ENDER LILIES: Spirits Guide

There are twenty-six spirits you can find in Ender Lilies – eight main skills and eighteen sub-skills – each of which have different abilities and uses, which can make it tricky to figure out how each one works without a lot of trial and error (and not everybody has time for that).

This isn’t another tier list, by the way – the idea behind this guide is to help players check their spirits abilities at a glance, give a basic overview of how they work and add in some of my own thoughts on when and how to use them. The spirits you’ll need will vary depending on your own personal tastes and the situation you’re up against, so there really isn’t a “one size fits all” approach.

I’ve listed the spirits in the order in which I found them during the game, which I’m pretty sure is the order intended by the developer.

Each entry starts with where you find the spirit, generally in terms of directions from the geographically closest Respite.

The next section is a basic summary of that spirits capabilities – whether it’s ranged or melee, what its reach is, how it attacks, how enhancements modify it in ways other than increasing attack power, whether it works underwater, how often you can use it (where applicable) and what their Last Rite looks like (if they have one).

This is followed by some field testing notes, which will go into a bit more detail about the various abilities and quirks of that spirit, and some personal notes about how I’ve used that particular spirit.

You meet them in the very first scene of the game.

Ground/Aerial: Ferin attacks with sword slashes – one per press of the attack button, to a maximum of three at first. These become four attacks at level 3, and five attacks at level 6.
Damage: Moderate
Reach: Middle, variable frontal arc (see Field Notes).
Speed: Medium with a boost at level 3
Aquatic? Yes
Last Rite: Ferin unleashes five rapid attacks in the area in front of Lily.
Enhancements: Additional attack at levels 3 and 6.

• Ferin attacks in the direction Lily is facing, which means if Lily changes direction mid-combination, Ferin’s attack will change direction as well.
• If you hold down left or right while attacking, Lily moves slightly forward.
• The second swing of their attack has a wider arc (up to 100 degrees from horizontal) than the first and third. It can strike enemies above Lily, even reaching slightly behind her.
• At level 3, their fourth swing is a low sweep, which can get under the guard of enemies with shields, and can also reach enemies slightly below Lily.
• At level 6, their fifth swing is a flip that covers a similar arc to the second swing.
• Ferin’s Last Rite covers a 90 degree arc in front of Lily, which means it can reach enemies above her.

• Ferin pairs well with any set, and makes an excellent default if you can’t think of anything else.

Siegrid is the first boss fight, to the immediate right of the Cathedral Cloister respite.

Ground: Siegrid appears in front of Lily and whirls her flail around her 3 times, striking enemies in front of and behind Lily. This increases to 4 times at level 3 and 5 times at level 6.
Aerial: Siegrid floats diagonally up in the direction Lily is facing, whirling her flail around her entire body 5 times and striking all enemies in range. This increases to 7 times at level 3 and 9 times at level 6.
Damage: Low
Reach: Middle, front and rear (ground); Close, 360-degree arc (aerial)
Speed: Medium (ground); Fast (aerial)
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 13
Cooldown: 4.5 seconds

Press Jump while in mid-air to do a second, smaller jump. This is your most basic movement upgrade, and you’ll use it all the time. You don’t need to have Siegrid in one of your sets to be able to use Double Jump.

• Each strike from Siegrid’s flail does more damage to an enemy’s stamina (the yellow bar) than it does to their health, making her much more likely to knock an enemy down.
• Siegrid’s aerial attack does less damage per strike (both in terms of health and stamina) compared to her ground attack, but hits more often and covers a full circle around her.
• While on the ground, Siegrid doesn’t move from her position when you call on her.
• Enemies standing where Siegrid is will be hit by her flail when it passes to the front and to the rear.
• As a sub-skill, Siegrid can be used at the same time as a main skill.
• The height of Lily’s second jump is about half the height of her normal jump.

• I found Siegrid useful as a close range anti-air spirit – multiple bludgeoning attacks will help drop stamina faster, making it more likely that she knocks a flying enemy out of the sky (and forcing them to take more damage when they hit the ground).
• This also works for enemies that leap at Lily, such as the slug-like ones, since if they run out of stamina mid-leap Siegrid ends up juggling them.
• She also works well as a trap for an incoming enemy – time it right and they can run right into her flail while you make a getaway or prepare something.
• Siegrid’s cooldown time doesn’t change with enhancement, so keep that in mind if you need to use her more than once in quick succession.
• I like pairing Silva with Siegrid, because they’re sisters and after everything they’ve been through they deserve to fight together.

Cliffside Hamlet Youth is in the second area after the Saint’s Passage respite. The closest respite to him is the Crossroads, which is the next area to the right.

