Nine Sols Complete Guide 2026: Parry System, Exploration and Boss Strategies

Nine Sols is the best 2D action game most Western players have never heard of. Developed by Red Candle Games—the Taiwanese studio behind Devotion and Detention—it blends Sekiro-style deflection combat with a hand-drawn Metroidvania world built on “Taopunk,” an aesthetic that fuses ancient Chinese mythology with biopunk science fiction. Since its May 2024 launch it has earned an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam (95% across 17,600+ English reviews), yet it remains criminally underrated outside Asia.

This guide covers everything you need to conquer New Kunlun: the parry-charge-detonate Talisman system that defines every fight, Yi’s full moveset, Metroidvania exploration priorities, upgrade paths, and detailed boss strategies for Goumang and Ji.

What Makes Nine Sols Different

On the surface Nine Sols looks like another Metroidvania with tough bosses. Dig deeper and three things separate it from the pack.

First, the Taopunk setting. New Kunlun is an ancient alien sanctuary where Taoist philosophy collides with bio-mechanical technology. Yi, a vengeful cat-like warrior, awakens to hunt down nine god-like rulers called the Sols. The narrative threads Chinese cosmology—the Kunlun mountain of myth, Taoist alchemy, celestial bureaucracy—through a world of neon-lit laboratories and crumbling temples. It feels nothing like any other game in the genre.

Second, combat is defence-first. Where most action games reward aggressive play, Nine Sols punishes it. Your primary damage source is not your sword—it is the Talisman detonation you earn by parrying. Attacking recklessly without parrying is a death sentence against any boss past the tutorial. If you enjoyed the discipline of Sekiro’s posture system, Nine Sols will feel like home. If you prefer dodge-rolling through everything, prepare to unlearn old habits.

Third, hand-drawn production quality. Every frame is illustrated in an anime-inspired style with manga cutscenes. For an indie title at its price point, the visual fidelity rivals games with five times the budget. Rock Paper Shotgun called it “a 2D Sekiro-like so good it converted me to an entire genre.”

The Parry System: Your Most Important Mechanic

Parrying is not optional in Nine Sols. It is the engine that drives your entire damage output through the Talisman charge-detonate loop. Understanding the timing windows and damage types is the single biggest factor in whether you hit a wall or cruise through the game.

Perfect Parry vs Normal Deflect

Nine Sols has two parry outcomes based on timing precision:

The critical detail: both parry types grant one Qi charge, which fuels your Talismans. Even imperfect deflects build your offence. But perfect parries keep you at full health and reset the enemy’s internal damage regeneration timer, letting your accumulated damage stick longer.

Visual cue: Watch for the white flash enemies emit just before striking. Timing your parry to that flash is the most reliable method across every enemy type.

Anti-spam mechanic: If you mash the parry button without an incoming attack, the perfect parry window shrinks from 0.133s to 0.1s on the second press and disappears entirely on consecutive presses. The game forces you to read attacks, not panic-tap.

Talisman Charge, Attach and Detonate

Here is the core loop that separates Nine Sols from every other action game:

1. Charge: Parry enemy attacks to accumulate Qi charges (one charge per parry).
2. Attach: Press the Talisman button to dash through an enemy and plant a Paper Talisman on them, dealing 32 base Internal Damage.
3. Detonate: Hold the Talisman button to trigger an explosion that converts all accumulated Internal Damage on that enemy into permanent Direct Damage.

This is your primary damage source—not your sword combos. A single Talisman detonation after stacking internal damage will deal more burst than an entire melee combo chain. The sword softens targets; Talismans kill them.

Nine Sols uses a dual damage system. Direct Damage is permanent and can only be healed by consumables. Internal Damage regenerates over time unless you keep pressure on the enemy through parries and Talisman attachments. This is why spacing your Talisman detonations matters—detonate too early and you waste potential; wait too long and the internal damage decays.

Yi’s Moveset Overview

Yi has a compact but versatile kit. Every tool serves the parry-Talisman loop.

Ground Combat

• Light attack chain: A three-hit sword combo. Low damage individually, but the final hit deals increased stagger. Use it to fill gaps between parry windows, not as your main damage tool.
• Charged attack: Hold the attack button for a heavy strike with higher stagger and damage. Best used when you have a guaranteed opening—after parrying a combo finisher or when an enemy is recovering from a whiffed attack.
• Tai-Chi Kick: A utility kick that can interact with boss mechanics (notably Ji’s divination orbs) and reposition enemies. With the Incisive Drain skill, kicks also generate Qi charges.

