The Jianghu is a free to play wuxia game from the Feng Lin Huo Shan studio, published by Path. It entered Early Access on 25 June 2023 and released fully on 31 August 2024. The design borrows from early Chinese text MUDs: you run an inn, recruit martial artists from sects such as Wudang and the Beggars' Sect, and send teams into the Ghost Domain, where a wipe costs you every item and piece of equipment you were carrying apart from what sits in the Qiankun Pouch. Roughly 55 percent of about 2,400 Steam reviews are positive, and almost all of them, along with almost all guide material, are in Chinese.
The Jianghu features distinct areas with increasing difficulty. This guide covers every major location in progression order: what to do, what to get, and when to move on. For the step-by-step path, see our walkthrough.
Area Progression Order
| Order | Location | Difficulty | Key Rewards | Recommended Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Inn | Safe hub, any stage of the game | Recruitment, market stalls, trading exchange, dice gambling | Bodhi Sect |
| 2 | Ghost Domain | Core expedition zone, scales with your team | Resources, equipment drops, materials for inn expansion | Bodhi Sect |
| 3 | Black Sand Fort | Mid game farming route | Repeatable monster drops, crafting and upgrade materials | Wudang School |
| 4 | Dukang Village | Early game vendor stop | Starter gauntlets and basic weapons, repair and resupply | Wudang School |
| 5 | Tyrant Path stages | Stage gated, indexed by number | Route specific drops, easter eggs, progression toward later stages | Wudang School |
The Inn: Starting Area
Your inn is the safe hub, the recruitment office and the shop front. You expand it, staff it with recruited martial artists, and run market stalls and the trading exchange from it, with a tea house on the side where the dice game runs.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Safe hub, any stage of the game |
| Key Rewards | Recruitment, market stalls, trading exchange, dice gambling |
| Recommended Build | Bodhi Sect |
| Key Equipment | Dukang Village blacksmith weapons |
What to Do Here
- Learn the basics of Ghost Domain extraction runs. This is where you practice without heavy punishment.
- Collect starting resources and your first equipment upgrade.
- Clear all main content before moving to Ghost Domain.
- If you're struggling, read our beginner's guide.
Ghost Domain: Early Game
The Ghost Domain is the dangerous zone the whole game orbits, playable solo or with a team, and it is where resources actually come from. Failing a stage strips your inventory and equipment down to the Qiankun Pouch.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Core expedition zone, scales with your team |
| Key Rewards | Resources, equipment drops, materials for inn expansion |
| Recommended Build | Bodhi Sect |
| Key Equipment | Dukang Village blacksmith weapons |
What to Do Here
- Focus on mastering Inn expansion and recruitment. It's critical from this point on.
- Farm for Dukang Village blacksmith weapons if you don't have it yet.
- Complete all objectives for maximum rewards.
- Prepare for the difficulty spike in Black Sand Fort.
Black Sand Fort: Mid Game
Black Sand Fort has its own farming guides on Chinese sites, including routes for grinding without taking damage. It is the area most often named when players talk about efficient repeat runs.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Mid game farming route |
| Key Rewards | Repeatable monster drops, crafting and upgrade materials |
| Recommended Build | Wudang School |
| Key Equipment | Dukang Village blacksmith weapons |
What to Do Here
- This is the main skill check. Bring an optimized build.
- Gauntlets becomes accessible here. Prioritize getting it.
- Master Righteous Path and Tyrant Path routes for the boss encounters.
- Check our boss guide if you get stuck.
Dukang Village: Late Game
A settlement with a blacksmith that sells the reference starter equipment quoted in community gear lists. Vendor stops like this one are how most players re-equip after a bad run rather than by crafting.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Early game vendor stop |
| Key Rewards | Starter gauntlets and basic weapons, repair and resupply |
| Recommended Build | Wudang School |
| Key Equipment | Gauntlets |
What to Do Here
- Full build optimization is expected by this point.
- Gauntlets should be your primary, fully upgraded.
- Meridians, talents and traits mastery starts mattering here.
- Farm resources for the push into Tyrant Path stages.
Tyrant Path stages: Endgame
The Ba Dao or Tyrant Path is the second of the game's two map philosophies, and its stages are indexed by number in guide material. Community articles also track easter egg locations on these stages, which is a sign of how much of the content is hidden rather than signposted.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Stage gated, indexed by number |
| Key Rewards | Route specific drops, easter eggs, progression toward later stages |
| Recommended Build | Wudang School |
| Key Equipment | Gauntlets |
What to Do Here
- This is endgame. Best-in-slot gear and a perfected build are mandatory.
- See our boss guide for endgame fight strategies.
- The reward loop: clear content → upgrade → push harder content.
- Experiment with Beggars' Sect for variety once you've mastered the meta.
Exploration Tips
- Clear areas in order: The Inn → Ghost Domain → Black Sand Fort → Dukang Village → Tyrant Path stages. Skipping areas means missing resources you'll need later.
- Check every corner: Hidden caches and secrets are often in non-obvious locations.
- Match your equipment: Some areas favor different equipment types.
- Read the walkthrough: Our walkthrough provides exact progression milestones for each area.
- Don't rush: Clearing an area fully gives more resources than speedrunning two areas.
More The Jianghu Guides
- The Jianghu The Jianghu Overview
- The Jianghu Best Builds
- The Jianghu Tier List
- The Jianghu Walkthrough
- The Jianghu Beginner's Guide
- The Jianghu Tips & Tricks
- The Jianghu Weapons Guide
- The Jianghu Combat Guide
- The Jianghu Boss Guide
- The Jianghu Crafting Guide
- The Jianghu Classes & Characters
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