Nine Sols: Complete Guide

A spoiler-light guide to Nine Sols: learning the deflect-based combat, what to upgrade first, how the jade and skill systems work, boss strategy, exploration tips, and technical notes after the 2025 engine updates.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the December 2025 patch (bbde385f, Unity 2022.3.62f3). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Deflect, do not dodge. Nine Sols is "Sekiro-lite": the core defensive move is a timed parry/deflect. Most attacks should be deflected rather than avoided.
• Perfect deflects build Qi. Qi is the resource you spend on your talisman attacks. Deflecting is both your defense and your damage engine.
• Stick a talisman, then blow it up. Spending Qi lets Yi attach and detonate talismans for large damage. Good players loop: deflect, deflect, talisman, repeat.
• Red (unblockable) attacks need a different answer. When an enemy flashes a perilous attack, use your counter move (Unbounded Counter) or get out of the way instead of trying a normal deflect.
• Use the bow. Yi's Azure Bow has limited arrows that refill at save points. It is great for finishing fleeing enemies, hitting boss weak points and dealing burst damage.
• Rest at Root Nodes. Root Nodes are save points, respawn locations and fast-travel points. Resting refills healing and respawns normal enemies.
• Upgrade healing early. Find items that increase your healing charges and healing strength; they make every boss easier.
• Equip jades. Jades are passive modifiers limited by your computing power. The right jade setup can change a fight completely.
• Explore side paths. Upgrades, lore, NPC quests and currency are hidden everywhere in New Kunlun.
• Bosses come back later. Since November 2024, Battle Memories on the main menu lets you rematch any boss you have beaten once you have completed an ending, so you do not need to master every fight on the first run.

The Premise (No Spoilers)

You play as Yi, a long-forgotten hero awakened in New Kunlun, the last sanctuary of the Solarians. With the help of a human child, Shuanshuan, Yi sets out to take revenge on the nine Sols, the rulers of the realm. The setting is "Taopunk": cyberpunk tech mixed with Taoist philosophy and East Asian mythology, told through hand-drawn visuals and manga-style cutscenes.

Combat Fundamentals

Deflection

• Tap parry just before an attack connects for a perfect deflect. Mistimed parries still block but you take some internal damage.
• Internal damage can be recovered by landing attacks afterward, so staying aggressive after a sloppy parry helps.
• Most bosses have combo patterns. Learn the rhythm; deflecting the whole string opens a big punish window.

Qi and talismans

• Perfect deflects and some attacks build Qi.
• Spend Qi to attach a talisman to an enemy and detonate it for high damage.
• Talisman damage is usually your largest reliable damage source on bosses, far more than basic slashes.

Charged attacks and counters

• Hold attack for a charged strike.
• Unbounded Counter answers perilous attacks and is a skill-tree priority.
• Some enemies and bosses have attacks that must be jumped or dashed instead; the visual tells are consistent.

Arrows

• The Azure Bow has limited ammo that refills at Root Nodes.
• Different arrow types are unlocked as you progress. Use them in boss phases where you cannot safely melee.

Progression Systems

System | What it does | Priority

Skill tree | Unlocks moves and upgrades (counters, talisman upgrades, air attacks) with skill points earned by leveling | High: get Unbounded Counter and talisman upgrades early

Jades | Passive bonuses using computing power | High: build jades around your playstyle

Healing upgrades | More and stronger heals | Very high

Arrow upgrades | Stronger and new arrow types | Medium

Currency (Jin) | Buy items and upgrades from NPCs | Spend regularly; do not hoard

Skill point order that works for most players

• Unbounded Counter and its improvements.
• Talisman damage and Qi-related upgrades.
• Air combat and mobility options.
• Everything else as you explore.

Jades

• Each jade costs computing power; increase your total by finding upgrades while exploring.
• Swap jades for bosses versus exploration. Defensive or healing jades for hard bosses, damage or loot jades while exploring.
• Some jades trade safety for power. Read the descriptions carefully.

The Hub

Yi's base of operations is the Four Seasons Pavilion. You return there between regions to:

• Talk to Shuanshuan and other residents who join you.
• Upgrade and buy items from NPCs.
• Progress side stories. Many residents have quests that unlock over time and reward you for revisiting the Pavilion often.

Check back after every Sol you defeat. New dialogue and upgrades frequently appear.

Bosses and the Sols

The nine Sols are the major bosses and story targets. Names you will encounter include Kuafu, Goumang, Jiequan, Lady Ethereal, Ji, Fuxi, Nüwa and Eigong. There are also many mini-bosses and elite enemies between them.