Aerial and Evasion

• Aerial attacks: Yi can attack mid-air after jumping or double-jumping. With the Skull Kick skill, successful aerial strikes propel Yi higher for extended combo chains while keeping you above ground-level threats.
• Dodge: A quick dash with invincibility frames. Use it exclusively for red Crimson attacks that cannot be parried—identified by a red-and-black visual effect. For all other attacks, parrying is strictly superior because it builds Qi.
• Azure Bow: A ranged option unlocked later in the game. Useful for finishing low-health enemies at range, interrupting specific boss attacks, and destroying environmental obstacles. Save Cloud Piercer arrows for boss stagger opportunities.

Paper Talisman Detonation

As covered above, the Talisman dash-and-detonate is Yi’s strongest ability. Two key tactical notes:

• Repositioning tool: The Talisman dash passes through enemies. You can use it to escape corners or reposition to the other side of a boss without dodging.
• Qi Boost stacking: With the Qi Boost skill (unlockable early), you can store additional Qi charges before detonating. Stacking multiple Talismans before a single detonation multiplies your burst damage—essential for later bosses with large health pools.
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Exploration Structure

Nine Sols is a full Metroidvania with an interconnected world map. Zones are linked by shortcuts, ability gates, and environmental puzzles. Unlike linear action games, you will regularly backtrack through earlier areas with new abilities to access previously locked paths. If you enjoy the exploration loop of games like Hades 2 or the tightly designed worlds in our best roguelike games 2026 list, Nine Sols delivers a similar sense of discovery—except nothing is randomised.

Zone Progression

The world of New Kunlun is divided into interconnected regions, each guarded by one of the nine Sols. Early zones teach core mechanics through environmental design—platforms that require aerial parries, corridors with enemies that only use parryable attacks—before introducing Crimson (unparryable) enemies in later areas.

Ability gates block certain paths until you defeat specific bosses or find key items. When you hit a dead end, mark it mentally and return after your next boss kill.

Priority Actions for Early Exploration

1. Find Shanhai 9000 vendors: These robot vendors with fishbowl heads sell map data. Purchase their data and return it to the robot at the Pavilion to reveal all missed item locations in that zone. This is how you avoid missing upgrades.
2. Upgrade Medicine Pipe capacity first: More healing charges directly extends your exploration range and boss attempt duration. Prioritise Pipe Vials over offensive upgrades early.
3. Unlock Swift Runner: This skill dramatically increases movement speed when holding Shift, cutting backtracking time significantly. It also opens access to time-sensitive platforming sections that contain rare Tao Fruit.
4. Check every dead end after new abilities: Nine Sols rewards methodical re-exploration. A locked door in the first zone often hides a Jade slot or Tao Fruit that transforms your build.

Boss Strategies

Nine Sols has eight major bosses fought in a mostly linear order: Yingzhao, Goumang, Yanlao, Jiequan, Lady Ethereal, Ji, The Fengs, and Eigong. Each demands mastery of the parry system, and later bosses introduce mechanics that test every tool in Yi’s kit. Like the intense boss encounters in Morbid Metal, patience and pattern recognition matter more than reflexes alone.

Goumang — The Parry Training Ground

Goumang is the second boss (after the tutorial fight with Yingzhao) and the first that truly tests your parry discipline. She is unique as the only boss without multiple phases. Instead, she commands two mind-controlled Apemen who fight on her behalf.

Fight structure: Two Apemen attack you simultaneously. Defeating either one forces Goumang herself into the arena briefly—this is your damage window. She retreats when her servants revive, and the cycle repeats.

Key lesson: Goumang teaches you to save Qi charges for the right moment instead of detonating on trash enemies. Do not spam attacks on the Apemen—parry their combos, build Qi, and unload everything when Goumang enters the arena.

Ji — The Talisman Stacking Fight

Ji is the sixth boss and one of the most mechanically complex encounters in the game. This fight demands everything you have learned about Talisman management.

Phase 1: Ji throws daggers, uses telekinetic Flanking Strikes from behind, and periodically activates a Divination mechanic—three coloured orbs appear, and you can Tai-Chi Kick one to influence which attack Ji uses next. Always select the green orb when possible; it triggers a minor heal or harmless sand attack.

