Wandering Sword is a pixel-art wuxia RPG from The Swordman Studio, published by Spiral Up Games and released on 14 September 2023. You play a young swordsman who nearly dies in a feud, then works his way through more than 75 locations across five regions of an ancient China setting. Combat runs on a tiled board that you can switch between turn-based and real-time, and character growth comes from Cultivation Methods feeding Meridian Points into a six-vessel Meridian Map.
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 | Luo Village | Meridian Map basics | Shaolin Monastery | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Mount Wudang | Cultivation Methods and Martial Points mastery | Shaolin Monastery | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Pingkang City | Tiled combat board + gear | Wudang Sect or Shaolin Monastery | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Gusu City | Build optimization | Wudang Sect | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Mount Tianshan | Min-max | Wudang Sect or Mingjian Manor | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Luo Village)
An early Central Plains settlement and the site of one of the first main story chapters, following the incident at the Valley of Dragons' Slumber. It is where the game teaches the tiled board before the difficulty arrives.
Level/Difficulty: Opening chapters Key Rewards: First weapon manuals, early companions, the basics of forging
What to Do in Luo Village
- Learn Meridian Map. Six vessels, including the Conception Vessel and the Penetrating Vessel, each governing different stats. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Shaolin Monastery as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Put Martial Points into Cultivation Methods before individual moves. Cultivation levels are the only source of Meridian Points, and Meridian Points buy attribute gains and passive abilities across all six vessels, so they compound in a way a single upgraded move never does.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Saber or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Meridian Map fundamentals
- Shaolin Monastery selected and functional
- Luo Village main content cleared
- Ready for Mount Wudang
Phase 2: Early Game (Mount Wudang)
The Taoist sect in the south-western Central Plains and the only sect you actually join, as part of the main story. Members specialise in sword, fist and saber techniques, and the rank ladder here runs from Senior Disciple to Zhenwu Hall Chief Disciple.
Level/Difficulty: Early to late, revisited across the whole campaign Key Rewards: Wudang cultivation methods and swordplay, sect rank privileges
What to Do in Mount Wudang
- Work on Cultivation Methods and Martial Points. Cultivation Methods are your internal arts, levelled with Martial Points earned in combat. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Saber if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Only the first equipped external skill in each category is used actively in battle. Everything else in that category contributes passive bonuses only, and players routinely fill every slot expecting all of them to fire.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Pingkang City.
- Consider whether Wudang Sect might suit your playstyle better than Shaolin Monastery.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Cultivation Methods and Martial Points integrated into gameplay
- Saber acquired
- Mount Wudang fully cleared
- Ready for Pingkang City
Phase 3: Mid Game (Pingkang City)
One of the four major cities of the Central Plains and the setting for two separate main story chapters. City hubs like this are where forging, trading and the denser side quest content live.
Level/Difficulty: Early to mid game Key Rewards: Forging materials, merchants, several recruitable companions
What to Do in Pingkang City
- Master Tiled combat board. Every fight happens on a grid, and each weapon type strikes a different shape of it. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Sword. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Choose the Conception Vessel over the Yang path when you want raw damage. Conception raises Strength, and Strength feeds both attack and CRIT, whereas the Yang route raises ATK alone.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Turn-based and real-time switching for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Tiled combat board mastered
- Sword acquired or in progress
- Pingkang City fully cleared
- Ready for Gusu City
Phase 4: Late Game (Gusu City)
The Jiangnan city that hosts the Sword Appreciation Assembly and the Gusu Lantern Festival chapters. Timed story events here are a common source of permanently missed content for players who rush the main quest.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game Key Rewards: Sword Appreciation Assembly rewards, festival-only encounters
What to Do in Gusu City
- Finalize your build. You should be running Wudang Sect or Shaolin Monastery with optimized gear.
- Sword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Fight bosses and duels in turn-based mode and grind random encounters in real-time. Real-time is far quicker for accumulating Martial Points, and turn-based gives you the per-tile control that boss patterns actually demand.
- Wudang rank progression optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Mount Tianshan.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Sword upgraded to max
- Gusu City fully cleared
- Ready for Mount Tianshan
Phase 5: Endgame (Mount Tianshan)
The far western mountain that hosts the final duel chapter of the main story. By the time you reach it, the encounters assume a fully developed Meridian Map and forged endgame gear.
Level/Difficulty: Endgame Key Rewards: The closing duel, the highest tier martial arts in the game
What to Do in Mount Tianshan
- Mount Tianshan tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Learn what shape your weapon hits before you commit to a build. Sword cuts a straight line, saber hits a column, polearm hits everything adjacent, fist is single-target and short-ranged, and hidden weapons reach across the board.
- The endgame loop: run Mount Tianshan, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Mingjian Manor for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Wudang rank progression 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
- Mount Tianshan fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Rushing the main story and permanently losing several of the 14 recruitable companions
- Filling every external skill slot expecting them all to activate, when only the first in each category does
- Spending Martial Points on individual moves while Cultivation Methods stay low, starving your Meridian Points
- Accepting a Wudang rank promotion before clearing the quests attached to the rank you are leaving
- Picking a weapon type without checking its attack shape against the grid, then wondering why fights go badly
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Put Martial Points into Cultivation Methods before individual moves. Cultivation levels are the only source of Meridian Points, and Meridian Points buy attribute gains and passive abilities across all six vessels, so they compound in a way a single upgraded move never does.
- Only the first equipped external skill in each category is used actively in battle. Everything else in that category contributes passive bonuses only, and players routinely fill every slot expecting all of them to fire.
- Choose the Conception Vessel over the Yang path when you want raw damage. Conception raises Strength, and Strength feeds both attack and CRIT, whereas the Yang route raises ATK alone.
- Fight bosses and duels in turn-based mode and grind random encounters in real-time. Real-time is far quicker for accumulating Martial Points, and turn-based gives you the per-tile control that boss patterns actually demand.
- Learn what shape your weapon hits before you commit to a build. Sword cuts a straight line, saber hits a column, polearm hits everything adjacent, fist is single-target and short-ranged, and hidden weapons reach across the board.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Wandering Sword Guides
- Wandering Sword Wandering Sword Overview
- Wandering Sword Best Builds
- Wandering Sword Tier List
- Wandering Sword Beginner's Guide
- Wandering Sword Tips & Tricks
- Wandering Sword Weapons Guide
- Wandering Sword Combat Guide
- Wandering Sword Boss Guide
- Wandering Sword Maps & Locations
- Wandering Sword Crafting Guide
- Wandering Sword Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Wandering Sword, check out these related guides:
- Elden Ring Walkthrough: rpg game with similar mechanics
- Baldur's Gate 3 Walkthrough: rpg game with similar mechanics
- Cyberpunk 2077 Walkthrough: rpg game with similar mechanics
