Yi, the sole playable
Nine Sols has one playable character: Yi. He is a short, pale-furred Solarian Fangshi who woke from a 500-year sleep with a grudge against the Council that wronged him. His Sol Seal is Innovation, and his heart is fused with a Rhizomatic Stabilizer — the device that lets him store Qi, regenerate, and be reborn from the Roots after death.
He starts at 120 HP and can reach 240 HP. Because there is no class system, “building Yi” means building his Jade loadout and skill tree, not picking a character.
Yi’s core kit
Yi’s moves are unlocked progressively, mostly at Anomalous Root Nodes:
- Triple Slash — ground combo of 20 / 20 / 40 (third hit is a finishing blow).
- Deflect (Parry) — precise deflect negates damage, staggers, grants 1 Qi.
- Talisman — dash deals 32 Internal Damage; detonation converts all Internal to Direct.
- Unbounded Counter — ~0.5s charged parry, 60 Internal Damage, blocks Crimson Attacks.
- Charged Strike — 64 base damage (320% slash), a finishing blow.
- Cloud Leap — double jump, gained after the fifth Sol.
- Tai-Chi Kick, Air Dash — counter green-aura Crimson and reposition mid-air.
The Nine Sols he hunts
Yi’s revenge targets the other Council members. The ones who become bosses, in story order, are Goumang (Equality), Yanlao (Legacy), Jiequan (Discipline), Lady Ethereal (Benevolence), the Fengs — Fuxi and Nuwa — Ji (Insight), and finally Eigong (Knowledge). Two allies-turned-obstacles, General: Yingzhao and Xingtian, and the optional Kanghui, round out the roster. The full sequence and seals are in the boss order guide.
Key allies
- Kuafu — Yi’s best friend; returns the Azure Bow and sells upgrades (arrows, Medicine Pipe, Azure Sand Magazines).
- Abacus Ruyi — repairs Yi’s Jade System at the Four Seasons Pavilion.
- Shennong — provides healing brews that raise max HP.
- Chiyou — sells and gifts several Jades.
- Shuanshuan — the apeman Yi shelters; comic relief and emotional anchor.