Quick answer: At the talisman-marked scarecrow in a shallow Village of Lu pond, press E. Yanru battles within a ring of flames, uses fire attacks, and leaves Yanru’s Blazing Mask behind.
Acolyte Yanru is one of the hidden Acolytes in Phantom Blade Zero. She doesn’t stand in the open. She waits behind a scarecrow, and the scarecrow is the door into her arena.
Acolyte Yanru at a glance
- Her health bar reads “ACOLYTE YANRU”.
- On Pathbreaker and Wayfarer alike, she has 42,210 HP.
- She is number 25 on the boss list.
- The arena is a wide dirt yard lined with spear racks and fully enclosed by a wall of flame.
- Pressing E at the scarecrow moves you straight into her arena.
If you die, you respawn inside the arena with Yanru idle about 29 m away and her bar back to full.
Where to find the scarecrow
The right scarecrow is a red-robed figure with a talisman, arms spread wide. It stands in a shallow pond in the Village of Lu, under a large tree hung with red paper lanterns. Another scarecrow-like figure stands further off by a fence. That one isn’t the figure you want.
The Terraces bell is roughly 56 m away in a straight line, but its level has no connection to the pond. Use the bell at Engine Giant Remains as your starting point; the route is about 139 m and includes a drop of about 7 m.
Yanru’s moveset and attacks
Everything Yanru does involves fire. The labels below describe what each attack looks like.
Leap and falling fireball
Yanru jumps high above the arena, well out of reach, and drops a fireball on you from up there. She disappears from view while she’s airborne. Look up and find the glowing point.
Fire orb
A bright orb wrapped in a swirling orange ring bursts near you. It leaves a patch of burning ground where it lands.
Flame breath
Her fire breath spreads as a broad, sustained cone of yellow-white flame over much of the arena. No other attack takes up as much of the screen.
Flaming spear thrust
Yanru charges in with a long spear and drives fire along its whole length, straight through the spot where you’re standing.
Ring of fire
A large circle of flame ignites on the ground around you and seals off part of the arena. Leave over the lowest edge of the ring rather than staying inside.
Ground burst
A small spot flares under your feet and then explodes upward. When the ground lights up, keep moving.
Spinning sweep
At close range she spins, throwing wide red arcs all around her body.
Burning patches stay on the ground for a while. A status icon appears beside your HP bar while you’re burning.
Tips for the Yanru fight
Expect a long fight. With 1,668 HP on Wayfarer, about 2 minutes 20 seconds of fighting removes roughly 21% of her bar. On Pathbreaker, about 90 seconds removes roughly 4%. If you’re stuck, Wayfarer is the easier setting to try.
- Clear the pond group first, and do it at full HP.
- Use whatever you have to counter Burn. The Green Serpent Brew card description explains how.
- Longevity Tonic fully replenishes you here. Its refill is available only after your next rest, so visit a bell before pressing E.
- Your first reaction to burning ground should be to step out of it. There’s plenty of open space inside the flame ring.
What you get for defeating Yanru
Yanru drops Yanru’s Blazing Mask, which the game lists as a “Story Item”. It’s one of the four masks tied to Secrets at the Heart of the Lake. The item description reads:
“A mask engulfed in a fierce, undying flame.” “The Forbidden Ruins have been sealed shut ever since an intruder caused havoc within. Even the four Acolytes tasked with hunting down traitors can no longer enter on their own.”
You’ll know the fight counted when the quest objective “Find the scarecrows bearing a talisman and defeat the hidden Acolytes” advances to 1/4.
After the fight you’re returned to the pond, and there’s no obvious route from there back up to a bell. A death sends you to the last bell you rested at, so you aren’t stranded there.
