Under the spells and the spectacle, Wukong runs on four resources: stamina, Focus, Mana and the gourd. Almost every difficulty spike in the game is really a resource problem — you ran out of one of them at the wrong moment. Understanding how they refill is what turns the bosses from walls into fights.
The core systems
Putting it together
- Bank Focus during safe windows so a whiffed boss attack becomes an instant charged Heavy.
- Pillar stance's perch lifts you above most attacks, though hits on the staff still drain Stamina — use it to dodge sweeps and punish.
- Perfect-dodge the big telegraphed wind-ups rather than rolling early out of fear.
- Vary stances mid-fight: Thrust to poke from range, Smash to burst a staggered boss.
Survival & dodging
- The Foundation tree's Stamina branch holds the nodes that reward and cheapen dodging — invest early.
- A perfect dodge leaves an afterimage and can refund Focus, feeding your next Heavy.
- Dodge into attacks, not away; the counter window is on the far side of the swing.
- Combine perfect dodges with Immobilize to control a boss almost completely.
The four resources
The loop the game wants from you
Poke to build
Open with light attacks you can cancel out of. They build Focus and chip Mana back up without committing you to a long animation.
Control
Spend a spell to create a window — a freeze, a stone stance, a clone drawing attention. This is what separates a spell from a panic button.
Convert
Cash the Focus into a charged Heavy inside the window you just made. This is where the bulk of your damage comes from.
Reset
Back out, let stamina and Mana recover, and read the next pattern. Trying to extend the window is the most common way to lose a won fight.
The three staff stances
Habits that fix most deaths
- Perfect dodges build Focus. If you are dodging anyway, dodge *late and into* the attack.
- Never start a charged Heavy on reaction — start it during a recovery you already know.
- Mana regenerates faster while you are landing hits, so passive play starves your spells.
- Respec is cheap. A build tuned for the boss in front of you beats a general one.