ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights: Complete Guide

A practical guide to ENDER LILIES' combat, spirit loadouts, relics, exploration, bosses and the three endings, written for first-timers and 100% hunters alike.

Researched September 2026 — current as of PC patch 1.1.6 (June 2022, the latest patch — Steam Deck support and a bug fix; the spiritual sequel ENDER MAGNOLIA launched January 22, 2025). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Lily never attacks on her own. Every attack, dodge follow-up and utility move comes from purified spirits. Your first spirit, the Umbral Knight, is your basic melee and stays useful all game.
2. Bosses become weapons. Defeat a boss or elite Blighted enemy, purify it, and it joins as a spirit with its own skill. Experiment with every new one right away.
3. You have two loadouts. Each loadout holds several spirits mapped to different buttons, and you can swap between the two sets instantly. Build one for bossing and one for exploring or crowd control.
4. Skills have limited uses. Spirit skills are not unlimited; when they run out you need to rest or find a red flower. Do not dump everything on trash mobs before a boss door.
5. Pray to heal. Healing is a prayer with limited charges (three at the start). Charges refill at rest points, and white flowers restore one prayer in the field.
6. Rest points are checkpoints. Resting saves, refills heals and skills, and respawns normal enemies. Use them as a hub to fast-travel once unlocked.
7. Relics are your build. Hidden relics change stats and behavior. Relic slots are limited (find Chains of Sorcery to equip more), so check the relic screen whenever you find a new one.
8. Level from enemies, upgrade from exploration. Killing enemies gives experience for Lily's level (achievements track it all the way to level 100). Spirits are enhanced separately with materials found in the world.
9. The first ending is not the whole story. There are three endings; the fullest one needs deep exploration. Keep a save before the final boss.

How Combat Works

ENDER LILIES plays like a tight 2D soulslike Metroidvania: short attack strings, a dodge with invincibility frames, and bosses with readable but punishing patterns.

Core actions

Spirit types

Spirits fall into rough categories. Rather than memorize a list, think in roles:

• Melee main — your constant-damage tool. The Umbral Knight is solid; other melee spirits trade speed for reach or damage.
• Heavy/charge — slow, huge hits. Gerrod the Elder Warrior gives a heavy hammer skill (the "Falling Lily" achievement is for unleashing the Giant's Hammer's full power).
• Ranged/magic — projectiles for flying enemies and safe boss chip damage. Dark Witch Eleine is an early source of ranged magic.
• Summons and defensive skills — guards, shields or allies that pressure while you reposition. Guardian Siegrid is the first boss you purify, and a later guardian skill (Chief Guardian) was buffed in patch 1.1.2 to build more SP.
• Traversal spirits — some purified spirits grant movement abilities that open new routes. These are mandatory progression, so the game hands them out as you go.

Leveling and upgrades

• Lily's level comes from experience and raises her base stats. Achievements track levels 10, 50 and 100.
• Spirit enhancement uses materials found across Land's End. Enhancing boosts damage and sometimes adds uses. Achievements exist for enhancing a spirit for the first time, fully enhancing the Umbral Knight, and fully enhancing Blighted Spirits.
• Blighted Spirits are the spirits you get from defeated elites and bosses. Fully enhancing five of them unlocks "The Abyss" achievement, so do not neglect the side spirits.

Relics and Builds

Relics are passive items hidden across the map. You equip them into a limited number of slots, and each costs slot space. Examples confirmed in the patch notes:

Build archetypes

• Safe ranged build — ranged magic spirit on one button, a defensive summon on another, melee main as filler. Good for learning bosses.
• Burst build — heavy hammer skill plus an SP-generating relic. Land combos, then cash in a big hit when the boss is staggered.
• Exploration build — fast melee plus a ranged skill for flying enemies and a traversal spirit. Swap to your boss loadout at the door.

Rule of thumb: always keep one skill that hits at range and one fast attack in each loadout. Most deaths come from being stuck with only slow skills.

Exploring Land's End

The kingdom is a large interconnected map that includes a submerged forest, a sealed-off contaminated underground cavern and a grand castle, among other areas. Lily wakes in the depths of a church in the opening region, which doubles as the tutorial. Later areas include the Twin Spires (named in the patch notes), the Fount and the Verboten Domain, the last two tied to the endings.

Exploration habits that pay off

• Check the map for unexplored edges. The map marks rooms you have visited. Rooms with unexplored exits or unreached ledges are worth noting for later.
• Come back with new movement. Traversal spirits reopen old areas. After each new ability, revisit the dead ends you remember.
• Items glow. Relics, enhancement materials and lore notes are shown as pickups on the ground. Late-game zones hide the best relics behind optional fights.
• Read the notes. Lore notes and spirit memories explain the Rain of Death and are also tied to the endings.
• Red flowers refill skills. Treat them like mini-checkpoints for skill uses during long dungeon stretches.

Suggested progression mindset

The game gates regions with ability locks, so the "order" is mostly natural. If an area feels brutal, it is often an optional or later region you entered early. Back out, explore the other branch, gain levels and spirits, and come back.

