Best Pillar Stance Build in Black Myth: Wukong

This guide focuses on the key aspects of creating a powerful Pillar Stance build in Black Myth: Wukong, Spells, Talents, Abilities, and Gear.

Best Pillar Stance Build Guide

The Pillar Stance is a great option in Black: Myth Wukong if you’re looking for something that offers a good balance between offense and defense. While it might not be as effective in terms of DPS as the Smash Stance, it does offer pretty good defensive options, especially against ground-based AOE attacks. Furthermore, the Pillar Stance also provides the most range out of all the three Staff Stances in Black: Myth Wukong, something that you might find incredibly useful against certain end-game bosses.

Although you can technically work the Pillar Stance with a build that’s already tuned for Thrust or Smash Stance, there are a few things that you might want to change around, especially in terms of your Foundation talents. The Pillar Stance, much like the Thrust Stance can be unlocked as soon as you hit Level 5. However, it’s best invested into after reaching at least Level 10-15, so that you’ll have plenty of points to spare for some of the Stance upgrades.

Pillar Stance Pros	Pillar Stance Cons
Offensive and defensive options	Varied combos don’t dish out enough damage
High counterattack damage	Long build up on charges
Offers the most range	Very situational use cases

Pillar Stance Build Features

The following list presents all the essential Pillar Stance Build Mechanics and Features in Black Myth: Wukong:

• Spells
  • Immobilize
  • Cloud Step
  • A Pluck of Many
  • Red Tides (Transformation Spell)
• Best Pillar Stance Talents:
  • Steel Pillar
  • Sweeping Gale
  • Towering Mountain
• Best Foundation Talents:
  • Simian Agility
  • Endurance
• Spirit: Apramana Bat
• Relic:
  • Craving Eyes (Opportune Watcher)
  • Fuming Ears (Whistling Wind)
• Curios:
  • Gold Spikeplate
  • Back Scratcher
• Gourds: Trailblazer’s Gourd

Best Spells and Talents

The best Spells for the Pillar Stance build in Balck Myth Wukong are the default set of Spells, i.e., Immobilize, Cloud Step, and A Pluck of Many. The options not only work quite well with the Pillar Stance but also give you the legroom to make proper use of its varied combos as well as charged-heavy attacks. Immobilize in particular is incredibly handy here, as you can use it while being perched upon the Staff, allowing you to come crashing down upon the enemy with the Stance’s combo finisher.

Although the Pillar Stace’s regular combos don’t deal as much damage as say, the Smash Stance, the charged-heavy attack (with 3 or more Focus charges) certainly does. Additionally, Cloud Step as well as A Pluck of Many also offer defensive advantages which you can use to build up charge for the Pillar Stance’s heavy attack. The Pillar Stance is very situational, as it’s mostly only effective against bosses or one-on-one encounters.

As soon as you’re swarmed by enemies, you’ll find it a tad bit cumbersome to pull off the Pillar Stance’s varied combos. This is where you will find A Pluck of Many incredibly useful, as it not only gives you the breathing room to heal and charge up a heavy attack but also a “crowd control” option, which is something the Pillar Stance sorely lacks. Lastly, for the Transformation Spell, the Red Tides or Golden Lining are great options.

Immobilize

Description: A control spell that, with just a gesture of the finger, can bind the enemy in place. More powerful foes may break free sooner, thus caution is advised. To ensure this spell will not be interrupted during intense combat, cast it when the opponent is exhausted, staggered, or downed.

• Spell Tree: Mysticism
• Mana Cost: 80
• Cooldown: 50 seconds
• Best Talents: Stagnation, Crash, Easy Prey

Immobilize is incredibly helpful for a Pillar Stance-focused build. It not only gives you the breathing room to charge up a heavy attack, which is the main source of damage for this particular stance but also gives you a crowd-control option. This is especially true if you pair the Pillar Stance build with Envious Tongue Relic’s Spread the Word perk, which lets Immobilize Spell affect all the enemies around the target. As such, you can just cast Immobilize, charge your heavy attack, and as soon as you hit the third Focus charge you can come crashing down with Sweeping Gale to deal incredible amounts of damage.

Cloud Step

• Description: A mobility spell that leaves behind a decoy while allowing for quick dispersion into mist and escape. Useful for evading attacks or luring enemies into a trap. Upon returning from the mist state, an Unveiling Strike can be unleashed to catch opponents off guard.
• Spell Tree: Alteration
• Mana Cost: 30
• Cooldown: 35 seconds
• Best Talents: Gallop, Converging Clouds, Concealed Observation

Cloud Step is more of a defensive option here, mostly effective in boss fights. The brief invulnerability that you get upon casting it can be used to heal, or buff the Destined One with medicines. Although the counterattack ability can be used to deal quite a bit of damage, it should only be used once your health is maxed out. This is also a Spell that you should not simply spam, but use only when you need a breather from the action, to top off your health or reposition yourself.