General boss strategy

• Watch the first attempt. Focus on deflecting and learning tells, not on damage.
• Identify perilous (red) attacks and your answer to each.
• Build Qi through deflects, then spend it on talisman detonations in safe windows.
• Use arrows during phases where the boss is out of melee range or when you need to finish a phase quickly.
• Heal only in guaranteed windows, usually after a long combo or during phase transitions.
• Swap jades before retrying a boss that is beating you.

Eigong is widely considered the hardest fight in the game. Arrive with healing fully upgraded, a strong jade setup and Unbounded Counter mastered.

Exploration Tips

• Map every region fully. New Kunlun is interconnected; shortcuts back to Root Nodes save time.
• Revisit areas after new movement abilities. Blocked paths and out-of-reach ledges usually mean "come back later."
• Use Mystic Nymph (your hacking drone ability, once unlocked) to scout and interact with mechanisms.
• Read logs and terminals. The lore is dense and rewarding, and it explains a lot about the Solarians and humans.
• Talk to NPCs repeatedly. Some quests only progress after new events.

Endings and Missables

• Nine Sols has two endings: the Normal Ending ("Home Sweet Home") and the True Ending ("Shooting Star"). Which one you get depends on items collected and NPC interactions before the final stretch.
• If you care about the True Ending, finish NPC storylines in the Four Seasons Pavilion and explore thoroughly before committing to the final area.
• A patch in November 2025 fixed a bug where you could advance the story before finishing Shennong's final drink, which could permanently leave max HP lower than intended. If you are on an old save from before that patch, make sure you completed that sequence.

Technical Notes

• November 2025 patch (953572b): upgraded the engine to Unity 2022.3.62f2 to address the Unity CVE-2025-59489 security vulnerability. Some community mods broke. The developers provided a beta branch for the last stable pre-update version (listed as "LastStableProduction" with a password in the patch notes).
• December 2025 patch (bbde385f): fixed a Rigidbody2D memory leak and moved to Unity 2022.3.62f3.
• If something breaks after an update, the developers point players to their Discord.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Dodging instead of deflecting. Dodging does not build Qi; deflecting does.
• Ignoring talismans. Basic slashes alone make bosses take forever.
• Hoarding arrows and Jin. Arrows refill at Root Nodes; currency is for spending.
• Skipping healing upgrades. Explore for them before hard bosses.
• Never swapping jades. Tailor your setup per boss.
• Rushing the ending without finishing side stories, if you want the fuller ending.
• Panic-healing mid-combo. Heal in safe windows only.

Advanced Tips

• Aggression after deflect strings. Many bosses are fully exposed after their longest combos; learn those windows and dump Qi.
• Parry in the air. Aerial deflects and attacks keep pressure on flying and jumping bosses.
• Practice on elites. Tough regular enemies teach timing without the pressure of boss phases.
• Chain talismans. With talisman upgrades, efficient Qi use lets you detonate more often.
• Mods: if you use mods, check compatibility after each patch; the old-version beta branch exists for mod users.

FAQ

Is Nine Sols like Hollow Knight or Sekiro? It is a 2D action-platformer with Metroidvania-style exploration, but the combat is built around Sekiro-style deflection rather than dodge-and-hit.

Is Nine Sols hard? Yes, especially later bosses. Check the settings menu for any assist or difficulty options on your version (we could not confirm an official "Story Mode" in the Steam patch notes). A red-green colorblind assist mode was added to make attack indicators easier to read.

What is Battle Memories? A boss-rematch mode added in November 2024. After completing any ending, pick it from the main menu to fight previously defeated bosses again; ideal for practicing Eigong.

Is it on consoles? Yes. It launched on PC on May 28, 2024 (Steam date) and on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 26, 2024.

How many endings are there? Two: the Normal Ending and the True Ending.

How long is it? A substantial action-platformer; expect well over a dozen hours for a first run, more if you explore thoroughly.

What is the Nine Sols ARG? A four-year alternate reality game run by Red Candle Games around the story of Shanhai 9000 and Chien. It officially ended in January 2026, with a documentary series recapping it.

Who made Nine Sols? Red Candle Games, the Taiwanese studio behind Detention and Devotion.

Did the 2025 updates break my mods? Possibly; the November 2025 engine update broke some mods. Use the beta branch for the previous stable version if you need them.

Sources

• Nine Sols on Steam
• Nine Sols Steam news (patch notes, Battle Memories, ARG documentary, anniversary)
• Nine Sols on Wikipedia (endings, platforms, release dates)