Ground: Youth launches himself in front of you, damaging enemies in an impact zone where he lands on the ground.
Damage: High (see Field Notes)
Range: Short, moderate AoE (see Field Notes)
Speed: Medium
Aquatic? No
Uses: 18
Cooldown: 2.7 seconds (2.4 at level 2, 2.1 at level 4)

• Youth’s range can be increased if Lily summons him while she is mid-air.
• Youth’s attack can only hit targets on the ground, and will not affect aerial enemies unless they happen to be near the impact point.
• If Youth hits a wall or an enemy he won’t explode. He only explodes when he impacts the ground.
• If Youth lands on water, he doesn’t explode – he sinks and explodes when he hits the ground.
• Youth’s attack damages all enemies in the area he lands in, as well as an area approximately one length in front of and behind him.

• Youth is basically a grenade, and as such is handy for clearing clustered enemies.
• If you launch him at the right height, Youth can strike enemies from behind, which is handy for bypassing shielded enemies.

Western Merchant is in the small house in the area above the Collapsed Shack respite.

Aerial: Western Merchant follows behind Lily and launches a homing projectile at the enemy closest to her, at a rate of one every 1.5 seconds. This increases to 3 projectiles at level 3 and 5 projectiles at level 5.
Damage: Low
Range: Long
Speed: Medium
Aquatic? No
Uses: 50
Cooldown: 1 second

• Merchant always launches projectiles in the direction Lily is facing.
• Merchant’s projectiles have a sizeable turning circle, so if the closest enemy is behind Lily then the projectile may crash into an object instead. If the nearest enemy is too close, then Merchant may miss entirely since by the time a projectile “locks on” it’s hit an object.
• Merchant’s projectiles will all target the same enemy.
• Merchant’s projectiles will pass through ledges that Lily can jump through.
• Merchant can target enemies that are beyond what’s visible on your screen.
• Merchant remains with Lily until all projectiles are expended or you press the key he’s linked to again to unsummon him.
• If there are no enemies in range, Merchant doesn’t attack.

• Merchant is one of Lily’s two “drone” spirits.
• I found Merchant useful in a lot of boss fights for the extra damage boost – it’s small, but it’s regular and it all adds up.
• Merchant can also free Lily up if she’s got a lot of enemies to deal with – since you can’t control what Merchant targets, he can aim at one enemy while Lily deals with another.
• I think Merchant pairs well with almost any spirit.

If you go left from the Bridgehead respite and take the path down instead of up, the Headless Defender is in the next area.

Ground/Aerial: If Lily summons Defender just as an attack is about to hit her, he will block the attack and retaliate with a powerful horizontal swing of his sword.
Damage: High
Reach: Middle, with an increase at level 4 (see Field Notes)
Speed: Slow (see Field Notes)
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 12
Cooldown: 4.5 seconds

• Defender can block melee and ranged attacks. This includes attacks launched from above, such as Gerrod’s ground pound attack.
• Defender only blocks attacks coming or originating from the direction Lily is facing.
• Defender must be summoned just before the enemy attack connects – too early and he will vanish before the attack hits his shield, too late and the attack will hit Lily.
• There’s a brief delay between when the attack is blocked and Defender retaliates. Time slows down during this delay.
• The listed Reach and Speed of Defender refer solely to the melee attack he unleashes in retaliation.
• If Lily is in mid-air and she summons Defender, she will stop falling and stay in place in mid-air for the duration of Defender’s animation.

• As the name suggests, Defender is a purely defensive spirit.
• For those confused about the second field note above, I’ve successfully used Defender to block Gerrod’s ground pound boss attack when he came from the direction Lily was facing, but not when it originated from behind.
• Defender’s retaliatory attack is devastating, but it relies on good timing. If you need to practice your timing, equip Fretia’s Ring and practice blocking incoming attacks with it, since it uses similar timing as Defender.
• It’s possible to use Defender’s ability to hold Lily in place mid-air to help her access areas that she’d normally be able to reach later on, but this requires practice with the quirks of your other spirits and well co-ordinated switching between them.

He’s the boss fight set in the area immediately to the right of the Bridgehead respite.

Ground: Gerrod attacks with an upward sweep of his maul that covers a 100 degree arc from horizontal in front of Lily. When he reaches level 3, his second attack involves him slamming his maul into the ground in front of Lily.
Aerial: Gerrod sweeps down with his maul, covering a similar arc to his ground attack. When he reaches level 3, his second attack is a massive sweep upwards that covers an almost 270 degree arc over his head.
Damage: High
Reach: Far, wide arc (see above)
Speed: Slow
Aquatic? No
Last Rite: Gerrod unleashes a powerful roar, damaging every creature around him out to near the edges of the screen.
Enhancements: An additional attack at level 3.

Gerrod can slam into the ground from a height, shattering pustulant barriers directly below him. Thicker barriers require more height to break. This will reveal secrets and open up passageways to make travel a bit easier through areas, as well as squish enemies in the impact zone (which is about the same size as the blast radius of Cliffside Hamlet Youth).

