How to Get the True Ending in Nine Sols Without Missing the Steps
If you have been trying to figure out How to Get the True Ending in Nine Sols, the most important thing to know is that this ending is not unlocked by one last-minute choice alone. It comes from the way the game quietly tracks the relationships and side content that matter most before the final stretch. Red Candle’s own support page reduces the requirements to three essentials: progress Shuanshuan’s side quests far enough, complete Shennong’s questline until he becomes the leader of Peach Blossom Village, and give the Rhizomatic Bomb to Kuafu.
That matters because Nine Sols is the kind of game where players naturally worry about missing something important right at the end. And honestly, that fear makes sense. The world is layered, the story has weight, and the game does not constantly stop to tell you which optional moments are secretly carrying major ending consequences. But the good news is that the route to the true ending is much more readable once you know what to pay attention to, and the point of no return is an actual thing the game acknowledges rather than a hidden trap. The wiki notes that after reaching that point, the save can still be completed and then reloaded, and both endings can be obtained in one save file.
Nine Sols is a lore-rich 2D action-platformer developed by Red Candle Games, set in the Taopunk world of New Kunlun, where Yi pursues the 9 Sols through a story built around revenge, mystery, and the fate of this forsaken realm.
What makes the true ending route feel so satisfying is that it matches the emotional logic of the game. Nine Sols is not only about defeating rulers and mastering combat. It is also about what Yi chooses to protect, what connections he allows himself to build, and how much of the world he is willing to understand instead of merely surviving. That is why this ending tends to matter so much to players, and why exploring our Nine Sols collection can feel less like browsing products and more like staying close to a world that still lingers after the credits.
Why the True Ending in Nine Sols Matters More Than Just Completion
It is not only a secret ending, but a more complete emotional route
A lot of players search for Nine Sols true ending because they do not want to miss the “best” ending, but that phrasing can be a little misleading. What makes this route important is not just that it is harder to unlock. It is that it reflects a fuller version of what the game is trying to say.
The basic ending path exists, but the true ending route asks more from the player in a very specific way. It expects attention. It expects curiosity. It expects you to care about the people around Yi and not only the bosses in front of him. That fits Nine Sols perfectly, because this is a game where lore, atmosphere, and relationship-building carry real weight alongside combat. Official support and community documentation both point to side content tied to Shuanshuan, Shennong, and Kuafu as the core of the requirement structure.
Many players trying to understand How to Get the True Ending in Nine Sols focus first on whether there is one critical dialogue option at the very end. There is an ending choice involved in the final sequence, but getting access to the true route depends on what you have already done beforehand. Xbox Achievements’ guide for the “Shooting Star” ending notes that the true ending requires choosing the option to save the Apemen once the required conditions have already been met.
It rewards the way Nine Sols wants to be played
This is one of the reasons the true ending feels right rather than artificially hidden. Nine Sols already encourages exploration, observation, and emotional attention. The true ending route simply pushes that logic further. Instead of treating side content as disposable, it makes some of that side content part of the emotional core of the game.
That design choice lands especially well in a world like New Kunlun. This is not a setting built to be rushed through mechanically. It is a place full of memory, contradiction, and quiet narrative pressure. So when the game asks you to deepen certain bonds and finish certain questlines, it does not feel random. It feels like the story checking whether you have really been present inside it.
How to Get the True Ending in Nine Sols in Practice
Complete Shuanshuan’s side content properly
The first part of the route is Shuanshuan. Red Candle does not spell out every micro-step on its support page, but it does state clearly that Shuanshuan’s side quests must reach the required level for the true ending to trigger. Community documentation around the game repeatedly connects this to building a deeper bond with him through gifts, artifacts, and repeated interaction events at the Pavilion. The Nine Sols wiki’s Questlines snippet also notes that the close-bond achievement with Shuanshuan is tied to completing a substantial number of his interactions.
In practical terms, the safest way to approach Shuanshuan is simple: do not treat his content as optional flavor. Whenever you find gifts or artifacts tied to him, bring them back. Revisit the Pavilion often enough to let his interactions advance. Pay attention to small character moments rather than assuming the story will force them on you. Players discussing the true ending consistently describe this route as one where Yi’s relationship with Shuanshuan needs to feel genuinely developed, not half-finished.
Many players looking up Nine Sols ending requirements are really asking whether they need absolute 100% completion. The answer is not that every collectible in the entire game is mandatory. The more accurate answer is that the side content connected to Shuanshuan cannot be treated casually if you want the true ending route to be available.
Finish Shennong’s questline all the way through Peach Blossom Village
This is the requirement that trips up a lot of players, partly because it is more involved than it first appears. Red Candle’s support article is very direct here: Shennong’s questline must be completed to the point where he becomes the leader of Peach Blossom Village.
That sounds clean on paper, but in practice it means more than just talking to him a few times. Steam and achievement guides point to a longer progression involving bringing him poisons over time, helping the villagers, returning after new developments, and eventually reaching the stage where Shennong’s story resolves around Peach Blossom Village leadership. Some guides summarize this as giving Shennong all 15 poisons and following the village-related events through to the later attack sequence.
