Bai Chilian, the Sacrificial Serpent, is the final boss of the Crimson Forest. She is found near the Threabound Great Tree.
She is also likely to be the hardest boss you will encounter in this area, especially during her first phase. Bai Chilian has two distinct phases, each with a completely different rhythm and set of threats, making the encounter feel almost like two separate boss fights.
Phase one is much more grounded and focused on relentless melee pressure, Sha-Chi damage, and snake attacks. Phase two changes the fight almost entirely by keeping her airborne for most of the encounter and shifting the focus toward ranged pressure, spinning attacks, and counter opportunities.
This guide was written and tested on Hellwalker difficulty.
Boss Mechanics Phase 1
During Phase One, Bai Chilian remains mostly grounded and fights using her twin blades alongside several snake-based attacks.
Her biggest strength is the sheer amount of grey attacks she can mix into her strings. These deal extremely high Sha-Chi damage if you attempt to parry or block them incorrectly.
Once your Sha-Chi is broken, Bai Chilian becomes extremely difficult to stop. She can continue chaining attacks while you are vulnerable, which can easily turn one mistake into a death, especially on Hellwalker.
Because of this, correctly identifying which attacks need to be dodged instead of parried is the most important part of Phase One.
Attack Strings
Bai Chilian has a large variety of close-range attack strings.
Some end in Red Parry attacks, others finish with grey attacks, and several can transition into her disappearing before she reappears and continues attacking from a different angle.
She frequently uses this disappearing mechanic to disrupt your timing. An attack may look finished, only for her to phase out and immediately begin another string once she reappears.
Do not automatically attack just because she disappears. Wait until you know whether she is actually resetting or repositioning for another attack.
Her grey attacks are particularly dangerous because accidentally trying to parry them can destroy your Sha-Chi. If you make this mistake and your Sha-Chi is nearly depleted, switch weapons to recover it immediately rather than allowing her next string to break you.
The safest approach is to learn which parts of her strings are grey attacks and dodge them cleanly instead.
Ranged Attacks
Bai Chilian will frequently create distance and throw her daggers at you.
The projectiles are generally easy to parry and only deal minor chip damage if blocked, so they are not particularly dangerous on their own.
The real threat is what comes afterward.
She commonly follows the projectiles with a dash directly toward you, which can flow immediately into one of her normal attack strings. She may also disappear after the throw and restart her pressure from a different position.
Because of this, do not immediately rush toward her after dealing with the daggers. Stay ready for either the dash or a teleport follow-up.
Snake Attacks
Bai Chilian's snake attacks are some of the most dangerous mechanics in Phase 1.
Four-Snake Slam
The attack she uses most frequently begins with her slamming the ground and summoning four large snakes around you.
These snakes then slam downward, dealing extremely high chip and Sha-Chi damage if you attempt to remain inside the zone.
As soon as the snakes appear, dash away from the area rather than trying to block through the attack.
Be careful when leaving, though. Bai Chilian frequently dashes toward you immediately afterward and can start another attack string before you have fully reset.
On Hellwalker, she may even follow the snake attack with a grey attack that is partially obscured by the snakes themselves. This can be extremely dangerous because failing to recognize it can result in an immediate Sha-Chi break or death.
Single Snake Attacks
She can also summon an individual snake to slam down directly onto your position.
Another variation appears during one of her attack strings. If you fail to Perfect Parry the Blue attack, a snake can punish you immediately afterward.
These attacks are much easier to deal with once you recognize the animations, but they reinforce the same rule as the rest of Phase One: do not rely entirely on blocking.
Long-Range Glide
When Bai Chilian creates significant distance, she can perform a long gliding attack that eventually ends with her throwing daggers.
On Hellwalker, this sequence becomes more dangerous because she also summons flying snakes that travel forward during the attack.
Keep moving and prioritize avoiding the additional projectiles rather than trying to immediately close the gap.
Phase 1 Strategy
Phase One is primarily a Sha-Chi management fight.
Bai Chilian wants you to make one defensive mistake, break your Sha-Chi, and then overwhelm you with the next attack string.
Do not try to parry everything. Her grey attacks are intentionally designed to punish that approach.
Focus on correctly identifying when you need to dodge, preserve your Sha-Chi, and take your damage windows after successful Red or Blue counters.
If you accidentally parry a grey attack and lose most of your Sha-Chi, swap weapons before she can start her next string.
Phase 1 is the harder half of the fight, so reaching Phase 2 consistently is already a major step toward winning.
Boss Mechanics Phase 2
Phase Two changes the fight almost entirely.
For most of this phase, Bai Chilian remains suspended in the air, making her much harder to reach with normal melee attacks.
The good news is that she has considerably less HP and Sha-Chi than she does in Phase 1, so successful counters can quickly push the fight toward its conclusion.
Her attacks also become more predictable overall, with clearer Red and Blue opportunities.
Spinning Attacks
Most of Bai Chilian's Phase Two offense comes from spinning aerial attacks.
These attacks deal heavy damage, but their timing is relatively consistent once you have seen them a few times, making them much easier to parry than many of her Phase 1 strings.
She has several variations.
One has a noticeable charge-up before she begins spinning toward you.
Another variation includes two grey attacks in quick succession before finishing with a Red attack.
Do not attempt to parry the grey portion. Dodge through or away from those hits, then prepare for the Red counter at the end.
That final Red attack is one of your best opportunities to punish her.
Easier Red and Blue Attacks
Her Red and Blue attacks become significantly easier to read in Phase Two.
They are less sudden than many of her Phase One counters and usually come at the end of recognizable attack sequences.
This makes Phase Two much more forgiving despite Bai Chilian spending most of it in the air.
Focus on waiting for these counter opportunities rather than trying to constantly chase her with melee attacks.
A successful Red or Blue counter can create a large enough opening to remove a significant amount of her Sha-Chi.
Some Extra Help
Once Bai Chilian reaches roughly 70% HP during Phase 2, the Chord joins the fight and begins helping you.
This makes the second half of the phase substantially easier, since the Chord deals additional damage and pulls some pressure away from you.
Bai Chilian will then gain another major attack where she summons four huge snakes, one positioned near each corner of the arena.
At the same time, she begins charging a powerful attack.
If she finishes charging and the Chord is caught by it, the Chord will be temporarily removed from the fight, and you will once again be forced to fight alone.
Fortunately, the attack is straightforward to interrupt.
While the Chord focuses on damaging Bai Chilian, your job is to attack the four snakes.
Each snake deals heavy Sha-Chi damage to Bai Chilian when destroyed. Breaking around two or three of them is usually enough to deplete her Sha-Chi entirely, interrupt the attack, and create another large damage window.
Because of this, ignore Bai Chilian herself during this sequence and focus completely on destroying the snakes as quickly as possible.
General Strategy
Bai Chilian is a fight where Phase One is primarily about survival and Sha-Chi discipline, while Phase Two is much more focused on recognizing obvious punish windows.
In Phase 1:
Do not parry grey attacks.
Preserve your Sha-Chi.
Dodge out of the four-snake zone.
Be ready for her immediate follow-up pressure.
Switch weapons if your Sha-Chi becomes dangerously low.
In Phase 2:
Focus on her spinning attack timings.
Wait for Red and Blue counters.
Do not waste time chasing her while she is airborne.
Once the Chord joins, let them deal damage while you handle the snake mechanic.
The first phase is easily the most punishing part of the fight. Luckily, once you beat it, if you die, you respawn at Phase Two.
