Tale of Immortal is a Chinese cultivation sandbox drawn from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and it sold millions of copies in early access before most Western players had heard of it. You start as a nobody in Yukong Village at the Qi Refining stage and climb ten cultivation realms toward Transcendent. The world runs without you: NPCs age, found sects, marry, break through and die whether or not you ever meet them.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Yukong Village | Cultivation realm breakthroughs basics | Blade cultivator | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Yong Ning | Manual and skill slots mastery | Blade cultivator | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Hua Feng | Spiritual roots and elemental Qi + gear | Sword cultivator or Blade cultivator | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Yun Mo | Build optimization | Sword cultivator | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Tian Yuan Mountain | Min-max | Sword cultivator or Spiritual arts caster | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Yukong Village)
The tutorial settlement in Bai Yuan where every character starts at Qi Refining. It teaches combat, gathering and manual slots, and most players leave within the first hour.
Level/Difficulty: Qi Refining Key Rewards: Starter manuals, first weapon path choice, basic gathering
What to Do in Yukong Village
- Learn Cultivation realm breakthroughs. Ten realms run from Qi Refining through Foundation, Qi Condensation, Golden Core, Origin Spirit, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Enlightenment, Reborn and Transcendent, each split into early, middle and late stages. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Blade cultivator as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Sword is the least punishing first weapon path because its damage comes from fast basic attacks rather than from a specific rare manual. Blade and fist both need particular manuals before they feel functional, and finding those on a blind first run is luck.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Blade or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Cultivation realm breakthroughs fundamentals
- Blade cultivator selected and functional
- Yukong Village main content cleared
- Ready for Yong Ning
Phase 2: Early Game (Yong Ning)
The first full region, holding five towns, a main city and several sects. Its elemental zones and Land of the Spirits sites carry a character from Qi Refining through Foundation.
Level/Difficulty: Qi Refining to Foundation Key Rewards: Sect entry, early manuals, Foundation breakthrough materials
What to Do in Yong Ning
- Work on Manual and skill slots. Power comes from Manuals, not from levels. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Blade if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Save immediately before a breakthrough tribulation. A failed tribulation costs progress and materials, and the game will happily let you walk into one underprepared.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Hua Feng.
- Consider whether Sword cultivator might suit your playstyle better than Blade cultivator.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Manual and skill slots integrated into gameplay
- Blade acquired
- Yong Ning fully cleared
- Ready for Hua Feng
Phase 3: Mid Game (Hua Feng)
The second region and the difficulty wall most players hit. Its six elemental zones hold the bosses that drop Fire, Water, Thunder, Wind, Earth and Wood Qi Pearls needed for Golden Core.
Level/Difficulty: Qi Condensation to Golden Core Key Rewards: Six Qi Pearls, Dragon Vein Crystal, epiphany books
What to Do in Hua Feng
- Master Spiritual roots and elemental Qi. Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, Wind and Thunder roots decide which spiritual arts scale for you. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Sword. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Buy two or three Hua Feng psychic charms and use them from different spots to triangulate the six elemental zones and spirit lock circles. Wandering the region hoping to stumble on them wastes in-game years.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Destinies for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Spiritual roots and elemental Qi mastered
- Sword acquired or in progress
- Hua Feng fully cleared
- Ready for Yun Mo
Phase 4: Late Game (Yun Mo)
A late region containing the Land of the Beginning, the Land of Beyond, the Land of No Return and the Stairway to Heaven. Enemies here punish any build that skipped manual upgrades in Hua Feng.
Level/Difficulty: Origin Spirit to Nascent Soul Key Rewards: High grade manuals, rare refinement materials
What to Do in Yun Mo
- Finalize your build. You should be running Sword cultivator or Blade cultivator with optimized gear.
- Sword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Check the monthly notification for spawned elemental bosses instead of hunting blind. A Sky Prayer Talisman forces the matching weather and makes a specific boss appear when you need its Qi Pearl.
- Sect membership and sect war optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Tian Yuan Mountain.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Sword upgraded to max
- Yun Mo fully cleared
- Ready for Tian Yuan Mountain
Phase 5: Endgame (Tian Yuan Mountain)
The endgame destination the entire cultivation climb points toward. Arriving assumes a finished build rather than a half-upgraded one.
Level/Difficulty: Soul Formation and above Key Rewards: Endgame encounters, final progression
What to Do in Tian Yuan Mountain
- Tian Yuan Mountain tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- If a Qi Pearl boss keeps killing you, farm Spirit Pearl Shards and combine them at a workshop instead. It is slower, but it removes the fight from the Golden Core requirement entirely.
- The endgame loop: run Tian Yuan Mountain, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Spiritual arts caster for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Sect membership and sect war mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Tian Yuan Mountain fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Rushing into Hua Feng at Foundation stage. The region is tuned for Qi Condensation and above, and its beasts delete an underleveled character in two hits.
- Hoarding gold instead of upgrading manuals. Gold does nothing in a cultivation fight; a higher grade Special Skill does everything.
- Breaking through the moment the requirements are met, without checking the tribulation fight or saving first.
- Ignoring your spiritual root when picking spiritual arts, so elemental damage scales off a root you never invested in.
- Dabbling in every weapon path on one character. Manuals are weapon specific, and split investment leaves you weak in all of them.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Sword is the least punishing first weapon path because its damage comes from fast basic attacks rather than from a specific rare manual. Blade and fist both need particular manuals before they feel functional, and finding those on a blind first run is luck.
- Save immediately before a breakthrough tribulation. A failed tribulation costs progress and materials, and the game will happily let you walk into one underprepared.
- Buy two or three Hua Feng psychic charms and use them from different spots to triangulate the six elemental zones and spirit lock circles. Wandering the region hoping to stumble on them wastes in-game years.
- Check the monthly notification for spawned elemental bosses instead of hunting blind. A Sky Prayer Talisman forces the matching weather and makes a specific boss appear when you need its Qi Pearl.
- If a Qi Pearl boss keeps killing you, farm Spirit Pearl Shards and combine them at a workshop instead. It is slower, but it removes the fight from the Golden Core requirement entirely.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Tale of Immortal Guides
- Tale of Immortal Tale of Immortal Overview
- Tale of Immortal Best Builds
- Tale of Immortal Tier List
- Tale of Immortal Beginner's Guide
- Tale of Immortal Tips & Tricks
- Tale of Immortal Weapons Guide
- Tale of Immortal Combat Guide
- Tale of Immortal Boss Guide
- Tale of Immortal Maps & Locations
- Tale of Immortal Crafting Guide
- Tale of Immortal Classes & Characters
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