Tale of Immortal (鬼谷八荒): Complete Guide

A cultivation guide for Tale of Immortal: character creation, the realm ladder, breakthroughs, combat and builds, sects, NPC relationships, crafting, and the DLCs (Five Blooms, Ground of No Return, and the BaHuang Chronicle artbook), current to the latest 2026 patches.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Version 1.2.113 (6 February 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Pick a lower difficulty for your first run. There are five difficulty tiers from Normal to Chaos; Chaos is permadeath and deletes your save when you die. Learning the realm ladder on a forgiving setting pays off.
• Character creation matters. You choose starting Destinies (traits) that shape stats and events. Pick ones that support a single weapon/element build rather than a random mix.
• Commit to one weapon type and one element. Arts scale with your matching proficiencies; spreading across types weakens everything.
• Lifespan is your real timer. Every realm breakthrough extends lifespan. If you stall too long, you die of old age.
• Prepare for breakthroughs before attempting them. Each major breakthrough has requirements and quality choices that permanently affect your character.
• Join a sect early. Sects give manuals, resources, missions, and protection.
• Build relationships. NPCs live independent lives; friends, lovers, masters, and disciples help (or hurt) you.
• Save before risky events and fights. Unless you're on permadeath, a reload is cheap insurance.

The Realm Ladder

You begin at Qi Refining in Yukong Village and climb through the major cultivation realms, each with early, middle, and late stages:

Order | Realm

1 | Qi Refining

2 | Foundation

3 | Qi Condensation

4 | Golden Core

5 | Origin Spirit

6 | Nascent Soul

7 | Soul Formation

8 | Enlightenment

9 | Reborn

10 | Transcendent

The journey ends with ascending Tian Yuan Mountain. New regions open as you advance; stronger monsters, mystic realms, and events scale with the region.

Breakthrough tips

• Gather the required materials and pills first. Breakthrough attempts use specific items, and better items give a better result.
• Major breakthroughs are quality checks. The Foundation, Golden Core, and later soul-related breakthroughs let you shape bonuses that last the rest of the run; take time to get good ingredients.
• Health, mood, and focus matter. Enter breakthroughs in good condition.
• Don't rush if your combat power is behind. Being at a new realm with weak gear makes the next region dangerous.

Combat

Combat is a top-down action RPG with bullet-hell patterns. You equip arts in several slots:

Slot | What it is

Martial art (main attack) | Your primary damage skill, tied to a weapon type

Absolute/ultimate art | A powerful skill on a longer cooldown

Step (movement) art | Dash or movement technique

Spirit/special art | Utility or extra damage

Mind (heart) methods | Passive techniques that boost stats and arts

Weapons and elements

• Weapon types: Blade, Spear, Sword, Fist, Palm, Finger.
• Elements: Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, Earth, Wood.

Your proficiency in a weapon type and element increases damage for arts that match. The standard approach is one weapon type plus one element, with manuals and mind methods that all feed the same combo.

Build examples (archetypes)

These are illustrative pairings to show how a focused build hangs together, not a tier list; any weapon/element combination works if your manuals and mind methods all support it.

Archetype | Concept | Notes

Sword + Lightning | Fast, ranged-feeling burst | Strong mobility, good for bosses

Blade + Fire | Heavy melee damage with burning | Durable if you stack defense

Spear + Wind | Long reach, piercing thrusts | Excellent crowd control

Fist/Palm + Earth | Close-range brawler | Tanky, pairs well with defensive mind methods

Finger + Water | Ranged projectiles | Safer for bullet-hell fights

Upgrade arts by reading and comprehending manuals and improving their affixes as you progress. Later, you can reforge or refine gear and artifacts.

Artifacts and treasures

• Artifacts can be refined and eventually host Artifact Spirits that you can interact with.
• Special tools include the Eye of Providence (shows monster details and skills), the Mythical Gourd (absorbs monsters and sends imps out on adventures), and the Bagua Jade (tied to revival effects).
• Some artifacts prevent death; recent patches fixed cases where they triggered wrongly in non-lethal instances like sparring and tournaments.

Sects

• Join a sect for manuals, a safe base, missions, and sect contribution currency.
• Rise through ranks to Elder and beyond; high ranks let you influence sect affairs and invite certain characters.
• Sect Tournaments offer rewards and prestige. Version 1.2.109 added an acceleration option for the Points Race.
• Sect wars pull in allied sects; reinforcement resources are now displayed correctly (fixed in 1.2.107).

