BAG's Starting Guide

Updated for newest game on 3.20.2024

Basics

Weapon Choice: For starter, sword is the most obvious choice. In early game, it syncs well with Shangguan Hong, an indispensable companion; and several other companions use sword.

However, saber / hidden weapon / polearm / fist are all equally viable, each with its own advantage and great moves. There is no right or wrong choice here, as Yuwen Yi can freely switch to any weapon in game.


Martial Points: Most important resource, obtained by reading books and winning battles.
-- It is best spent on cultivation methods, which improves the health, stat, useful buffs, and meridian points.
-- Then spend on lightness skill, which increase max stamina (very important!)
-- For the moves, focus on 1-2 moves that have better attack or better passives, and all red moves.
-- Self-reflect allows you to take martial points from one companion, then let the other companion learn it. This function helps late-game companions a lot.


Meridian Map: Improve various stats. Conception and Penetrating are the two best paths for everyone (which improves basic stat, and then affects attack / health).


Life skills: Early game, there is no need to improve life skills. Just learn from companion and senior teachers in Wudang when available. Forging and tailoring are important for late-game, especially on extreme difficulty.


Equipment: You can take equipment from companions, which are pretty good in early game.

In later game, the crafted weapon using top recipe gives the best stat. Recipes are usually obtained by sparring with people.


Gift / Spar / Consult: Gifting until 20 affinity to spar. Winning gives 1-3 items.

Consulting can learn skills. However, it also requires martial points, which won't be refunded if you obtain the corresponding book at a later point. So I only consult on cultivation + lightness + red moves.


Companion: There is a tiger sign for potential companion. Keep on gifting them, until companion mission triggers. Typically there are several side-quests to complete before reaching 60 affinity; then invite them to join the team. If the companion rejects the gift, that means there is some mission to be completed first, before you can gift them further.


Battle modes:
--- Real time battle: I use real time most of the time. When you are over-leveled against enemies, battle finishes quicker in real time. When you are under-leveled but faster than enemy, you can time the move and evade enemy attack.
--- Turn-based: useful when your stats are very close to your enemy, and slower than your enemy.

Companion Guide

This will cover a brief walk-through of the early game.


Yuwen Yi: the main protagonist, with a terrible stat and just an average person. However, he has the best potential in game. He can use any weapon & learn all cultivation methods by book or consulting. In the end I really like how unique he becomes.

Wei Huo: Recruit in starting village. He starts as weak as the main protagonist, and polearm is underwhelming in early game. Finishing all his companion quests will make him stronger.

Girl in red: After the world map is available, go to Luo Village then Mount Wanzi. There, the girl in red will temporarily join. Now, go back to the world map, and use her for random grinding + recruiting Shangguan.

Shangguan Hong: With good stat, sword mastery, early availability, and a buff cultivation, Shangguan is arguably the best companion throughout the journey.

After girl in red joins, instead of finishing the Mount Wanzi quest, go back to world map and to PingKang city. Take and complete "valuable toad epidermis", and she will appear in the city. Gift Shangguan until her affinity is 40 to trigger her joining quest at Qingmu sect (east of world map).

Having the red girl in team is essential, because there are several tough enemies along the quest-lines. After two more side quests, defeat Shangguan 1-vs-1 to recruit her, which is do-able in real time battle.

For sword player, it is a great investment to get Shangguan early on, because of good sword moves + teammate buff cultivation from her. After getting Shangguan, go finish Mount Wanzi.

Sima Ling: After Shangguan joins, raise her affinity to 70 to trigger another companion mission at Qingmu Sect. Complete the Baidi trial for Shangguan. Then go back to Qingmu Sect and talk to Sima Ling to trigger her joining mission.

Just like Shangguan, Sima has good stat, very reliable in battle, and can accompany you til the end.

The above covers all companions that can join prior to finishing Mount Wanzi, which gives a complete squad for grinding & side-quest.

After finishing the main quest at Mount Wanzi, girl in red will leave, and you will immediately see Bai Jin in Luo's village.

Bai Jin: There are two side quests to complete in order to recruit him. Bai Jin is not that strong, but uses hidden weapon and a decent addition to the squad.

Mowen: Then the real main quest starts after joining Wudang, and Mowen will temporarily join. He is another good temporary teammate to help on side-quests.

After joining Wudang, more side-quests and more companions will unlock --- go explore every town and village, new events and companion dialogue may pop. Some may become unavailable if main quest progress too far, but missing them has little effect on the main quest.

Since this is a starting guide, I will stop it here without further spoiler. Have fun exploring the game!

New Game +

1. How to start new game + at any time:

Reset your meridian point, unequip all your lightness and cultivation (so that agility <50).
Then go to the Precipice, and jump.


2. In new game +, you can start with certain skills / books, initial points, higher crafting levels, etc. Many are very useful, e.g., they may significantly reduces grinding, make early-game sole exploring viable, etc.

[BAGHolder]

have been playing the updated game for a while, and updated the guide accordingly.

[Necro]

for shangguang i had real issues doign with with girl in red, however with mowen had no issues.

[Quickpawmaud]

Why do you say polar-arm? It is just polearm.

[BAGHolder]

@Darx

It is almost impossible to get through sorcerer immediately.

With red girl, there are a few sites you may go for guaranteed auto-win & quick leveling, including Mount Wanzi itself (without going to the end).

Upgrade meridan & moves for everyone, and get main protagonist to have at least >1K hp & >200 attack.

[Darx]

even after getting the girl in red, getting Shangguan is super hard. the sorcerer stomps me and her

[BAGHolder]

@Melvin

yes I checked it is called "valuable toad epidermis" in the quest name...not sure how I copied the wrong quest name!

thx for clarification

[Melvin]

For shangguanhong recruitment, u got the wrong quest listed there. The quest we have to do is not 'wealthy beggar'. It should be the quest about collecting toad epidermis in murkwood (I forget the name of the quest).

'Wealthy beggar' is a totally unrelevant quest located in another city.

[BAGHolder]

@CluelessWonder8

That is right! Thank you for the correction!

[CluelessWonder8]

Just putting it out there, the move from the chest after the Mount Wangzi boss seems to be based on your chosen weapon: You got a sword Unique move.

During the demo, I'd gone with fist, and got a fist Unique move.
For the full game, I picked saber this time, and got a saber Unique move.