Nine Sols Boss Guide: The Parry Pattern That Beats Every Fight Without Memorising 50 Attacks (2026)

Mechanics verified against Nine Sols v1.x (Red Candle Games, May 2024). Values may change with updates — cross-reference the Nine Sols Wiki for the latest figures.

The most common mistake in Nine Sols isn’t a specific missed parry. It’s treating each boss as a completely separate mechanical puzzle that you solve by memorising 50 individual attack patterns. There are 11 main story bosses. Eigong alone runs players through 6+ hours of attempts. But the reason Eigong is hard isn’t that she has unique attacks nobody else uses. It’s that every fight in the game is a variation of one four-step cycle, and if that cycle isn’t automatic by the time you reach her, she exposes every gap you have.

Nine Sols is a Taoist-inspired action platformer from Red Candle Games. The parry system is its core mechanical language. Every boss fight is the game testing a different aspect of that system: Yingzhao teaches the basics, Lady Ethereal tests strategic talisman placement, Ji gives you attack selection, and Eigong demands all four steps simultaneously under maximum aggression. Learn the cycle first. The individual boss knowledge layers on top of it cleanly.

This guide covers every main story boss from Yingzhao to Eigong using the universal parry cycle as the frame. For the full exploration walkthrough including parry room locations and upgrade path, see the Nine Sols Complete Guide 2026.

Quick-Start Checklist

1. Before any boss: upgrade your Gourd at least once
2. Learn the precise parry window (0.133s) — spam-pressing the button shrinks and eventually eliminates it
3. Identify which attacks can’t be parried: Crimson (red glow), fire, electricity, lasers, and grabs all require dodge or Tai-Chi Kick
4. If you’re confused about attack direction, jump first — aerial parries cover all directions
5. Talisman windows open after specific combo enders, not randomly — learn the opener for each boss before attempting full runs

Nine Sols Boss Summary

*Optional and permanently missable if you fight Eigong before completing Shiyou’s questline.

The Universal Parry Framework

Every fight in Nine Sols runs on a four-step cycle. Understanding it changes the way you read boss encounters — instead of memorising 50 attacks, you’re recognising which step of the cycle each attack is testing.

Step 1 — Parry: Press the parry button within 0.133 seconds before an attack connects for a precise parry. This blocks all incoming damage and grants one Qi charge. Miss that window but parry within 0.5 seconds and you get an imprecise parry: Yi takes 50% of the attack’s damage as internal damage and locks to the ground for 0.6 seconds. One imprecise parry rarely ends a boss fight. Spam-pressing the parry button does — it shrinks your precise window from 0.133s to 0.1s, then eliminates it entirely. Single inputs, timed deliberately. [1]

Step 2 — Generate Internal Damage: Successful precise parries stack internal damage on enemies and reset their internal damage regeneration delay. This is the resource you’re building throughout the fight. Crimson attacks (red glow), fire, electricity, lasers, and grab attacks cannot be parried. These require a dodge, Tai-Chi Kick, or in Eigong’s case specific counter skills. [1]

Step 3 — Attach Talisman: After accumulating Qi charges through parrying, tag the boss with a talisman. Each boss has one or two recurring combo enders that create the attachment window. Learning that specific moment is 80% of the fight. Attaching at random openings wastes the resource and often puts you in range for the next attack.

Step 4 — Detonate: Dash through the tagged boss to trigger a massive burst of internal damage. Enhanced Water Flow is the safest talisman detonation style throughout the game: it lets you continue defending the moment after detonation rather than leaving a recovery window exposed. Full Control delivers higher burst damage but requires a longer commitment window — it’s worth it on Lady Ethereal’s Phase 2, less so on Eigong’s relentless Phase 3.

One universal rule before the bosses: aerial parries cover all attack directions. If an attack is coming from behind you, or you’re unsure about direction on a multi-hit sequence, jump first. Ground parries fail on rear attacks; air parries don’t. [1]

Yingzhao — Laying the Foundation

Zone: Power Reservoir | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 3/10

Preparation: At least one Gourd upgrade. Yingzhao is a parry tutorial, but Phase 2’s sustained pressure makes healing efficiency matter.

