Quick answer: Yan Qiansui battles in the temple yard, roughly 25 m from the Meigu Songhouse Dock bell on Meigu Lake. She spreads glowing note patterns across the yard and attacks with her zither at close quarters.
Yan Qiansui at a glance
Her boss bar reads “YAN QIANSUI, THE ZITHER MAIDEN”. On Pathbreaker she has 73,254 HP and a 17,221 Sha-Chi bar.
Grass, planks and rocks cover the open yard before the temple hall, where the fight takes place. With no fog door to shelter behind, you have no threshold where you can stop and get ready.
Where to find her
Yan Qiansui’s moveset and attacks
She mixes ranged music attacks with close-range blade and fire attacks.
Lines of glowing notes
From across the yard, she often sends airborne rows of red and blue orbs toward you. The lines stretch a long way across the area before the orbs fly at you.
Red blade wave
At close range, she sends a long red blade of light out along the ground.
Red burst underfoot
A vivid red explosion appears on the ground beneath your current position.
Zither swing
When nearby, she uses the long zither, framed in gold, as a heavy blade and swings it at you.
Purple blast
When this one lands, purple shards fill the screen around Soul.
Red fire pillars
At close range, columns of red fire rise up around her and around Soul.
Tips for the Yan Qiansui fight
- Arrive at full health. She opens before you can set up.
- Keep Longevity Tonic on hand.
- On Wayfarer, a fight that starts at full health runs about 88 seconds and can take as little as 0.35% off her bar.
- If you’re stuck, come back once you’ve upgraded your weapons.
What you get for defeating her
Defeating Yan Qiansui gives you the Illusory Pipa Strings, which are one of the Illusory Pipa pieces.
You also get Fanatic’s Fragment: Attachment, which is tied to Fanatic’s Obsession. The fight is part of the quest Allure of Vanity.
