairs to reach the upper balcony. From here you can go over a wooden bridge on the side of the balcony, the horse NPC stands at the end of it. Exhaust all dialogue.
- Chapter 4 > Webbed Hollow > Middle Hollow / Bonevault: On your way to the next shrine called “Cliff of Oblivion” you will automatically run into the horse NPC again. You can’t miss him here, he’s on the main story path and will talk to you automatically. He pops out of a spider cocoon.
- Chapter 5 > Furnace Valley > Valley Entrance: Go down the path and enter the lava lake on the right side, in the corner of the lava lake interact with the Element Cart to pull a string from it. The Horse NPC is stuck inside the cart.
Chapter 6: Mount Huaguo
16. Somersault Cloud
Automatic story-related reward. From the first main story boss in Chapter 6 “Supreme Inspector“. This is the Cloud you can fly on during Chapter 6 (it’s not listed at the shrine under spells, can only be used in Chapter 6 specifically). Press 
+ 
/ 
+ to ride the Cloud in Chapter 6.
Secret Ending
17. Azure Dome (Transformation)
Reward for completing Secret Ending.
New Game+
18. Life-Saving Strand
Unlocked automatically as soon as you start New Game+. If you collected all spells you will also unlocked the trophy/achievement “Master of Magic”.
For more guides check out the Black Myth Wukong Wiki.
You can get Hoarfrost Spell in chapter 3 at the Thundertempel o the right side at a altar.
You can get Ebon Flow Spell from Ying Tiger at the Ruyi Scroll Location (secret).
I never saw the 5th cart, said to be by the entrance surrounded by enemies. I winded up doing the secret area after doing then 4th cart right next to the secret entrance. any idea why this is missing for me? I pulled a chain with no dialogue in the area when I was doing 5. rn I am at 6 and was looking to go back and check
I think you gotta speak to the horse in each chapter first. It’s missing for me too I’ll try again in NG+
Um… ok I got a problem. One of the spells I’m missing is supposed to be story related and automatically gained. But somehow I did not get that spell. Somersault Cloud was never given to me. So I am at a loss.
This also isn’t the first time a drop didn’t occur for me, another example is that I didn’t get the Spirit from killing the Spinning Ball Dude either. What is going on???
Somersault Cloud isn’t listed at the shrine. It’s the Cloud you fly on in Chapter 6. It can only be used during Chapter 6. The game does call it a “spell” though when you unlock it, but it’s not a combat spell like the rest. Without it you wouldn’t be able to progress Chapter 6 so you must surely have this. I added an extra note for it in the guide to avoid confusion.
Spinning ball dude’s body is bnar the Emerald Hall shrine after beating Bishui, spirit doesn’t drop from it automatically