A Pluck of Many

• Description: A duplication spell: pluck a strand, chew it, and spit it into the air to create multiple Duplicates. These agile Duplicates can fight or flee and will engage the enemy if the caster is attacked. This spell can be used to catch a breath or escape. However, the Duplicates are fragile and can be quickly destroyed if directly confronted by the enemy.
• Spell Tree: Strand
• Mana Cost: 120
• Cooldown: 120 seconds
• Best Talents: Longstrand, Synergy, Grey Hair

A Pluck of Many is another Spell that is more of a defensive option. With a few upgrades in the Spell’s talent tree, you can make the clones last longer and also deal more damage. Furthermore, with the Volition talent upgrade, you can make your clones also use the Pillar Stance varied combos, which if used in synergy with Spells like Immobilize, can easily stagger any enemy or even some of the toughest end-game bosses.

Transformation Spell(s) – Red Tides or Golden Lining

For the Transformation Spell, the best choice is Red Tides However, if you have completed the Loong questline and defeated Yellow Loong, you can also use the Golden Lining Spell. Both Red Tides and Golden Lining are excellent choices due to their elemental build-up, damage, as well as agility. Transformations don’t have anything to do with the Stances and hence you can technically go with any of the Spells that you like, based on your playstyle. However, the Red Tides and Golden Lining are the ones that offer the most in terms of damage as well as ease of use.

Best Pillar Stance Talents

The best Stance talents for the Pillar Stance are Steel Pillar, Sweeping Gale, Skylarking, Churning Gale, and Towering Mountain. These upgrades not only enhance the damage dealt by the Pillar Stance’s varied combos but also make it easier to perform said combos. Additionally, talents like the Sweeping Gale offer a crowd-control option, which is sorely missing from the Pillar Stance’s base moveset.

Best Foundation Talents

The Pillar Stance, much like Thrust Stance works best with a few upgrades. The best talent trees to focus on for the Pillar Stance build are Stamina and Martial Arts. Simian Agility, Endurance, Swift Engage, and Composure. Furthermore, you’d also want to unlock the entirety of the Focus tree so that you can get the 4 Focus charges. Focus is one of the key elements of this build since the bulk of the damage is coming from the charged-heavy attacks. Thankfully, you can respec your talents at any time in Black: Myth Wukong using the Keeper’s Shrine.

Additionally, if you were using a Thrust or Smash Stance-focused build and want to make a switch to Pillar Stance, you won’t have to make too many changes in terms of talent distribution. The only major work you’ll have to do is to transfer all the points from other Stances over to the Pillar Stance tree.

Level Progression

Level 1 – 10

Here’s a list of talents to select from levels 1 to 10 with the best Pillar Stance build in Black Myth: Wukong:

• Level 1: None
• Level 2: Steel Pillar (Pillar Stance)
• Level 3: Exhilaration (Focus Tree)
• Level 4: Sweeping Gale (Pillar Stance)
• Level 5: Simian Agility (Stamina)
• Level 6: Endurance (Stamina)
• Level 7: Robust Constitution (Survival)
• Level 8: Rampant Vigor (Survival)
• Level 9: Deft Evasion (Stamina)
• Level 10: Everlasting Vigor (Stamina)

Level 11 – 20

Here’s a list of talents to select from levels 11 to 20 with the best Pillar Stance build in Black Myth: Wukong:

• Level 11: Pillar Stance
• Level 12: Gale’s Blessing (Pillar Stance)
• Level 13: Swift Engage (Stamina)
• Level 14: Instinct (Focus Tree)
• Level 15: Versatility (Focus Tree)
• Level 16: Exhilaration 2 (Focus Tree)
• Level 17: Exhilaration 3 (Focus Tree)
• Level 18: Skylarking (Pillar Stance)
• Level 19: Stagnation (Immobilize)
• Level 20: Crash (Immobilize)

Level 21 – 30

Here’s a list of talents to select from levels 21 to 30 with the best Pillar Stance build in Black Myth: Wukong:

• Level 21: Gallop (Cloud Step)
• Level 22: Red Eyes (Transformation)
• Level 23: Simian Agility (Stamina)
• Level 24: Endurance (Stamina)
• Level 25: Robust Constitution (Survival)
• Level 26: Rampant Vigor (Survival)
• Level 27: Composure (Stamina)
• Level 28: Churning Gale (Pillar Stance)
• Level 29: Towering Mountain (Pillar Stance)
• Level 30: Quick Hand (Focus Tree)

Level 31 – 40

Here’s a list of talents to select from levels 31 to 40 with the best Pillar Stance build in Black Myth: Wukong:

• Level 31: Stagnation 2 (Immobilize)
• Level 32: Crash 2 (Immobilize)
• Level 33: Converging Clouds (Cloud Step)
• Level 34: Instinct 2 (Focus Tree)
• Level 35: Versatility 2 (Focus Tree)
• Level 36: Quick Hand 2 (Focus Tree)
• Level 37: Instinct 3 (Focus Tree)
• Level 38: Versatility 2 (Focus Tree)
• Level 39: Quick Hand 3 (Focus Tree)
• Level 40: Collapsing Gale (Pillar Stance)

How to Play

The Pillar Stance is all about defensive playstyle and building up your Focus charges. Unlike the Thrust Stance, you don’t have any swift counterattack options with the Pillar Stance, as such, your only way to counter enemies is going to be either Spells or the Pillar Stance’s talent upgrades. The Sweeping Gale as well as well as Skylarking are some of the most useful talent upgrades that will give you a fair bit of offensive options, on top of the Pillar Stance’s defensive perks. Additionally, using the Immobilize Spell or the Apramana Bat Spirit skill also helps a ton when it comes to building up the Focus-charged heavy attacks. It should be noted that the bulk of your damage in the Pillar Stance is going to come from the charged attacks, and not the varied combos.