Boss Tips

Bosses are the heart of ENDER LILIES. General rules that apply to nearly every fight:

1. Watch the first attempt, do not fight it. Spend your first try learning tells. Most bosses have 3 to 5 core moves.
2. Punish, then dodge. Hit 2 to 3 times after a move ends, then roll. Greedy fourth hits are what kill you.
3. Use ranged skills during long recovery windows. Casting magic from range is safer than walking in.
4. Phase changes add moves. When a boss changes stance or color, expect faster or new attacks.
5. Heal on openings. Prayer takes time; only heal when the boss is recovering or far away.
6. Swap loadouts mid-fight. Two loadouts means twice the skill uses before you run dry.

Early bosses (named from achievements)

• Guardian Siegrid — the first purification. Slow, readable swings. Roll toward her to end up behind her and punish.
• Gerrod the Elder Warrior — a big, heavy hitter. Stay close to bait shorter moves; jump or roll through ground slams.
• Dark Witch Eleine — a magic user. Close the gap between spells and roll through projectiles instead of backing up.

Late-game fights, including optional ones, ramp difficulty sharply. If you are hard-stuck, the honest fix is usually 3 to 5 more levels plus spirit enhancements.

Endings

There are three endings (per Wikipedia's plot summary). Spoilers below. The branch point comes after you defeat Guardian Silva: Fretia's spirit tells Lily to meet her at the Fount.

The Aegis Curio is not handed to you on the critical path, which is why thorough exploration matters: clear optional areas before heading into the Verboten Domain.

Practical advice:

• Before any final boss, copy your save (added in patch 1.1.4: highlight the slot on the slot selection screen, open "manage data", choose "Copy data" — it copies to the next empty slot).
• If you want everything in one run, fully explore and read everything before committing to the final fight.
• NG+ exists and carries progress over ("Carried Over" is an achievement), so missing an ending is not fatal.

Achievements Overview

There are 38 Steam achievements. Named ones with public descriptions include:

• Purification — purify Guardian Siegrid.
• Left Behind — obtain a relic.
• Latent Power — enhance a spirit for the first time.
• Purging Glow — obtain 5 Blighted Spirits.
• Taboo Blight — fully enhance a Blighted Spirit.
• The Abyss — fully enhance 5 Blighted Spirits.
• Secret — fully enhance the Umbral Knight.
• Lurking Filth / Blighted One / Ruined One — reach levels 10 / 50 / 100.

Many others are hidden and tied to endings, bosses and collection (e.g. "Relic Hunter", "Collector"). Level 100 is a grind; farming a dense area near a rest point is the usual approach.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using only the Umbral Knight. It is fine, but every boss spirit exists to make certain fights easier. Test each new spirit.
• Burning skills before bosses. Arrive at boss doors with full uses. Rest first if you can.
• Ignoring relic slots. Unequipped relics do nothing. Recheck after every find.
• Rolling away instead of through. Many attacks have long reach; rolling through the swing is often safer.
• Healing mid-combo. Prayer animations get punished. Heal on real openings.
• Rushing the final boss. You lock in an ending; make a save copy first.
• Neglecting spirit enhancement. Levels help, but enhancement is where damage comes from.

Advanced Tips

• Two-loadout cycling: put your best boss skills split across both loadouts, then alternate so you are never out of uses.
• SP economy: some skills and relics interact with the SP gauge. Eldred's Ring and SP-generating skills make big finishers come up faster.
• Air attacks: several spirits have separate aerial behavior. Jumping over ground-based bosses and attacking on the way down is a common safe pattern.
• Farming route: pick a short loop near a rest point with several enemies, clear it, rest to respawn, repeat. Useful for the level 50 and 100 achievements.
• Save backups: the game keeps backups. If a save ever breaks, the developers' fix is in %LOCALAPPDATA%\EnderLilies\Saved\SaveGames\ — rename GameSlot_backup_X_Y.sav to GameSlot_X.sav (X = slot, Y = backup number).
• Steam Deck: officially supported since patch 1.1.6.

FAQ

How long is ENDER LILIES? It is a full-size Metroidvania, and length depends heavily on how much you explore. Beelining to Ending A is much faster than a completionist run (all three endings, level 100, every relic), which takes considerably longer.

Is ENDER LILIES hard? Yes, it is soulslike-tough, especially optional late bosses. Leveling and enhancing spirits make a big difference, so grinding is a valid fix.

How do I get the true ending? Ending C requires crafting the Aegis Curio and having it equipped when you defeat the Blighted Lord in the Verboten Domain. Explore every region and clear optional areas first, and copy your save before the fight.

Can I miss anything permanently? Very little. NG+ carries progress, and you can copy your save before the final fight to see multiple endings.

Do I need to play ENDER LILIES before ENDER MAGNOLIA? No. The developers say MAGNOLIA is set in the same world decades later and is designed to be enjoyable without playing LILIES, though it includes nods for returning players.

Where is my save file? %LOCALAPPDATA%\EnderLilies\Saved\SaveGames\

Does it run on Steam Deck? Yes, Steam Deck support was added in patch 1.1.6.

Sources

• Steam store page — ENDER LILIES
• Steam news — ENDER LILIES patch notes and announcements
• Steam global achievements — ENDER LILIES
• Wikipedia — Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
• Steam store page — ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist