You’re trekking through the Pagoda Realm. It’s miserable. The vision-blurring curse is shrieking in your ears, your health bar is shrinking every few seconds, and those weird, spindle-legged Warden enemies are floating around like something out of a nightmare. This is exactly where most players lose their minds—and where they accidentally skip the Lantern Holder spirit in Black Myth: Wukong. Honestly, if you didn't know these guys were tied to a specific unlockable, you'd probably just sprint past them to find the nearest shrine. Don't do that.
The Pagoda Realm is the game’s first real "filter." It forces a different pace. Most of the game is about high-octane boss fights, but this section is about environmental hazards and timing. The Lantern Holders—officially known as the Lantern Wardens—are those tall, eerie figures with glowing lanterns for heads that only appear when the "gray world" curse is active. They aren't just there to look creepy. They hold the key to a specific Curio and a massive amount of Will, provided you have the patience to hunt them all down before the boss of the area shuts the party down for good.
The One Rule You Can't Break
Here is the catch. It’s a big one. You have to kill these guys before you defeat Captain Wise-Voice.
If you go into the boss arena at the top of the Mani Wheel and take down the Captain, the curse on the Pagoda Realm lifts forever. The music stops. The red tint disappears. And the Lantern Holders? They vanish. Gone. If you missed them, you aren't getting that spirit or the associated rewards until New Game Plus. It's one of those classic "Game Science" design choices that feels a bit punishing if you’re used to modern games letting you backtrack indefinitely. But that’s the deal here. You play by the Pagoda's rules or you lose out.
To actually get what you’re looking for, you need to systematically eliminate all nine of these Wardens. They are spread across the different floors of the prison. Some are patrolling the narrow wooden walkways where a single misstep sends you plunging into the abyss. Others are tucked away in the side cells.
Where to Find Them
Locating every Lantern Holder spirit spawn isn't exactly a science, but there's a rhythm to it.
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Start at the Lower Pagoda shrine. You’ll find the first few patrolling the corridors right outside the cells. They move slowly. Their attacks aren't particularly fast, but they hit like a truck if they catch you while your health is drained by the curse. Most players find about four or five just by playing normally. The tricky ones are on the Upper Pagoda and the Mani Wheel levels. You’ve got to wait for the chime to ring, wait for your vision to go gray, and then strike.
If you’re struggling to find the last one, check the snowy paths near the top. There is usually one lurking near the final stretch before the boss fog.
Why Bother With the Lantern Wardens?
Is it worth the stress? Kinda depends on how much of a completionist you are. Killing all nine drops the Ashen Slumber transformation (technically via a quest line involving the rat prince, but heavily tied to this area's exploration) and the Auspicious Lantern Curio.
The Auspicious Lantern is a double-edged sword. When you use your Cloud Step, it increases your Attack power but significantly reduces your health. It’s a high-risk, high-reward item. For players who live and die by the glass-cannon build, it’s essential. For everyone else, it’s a cool trophy that proves you survived the worst the Pagoda Realm had to throw at you.
The spirit itself—or rather, the essence you gather from them—contributes to your overall progression in a way that feels meaningful in the mid-game. You get a massive influx of XP. In a game where every level feels earned, clearing the Wardens is one of the most efficient ways to power up before the difficulty spikes again in Chapter 4.
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Combat Strategy
Fighting these things is weird.
They have long reach. Because they are so tall, their hitbox is a bit deceptive. I’ve found that staying aggressive is actually better than playing it safe. If you give them space, they use their lanterns to create AOE bursts. Close the gap. Use Immobilize immediately. If you have the Wandering Wight spirit equipped, a quick headbutt usually staggers them long enough to finish the combo. Just watch your footing. The biggest killer in the Pagoda Realm isn't the Lantern Holder; it's gravity.
I’ve seen people try to bow-and-arrow them from across the gaps (using the Staff Spin to deflect projectiles), but honestly, just running up and hitting them is faster. Just make sure you aren't doing it while the "Eye" effect is at its peak if your health is too low.
The Missable Nature of Chapter 3
Black Myth: Wukong is full of these "now or never" moments. The Lantern Wardens are the most prominent example in the early-to-mid game.
It's sort of a psychological trick. The game makes the Pagoda Realm so annoying that your natural instinct is to run through it as fast as possible. The screaming, the health drain, the narrow ledges—it’s designed to make you panic. But the rewards go to the players who can stay calm while the screen is flashing red.
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If you’ve already killed Captain Wise-Voice and the sky has turned blue, I have bad news. You’re done. You can’t trigger the curse again. The lanterns are extinguished. It’s one of the few genuine "missables" that actually impacts your build options.
Practical Steps for Your Run
If you are currently sitting at a shrine in the Pagoda Realm, here is exactly what you should do:
- Equip the Golden Flora Cord: If you have it, it helps with the constant need for healing.
- Count your kills: Don't enter the Mani Wheel boss fight until you have seen the notification for the Auspicious Lantern.
- Listen for the chime: The Wardens only exist during the "frenzy" state. If the music is normal, just sit tight in a cell and wait.
- Check the rooftops: Some Wardens aren't on the main path; they are on the wooden scaffolding overlooking the drop-offs.
- Use the Cloud Step: It’s the best way to bypass the smaller enemies so you can focus all your mana and health on the Lantern Holders.
The game doesn't give you a checklist. It doesn't tell you how many are left. You just have to be thorough. It’s old-school game design. It’s frustrating, sure, but pulling it off feels like a genuine achievement in a world that’s constantly trying to shove you off a cliff.
Once you get that ninth kill, the Curio is yours. You can finally take down the Captain with the satisfaction of knowing you didn't leave anything behind in that literal hellhole of a prison. Move on to the rest of the New Thunderclap Temple. It gets better from here, I promise. Well, slightly better. The bosses still want to eat you, but at least the ground stays still.