Phase 1 centres on long overarching swings, sweeping claw strikes, and choreographed thrusts. The parry windows are generous — treat this phase as target practice for precise timing, not survival. Phase 2 adds galloping charges and charged spear attacks. The gallop is where most new players panic-dodge; the correct response is to stand ground and parry. The charged spear has a longer wind-up than Phase 1 attacks, which means your 0.133s window opens later than you expect. Watch the animation, not the startup.

The cycle in this fight: parry the basic combos, tag with talisman during the gap after a claw sequence, detonate. Yingzhao’s openings are generous by design. If you’re missing the talisman window here, slow down and commit to identifying one specific post-combo gap rather than reaching for any moment.

When NOT to attempt: Immediately after acquiring the first Gourd. Get one upgrade, then return.

Goumang — The Puppet Exception

Zone: Agriculture Zone / Greenhouse | Phases: 1 | Difficulty: 4/10

Goumang is the only main story boss without multiple phases. She controls two Jiangshi puppet warriors who fight on her behalf, and she only becomes vulnerable during the brief window when she resurrects a fallen puppet. Direct damage on Goumang herself outside that window is impossible.

The critical rule: never waste a Qi charge tagging a puppet. The talisman is for Goumang only. Use the puppet encounters to build Qi through parrying their attacks, wait for the resurrection window, apply the talisman to Goumang the moment she begins the revival animation, detonate. The window is short and telegraphed by the animation — anticipate it rather than reacting to it.

Goumang fights more like a mechanical encounter than a skill test, which makes it an underrated opportunity to practise Qi management under pressure without high stakes. The endurance component is real, though: bring two Gourd upgrades minimum.

Xingtian — Aerial Evasion Test

Zone: Boundless Repository | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 5/10

Xingtian swings a battleaxe that sends spherical shockwaves along the ground on impact. Those ground-level shockwaves make standing parries risky — this is the first fight where jumping to avoid ground attacks, then parrying aerial-direction variants, becomes the cleaner answer over staying planted.

He heals mid-combat if you fail to apply consistent pressure. The counter: time a talisman attachment during his heal animation. It interrupts the recovery and deals burst internal damage during a moment when he’s otherwise out of reach. Xingtian’s Phase 2 accelerates all patterns. The timing shifts are subtle but punish muscle memory from Phase 1 — stay reactive rather than anticipatory.

Yanlao (Rending Claw) — Machine Timing

Zone: Yangu Hall | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 5/10

Yanlao is more of a platforming fight than a parry test. Spinning and slicing attacks mix with vertically-moving laser columns and inward-closing walls. Phase 2 accelerates everything and adds target reticles that telegraph incoming strikes.

Machine attacks have a different rhythmic cadence from biological enemies. Don’t carry parry muscle memory from Goumang directly into this fight — the timing pattern is mechanically distinct. Use the Phase 2 target reticle warnings as a buffer to re-establish timing before each attack sequence rather than committing to a parry before the reticle resolves. Dash availability matters here: without at least Level 1 dash cooldown, the closing walls in Phase 2 create situations where you can’t create enough distance.

Kanghui — The Puzzle Boss

Zone: Factory / Prison | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 4/10

Kanghui summons waves of minion monsters, regenerates health, and requires stationary hacking to interrupt regeneration cycles. Direct combat against Kanghui while minions are alive results in getting hit from behind while focused on parrying her. The fight punishes aggression toward the boss and rewards patience toward the minions.

Strategy: clear minions completely, every time, before engaging Kanghui. Only then apply the parry cycle to her directly. Her regeneration creates artificial urgency — it’s a trap. Resist the instinct to push damage on Kanghui early and let the minion clear happen cleanly. This is the most puzzle-like encounter in the game and the least representative of what’s coming.

Jiequan — The First Real Difficulty Spike

Zone: Factory / Transmutation Zone | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 7/10

Jiequan deploys spears, daggers, and swords at varied distances simultaneously, demanding precision that would have been punishing earlier in the run. Phase 1 is a meaningful jump in difficulty relative to anything before it. The multi-weapon attack variety tests whether your parry response is based on the weapon’s timing or generalised button feel — generalised feel fails here.