• There is a 1 second delay between you pressing the button and Gerrod’s attack.
• Gerrod’s attack depletes large amounts of an enemy’s stamina bar, which makes him more likely to cause a knockdown.
• If the enemy is right next to Lily, Gerrod’s first attack can miss them.
• If you hold left or right as Gerrod attacks, Lily will shift forward with the momentum of the first swing. If she stays still, she doesn’t move forward with the first swing but she does shift backwards slightly with his second one.
• Lily does not fall when Gerrod is attacking in mid-air. Gerrod’s aerial attack does propel Lily backwards slightly.

• Gerrod hits hard and swings wide, but you need to take the slowness of his swing into account with your attacks, since it’s quite possible for an enemy to get a hit in before Gerrod annihilates them.
• Gerrod is amazing at knocking flying creatures out of the sky – especially given that the game inflicts falling damage on your enemies.
• I find that pairing Gerrod with a spirit that can do close-range melee (such as Ulv, the Mad Knight or the Floral Sorceress) is handy to help manage the problem of enemies getting inside his reach or bad timing.

If you go right from the Dryad Lake respite, and then climb up that area to the top, you’ll get to the area where the Fungal Sorcerer lives.

Ground/Aerial: The Fungal Sorcerer summons a poison gas cloud directly in front of Lily that lingers for five seconds before dissipating. The cloud causes damage over time to any enemy that enters and remains in its area.
Damage: Low; inflicts damage once every 0.5 seconds.
Reach: Close, moderate AoE with an increase at level 3.
Speed: Medium
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 12
Cooldown: 6 seconds

• Assuming the letter you find in the same area as him is his, his name is Melville.
• Sorcerer starts at Level 2 when you get him.
• Lily is immune to the gas summoned by the Sorcerer.
• The cloud doesn’t move from where it appears.
• If summoned while Lily is in mid-air, Lily will continue to fall.
• The cloud occupies a large amount of space, approximately similar to the blast area of the Cliffside Hamlet Youth, and extending beyond the reach of Gerrod’s attack.

• This is another excellent spirit for laying traps – I find he works well with Siegrid or any spirit that can perform ranged attacks (such as Eleine, Hoenir, or the Elder Crypt Keeper) for dealing with enemies that have a habit of charging directly at Lily.
• Sorcerer is also handy against slow-moving enemies, since they won’t be able to get out of the cloud quickly.

If you enter the second door of the Witch’s Hermitage respite (the one to the right of the actual respite point), you’ll find the Floral Sorceress in the lower section of that map area.

Ground/Aerial: Sorceress manifests and spins rapidly in place, striking enemies in her reach 4 times.
Damage: Low (see Field Notes)
Reach: Close, column above and below current position to a total of approximately half the screen height. This range increases at Level 4.
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 12
Cooldown: 4 seconds

• When you defeat Sorceress in battle, she calls out to “Melville,” implying that she is the Fungal Sorcerer’s partner.
• Sorceress starts at Level 2 when you get her.
• Sorceress doesn’t move from where she appears.
• If summoned while Lily is in mid-air, Lily will continue to fall.
• Sorceress deals large amounts of stamina damage, making her more likely to cause a knockdown.
• If Sorceress causes a knockdown, the enemy will also be hurled away from her. This doesn’t apply to bosses, enemies that don’t move, and and enemies that are Gerrod’s size or larger.

• Sorceress is another spirit that’s great for knocking flying enemies out of the sky, or for getting enemies away from Lily.
• You can also use her in tandem with a ranged spirit (such as Eleine, Hoenir, or Faden) as a quick barrier to shoot behind.

Eleine is the boss fight of the Coven area – she’s in the map area down from the Coven Halls respite.

Ground/Aerial: Eleine appears and launches a projectile that homes towards the nearest enemy. If there are no enemies, the projectile travels in a straight line. Pressing the button she’s assigned to lets her launch more projectiles – she launches 3 to start off with, then 4 at level 3.
Damage: Moderate
Range: Medium
Speed: Medium, with a speed increase at levels 3 and 5.
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 70
Last Rite: Eleine manifests where Lily is standing and launches 9 projectiles in a 180 degree arc spread. If Lily is on the ground, the arc is above her; if Lily is in mid-air, the arc is below her.

Lily can now swim underwater rather than just on the surface. She can dodge and fight underwater as well (with the right spirits), and can swim against the flow of waterfalls.

• Eleine is at level 2 when you get her.
• Eleine always launches projectiles in the direction Lily is facing.
• Eleine’s projectiles have a turning circle, so if the closest enemy is behind Lily then the projectile may crash into an object instead. If the nearest enemy is too close, then Eleine may miss entirely since by the time a projectile “locks on” it’s hit an object.
• Eleine’s projectiles have a smaller turning circle than the Western Merchant’s projectiles.
• Eleine’s projectiles will pass through ledges that Lily can jump through.
• Eleine can target enemies that are beyond what’s visible on your screen.
• Eleine’s projectiles do not extend beyond the borders of your screen.
• If used in mid-air, Lily will hover in place until Eleine launches the projectile, then she falls.
• There is a slight delay between Eleine launching the second and third projectiles.
• The third and fourth projectiles have a slightly wider turning circle than the first two.

