Quick answer: Counter Iron Fever’s punch sequences, evade the red-flash grab and airborne slam, let his lengthy combos finish before retaliating, and heal only from a distance of at least 4 m.
Stone Hand Iron Fever is a bare-knuckle brawler in iron gauntlets, a horned red demon mask, and chains across his bare chest. He hits fast and often. He also has a huge health bar, which makes this a very long fight.
Stone Hand Iron Fever at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Name bar | “STONE HAND IRON FEVER” |
| Health | 33,062 HP (Pathbreaker and Wayfarer) |
| Location | Crimson Forest, below the Mirrorwood Entrance bell |
| Weapons | Fists in iron gauntlets |
| Respawn point | Mirrorwood Entrance bell, full HP and heals |
| Reward | Iron Gauntlets (Martial Phantom Edge) |
| Fight length | Long: he has a large health pool |
Lowering the difficulty does not reduce his health. He has a large health pool, so expect a long fight. Death restores his entire health bar. You respawn at the bell with full HP and all heals restored.
Where the fight happens
The fight takes place in a muddy clearing among ruined wooden scaffolds and large, pale tree roots. From the Mirrorwood Entrance bell, descend two ladders to get there. The opening cutscene appears on your first visit only; Iron Fever attacks as soon as it ends. On subsequent attempts, entering the clearing triggers his charge. For his position in the overall sequence, see the full list of bosses.
Have your guard or dodge ready the moment you get control back, because his first rush comes immediately.
Stone Hand Iron Fever’s attacks
Damage figures are rounded and show what each hit costs Soul on Pathbreaker, where Soul has 892 max HP. His punches start sooner than the wind-up suggests. The first hit of a string often connects about half a second after he begins it.
| Attack | Tell | Damage to Soul | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grab | Red flash, lunge from about 4 m | ~235 + ~118 follow-up | Dodge, then dodge again |
| Leaping slam / jump attack | Red flash, leap from a few metres | ~280 | Dodge as he lands, then punish |
| Leaping dust slam | Jumps up, dust cloud on landing | Varies | Leave the landing spot |
| Long four-hit combo | Wide swinging strikes | ~520 for the full string | Parry or guard throughout |
| Bounding leap and flurry | Bounds in from 8-9 m | ~350 | Let him land, parry the flurry |
| Back-off rush | Hops back, pauses, rushes in | ~235 (~330 on Wayfarer) | Hold position, defend the rush |
| Quick punch strings | Two or three fast punches | ~118-141 per punch | Parry |
The leaping dust slam is easy to spot: he jumps high and crashes down where Soul is standing, throwing up a cloud of dust and debris. Move out of the landing spot instead of blocking in place.
Red-flash attacks: the grab and the leaping slam
A red flare forms around Iron Fever and his name bar turns red before he uses the grab or leaping slam. The combat tutorial instructs you to dodge shortly before a red-flash attack connects; parrying is not the answer.
The grab does the most total damage in the fight. Four grabs in one run on Pathbreaker cost about 700 HP. Most of them landed because Soul walked back in to punish after the first dodge. Iron Fever can lunge a second time, so plan on a second dodge for the follow-up lunge before you close the distance.
The leaping slam starts a few metres away: he jumps at Soul and comes down with a heavy blow that cost about 280 HP on Pathbreaker when it landed. Dodge as he comes down, then punish while he recovers.
The long four-hit combo
This string goes on longer than it looks. After the third swing, more blows keep coming for about another half second, and hitting back at that point gets you a 141 HP punch. Stay on guard or keep parrying until he stops, about 2 seconds after the combo starts. Punish only after that.
Bounding leap, back-off rush, and punch strings
- Bounding leap: dodging before he arrives lets the follow-up flurry connect. Let him land, then parry the blows.
- Back-off rush: when he hops back and pauses, don’t walk toward him. The rush comes right after.
- Quick punch strings: his most common attacks are short two- and three-punch strings, about 118-141 HP per punch. One fast three-punch flurry dealt about 60 HP per strike, roughly 410 HP across one run.
Parrying, punishing and healing against Iron Fever
His quick punch strings are the most dependable attacks to parry, and the blue flash confirms a successful parry. Punish with a brief combo after a clean parry or while he is standing still.
Iron Fever chatters throughout the battle and frequently pauses between attacks. These pauses offer your safest chances to act.
- Heal only when he is at least 4 m away. Heals started next to him got cut off by his next punch.
- You carry only three heals against a very large health pool, so avoiding hits matters more than healing.
- After dodging, hold your position instead of pursuing him: his follow-up lunge and back-off rush can punish a chase.
- Bell visits restore your Phantom Edge uses, so use every charge in this fight (see Remnant Spark for more).
During the fight the game shows “Press 1 to switch weapons and fully restore Sha-Chi!” Use it whenever Sha-Chi runs low. The weapon switch refills it.
When Pathbreaker feels slow and punishing, switching to Wayfarer can help you stay alive. You may change difficulty whenever you like, but his HP remains 33,062.
Stone Hand Iron Fever reward: Iron Gauntlets
Beating Stone Hand Iron Fever gives you the Iron Gauntlets, a Martial Phantom Edge with Damage 261 and Guard Break 223. The item card reads:
“A pair of heavy, unadorned iron gauntlets. Their spikes and striking plates have been polished bright through countless battles. They have high Shield-Breaking power and build Fist Focus, making each attack more powerful.”