The important thing here is not to do the first half and assume you are finished. Nine Sols likes to space character progression across multiple returns, and Shennong is one of the clearest examples of that. If you stop the moment the questline seems quiet, you may be leaving the true ending route unfinished without realizing it.
That is also part of why this questline feels so meaningful. Shennong is not just a box to tick for a better ending. His route reinforces one of the game’s central ideas: that care, persistence, and attention to people matter in a world otherwise dominated by violence and control. That emotional texture is exactly what makes a design or symbol from Nine Sols feel meaningful later, whether a player is returning to the game itself or reconnecting with it through the Nine Sols collection.
Find the Rhizomatic Bomb and give it to Kuafu
The third requirement is the cleanest one, but it is still easy to miss if you are not exploring carefully. Red Candle explicitly lists giving the Rhizomatic Bomb to Kuafu as one of the three true ending conditions. Community sources connect this to the Grotto of Scriptures and to Lear’s Grave-related progression.
This requirement matters because it is the part that often makes players realize the true ending route is not just about affection flags. It also checks whether you have gone far enough into the world’s hidden layers to uncover what the game is protecting behind optional exploration. In other words, Nine Sols wants the true ending to feel earned through both relationship-building and discovery.
For players wondering How to Get the True Ending in Nine Sols without reading a totally spoiler-heavy walkthrough, this is the safest mental checklist: deepen Shuanshuan’s route, finish Shennong properly, and make sure Kuafu receives the Rhizomatic Bomb before the final commitment point. If one of those three pieces is missing, the true ending route may not appear even if everything else feels done.
The Point of No Return in Nine Sols and What It Actually Means
The game does warn you, and that matters
One of the most helpful things to know is that Nine Sols does have a recognized point of no return. The wiki states that after this point the immediate effects cannot be reverted within that run, but after finishing the game the completed save can still be loaded again. That is a huge relief for players who are worried about permanently losing access to the other ending.
So if your real question is How to Get the True Ending in Nine Sols without ruining my save, the answer is reassuring: you should still try to meet the conditions before crossing the point of no return, but if you do one ending first, the game structure still allows both endings to be achieved in one save. Community discussion around the final stretch reflects that same understanding.
Why this changes how you should approach the finale
Because of that structure, the smartest approach is not to rush into the final sequence the moment it opens. Use that late-game warning as your signal to stop, check your side content, and make sure the three major requirements are actually complete. This is the moment to revisit the Pavilion, confirm Shennong’s progression, and make sure Kuafu has received what he needs.
That pacing suits Nine Sols extremely well. The game is stronger when it is played with a little reflection instead of pure momentum. And the true ending route rewards exactly that kind of pause.
Why Players Care So Much About This Ending
It feels more aligned with the heart of Nine Sols
The reason players care so much about the true ending is not just because it is hidden. It is because it feels more fully aligned with everything the game has been building all along: Yi’s emotional journey, the fate of the people around him, and the larger meaning of New Kunlun itself. The official support article and ending references make it clear that this route is tied to helping others and choosing to save the Apemen in the final decision chain once the requirements are fulfilled.
That is why the route resonates. It makes the ending feel less like a reward for checklist behavior and more like a consequence of the kind of player you chose to be. Did you only survive Nine Sols, or did you really stay present in its world?
It turns curiosity into attachment
This is also one of the best examples of why Nine Sols stays with people. Players do not come away thinking only about boss timings or combat highlights. They come away thinking about characters, spaces, decisions, and what the game was really asking from them underneath all the action. That is usually the point where simple interest turns into genuine attachment.
And once that happens, the world keeps pulling players back in different ways: through the lore, through the endings, through the boss encounters, or simply through the need to stay close to the atmosphere a little longer.
FAQ About the True Ending in Nine Sols
How do you get the true ending in Nine Sols?
To trigger the true ending, Red Candle says you need to meet three conditions: Shuanshuan’s side quests must reach the required completion level, Shennong must become the leader of Peach Blossom Village, and Kuafu must receive the Rhizomatic Bomb.
Can you get both endings in one save?
Yes. The Nine Sols wiki states that both endings can be achieved in one save, and that after finishing the game the completed save can be loaded again.
Is there a point of no return in Nine Sols?
Yes. The game has a recognized point of no return before the final stretch, which is why players should finish the required side content before committing to the ending route.
Do you need Shuanshuan for the true ending?
Yes. Red Candle explicitly lists Shuanshuan’s side quest completion as one of the required conditions for triggering the true ending.
Do you need to finish Shennong’s quest for the true ending?
Yes. Red Candle specifies that Shennong’s questline must be completed to the point where he becomes the leader of Peach Blossom Village.
What choice leads to the true ending at the end?
Guides tied to the “Shooting Star” ending note that after meeting the route requirements, the player must choose the option to save the Apemen in the final decision.
Some endings are unlocked. Others are earned.
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