Phase 2 introduces a healing mechanic. The approach most guides miss: Jiequan’s Phase 2 healing can be countered with poison damage, which persists through her heal animation. Apply poison when she begins healing — your DoT ticks during the recovery window she’s otherwise using to recoup health, effectively neutralising her advantage. Poison as a counter-heal isn’t the intended path but it’s the most efficient one if you have the talent or item available.

When NOT to attempt: Without at least two combat skills fully upgraded. Jiequan’s attack variety punishes players who rely on a single parry response type.

Lady Ethereal — The Clone Puzzle

Zone: Cortex Center / Soulscape | Phases: 3 | Difficulty: 8/10

Lady Ethereal is the hardest fight before Eigong and the one that most directly tests whether the talisman step of the cycle has become instinctive. Most players who struggle here are either skipping the talisman entirely or attaching it at random moments. Neither works — this fight is built around talisman placement as its central mechanic.

Phase 1 establishes her moveset: Double Strike Combo, Sweeping Attack, Three Projectiles, Homing Projectile, and Crimson Thrust. Two of these don’t answer to standard parry: Homing Projectile and Crimson Thrust both resolve cleanly with Tai-Chi Kick rather than a timed parry. Trying to parry them consistently is harder than it needs to be. Identify them early and switch inputs.

Phase 2 deploys clones. Every clone looks identical. The identification method: hit each one once. Fakes disappear after a single hit. The real Lady Ethereal takes damage and stays. Here is the mechanic that most other guides underemphasise: attaching a talisman to the real Lady Ethereal instantly removes every clone on screen and stuns her. This is your entire Phase 2 strategy. Build Qi through parrying clone attacks, identify the real Lady Ethereal, apply the talisman immediately — the entire clone wave collapses and you get a full detonation window while she’s stunned. Every Phase 2 attempt where you’re not talisman-targeting the real one first is harder than it needs to be. [7]

Phase 2 also has a side-switching pattern: she alternates attacks from left, then right. The only exception is the Crimson Slam, which comes from above before the pattern resets.

Phase 3 removes the disguise entirely — she no longer hides among clones, making the real one immediately identifiable. The danger is the phase-opening Crimson Bomb: a massive AoE that catches players expecting Phase 2 patterns. Counter: air-parry the two clone strikes that precede the Crimson Bomb, dash the slam itself, then catch her in midair with a talisman for free burst damage right at phase start. If you execute this correctly at Phase 3 start, you begin the phase with a full detonation advantage.

Recommended prep: Full Control talisman style for maximum burst during the Phase 2 clone-removal windows. Quick Dose jade if your natural healing speed is costing you parry timing under pressure.

Ji — Control the Oracle

Zone: Grotto of Scriptures / Ancient Stone Pillar | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 7/10

Ji’s fight design is built around a divination orb system. At specific intervals, Ji summons three orbs that determine the next attack pattern. Five orb types exist: Green (healing jug or Azure Sand), Yellow (ground shockwave device), Purple (black hole), Red (four consecutive dagger projectiles), and Blue (dagger storm from above).

The mechanic most guides don’t lead with: Tai-Chi Kicking one of the three orbs locks that attack type as the chosen pattern. You’re not just waiting to see what Ji does next — you’re selecting which attack you face. Always choose Green for the free healing container. Once you’ve mastered dagger storm parry timing, Blue becomes viable as a high-Qi generation source. Avoid Yellow and Purple unless forced. [8]

The Black Hole of Doom (Phase 2 Purple orb variant) is less chaotic than it looks: the shockwave arrives first, you dash through it, then a dozen daggers emerge in an identical fixed pattern every single time. Learn the dash timing and dagger sequence once — after that, it’s mechanical execution. The predictability makes it manageable even though the visual reads as threatening.

Phase 2 approximately doubles Ji’s health. Don’t DPS race. The patient approach — parry the specific attack openers that grant 5-charge Qi Blasts (Aerial Rebound Toss, Flanking Strike, Toss and Thrust, Grounded Rebound Toss), choose healing orbs consistently, apply full Qi Blasts only after those designated parry openings — sustainably outlasts Ji’s health pool without requiring aggressive pushes that create unnecessary risk. Four Qi Boost skills recommended for this fight to maximise charge generation per parry. [8]

The Fengs (Fuxi and Nuwa) — The Duo Fight

Zone: Empyrean District / Nobility Hall | Phases: 2 | Difficulty: 6/10

Phase 1 is Fuxi alone. His malformed limbs make his sweeping attacks visually unusual — wider and more unpredictable in apparent reach than standard attacks — but mechanically readable once you’ve seen the animations a few times. Standard parry cycle applies.

