The Gongfa system in The Scroll of Taiwu is a complex web of martial arts that forms the absolute core of your character's progression. Mastering it is not just about collecting powerful skills; it’s about understanding a deep system of cultivation, synergy, and risk. The entire Gongfa system explained for The Scroll of Taiwu boils down to this: you must acquire martial arts manuals, cultivate them through reading and practice to reach 100% proficiency, and strategically combine them based on their shared Inner Strength attributes to create a focused, powerful build that avoids self-destructive internal conflicts.
This system is the heart of the game's replayability and its notorious difficulty. Unlike in many RPGs where you simply slot abilities, here every skill choice has profound consequences for your character's internal energy, or Qi. A haphazard approach will lead to Qi Deviation, a debilitating state that can cripple or even kill your hero. A master, however, can weave these skills into a tapestry of unstoppable power. This guide will walk you through every layer of that system, from your first clumsy punches to the transcendent techniques of a true Wuxia legend.
What Are the Different Types of Gongfa?
Gongfa, or martial arts techniques, are not a monolithic category. They are divided into six distinct types, each serving a unique purpose in your character's arsenal. You cannot equip an unlimited number of skills; you have a limited number of slots for each type, making your choices critical. Understanding these categories is the first step to planning a coherent build.
- Neigong (Inner Strength): The foundation of everything. These are the passive techniques that determine your core Qi attributes, the speed of its circulation, and the total amount of Inner Strength you possess. Every powerful build starts with a high-tier Neigong manual.
- Wai Gong (External Skills): These are your active combat abilities—the punches, kicks, sword strikes, and saber slashes you use to defeat enemies. They are categorized by weapon type (e.g., Sword, Blade, Unarmed) and range.
- Qing Gong (Lightness Skills): These govern your movement in combat. A good Qing Gong allows you to close distances quickly, dodge critical attacks, and maintain optimal range for your chosen weapon.
- Body Skills: Defensive techniques that can automatically trigger to protect you from harm, reduce incoming damage, or inflict status effects on attackers. Essential for survival, especially against formidable foes.
- Technique Skills: These are your special moves, often with unique effects like stuns, debuffs, or massive bursts of damage. They typically have longer cooldowns and require specific conditions to be met.
- Unique Skills: A catch-all category for miscellaneous abilities that don't fit elsewhere, often providing utility or passive bonuses that can define a niche build.
Your goal is to select a complementary set of Gongfa from these categories. A sword master won't just equip sword skills; they need a Neigong that enhances their damage, a Qing Gong to maintain sword range, and a Body Skill to survive counter-attacks.
The Scroll of Taiwu : Beyond The Dome in-game screenshot
How Do I Acquire and Cultivate Gongfa?
Knowing the types is one thing; getting them to a usable state is another. Cultivation is a multi-stage process that requires patience, resources, and a bit of luck. Every Gongfa manual you find starts as a mere book. It's up to you to turn that theory into deadly practice.
Finding Manuals
Gongfa manuals are the lifeblood of your progression and can be found throughout the world. The primary source is joining one of the martial arts sects and earning contribution points to exchange for their teachings. You can also receive them as rewards from quests, loot them from defeated enemies, or even learn them directly from high-level NPCs if your relationship is strong enough. Manuals come in nine quality tiers, from the flimsy Desperate (Tier 9) to the legendary Divine (Tier 1). Naturally, the higher the tier, the more potent the skill.
The Cultivation Process: From Page to Power
Once you have a manual, the real work begins. Cultivating a Gongfa has two distinct phases:
- Reading: Before you can practice a skill, you must understand it. This is done by 'reading' the manual, which consumes time and requires a certain level of literary skill. You can increase your reading speed and comprehension through character stats and specific buildings in your village. The goal is to reach 100% reading completion.
- Practicing: After you've fully read the manual, you can begin to practice the skill, which raises its Cultivation Level. This is done through dedicated practice sessions or by using the skill in real combat. As you increase the Cultivation Level, the skill's stats and effectiveness improve. The ultimate goal is to reach 100% Cultivation, which unlocks the skill's full potential and allows you to perform a Breakthrough.
The Scroll of Taiwu : Beyond The Dome in-game screenshot
Breakthroughs: The High-Stakes Gamble
A Breakthrough is an attempt to push a fully cultivated Gongfa (at 100%) to the next level of mastery, unlocking a significant power boost and contributing to your character's core attributes. However, this is the most dangerous part of the system. Each Breakthrough is a roll of the dice.
Success depends on your character's relevant stats, their talent, and sometimes specific consumable items. Failure is catastrophic. A failed Breakthrough results in Qi Deviation, where your internal energy runs wild. This can cause severe internal injuries, permanently reduce your stats, damage your meridians, and in the worst cases, instantly kill your character. Saving before any major Breakthrough attempt is not just recommended; it's a survival imperative.