• Since Eleine’s projectiles don’t go past your screen but will always veer towards the nearest enemy, you can use her projectiles to give you a hint on whether there are enemies nearby but outside of the screen.
• I usually have Eleine in my second slot for a loadout – have the main one be a melee spirit, with Eleine on hand for ranged assistance.

Starting from the Ossuary respite, you go to the right area and then go down; the Fallen Archer is near the bottom.

Ground/Aerial: Archer appears behind Lily and fires multiple arrows; these arrows travel diagonally up in the direction Lily is facing, covering a wide column. He fires 5 arrows at first, increasing to 6 at level 3.
Damage: Moderate
Range: Far, wide diagonal column
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? No
Uses: 16
Cooldown: 3.5 seconds

• Archer is at level 2 when you find him.
• The arrows fly in a straight line, but they don’t fly parallel to each other.
• Arrows will pass through ledges that Lily can jump through.
• Enemies can be hit by multiple arrows.
• Archer’s arrows can hit enemies that aren’t on screen.
• Archer’s arrows are the fastest projectiles Lily has access to.

• Archer does well against flying or otherwise airborne enemies, as long as you can get them in his area of fire.
• I also found him handy against particularly acrobatic bosses, such as Ulv or Hoenir.
• You can also use him against particularly massive enemies, but you have better options.
• I find that he pairs well most of Lily’s main spirits, especially ones with limited reach above Lily or slow attack speed.

While the closest respite is the Charnel, you won’t be able to go left from it at first. You’ll have to go up and around – start from Bottom of the Well, go down, and then go down again to land in the same room as Elder Crypt Keeper.

Ground/Aerial: When summoned, Keeper appears above and behind Lily and fires projectiles in a spread arc in front of her. Enemies hit by a projectile are frozen in place for approximately 2 seconds. Keeper fires 4 projectiles, increasing to 6 at level 3.
Damage: Low
Range: Short to Medium (see Field Notes)
Speed: Medium
Aquatic? No
Uses: 13
Cooldown: 5 seconds

• Keeper is at level 2 when you find him.
• Keeper’s projectiles are spread evenly between short range and medium range.
• The stunning effect doesn’t work on bosses.
• Given how the projectiles spread, it’s possible for an enemy to move through the area of effect in such a way as to dodge all of Keeper’s projectiles. Increasing the number of projectiles reduces the chances of this happening.
• Keeper’s projectiles will vanish if they hit a barrier such as a wall or ceiling.

• Keeper does well in open spaces – cramped quarters are going to block most, if not all, of his projectiles.

Silva is the boss fight of the Catacombs – the closest accessible respite to her is the Great Hall, where you go down and then right to find her. The Ossuary is closer on the map (it’s immediately to the right of the boss fight room) but I haven’t found a way to access the left exit from the Ossuary without having already beaten Silva.

Ground: SIlva manifests in front of Lily and has a 2 attack combination – she starts with a downward strike covering a 100 degree arc, then follows it up with an upward swing covering a similar arc.
Aerial: Silva manifests and sweeps her hammer twice in a 120 degree arc starting from horizontal and going below where Lily is.
Charged: Holding down the attack button causes Silva to hold in place and charge up a hammer strike that follows the trajectory of her first attack. The charged attack will hit 5 times for smaller amounts of damage for each strike compared to her single swing, but a larger total amount.
Damage: High
Reach: Middle, variable arc (see above)
Speed: Slow, with an increase at level 5.
Aquatic? Yes
Last Rite: Silva’s boss fight form manifests and shrieks, repeatedly damaging enemies in a significant square-shaped area around Lily once every 0.25 seconds over approximately 2 seconds.

Lily’s dash now becomes an actual dash instead of the dive-sploot she started off with. It’s faster and let’s her cover a good distance in mid-air, which you’ll need for a lot of the trickier jump sequences.

• Silva is at level 3 when you find her.
• Defeating Silva is when you gain access to the Last Rites ability.
• There is a 0.5 second delay between pressing the attack button and the attack happening.
• There is a 0.5 second delay between finishing Silva’s attack combination and being able to start it again.
• If you hold left or right down as Silva attacks, Lily moves forward with each strike.
• If Lily changes direction partway through Silva’s combination, the second attack will happen in the new direction Lily is facing.
• SIlva’s aerial attacks move Lily upwards and backwards slightly. This also happens if she attacks while Lily is underwater.
• Silva’s charged attack can be held indefinitely while Lily is on the ground.
• Lily cannot do anything else while Silva is holding a charged attack.
• If you hold down the attack button while Lily is in mid-air, she will remain in place for 2 seconds while the attack charges and is released.
• If Lily gets hit while charging Silva’s attack, the attack is interrupted.
• Silva’s attacks do large amounts of stamina damage, making her more likely to cause a knockdown.
• Silva’s charged attack will damage and eventually break the floating spike mines you see in some underwater areas.

