Nine Sols Xingtian Boss Guide

The bosses in Nine Sols steadily increase in difficulty as you advance through the game, which is expected from a game inspired by titles like Hollow Knight and Sekiro. As you reach the game's mid-point and prepare to face Yanlao in his facility to obtain the Sol Seal, you'll first need to defeat his bodyguard, Xingtian.

This battle is significantly tougher than previous encounters, but there are a few key details that, once understood, can make the fight much more manageable. In this guide, we'll provide a comprehensive breakdown of how to locate and defeat Xingtian in Nine Sols, along with some essential tips to make this battle a breeze.

Nine Sols Xingtian Boss Location

You'll encounter Xingtian while moving through the Inner Warehouse, specifically after descending the elevator in the center of the room between two large, frog-like energy generators. When you first enter this area, you'll need to restore power to both generators by hacking terminals on opposite sides of the room. Once power is restored, you can take the diagonal elevator (which is amusingly quirky, but I love it) down to face Xingtian.

After descending the elevator, you'll have a brief dialogue with Yanlao before he traps you in the room and summons Xingtian from a tank in the same room. Xingtian is a large, humanoid bipedal creature wielding a massive broadaxe that hits hard and has more to it than meets the eye. 

Xingtian Boss Overview

The boss fight itself consists of a single phase, but Xingtian has a unique ability that makes the fight challenging: a form of self-healing. What makes this fight tricky, especially if you’re unaware, is that you need to interrupt Xingtian's healing, or he’ll continuously regenerate, preventing you from bringing him down to zero health. Before we break down the details of the fight and how to approach it, let’s first discuss Xingtian’s abilities during the battle.

Xingtian Abilities and Attacks

• Axe Mine: Xingtian raises his axe, which then glows crimson before he slams it into the ground. This causes large spheres of electrical energy to spawn across the floor, dealing heavy damage. These spheres will also attempt to spawn in your direction.
• Axe Barrage: Xingtian repeatedly slams his axe on the ground, trying to catch you with each strike. He can slam up to four times in succession.
• Twisted Axe Barrage: Xingtian contorts his body before unleashing an axe barrage, with a delay that can often catch you off guard.
• Healing Kneel: Xingtian takes a knee and begins to heal, making him vulnerable to an attack during this time.

Strategy for Defeating Xingtian

This fight involves learning just a few moves, but they can be deadly if not handled properly. Focus on mastering the parry timing for the Axe Barrage, as successfully parrying can build up your talisman charges for a riposte. It’s also crucial to avoid the Axe Mines rather than engaging Xingtian when they are active, as getting caught between them and the boss can easily result in a one-shot kill.

The key strategy here is to dodge Xingtian’s attacks, parry them when possible, and most importantly, interrupt his Healing Kneel with an Azure Bow shot. Stopping the healing process allows you to gradually whittle down his health. Each time you interrupt his healing, continue to bring his health down until he eventually falls.

This fight isn’t easy, as Xingtian is fast and hits hard, and a small mistake could lead to a quick death. However, knowing about the healing interruption changes the dynamic of the battle, making it more about survival than dealing with massive damage. If you play it safe and focus on staying alive, you’ll eventually take Xingtian down.

So, there you have it—our guide on how to defeat Xingtian in Nine Sols, along with an overview of his abilities and some general tips for taking him down. Once you’ve defeated him, you’ll be facing Yanlao next, so prepare for that battle and good luck!