The Heart of the System: Inner Strength (Neigong)
If the Gongfa types are the limbs of your character, Neigong is the heart that pumps the blood. Your choice of primary Neigong is the single most important decision you will make for your build. It dictates the fundamental nature of your Qi and determines which other Gongfa you can use effectively.
Every Gongfa in the game, not just Neigong, has one of five Inner Strength attributes:
- Diamond (金剛): Associated with hardness, power, and overwhelming force. Favors direct, heavy-hitting attacks.
- Primordial (紫霞): Represents flexibility, speed, and Qi control. Often found in swift, multi-hit techniques.
- Mystic (玄陰): Linked to the esoteric, cold, and internal damage. The domain of poison, debuffs, and life-draining arts.
- Pure (純陽): The attribute of explosive power, fire, and righteous fury. Focuses on high-risk, high-reward offensive skills.
- Mixed (歸元): A neutral, balanced attribute that serves as a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. It's the most flexible but offers the lowest synergistic bonuses.
The cardinal rule of building a character is to not mix conflicting attributes. Your primary Neigong sets your character's dominant attribute. If you equip a powerful Pure Neigong, your Qi becomes Pure-aspected. If you then try to use a Mystic Gongfa, the two energies will clash. This internal conflict drastically reduces the effectiveness of both skills and massively increases your risk of Qi Deviation during Breakthroughs. Sticking to a single, unified attribute is the key to safety and power.
The Scroll of Taiwu : Beyond The Dome in-game screenshot
Building Your Unstoppable Martial Artist
With an understanding of the components, you can now assemble them into a coherent build. This involves selecting a core Neigong and then choosing compatible External, Lightness, and other skills to create a powerful synergy.
Combining Gongfa for Synergy
Let's walk through a practical example. Imagine you want to build a master of the longsword, focusing on the Diamond attribute.
- Core Neigong: You would seek out a high-tier Diamond Neigong from a sect like the Shaolin Temple. This forms your foundation, providing raw power and a large pool of Diamond-aspected Inner Strength.
- Main Attack (Wai Gong): You would then learn a Diamond-aspected longsword skill. When you use this skill, it will draw upon your Diamond Neigong, receiving a significant damage bonus because the attributes match.
- Movement (Qing Gong): Find a Diamond Qing Gong. This might not be as fast as a Primordial one, but it will be compatible with your core, preventing internal conflict and potentially offering a defensive or offensive bonus.
- Defense (Body Skill): A Diamond Body Skill would complete the core build, providing damage reduction that scales with your Diamond Inner Strength.
By ensuring every equipped Gongfa shares the same Diamond attribute, you create a character where every component reinforces the others. This is the path to true mastery.
The Role of Acupoints and Meridians
As you successfully perform Breakthroughs on your Gongfa, you will unlock and strengthen your character's acupoints. These are nodes in your body's meridian system. Unlocking them provides permanent boosts to your base stats—like Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality. A fully developed meridian system, achieved through mastering many compatible Gongfa, is what separates a mid-game character from an end-game god. The more high-level, synergistic Gongfa you master, the more powerful your fundamental stats become.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gongfa
Can I learn every Gongfa in the game?
Technically, you could try, but you absolutely should not. Your character has a limited lifespan and learning capacity. More importantly, equipping Gongfa with conflicting Inner Strength attributes is a recipe for disaster. Focus and specialization are always superior to being a jack-of-all-trades. Pick one or at most two compatible attributes and stick with them.
What happens if I fail a Breakthrough?
Failing a Breakthrough induces Qi Deviation. The immediate effects are severe internal injuries and a temporary debuff to your stats. The long-term consequences can include permanent stat loss, destruction of your cultivated skills, and a shortened lifespan. You can treat the injuries with medicine and rest, but the best cure is prevention: always save your game before attempting a Breakthrough for a high-tier skill.
How do I know which Gongfa are compatible?
It's simple: look at the icon on the Gongfa's description page. Each of the five Inner Strength attributes has a unique color and symbol. Diamond is gold, Primordial is purple, Mystic is black/dark blue, Pure is red/orange, and Mixed is grey/white. Ensure the Gongfa you plan to use matches the attribute of your primary Neigong.
Should I use the "Practice" or "Study" command for cultivation?
They serve different purposes. "Study" increases your reading progress on a manual you haven't finished yet. "Practice" increases the Cultivation Level of a skill you have already finished reading. You must first Study to 100%, then Practice to 100% to be able to attempt a Breakthrough.
A Final Word
The Gongfa system is the mechanical soul of The Scroll of Taiwu. It's a demanding, punishing, and incredibly rewarding journey of growth. It mirrors the Wuxia trope of the dedicated martial artist who, through discipline and deep understanding, transcends mortal limits. Don't be discouraged by early failures or a sudden death by Qi Deviation. Treat each life as a lesson, plan your builds with care, and you will eventually forge a character worthy of the title of Taiwu.