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.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gauntlets | S | First trips out of the inn while you are still learning what the extraction rule actually costs you. | Fist weapons are among the earliest gear a new player can buy, with a basic blacksmith pair listed at 20 attack and 10 defence. |
| Dukang Village blacksmith weapons | A | Replacing gear you lost on a failed run without touching your savings. | The Dukang Village blacksmith is the reference starter vendor in Chinese equipment guides, and buying from there is the standard way to fill an empty weapon slot. |
| Qiankun Pouch | A | Carrying quest items, currency and anything you would be upset to lose. | The Qiankun Pouch is the only container whose contents survive a failed run, which makes it the single most important item in the game. |
| Water skin and rations | B | Longer Ghost Domain trips and Black Sand Fort farming loops where you are out for a while. | Water and satiety are tracked meters with caps you raise through progression, and both drain during expeditions. |
| Dungeon keys | B | Opening the gated content on a route you have already scouted. | Keys are a documented consumable with their own guide entries covering when to spend them. |
S-Tier: Gauntlets
Fist weapons are among the earliest gear a new player can buy, with a basic blacksmith pair listed at 20 attack and 10 defence. They are cheap enough that losing them in the Ghost Domain does not set you back.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | First trips out of the inn while you are still learning what the extraction rule actually costs you. |
| Key Mechanic | Ghost Domain extraction runs |
| Recommended Build | Wudang School |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Gauntlets: Pairs naturally with Wudang School thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Dukang Village blacksmith weapons
The Dukang Village blacksmith is the reference starter vendor in Chinese equipment guides, and buying from there is the standard way to fill an empty weapon slot. Community advice is consistent that crafting your own gear early is a waste of money.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Replacing gear you lost on a failed run without touching your savings. |
| Key Mechanic | Inn expansion and recruitment |
| Recommended Build | Bodhi Sect |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Dukang Village blacksmith weapons: Pairs naturally with Bodhi Sect thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Qiankun Pouch
The Qiankun Pouch is the only container whose contents survive a failed run, which makes it the single most important item in the game. Everything else in your inventory is at risk the moment you enter the Ghost Domain.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Carrying quest items, currency and anything you would be upset to lose. |
| Key Mechanic | Righteous Path and Tyrant Path routes |
| Recommended Build | Mount Hua Qi Branch |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Qiankun Pouch: Pairs naturally with Mount Hua Qi Branch thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Water skin and rations
Water and satiety are tracked meters with caps you raise through progression, and both drain during expeditions. Chinese guides devote whole articles to raising those caps, which tells you how often runs end because of them.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Longer Ghost Domain trips and Black Sand Fort farming loops where you are out for a while. |
| Key Mechanic | Water and satiety meters |
| Recommended Build | Mount Hua Sword Branch |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Water skin and rations: Pairs naturally with Mount Hua Sword Branch thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Dungeon keys
Keys are a documented consumable with their own guide entries covering when to spend them. Treat them as run currency rather than clutter, and keep them in the Qiankun Pouch when you are not using them.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Opening the gated content on a route you have already scouted. |
| Key Mechanic | Meridians, talents and traits |
| Recommended Build | Beggars' Sect |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Dungeon keys: Pairs naturally with Beggars' Sect thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear The Inn
- Dukang Village blacksmith weapons → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Qiankun Pouch → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Gauntlets → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- The Qiankun Pouch is the only thing that survives a failed run, so treat every other inventory slot as temporary and move anything valuable into it before you leave the inn.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
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 Combat Guide
- The Jianghu Boss Guide
- The Jianghu Maps & Locations
- The Jianghu Crafting Guide
- The Jianghu Classes & Characters
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