Phase 2 adds Nuwa, who plays a flute to summon spectral snakes alongside Fuxi’s continued offensive. The fight shifts from single-target parry practice to multi-source threat management. The priority: focus damage and talisman pressure on Fuxi throughout. Nuwa provides ranged snake support but her flute animation gives enough warning to reposition before the snake patterns arrive. When Fuxi’s extended-limb hitbox creates an ambiguous attack direction, aerial parry rather than reading the exact hitbox — it covers the uncertainty without requiring perfect visual parsing of the unusual geometry.

Eigong — The True Test

Zone: Tiandao Research Institute | Phases: 2 (3 for True Ending) | Difficulty: 10/10

Eigong is the game’s definitive skill test, comparable in structure and execution demand to Sekiro’s Isshin, the Sword Saint. [5] She doesn’t introduce a new mechanic — she tests whether all four steps of the parry cycle are automatic under the most sustained, aggressive pressure in the game. Budget significant time: community reports indicate Phase 3 alone can require 6+ hours on first clear.

Jade Setup: Hedgehog (internal damage on every perfect parry) + Qi Blade (10× damage multiplier on the third melee hit) + Quick Dose (40% faster healing) + Breather (~2% HP recovery per melee strike). Avoid Recovery, Medical, and Revival jades — Eigong’s constant aggression makes reactive healing jades functionally useless in extended phases. The Hedgehog + Qi Blade combination builds internal damage pressure automatically through parrying rather than requiring additional offensive actions, which keeps the cycle clean under pressure. [3]

Talisman: Enhanced Water Flow throughout. It lets you continue defending the moment after detonation rather than leaving a recovery window. Full Control is viable in Phase 1 where openings are longer, but Phase 2 and 3 aggression doesn’t allow Full Control’s commitment time safely.

Phase 1 — Commitments to lock in:

• Thrusting Combo always has three hits. Assume three every time. Parrying two and dropping guard gets you hit by the third.
• Rising Uppercut always has two hits. Over-predict it — if it ends at one, you’ve lost nothing; if you predict one and it’s two, you take the second.
• Talisman attachment windows open after: Dash Combo, Dash Attack, Crimson Plunging Combo, and Crimson Bomb. Learn these specific enders. Reaching for talisman at other moments creates exposure.

Phase 2 always opens with a Charged Strike. This is predictable — you can prepare before the phase transition animation finishes. Phase 2 introduces wind blade projectiles that travel across the arena: Unbounded Counter them to deal internal damage to Eigong while defending simultaneously. Fire floor patches deal 5 damage per tick for 2–3 seconds [2] — dodging these takes priority over maintaining offensive pressure. Don’t sacrifice positioning to extend a damage window onto fire.

Phase 3 (True Ending only) introduces Judgement Cut: Eigong disappears and delivers two screen-wide diagonal slashes, followed by a dash with a third slash variant. Eigong is invulnerable during the entire Judgement Cut animation. [2] Hitting her during it is wasted input — survive it, then resume. Phase 3 always opens with Crimson Wooshy Blade; prepare for it the moment the Phase 2 cutscene ends.

Critical mechanic: Talisman Grab cannot be Unbounded Countered. [2] When Eigong initiates the grab, respond with Tai-Chi Kick or Skull Kick. Attempting Unbounded Counter on a Talisman Grab in Phase 3 can trigger a Judgement Cut retaliation — the highest-damage response in her kit. Identify the Talisman Grab animation and commit to the correct counter input as a reflex, separate from your Unbounded Counter instinct.

Only Cloud Piercer X arrows stun Eigong; lower charge levels have no interrupt effect. [2] Keep them available for emergency healing windows rather than offensive stunlock attempts — her aggressive Phase 2 patterns create few natural stun opportunities anyway.

Optional and Missable Bosses

Thirteen optional bosses exist outside the main story, ranging from Red Tiger Elites to Celestial Enforcers. Two deserve specific flags before you reach Eigong.