NPCs and Relationships

• Every NPC has their own friends, family, and goals, and the world moves without you.
• You can befriend, romance, marry, take disciples, find masters, feud, or become the enemy of all.
• Gifts, favours, and helping in events raise favour; stealing and killing rivals can come back to haunt you through revenge storylines.
• Transfer Arts: cultivators can pass down arts; you can also teach NPCs your Taoist Mind.
• Soul Reaver: a special NPC entity in the late game. Since 1.2.107, NPCs can naturally carry the Soul Reaver (possible from Foundation and beyond while moving through Hua Feng and later areas if none exists in your save). Version 1.2.109 added a toggle for its battle status.

Crafting and Professions

Profession | Makes

Alchemy | Pills for healing, cultivation, and breakthroughs (1.2.112 improved the alchemy interface so it no longer closes after crafting)

Forging | Weapons and refinement

Talismans | Consumable combat and utility tools

Geomancy / Feng Shui | Location and residence bonuses

Pick one or two professions early. Alchemy is the most universally useful because breakthrough pills and healing pills are in constant demand.

DLCs

DLC | What it adds

Five Blooms | Five special characters with their own storylines: Ao Yao, Lan You, Shuang Ling, Yin'er, and Tianxiang

Ground of No Return | A separate challenge mode built around special affixes (it was 45% off in the January 2026 anniversary sale)

BaHuang Chronicle | A digital artbook (pages on the eight divine artifacts), not gameplay content

Five Blooms notes (2025 patches):

• Post-interaction events: Ao Yao punishes enemies and disrupts rival sects; Lan You threatens rival sect leaders; Shuang Ling rebukes defamers and rescues elders; Yin'er persuades enemies to retreat; Tianxiang rebukes defamers and blocks pursuers.
• Since 1.2.111 (June 2025), Five Blooms characters can join your sect if you are an Elder or higher and they've progressed far enough in their storylines.

Recent Patch History

Version | Date | Highlights

1.2.113 | 6 Feb 2026 | New mount "Crimson Glow Cloud-Stepping Qilin"; "Dancing Ink Steed" outfit optimised

1.2.112 | 26 Jan 2026 | Fifth anniversary; Horse Year outfit; alchemy UI improvement; several crash and save fixes

1.2.111 | 20 Jun 2025 | Five Blooms can join your sect; many storyline fixes

1.2.110 | 19 Apr 2025 | Artifact death-prevention fix; Monster Resisting Altar loading fix; World Champion title fix

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Mixing weapon types and elements. You'll have many mediocre arts instead of one strong combo.
• Attempting breakthroughs unprepared. A poor Foundation or Golden Core result follows you all game.
• Ignoring lifespan. Plan breakthroughs so you never run close to the end of your lifespan.
• Making enemies casually. Killing NPCs can trigger revenge from their friends, family, and sect.
• Hoarding without selling. Spirit stones fund manuals, pills, and auctions.
• Skipping the sect. Solo cultivators miss out on manuals and resources.

Advanced Tips

• Use the auction house for rare manuals and breakthrough materials; be ready to defend your purchases if an NPC wants them.
• Plan destinies for synergy with your chosen weapon and element.
• Take disciples to extend your influence and gain help in fights.
• Use the Eye of Providence to check monster skills before engaging.
• Mods: Tale of Immortal supports the Steam Workshop and has an official MOD editor; many quality-of-life mods exist. Disable mods if a patch causes errors.
• Speed up Sect Tournaments with the acceleration toggle added in 1.2.109.

FAQ

What are the cultivation realms in order? Qi Refining, Foundation, Qi Condensation, Golden Core, Origin Spirit, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Enlightenment, Reborn, Transcendent.

Is Tale of Immortal still updated? Yes, with occasional patches and cosmetics; the latest at time of writing is 1.2.113 (February 2026).

Which DLC should I buy first? Five Blooms if you want new character storylines. Ground of No Return adds a separate affix-driven challenge mode. BaHuang Chronicle is an artbook, so skip it unless you want the lore and art.

Can I play it on other platforms? Yes. Beyond PC, it came to Nintendo Switch (2024) and mobile (2025).

What's the best weapon type? There's no single best; commit to one type and element and invest in matching manuals and mind methods.

Why did I die of old age? Lifespan ran out. Break through to the next realm sooner, or use lifespan-extending items.

Sources

• Tale of Immortal Steam news hub
• Version 1.2.113 Update Content (Steam, 6 Feb 2026)
• Version 1.2.112 Update Content (Steam, 26 Jan 2026)
• Version 1.2.111 Update Content (Steam, 20 Jun 2025)
• Version 1.2.108 Update Content (Steam, 6 Mar 2025)
• Version 1.2.107 Update Content (Steam, 17 Feb 2025)
• Tale of Immortal on Wikipedia
• Tale of Immortal on Steam (features and DLC list)