You’ve probably seen the videos. That massive, looming structure in the middle of the snowy wastes of the New Thunderclap Temple area. It’s eerie. It’s quiet. Honestly, when you first stumble upon the Great Pagoda in Black Myth: Wukong, it feels like a giant mistake. There are no enemies. No immediate loot. Just a bunch of empty walls and a vast, circular room that looks like it was meant for a boss fight that never happened.
Most players just walk in, look around, and leave. Don't do that.
The Great Pagoda Black Myth mystery is actually the single most important location in the entire game if you care about the "True Ending." It isn't just flavor text or a cool piece of architecture. It is the literal hub for the game’s biggest secret, acting as a canvas that tracks your progress through the game’s various secret regions. If those walls look empty to you, it’s because you haven't been doing your homework.
What the Great Pagoda Actually Is
Basically, the Great Pagoda is a mural room.
As you progress through the game and complete the secret areas in each chapter—like the Ancient Guanyin Temple in Chapter 1 or the Kingdom of Sahali in Chapter 2—the walls of the Great Pagoda begin to fill up with beautiful, intricate paintings. These paintings represent the Vessel you obtained and the story of that specific region. It’s a visual checklist. If you reach Chapter 6 and those walls are still blank, you have missed a massive chunk of the game’s narrative and mechanical depth.
It’s located in the Pagoda Realm (specifically the Snow-Veiled Path area in Chapter 3). Finding it is easy enough, but understanding its purpose requires you to look at the game as a series of layers. There’s the path the game gives you, and then there’s the path the Destined One has to find for themselves.
Why does it look so empty at first?
Game Science, the developers, chose a very minimalist approach here. They don't give you a quest marker. They don't have an NPC stand outside and say, "Hey, come back here once you've killed the secret bosses." You just have to realize that the mural fragments correspond to the secret bosses of each chapter.
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- Chapter 1: Elder Jinchi
- Chapter 2: Fuban
- Chapter 3: The Green-Capped Martialist (linked to the Treasure Hunter quest)
- Chapter 4: The Duskveil
- Chapter 5: Bishui Golden-Eyed Beast
If you haven't beaten these guys, the Great Pagoda is just a cold, hollow building. Once you beat them, the room transforms into a chronicle of your journey.
The Erlang Connection
Now, here is where things get real. The Great Pagoda isn't just for looking at art. It is the gateway to the hardest boss in the game and the key to unlocking the secret ending.
Once you have completed all the secret areas in Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5, and finished the Treasure Hunter quest in Chapter 3, a specific NPC appears in the center of the Great Pagoda. This is the Maitreya Buddha (the small, chubby monk you met earlier). If you’ve met the requirements, he will trigger a cutscene that transports you to a hidden location: Mount Mei.
Mount Mei is where you face Erlang, the Sacred Divinity.
Honestly? This fight is brutal. It makes the final boss of Chapter 6 look like a tutorial. Erlang has a massive posture bar, a third eye that shoots lasers, and an eagle that harasses you mid-combo. But you have to do this. Beating Erlang at the Great Pagoda is the only way to "awaken" the Sixth Relic and see the cinematic ending that deviates from the standard cycle of reincarnation.
The Mural Mechanics
If you're looking at the walls and trying to figure out what's missing, just look at the empty spots. Each wall corresponds to a chapter.
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Usually, players miss the Chapter 3 requirement because it’s not a "secret area" in the traditional sense. It's the quest involving the man sitting in the snow who wants to find a specific treasure. You follow him through several locations, eventually fighting him near the Melon Field. Beating him counts as the "check" for Chapter 3’s mural. Without it, the Maitreya Buddha will never show up in the Great Pagoda, and you'll be locked out of the best content in the game.
How to Prepare for the Great Pagoda Boss
If you’ve managed to summon the portal to Mount Mei, don't just go charging in. Erlang is a different beast entirely.
You need a build that focuses on breaking his guard. The Fan Vessel you get from Chapter 5 is almost mandatory here because it creates a tornado that keeps him pinned and drains his stamina. Most people try to dodge everything, but Erlang’s combos are too long. You need to be aggressive.
Also, sort out your spells. Immobility doesn't work well on him because he can literally shrug it off or counter it with his own magic. Using the "Ring of Fire" spell or "Cloud Step" is generally much more effective for survival.
It’s about the Lore, too
The Great Pagoda isn't just a boss arena; it’s a thematic core. In Journey to the West, the original novel, the relationship between Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen is one of the most famous rivalries in Chinese literature. They are equals. They are mirrors of each other.
By placing the Erlang fight behind the mural of your achievements, the game is saying that you aren't worthy to face him until you've fully explored the world and understood the "myths" of the other characters. It’s a test of completion.
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Common Mistakes and Misconceptions
One thing people get wrong all the time is thinking you can do this after the final boss.
You actually can do it after the final boss, provided you don't start New Game Plus (NG+) immediately. You can beat the final boss, see the "bad" or standard ending, and then the game drops you back at the main menu. If you hit "Continue," you can go back to the Great Pagoda, finish the murals, fight Erlang, and then go back and fight the final boss again to get the True Ending.
Don't feel like you have to restart the whole game if you missed a secret area in Chapter 2. You can fast-travel back and finish those tasks anytime before you click "Start New Cycle."
Actionable Steps for the True Ending
If you want to master the Great Pagoda content, follow this specific sequence:
- Audit your Vessels: Check your inventory. Do you have the Fireproof Mantle (Ch 1), Wind Tamer (Ch 2), Needle (Ch 4), and Cooling Fan (Ch 5)? If you’re missing one, you haven't finished that chapter's secret area.
- Finish the Melon Field: Go to the North Shore of the Bitter Lake in Chapter 3 and find the NPC shivering in the snow. Follow his questline to the end.
- Visit the Great Pagoda: Fast travel to the "Snow-Veiled Path" Shrine in Chapter 3. Run forward, drop down the ledge to the right, and follow the path to the giant building.
- Check for the Monk: If the Maitreya Buddha is there, talk to him. If not, go back and find which mural is missing.
- Defeat Erlang: Once in Mount Mei, focus on Qi management and using the Fan Vessel to break his shield.
- Re-run the Ending: Go back to Mount Huagu and fight the final boss again. The cutscene will be completely different.
The Great Pagoda is essentially the heart of Black Myth: Wukong. It’s the difference between playing a great action game and experiencing a masterpiece of storytelling. It rewards the curious. It punishes the rushed. Take your time, fill those walls, and earn your place as the true successor to the Monkey King.