General tips to use the Pillar Stance build

Here are some general tips for the Pillar Stance in Black Myth: Wukong:

Heavy Attacks

• Heavy attacks with the Skylarking or Towering Mountain are the primary means of dealing damage in a Pillar Stance.
• It’s recommended to upgrade the Focus talents to the max in order to get the 4 Focus charges, which not only help with the varied combos but also with building up the Pillar Stance’s most damaging charged-heavy attacks.
• Your priority in combat should be to build up Focus charges, either via Perfect Dodges or successful attacks.

Ranged attacks

• Pillar Stance offers an excellent range, but only if you can charge its heavy attacks in time.
• Switching to Thrust Stance mid-combo is also a good option, but only in mid to end-game, when you’ve already maxed out the Pillar Stance tree.

Survivability and mobility

• With the Pillar Stance, you can basically avoid all ground-based attacks as well as AOEs as long as you have at least one Focus charge.
• Make sure you’re not running out of Stamina while using the Pillar Stance’s Towering Mountian skill.
• Using Cloud Step as well as Immobilize is crucial to ensure survivability, especially during boss fights.

Healing

• Since the Pillar Stance does not rely too much on varied combos, outside of the Sweeping Gale skills, healing is primarily dependent on the Gourd.
• It’s recommended to use Soaks that boost defense as well as offer passive healing, to make up for the lack of varied combos.

As for the other accessories, i.e., Curios and Spirits, you’d want to choose something that provides a good balance of defense and also a passive damage buff. For the Curios, the best choices are Gold Spikeplate, Gold Sun Crow, and Jade Moon Rabbit.

Curios

The best Curios for the Pillar Stance is Gold Spikedplate, Gold Sun Crow, or Jade Moon Rabbit. While you can equip two, you’ll want increase defensive, damage, or damage reduction.

• Gold Spikeplate: Increases Defense and also deals moderate amounts of damage to enemies when hit.
• Gold Sun Crow: Increases damage bonus, i.e., attacks followed by Spell or Spirit ability use.
• Jade Moon Rabbit: Increases damage reduction.

Spirit Skills

The best Spirit ability for the Pillar Stance build in Black Myth: Wukong is the Apramana Bat due to its ability to deal Frost damage as well as freeze enemies in place. Due to the elemental build-up, the Apramana Bat is the most powerful Spirit ability in the entire game, far surpassing the Wandering Wight and the Erath Wolf.

Relic

Below are the best relics to use with a Pillar Stance Build:

1. Craving Eyes – Opportune Watcher (Increases Focus gained by attacks and dodges)
2. Fuming Ears – Whistling Wing (Increases attack power after a Perfect Dodge)
3. Hubris Nose – Hold Breath (Increases dodge invulnerability, i.e., i-frames)
4. Envious Tongue – Spread the Word (Casting Immbobilize affects all enemies surrounding the target)
5. Grieved Body – Divine Safeguard (Increases Four Banes resistance)

Gear

Below is a list of the best staff armor and mantle for the Pillar Stance Build in Black Myth: Wukong:

Gear Slot	Best Gear Item	Effect
Staff	Spikeshaft Staff	Gains Focus upon Seeing Through an enemy or using varied combos.
Vessel	Plantain Fan	Increases Stamina Recovery Rate, and summons a tornado that staggers enemies.
Mask	Golden Mask of Fury	Increases Focus gained upon successful attacks and counterattacks.
Armor	Golden Embroidered Shirt	Increases Defense moderately.
Gauntlets	Golden Armnguard	Increases Defense slightly.
Greaves	Golden Greaves	Increases Defense slightly.

• Staff: Spikeshaft Staff – Increases Focus gain upon successful varied combos or Seeing Through an enemy (Can be crafted in Chapter 4 – The Webbed Hollow)
• Vessel: Plantain Fan – Moderate increase to Stamina Regeneration and also summons a massive tornado that pushes back and staggers enemies.
• Armor set: The Golden set – Increases Focus gained upon successful attacks and also increases Defense considerably upon being upgraded to the Mythical tier.

Gourds

The Trailblazer Gourd is an excellent choice for the earliest sections (chapters) of Black Myth: Wukong simply due to its ability to replenish full HP for the first sip. For the later parts of the game, the best choice is the fully upgraded Old Gourd. The Old Gourd does not offer any passive bonus, but when maxed out (Supreme Gourd), offers 10 sips, which can be incredibly helpful against certain end-game bosses with multiple phases. For the Soaks, the best options are Steel Ginseng, Celestial Lotus, Fruit of Dao, and Laurel Buds.

Build Summary – Best Pillar Stance Build in Black Myth: Wukong

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