The gourd is a magical item that serves as the main source of healing for Sun Wukong. Through ‘Sips’, it can be used to restore health in combat situations or during exploration. Knowing how to upgrade your gourd in Black Myth: Wukong is crucial, especially before venturing into tougher battles. Here’s a quick guide on how you can make it happen.
How to Upgrade Gourd in Black Myth: Wukong
To upgrade your gourd in Black Myth: Wukong, you’ll need to find Shen Monkey, a vendor located in Bamboo Grove in the region of Black Wind Mountain. You can find him near the Shrine at the Marsh of White Mist.
Once you’ve reached Bamboo Grove, explore the region and look for a doorway towards a wooden bridge. Walk ahead and you’ll see a Snake enemy in your path — defeat him. As soon as you do that, the cutscene with the Shen Monkey NPC will be triggered.
Check it out here:
After that, he will take you to a cave where you can talk to him about upgrading Gourds.
This will require specific resources you can obtain by exploring the world or defeating enemies. For example, as you can see in the screenshot above, you need x1 Luojia Fragrant Vine which can be found in a big tree near the Shrine at the Marsh of White Mist.
Here’s a video that showcases the locations of 15 Luojia Fragrant Vines:
When you obtain the upgrade materials, you’re ready to upgrade your Healing Gourd.
Shen Monkey also gives you the chance to upgrade your drinks such as the 5-Year-Old Coconut Wine which helps you recover 40% of Maximum Health with each sip. By upgrading it, you can increase the number of slots for Soaks, and recover more Health upon using the gourd. For this one in particular, you require x1 Awaken Wine Worm. Do note that you cannot upgrade Soaks (which are used to modify the effects of the Gourds)—instead, you can equip or remove Soaks as you like.
When you progress through the game, you will come across different types of gourds (and drinks) with unique abilities. Experiment with different options to find the one that best suits your requirements against more challenging enemies.
With that done, make sure to check out our other guides on Black Myth Wukong skills and beginner tips as well as the two methods to restore health in the game.