• The quirks of Silva’s aerial attack are very useful for helping with getting to difficult areas – combine her with the Headless Defender or Gerrod to help get to places early (such as the area where the Cliffside Hamlet Elder is, which I think you usually need Julius or Hoenir for).
• Silva makes a good mid-point main skill between Ferin and Gerrod.
• I like pairing Silva with Siegrid, because they’re sisters and after everything they’ve been through they deserve to fight together.

Fallen Sentinel is in the area between the Guest Chambers and the Bastion Gates. The easiest way is to climb up from the Bastion Gates and go through the upper left exit to get there – you need Hoenir to access it from the Guest Chambers.

Ground/Aerial: Sentinel manifests and lunges forward with its spear in the direction Lily is facing, damaging all creatures in their path.
Damage: Moderate
Range: Far, straight line from manifestation point.
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? No
Uses: 12
Cooldown: 4 seconds

• If summoned while Lily is in mid-air, she will continue to fall.
• Sentinel’s attack will damage multiple enemies in its path.
• There is an approximately 1 second delay between Sentinel manifesting and attacking.
• If Sentinel hits a shielded enemy, its attack still continues past it.

• Sentinel is great for skewering enemies in groups or way over somewhere Lily can’t quite reach. Just be careful of the delay if you’re using it on an enemy in front of Lily.

Ulv is the boss of the Twin Spire Bastion level, and his room is directly above the Mourning Hall respite at the top.

Ground/Aerial: Ulv unleashes a pair of claw attacks directly in front of Lily,
Charged: Holding down the attack button causes Ulv to do one claw attack and then hold his claw in place for 3 seconds before unleashing a close range blast of energy.
Damage: Low
Reach: Middle, area directly in front of Lily
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? Yes
Last Rite: Ulv appears and slams his claw into the ground directly in front of Lily, causing large amounts of damage to any enemy there.

This lets you climb vertical surfaces, whether you’ve got Ulv equipped or not, and it’s going to be handy for getting over walls to other areas and to help set you up for other, more complex jumps.

• Ulv is at level 3 when you get him.
• Once you have Ulv, you can reach Land’s End and get Ending A.
• Ulv’s wall climbing ability doesn’t work on sloped walls, only vertical ones.
• One button press unleases two claw attacks.
• Ulv lunges forward for the second claw attack, giving it a better reach than his first.
• An enemy caught in the charge area in front of Ulv takes a small amount of damage every 0.25 seconds while it’s charging.
• An enemy attack that hits Lily while Ulv is charging interrupts the attack.

• Being a highly agile and mobile sort, Ulv works well with players that are quick on their dodging and blocking. Learning how to get in and out of an enemies’ reach quickly will help you get the most out of Ulv.
• Pair him with Elder Crypt Keeper to take advantage of the Keeper’s stunning effect for particularly troublesome enemies.
• I’d also suggest pairing him with someone who can do large amounts of damage in one go as well, such as Gerrod or Silva.
• You’ll also want to have a spirit with ranged attack capability with him as well, such as Western Merchant, given that he tends to be up close and personal.

Once you have Ulv, you can get to this area by climbing up the open shaft at the Cathedral Cloister respite. Be warned that the enemies in this area are much tougher than the enemies in the rest of the Cathedral, and you’ll also need Julius and Hoenir if you want to get all the secrets.

Ground/Aerial: Guardian hurls her circular blade in front of Lily, which then travels in a semi-circle around the area before returning to Guardian.
Damage: High
Reach/Range: Medium, semi-circular around Lily (see Field Notes)
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 15
Cooldown: 4 seconds

• The semi-circular path of the blade is off-centre – the midpoint of the semi-circle is a little bit in front of Lily.
• The circular blade can pass through barriers.
• Hitting an enemy doesn’t stop the blade from completing its path.
• Enemies that are inside the semi-circular path the blade makes won’t be hit by it.
• The blade damages enemies along its entire path, including when it’s thrown and when Guardian catches it again.

• The wide arc of Guardian’s blade, and the way it can pass through barriers, makes her useful for hitting enemies in awkward places.
• Remember that there’s a big hole in the area she can hit with her blade, so pairing her with spirits that can take care of enemies inside that area is a must.

Starting from the Bridgehead respite, go left to the next area and then go to the upper exit of that area.
Note: It’s possible to get to this area as soon as you defeat Silva, since you can use her dash and the quirk of Gerrod’s or Silva’s aerial attack to make the distance; however, the enemies in this area are significantly stronger than the enemies in the rest of the village, so be careful. In addition, you’ll need to have Ulv to be able to pick up all the secrets.

