Introduction & Core Concepts

This guide covers recommended martial arts schools and basic gameplay for the early to mid-game. Building a character involves three key components:

• Weapons & Martial Arts Schools: Your primary combat style.
• Mental Techniques (Heart Methods): Passive abilities that enhance your school.
• Equipment Set Effects: Gear bonuses that complete your build.

Acquiring and upgrading Mental Techniques takes time through gradual accumulation.

Essential Early Game Mental Technique

The most versatile mental technique to acquire first is "Song of Yishui".

• Effect: Each attack or heal has an 80% chance to add a stack of "Yishui," max 5 stacks.
• How to Get:
  1. Go to "Buxianxian" in Qinghe and find the Weiyang City merchant, Tang Bao.
  2. Purchase 10 mental technique fragments for 5000 Changming Jade to unlock it.
• How to Upgrade:
  1. Save an extra 2000 Changming Jade.
  2. Go to Linjiang Du in Kaifeng to find another Weiyang City merchant.
  3. Purchase 10 "Song of Yishui Insights" to perform one breakthrough.

How to Acquire Martial Arts

Most martial arts are obtained by infiltrating strongholds or caves to "steal the teachings."

• Quest Guide: The bottom right corner of the martial art's menu will show its quest location.
• Required Item: For caves, you need a "Wandering Dragon Pillar."
  • Acquisition: Obtainable from hand-over quests with "Zhengshuo" in Qinghe, from the "Bite the Formless" quest at Hidden Cloud Mountain, or as a level 10 breakthrough reward.
• Exploration Tip: Always pick up treasure chests during these quests, as they can contain weapons and exclusive mental techniques.
• Stealth Tip: Keep the skill "Listening to the Wind to Discern Position" active to see enemy vision cones. Crouch-walking is faster than standing while in stealth mode.

Recommended School 1: Mingchuan Yaodian (Support/Healer)

Ideal for casual or support-focused players. Provides immense survivability.

• Playstyle: Use heavy attacks to heal yourself or teammates.
• Core Mechanic - Dewdrops: Generated by light attacks. Used for powerful skills.
• Key Skills:
  • Heavy Attack: Basic healing skill.
  • Special Skill (Dewdrop Cost): Grants a continuous heal over time.
  • Martial Skill: Summons a water person that creates an area-of-effect (AoE) heal.
  • Perception Skill - "Thousand Gold Encounter": Automatically replaces your Special Skill if a teammate dies. Can revive them.
  • Perception Skill - "Endless White Clouds": When dewdrops are full with a water person active, this skill becomes available for a large AoE heal.
• Synergy: Pairs exceptionally well with the fish umbrella martial art "Thousand Fragrances Hidden Soul Bone" for additional healing.

Recommended School 2: Nameless Sword Technique (Beginner DPS)

A strong, straightforward starting school that scales well into the late game.

• Early Game Rotation:
  1. Use the Martial Skill "Chu Wei Zhi" to gain a 3-second shield.
  2. Follow immediately with a Charged Attack to unleash sword beams (your main damage source).
  3. Use normal attacks or switch weapons during cooldowns.
• Essential Mental Technique Combo:
  1. Nameless Mental Technique: Allows charged attacks to unleash multiple sword beams when you have a shield or buff.
  2. Song of Yishui: Versatile stack-building technique. 01:18
  3. Wei Meng Ge: Increases damage when hitting enemies from the front, ideal for charged attacks.
• After Mental Technique Breakthrough (Lv.1): Your Special Skill can be used to create distance and then instantly fire a charged sword beam, changing your playstyle to a more ranged approach.
• Recommended Secondary Weapon: Mingchuan Yaodian for healing and team utility.

Recommended School 3: Jiefu Blade Art (Defensive Bruiser)

A highly recommended school for new players, offering great defense and damage.

• Core Mechanic - Battle Intent: Used to empower skills. Gained over time, by blocking, or via the Martial Skill.
• Key Skills:
  • Charged Attacks: Both light and heavy attacks can be charged to 3 stages for more damage.
  • Martial Skill "Yin Yang Hu Shi": Gains 2 bars of Battle Intent and grants a shield.
  • Special Skill "Zhu Ri Zhui Feng": Consumes 2 Battle Intent to pull in and group up small enemies.
• Essential Mental Technique: "San He Jue Yun".
  • Effect: Upon a successful block (once every 10s), you can perform a special counter that executes a stage-1 heavy charged attack and refunds Battle Intent.
  • Upgrade Priority: Take this to Level 3 so the counter becomes a 3-stage charged attack with follow-up skills.
• Other Mental Techniques: "Wei Meng Ge," "Song of Yishui," and "Kang Zao Da Fa" (extends shield duration) are excellent choices.

Advanced Combo: Jiefu Blade + Wind Thunder Spear

A powerful derived playstyle focusing on control and burst damage.

• Combo Sequence:
  1. (Spear) Martial Skill: Use for damage reduction and taunt.
  2. (Spear) Special Skill "Jin Lei Zhen": Applies a vulnerability debuff and knocks down enemies.
  3. (Spear) Charged Skill "Zhan Ba Fang": Gain the "Blow Drum" effect, increasing charge attack damage for 6s. This also activates the Jiefu Blade's Perception Skill.
  4. Switch to Jiefu Blade: Use the Perception Skill version of your Martial Skill. This provides a stronger shield, the "Formation Breaker" buff (+charge attack dmg for 30s), and reduces stamina cost for 12s.
  5. Attack: With your shield active, use 3-stage charged attacks or block/counter with "San He Jue Yun."
  6. Sustain: Before your shield runs out, switch back to the spear, use a charged attack to re-activate the Blow Drum effect, and prepare to repeat the cycle.
• Mental Technique for Multiplayer: Consider "Pan Shi Jue" for added damage reduction and a taunt effect.