Headless Xingtian is permanently missable. If you defeat Eigong before completing Shiyou’s questline, this encounter is gone for that playthrough. Speak to Shiyou and progress her questline between Ji and The Fengs at minimum to keep the encounter available. It’s one of the stronger optional fights mechanically and the most commonly missed.

Spirit Keeper Cixing unlocks only after completing every Parry Room in the game. The Parry Rooms function as structured precision training — they directly improve the timing precision that pays off on Eigong. Treating them as completionist content and skipping them is the approach that leads to 6-hour Eigong sessions. They’re the most efficient skill-building mechanic in the game.

Boss Strategy by Player Type

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to beat Eigong?

Phase 1 takes most players 10–30 minutes once attack patterns are readable. Phase 2 averages 90 minutes to several hours. Phase 3 for the True Ending is where first-clear timelines extend — community reports suggest 6+ hours is common. Budget a full session minimum for Eigong without expecting completion.

What is the hardest boss in Nine Sols?

Eigong by a significant margin for most players, followed by Lady Ethereal. Jiequan and Ji are the primary mid-game difficulty spikes that catch players off guard. If you’re struggling on either of those two, Eigong will be a long fight — they’re measuring the same skills at lower intensity.

Can you parry everything in Nine Sols?

No. Crimson attacks (red glow), fire, electricity, lasers, and grab attacks cannot be parried by any input. These require a dodge, Tai-Chi Kick, or in Eigong’s case specific counter skills. Aerial parries cover all horizontal and vertical directions but still don’t bypass these exceptions. The non-parryable attack types are consistent across all bosses — once you’ve identified the visual tells, you carry that read through the entire game.

Does New Game+ change boss difficulty?

Nine Sols NG+ carries over upgrades including Jades and Gourd charges. Boss mechanics and attack patterns remain identical — the same parry timings apply — but increased damage output from retained Jades shortens phase durations significantly. For players who cleared the True Ending, NG+ effectively compresses what took hours into manageable windows.

What is the difference between a parry and an Unbounded Counter?

An Unbounded Counter counters specific attack types — including charged strikes that normal parries can’t block — but requires a different input timing and specific jade requirements to execute. For Eigong specifically: wind blades respond better to Unbounded Counter (dealing internal damage back to her), while the Talisman Grab cannot be Unbounded Countered at all and requires Tai-Chi Kick instead. Learning which attacks answer to which counter input is the depth layer beneath the basic parry cycle.

Sources

1. Parry Mechanics — Nine Sols Wiki (ninesols.wiki.gg/wiki/Parry): parry timing windows (0.133s precise, 0.5s imprecise), internal damage values, non-parryable attack types, aerial parry coverage
2. Eigong — Nine Sols Wiki (ninesols.wiki.gg/wiki/Eigong): phase HP values, Judgement Cut invulnerability, fire floor damage, Talisman Grab counter restrictions, Cloud Piercer X stun requirement
3. Nine Sols Boss Guide: Eigong — Frostilyte Writes: Jade build recommendations, Enhanced Water Flow rationale, phase opener predictions, talisman attachment windows
4. Nine Sols Boss Guide Hub — Frostilyte Writes: main story boss order and per-boss guide links
5. Every Nine Sols Boss, Ranked — DualShockers: boss quality analysis, Eigong/Lady Ethereal/Ji difficulty characterisation
6. The Most Difficult Bosses In Nine Sols — TheGamer: mechanical difficulty breakdown, boss attack descriptions, Xingtian/Yanlao/Goumang/Fuxi-Nuwa details
7. Nine Sols Boss Guide: Lady Ethereal — Frostilyte Writes: clone identification method, talisman clone-removal mechanic, Phase 3 Crimson Bomb counter sequence
8. Nine Sols Boss Guide: Ji — Frostilyte Writes: orb type breakdown, Tai-Chi Kick orb selection mechanic, Black Hole of Doom fixed pattern, 5-charge Qi Blast opener list
9. Nine Sols Boss Checklist — game-checklists.com: complete boss list including optional encounters, Headless Xingtian missability, Spirit Keeper Cixing unlock requirement

Michael R.

I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.