Ground: Elder leaps into the air and slams down onto the ground some distance in front of Lily, damaging enemies around where he impacts.
Damage: High
Range: Moderate, moderate AoE
Speed: Slow
Aquatic? No
Uses: 12
Cooldown: 4.7 seconds

• Elder is level 3 when you find him.
• Elder launches himself from wherever Lily is standing; his range is not affected by Lily’s height.
• Elder passes through enemies and platforms Lily can jump through, only impacting and dealing damage when he lands on the ground.
• Elder can leap over barriers and onto higher elevations.
• Elder’s trajectory is harmless while he is going up; he only has the potential to deal damage when his trajectory reaches its apex and starts going down.
• When Elder is going down, he will impact on the first surface he reaches.
• If Elder hits the water, he will sink to the bottom and impact there.

• Elder is similar to the Youth in that he is a grenade, but he’s one with a different trajectory, larger range, and more damage.
• Bear in mind that, if the area you’re hoping Elder will hit is higher than the apex of his jump, he won’t land on it and will pass through it.
• Elder pairs well with a melee spirit that works at close range, such as Ulv, or with a ranged spirit that can cover the space between his impact point and Lily, such as Elder Crypt Keeper or Cliffside Hamlet Youth.
• I also found him fun to use with Floral Sorceress, just to give an enemy a really bad time.

Once you have Ulv, you can go back to the Bridgehead respite, go right through the area you fought Gerrod, keep going right and over the wall in the next area, and into another area beyond, where the Maiden is (the area before you first enter the Castle).
Note: This is the only sub-boss that doesn’t attack you. You still can’t leave the area she’s in until you kill her.

Ground: Maiden patrols around Lily, charging forward and attacking the first enemy she sees before returning to Lily’s side.
Damage: 3
Reach: Medium (see Field Notes)
Speed: 4
Aquatic? No
Uses: 60
Cooldown: 0.5 seconds

• Maiden is one of Lily’s two “drone” spirits.
• Maiden calls Lily by her name when she’s defeated, implying that she knew her before everything happened.
• Maiden is at level 3 when you find her.
• Maiden unsummons herself if you move to a new area.
• Maiden can follow Lily if she walks off a height, but not if Lily jumps down through one.
• Maiden can accidentally fall off a ledge if her attack lunge takes her over one. If that happens, she gets stuck on the level below and won’t be able to get back to Lily.
• Maiden cannot climb. If Lily jumps up to higher platform, Maiden will follow underneath her. She will continue to attack enemies she sees.
• Maiden may glitch and forget how to climb stairs if you go up to an area above her and then come back down. Unsummoning her and summoning her again generally fixes this problem.
• When charging at enemies, Maiden will attack multiple enemies during a charge. She can also attack the same enemy twice – once on the way out and once on the way back.

• I like pairing her with Western Merchant so I have two spirits doing independent targeting for me.
• Maiden’s lack of mobility compared to Western Merchant may be a dealbreaker for some, but I think her quick summoning cooldown makes up for it.

Julius is the boos fight of the Castle, in the area directly to the right of the King’s Chambers respite.

Ground/Aerial: Julius stabs his spear forward in front of Lily, in a combination of three strikes.
Damage: High
Reach: Far, narrow arc in front of Lily.
Speed: Medium
Aquatic? No
Last Rite: Julius will quickly charge up his lance and unleash a blast of energy in a straight line in front of Lily going beyond the edge of the screen. Every enemy caught in the blast takes damage 10 times over approximately 1 second.

When Lily dashes, if you keep hold of the dash button then Julius appears and carries her under one arm, the other holding his spear forth in a charge. If done in mid-air, this extends her jump distance.

While charging, you can press the attack button to unleash a powerful stab from Julius’ spear that will pierce pustulant barriers over doorways. The more of a run-up he has, the stronger the stab will be.

• Julius is level 4 when you find him.
• Dashing will not hit enemies in the path – it will stop the dash and hurt Lily.
• If you start the dash from a higher elevation and fall onto a flat surface, the dash will continue.
• Piercing Spectral Lance has three strengths. The first one is available if you dash and attack almost immediately, which is enough get through small pustulant walls.
• After approximately 1 second of dashing, you will see a red flash around Julius – this is the second strength, which will pierce through thicker barriers.
• After approximately 2 seconds of dashing, you will see a second, bigger red flash around Julius – this is the third and final strength, which will pierce even the thickest barriers.
• If you release the lance while in mid-air, Lily will continue to fall while Julius thrusts forward.
• If you press any other button while dashing, the dash will be cancelled.
• If you hold down left or right while attacking on the ground, Lily will move forward with each thrust.

• If there’s a thick pustulant barrier but it doesn’t look like there’s enough room for a run-up to get enough charge, look around in areas above where the barrier is – since the charge continues if you fall to another flat surface, there may be a corridor or spot higher up that will give you the distance you need.
• If you’re trying to pierce a barrier, make sure you hit the attack button a bit before the spear actually reaches the barrier, or it will miss.
• I usually pair Julius with another spirit that can help cover the narrowness of his reach.
• Lily also looks really cute when she does the Superman flying pose with Julius.

