Nine Sols Jiequan Boss Guide

As you progress through Nine Sols, the bosses become increasingly challenging, much like in games such as Hollow Knight and Sekiro, which serve as its inspiration. About halfway through the game, you'll encounter a true skill-check boss named Jiequan.

Jiequan is significantly more difficult than any previous boss, requiring you to fully utilize all the abilities you've acquired up to this point to secure victory. In this guide, we'll show you how to find Jiequan and provide a detailed breakdown of defeating this formidable boss in Nine Sols.

Nine Sols Jiequan Boss Location

Jiequan is the boss you'll take on after defeating Yanlao. While your first encounter with him will result in being defeated and captured, you will quickly escape confinement and make your way toward the boss. Jiequan is located in Shengwu Hall, the area above the Factory Production Area and Factory Great Hall.

Before taking on Jiequan, it should be noted that there is a way to weaken the boss slightly before engaging him. This is optional and won’t significantly affect the strategy for the fight overall, but if you're looking for a few free hits, it’s recommended that you find the Gene Eradicator, a special item that can weaken Jiequan.

To find it, head to the door sealed by two Guardian Statues in the Factory Production Area. These two Guardian Statues require you to use the recently obtained Unbounded Counter, which allows you to deflect crimson attacks. Once both statues are dealt with, the door will unlock, and inside you will find the Gene Eradicator.

Once you have this item, proceed to Shengwu Hall, and before the fight, place the Gene Eradicator into the Transmutation Crucible (the pod where Jiequan is resting). Doing so will cause Jiequan to stop combat during certain sections of the fight to cough up blood, as you’ve essentially poisoned him. If you don’t use it, Jiequan will only stop when staggered as usual, so the choice is yours.

Jiequan Boss Overview

Jiequan is a two-phase boss fight. After depleting his first health bar, he powers up and gains additional health. Aside from a teleportation ability, he doesn’t gain any new moves, so he’s not a true two-phase boss. However, both "phases" are challenging, as he uses a mix of ranged, close-up, AoE, and crimson attacks, occasionally deploying barriers and even healing himself.

Ultimately, the key to this fight is recognizing attack patterns through telegraphing and using your Unbounded Counter ability to stagger him whenever possible. Let’s take a look at the abilities Jiequan will use during both phases and discuss the best strategies to defeat him.

Jiequan Attacks And Abilities

• Spear Combo - Jiequan performs a three-strike combo with a spear, with the final attack being slightly delayed.
• Spear Crash - Jiequan leaps into the air with his spear and then stabs forward as he crashes to the ground towards you.
• Guandao Slam - Jiequan jumps into the air, switches to a Guandao, and performs a heavy overhead swing down towards you.
• Crimson Guandao Slam - Jiequan charges his Guandao with crimson energy before swinging it overhead and crashing it to the ground on top of you. If not parried, it will spawn two crimson tornadoes that move to opposite ends of the arena, leaving fire on the ground as they travel.
• Crimson Spear Dash - Jiequan charges the spear with crimson energy before dashing forward, attempting to impale you.
• Sword Thrust - Jiequan summons a sword from behind him, which has a slight delay before being launched forward.
• Kunai Burst - Jiequan spawns three Kunai around him that then fly towards your location at rapid speed.
• Spike Explosives - Jiequan throws explosives across the arena that explode after a short delay, dealing AoE damage if you are caught in the blast.
• Shield Regeneration - Jiequan spawns a shield around himself and takes a sip from his teapot to regain some health.
• Teleportation (Phase 2 only) - Jiequan begins teleporting around the arena to catch you off guard.

Jiequan Boss Fight Overview

In the fight against Jiequan, you don’t need to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, unlike many other bosses. Instead, focus on staying as close to him as possible. This approach has two benefits: first, if you’ve used the Gene Eradicator, you'll be close enough to deliver a few hits or an Azure Bow shot when he pauses to cough. Second, staying close lets you counter any attacks that can be parried.

Maintaining proximity also reduces the risk of getting hit by his Spear Crash attack, which has a large hitbox and can catch you even if you time your parry correctly. Therefore, stay close and parry his Spear Combos (which are initially challenging but become easier with practice), as well as his Guandao Slam and Sword Thrust, the latter of which has a slight delay.

As you inflict more damage, Jiequan will become more aggressive and use his Crimson Guandao Slam and Crimson Spear Dash. For the Crimson Spear Dash, it’s recommended to jump over it or use the Tai Chi kick parry, as his hitbox is quite large and Unbounded Counter may not always be feasible. The Guandao Slam has a clear build-up, so you can prepare and use Unbounded Counter to stagger him for some free hits.

If you miss the counter or are far away when he performs the attack, stay on one side of the arena to avoid the mini crimson tornadoes and flames, then dash in and move through the area to a safer spot. Kunai Burst can be parried mid-air, which is more reliable. Lastly, avoid the Spike Explosives as they can stun-lock you; jump over them as soon as they hit the ground and dash toward Jiequan.

His Shield Regeneration can be destroyed with a charged sword strike, so be sure to charge it up as soon as you see him activate the barrier to limit his health recovery. When dealing with his teleportation, use it to your advantage by drawing him away from areas affected by Crimson Guandao Slam or Spike Explosives. However, be wary as he might chain a teleport directly into another attack.

Overall, this fight relies on knowing how to punish Jiequan and playing more aggressively. Parrying and Unbounded parrying will be crucial, and the more you practice and learn his moves, the easier it becomes. Once you get a handle on his abilities and when to parry for those easy punishes, you'll be well on your way to defeating him without much trouble.