Phase 2 transition: Ji opens Phase 2 with a Black Hole of Doom—a gravity pull followed by a shockwave and a dozen daggers fired in a pattern. Her health roughly doubles, and she gains new aerial dagger-slam combos with Crimson follow-ups.

Talisman strategy: Save a minimum of three Qi charges for Phase 2. Ji’s health pool is large enough that you need multiple high-damage Talisman detonations to close the fight efficiently. Use Qi Boost (upgraded to maximum capacity) to stack charges during Phase 1, then unleash them during Phase 2 openings—particularly after parrying her Aerial Rebound Toss or Flanking Strike, which leave her vulnerable to full-charge detonations.

Survival tips: Double-jump liberally to avoid ground-level dagger patterns. Use Cloud Piercer arrows to stun Ji for breathing room. Destroy her shockwave devices with a single Cloud Piercer X shot rather than trying to dodge them.

For complete phase-by-phase breakdowns of every main story boss — including Eigong’s three-phase True Ending fight and the Hedgehog + Qi Blade jade setup — see our Nine Sols Boss Guide 2026.

Upgrade Priorities

Resources in Nine Sols are limited, especially on a first playthrough. Spending them in the wrong order can make mid-game bosses significantly harder.

Jade equipment: Jades modify your abilities with passive effects. Prioritise Quick Dose Jade (faster healing animation) and Recovery Jade (faster Internal Damage regeneration). Later, Mob Quell Jade lets you attach Talismans to multiple enemies simultaneously—transformative for group encounters. See our complete jades and talismans guide for the full upgrade order, computing power progression, and build paths by player type.

Lore and World Overview (Spoiler-Free)

Nine Sols takes place in New Kunlun, a realm inspired by the mythical Kunlun Mountain from Chinese cosmology—the axis between heaven and earth in Taoist tradition. An ancient alien race built this sanctuary, blending Taoist alchemy with bio-mechanical technology to achieve immortality. The nine Sols are the rulers of this forsaken realm, each embodying a corrupted aspect of the original covenant.

Yi, the protagonist, is one of these ancient beings—awakened from stasis by a human child named Shuanshuan. His quest for vengeance against the remaining Sols gradually reveals a deeper story about sacrifice, the cost of immortality, and what happens when gods abandon their purpose.

The “Taopunk” aesthetic is not just visual flavour. It informs game mechanics: Talismans are rooted in Taoist paper charm traditions, Qi charges reference internal energy cultivation, and the dual damage system (Internal vs Direct) mirrors Taoist concepts of inner and outer transformation. Red Candle Games built a world where the lore and the gameplay reinforce each other—a rare achievement in any genre.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Nine Sols like Sekiro?

The parry-focused combat is directly inspired by Sekiro, but Nine Sols adds its own layer with the Talisman charge-detonate system. In Sekiro, parrying breaks posture. In Nine Sols, parrying charges Qi that you spend on Talisman detonations—your primary damage source. The core rhythm is similar (parry, punish, repeat), but the execution feels distinct because your damage comes from resource management, not from the parry itself.

How hard is Nine Sols?

Challenging but fair. The difficulty is comparable to Sekiro or Hollow Knight’s boss rushes. Most players report the first few bosses as the hardest stretch because you are still learning the parry timing. Once the Talisman loop clicks—usually around Goumang or Yanlao—the game becomes significantly more manageable. There is a Story Mode difficulty option for players who want to experience the narrative without the full challenge.

How long does Nine Sols take to complete?

A focused main story run takes approximately 20–25 hours. Exploring every zone, finding all upgrades, and defeating optional challenges pushes the total to 27–32 hours depending on your skill level and how thoroughly you explore.

Does Nine Sols have English voice acting?

Nine Sols features full Mandarin Chinese voice acting with English subtitles. There is no English voice track. The Mandarin performances are excellent and contribute to the game’s Taopunk atmosphere—most players consider it a strength rather than a limitation.

Ready to find your next challenge? See 12 Games Like Nine Sols Ranked by How Hard Their Parry Is for parry-focused recommendations from Hollow Knight to Lies of P.

Sources

1. Red Candle Games. Nine Sols — Steam Store Page. Valve Corporation
2. Nine Sols Wiki. Combat Mechanics — Parry, Talisman, and Damage Systems. wiki.gg
3. r/NineSols Community. Nine Sols Discussion and Strategy Threads. Reddit

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.