Fellwyrm is in the area immediately to the right of the Monument of the Wind respite. You’ll need to have Julius to pierce the pustulant barrier blocking off its room.

Ground/Aerial: Fellwyrm appears above Lily and exhales a purple-grey cloud of toxic gas in a rectangular area around Lily, with her at the centre. This vapour lasts for 5 seconds, dealing damage once every approximately 0.5 seconds.
Damage: Medium
Reach: Far, rectangular area around Lily
Speed: Moderate
Aquatic? No
Uses: 10
Cooldown: 6.5 seconds

• Fellwyrm is level 3 when you find it.
• Lily is immune to the gas summoned by the Fellwyrm.
• The cloud doesn’t move from where it appears.
• If summoned while Lily is in mid-air, Lily will continue to fall.
• The gas passes through walls.
• The gas covers an area approximately equivalent to two of the Cliffside Hamlet Elders standing next to each other, and deals damage to all enemies in that area.

• Like Fungal Sorcerer, Fellwyrm is great for creating traps for your enemies or helping deal with slow-moving ones. Fellwyrm’s gas covers a much larger area and deals more damage, but you can’t use it as often.
• Fellwyrm is effectively an “upgraded” version of Fungal Sorcerer.
• Paired with a melee skill and a ranged one, Fellwyrm will help cause huge amounts of damage to your enemies.

Start at the Aqueduct respite and go to the upper right exit. On the map screen you come to, you want to take the third upper exit – it’s one of the doors on the upper level – to get to where he’s hiding.

Ground/Aerial: Subject’s urn manifests over (or in front of, if aerial) Lily for 1 second. If an enemy’s attack would hit in that time, the attack is blocked and Subject sticks his head out of the urn and shrieks, damaging all creatures in a radius around Lily.
Damage: High
Reach: Middle (see Field Notes)
Speed: Moderate
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 10
Cooldown: 5 seconds

• Subject is level 4 when you find him.
• Subject can block melee and ranged attacks. This includes attacks launched from above, such as Gerrod’s ground pound attack.
• Subject blocks attacks from any direction.
• Subject must be summoned just before the enemy attack connects – too early and he will vanish before the attack hits his urn, too late and the attack will hit Lily.
• There’s a brief delay between when the attack is blocked and Subject retaliates. Time slows down during this delay.
• The listed Reach and Speed of Subject refer solely to the melee attack he unleashes in retaliation.
• If Lily is in mid-air and she summons Subject, she will stop falling and stay in place in mid-air for the duration of Subject’s animation.

• Subject is similar to Defender, but his blocking effect is omnidirectional and the retaliatory attack hits in an area rather than just in front of Lily. Much like Fellwyrm, he is an “upgraded” version of an earlier spirit.
• Part of me wishes Subject was a main skill because the mental image of Lily sneaking her way through levels in an urn Metal Gear Solid style is funny.

If you start at the Execution Grounds respite, go left and from the next area go up and to the upper right entrance. The quick way is to have the Executioner’s Hook, but you can get around to it via other areas.

Ground/Aerial: Executioner manifests behind the enemy closest to Lily and swings down with his poleaxe.
Damage: High
Range: Middle, 100 degree arc swing
Speed: Medium
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 40
Cooldown: 1.2 seconds

• Executioner’s swing can hit multiple enemies in range.
• If there are no valid targets for Executioner to reach, he will manifest directly behind Lily and swing down instead. This also happens if he attempts to target an enemy that vanishes (such as the other executioners in the Execution Grounds).
• Executioner cannot target enemies that don’t have a direct line of sight to Lily (such as an enemy visible on a level above on-screen but not in sight of Lily).
• There is a brief delay between manifestation and attack.

• Executioner is great for dealing with shielded enemies, since he hits them from behind.
• Remember, he always goes for the enemy closest to Lily. If there’s a cluster he can hit multiple enemies.
• It’s completely possible for a fast enough enemy to dodge or move out of reach of Executioner as he manifests and swings, so watch your timing.

Hoenir is the boss of the Execution Grounds, to the right of the Execution Grounds respite.

Ground/Aerial: Hoenir hurls daggers in a straight line ahead of Lily. He can hurl up to 5 daggers in combination, but each dagger counts as one use.
Damage: Low
Range: Medium, straight line in front of Lily.
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 110
Cooldown: 0
Last Rite: Hoenir hurls 10-12 daggers in rapid succession, repeatedly damaging enemies in front of Lily.

This is your grappling hook – it lets Lily hook onto hanging points, which are all dangling blue lanterns, and lets her access even more areas than before.

• Hoenir is at level 3 when you find him.
• If Lily is hit while travelling on the Executioner’s Hook, the hook is interrupted and you’ll need to send it out again.
• The hook targets the nearest hook point in the direction Lily is going. If she’s going up, she will target the next point above her; if she’s going down, she targets the point below her.
• Using the hook counts as landing for the purposes of getting Lily’s double jump and dash back.
• Hoenir’s attacks only go in a straight line – if Lily is on an incline, the attacks will not follow it and will either sail over an enemy’s head or hit the ground.
• Hoenir’s Last Rite has a shorter range than his normal attack.

