Acolyte Yanru boss guide: fire gimmick, Flameward, and the scarecrow trigger

At a glance

Acolyte Yanru is one of the four Acolytes serving under the High Elder, concealing herself through a scarecrow within the Discordance. She is an optional fight, and one of the hidden acolytes tied to the Secrets at the Heart of the Lake side quest.

Getting there

Make your way to the Engine Giant Remains, directly east of the Terraces bell in the Village of Lu. Follow the path uphill from the bell; where it ends, jump down into the courtyard on the right side. Once the enemies there are dealt with, turn toward the terraces at the lower right.

The trigger is a scarecrow wrapped in a talisman — visually, a scarecrow covered in red effects. Interact with it and you are teleported to a burning arena where Acolyte Yanru waits.

The fire toolkit

Her entire kit burns. Every ranged attack either explodes on landing, leaves a burning patch on the ground, or sets you on fire directly, so the fight is about reading which fire is safe to stand near.

Block the projectiles, interrupt the casts

Her standing fireballs are the friendliest attack in the game. Blocking them deflects them back at the boss and drains her Sha-chi at the same time, so a defensive player is actually dealing damage here.

The summon is different. When she starts summoning fireballs at your position, the cast can be interrupted: close the gap and hit her in melee, or chip her from a distance with the Flying Daggers. Letting the cast finish means eating an explosion where you stand, so treat the animation as a timer.

The airborne phase

When she rises into midair, stop trying to trade. Two things come down: the diving clones and large fireballs. The clones cannot be parried into an opening — focus purely on avoiding them, along with the fire patches they leave behind. When the fireballs come, they fly in straight lines, so constant lateral movement keeps you out of every one of them without needing a dodge.

The airborne phase ends. Save your stamina for repositioning, not attacking, and she will hand the arena back to you.

Melee: avoid attacking from the front

Her most dangerous melee-range answer is the flamethrower, and it has a clear tell: she spins around in place before projecting a line of fire that tracks you. When the spin starts, move sideways — attacking from the front during it is the fastest way to lose half a health bar.

The upside is that the flamethrower is a trap she set for herself. Acolyte Yanru stays in position until the attack ends, and the tracking is slow, so step beside her and overwhelm her with attacks while the fire points the wrong way.

General melee rules:

• Stay close when she is grounded. Pressuring her keeps her from casting, and melee pressure gives you opportunities to recover HP when needed.
• Push the stagger. Physical attacks can knock her backward even while she is recovering, so a staggered Yanru is a Yanru that does not get to answer.
• Watch the walls. Flaming walls ring the arena — getting caught in them while chasing her is a self-inflicted burn.

Rewards

Defeating Acolyte Yanru rewards you with Yanru’s Blazing Mask.

Notes

• The Flameward is the fight. Half her damage is fire; halve it before you trigger the scarecrow.
• Block her standing fireballs. They deflect back and drain Sha-chi — free progress.
• Interrupt the summon. Melee or Flying Daggers, either works. A finished cast means an explosion on your head.
• Dodge the diving clones. No parry, no punish — just space.
• The flamethrower is a punish window. She spins, she locks in place, you flank and swing.
• Never block in the air. Burning patches punish standing still; dodge and reposition.

Related

• Heartless Remnants bosses — the chapter this fight sits in
• Zhuo Bi — another Village of Lu encounter
• Master Bi Hai — the Bi brothers’ arena in the same region
• Yuzan — a nearby optional duel
• Mu Xiaokui — the Village of Lu’s other Maskwalker fight
• All bosses