• The Executioner’s Hook takes practice, especially if you’re trying to chain hooks together to climb, or if you’re trying to jump and maneuver around between hooks.
• Hoenir is great for rapid damage, but definitely pair him with someone who has a wider attack arc than him to cover enemies attacking from other directions.

Once you have Ulv and Hoenir, head back to the Tower Alcove respite and use the lanterns to get up to the shaft at the top of the room to access the area you’ll fight Aegis.

Ground/Aerial: Aegis manifests and slams his sword into the ground in front of Lily, damaging enemies nearby.
Damage: High
Reach: Close, moderate area in front of Lily and small area behind Lily
Speed: Slow
Aquatic? No
Uses: 11
Cooldown: 4.7 seconds

• If summoned while Lily is in mid-air, he falls to the ground and strikes there. Note that Aegis falls slower than Lily, so Lily will land before he does.
• If summoned over water, Aegis will sink to the bottom and impact there.
• The centre point of the area of effect is where Aegis strikes his sword, which is a bit in front of Lily.
• The area of effect is about the same size as that of the Cliffside Hamlet Elder.

• While Aegis’s attack has a nice area, it hits more in front of Lily than it does behind, so keep that in mind if you’ve got something sneaking up behind her.
• Aegis also does a lot of stamina damage, so what doesn’t get killed can get knocked down and make your life just a bit easier.

From the Subterranean Lab B4 respite, go left to the next screen and sink all the way to the bottom – Sinner is in the water. Make sure you’ve got the Executioner’s Mask on and keep in mind that you’ll be fighting in Blighted water, so Lily will be taking continuous damage over time.

Ground/Aerial: Sinner appears and lunges his entire body forward, propelling Lily along with him.
Damage: High
Reach: Far, straight line in the direction Lily is facing.
Speed: Fast
Aquatic? Yes
Uses: 16
Cooldown: 3 seconds

• You may occasionally see other sites referring to this spirit as “Incompetent Swimmer.”
• Sinner’s attack will strike multiple enemies in his path.
• If summoned in mid-air, Lily stops falling and is propelled along with Sinner.
• Using Sinner in mid-air doesn’t count as landing for the purposes of Lily getting her double jump or dash back.

• While is attack is powerful, the main thing you’re going to use Sinner for is exploration – you’ll need him in conjunction with Lily’s Dash and the Verboten Champion to reach some of the most out of the way areas and get the secrets there. Having him and the Verboten Champion in the same set is a must.

You find Faden after fighting his partner Miriel in the area to the left of the Subterranean Lab B5 respite. He’s the only other main skill spirit that you don’t fight.

Ground/Aerial: Faden appears and fires three projectiles in a shotgun-like arc spread – one going straight ahead, the other two diagonally ahead (one up, one down).
Damage: High
Range: Long
Speed: Slow
Aquatic? No
Uses: 40
Cooldown: 0
Last Rite: Faden summons up on of his partner’s claws to damage all enemies in front of Lily.

You know all those locked doors Lily’s run into occasionally, like the one in the very first area she started in? Faden’s got the keys.

• There is an approximately 1 second delay between summoning Faden and him firing.
• If used at a close enough range, multiple projectiles can strike the same enemy.
• The projectiles all travel in an arc, and will start to travel down over a long enough distance.

• I don’t know what it’s meant to be, but Faden looks like he’s firing half a bagpipe.
• His blast is powerful but slow – I find he’s best paired with someone who can cover the melee while his blast charges.

Verboten Champion is behind a locked door in the area that’s equal distance between Subterranean Lab B1 and Subterranean Lab B2 respites. From B1 you go down and aim for the right exit; from B2 (which is the closer of the two) you go left and then up. You need Faden to get to him, so he will be the last spirit you find.

Ground/Aerial: Champion leaps upwards with a claw strike, propelling Lily along with him.
Damage: Low
Reach: Close, upward line starting from Lily.
Speed: Moderate
Aquatic? No
Uses: 14
Cooldown: 3 seconds

• Champion’s attack can strike the same enemy twice.
• Champion’s attack reaches through walls and barriers.
• If summoned on the ground, Champion’s attack counts as Lily’s first jump, but she can double jump after it.
• If summoned in mid-air, Champion propels Lily higher and she can still double jump afterwards.
• Champion’s attack also moves Lily forward slightly.
• You can summon Champion after using Hoenir’s hook.

• Like Incompetent Sinner, you’ll mainly be using Champion for exploration, to help with those last few tricky jumps. Have him and Incompetent Sinner in the same set to keep things easy for you.
• Keep in mind that Champion has less uses than Incompetent Sinner.

By Lofwyr