Hua, Deathly Betrothed is an optional boss found at the northernmost point of the Weeping Creek Valley.
You can reach her by taking the slide below the Sha-Chi Tower, right after the bell.
Hua only has one phase, but she is likely to be one of the first bosses that seriously punishes overly aggressive play. Greeding for an extra attack can quickly get you caught by one of her grabs or Flesh Lily attacks.
This guide was written and tested on Hellwalker difficulty. Stick around to see the rest of her boss mechanics explained in detial.
Boss Mechanics
One of the first things you will notice during the fight is the small patches of Flesh Lilies that appear around the arena.
Avoid standing inside them. They slow you while you remain in their area, and after a short delay, they explode. Multiple explosions can overlap, resulting in a large amount of damage if you get caught in the middle of several patches.
Hua also makes frequent use of Red Marker attacks. Get used to reacting to these early, especially on Hellwalker, where missing the timing can be extremely punishing.
Many of these attacks lead into grabs that deal very high damage, so learning their timing is one of the most important parts of the fight.
White Flower Projectiles
Hua will occasionally create distance before firing a series of white flower projectiles at you.
Do not try to parry or block these. Doing so can result in massive damage.
You should also avoid dodging directly into them. Instead, dodge sideways and allow the projectiles to hit the ground behind you.
If one connects, Hua can immediately follow it with a grab attack. She also likes to use her grab during or directly after this sequence, so do not assume you are safe just because you avoided the initial projectiles.
Blooming Flesh Lilies
Hua can also summon a ring of blooming Flesh Lilies around the center of the arena.
When you see the flowers begin circling around her, move away from the center as quickly as possible. After a short delay, they collapse inward and explode, dealing massive damage to anything caught inside.
This attack is much easier to deal with if you react to the initial animation instead of waiting for the flowers to begin closing in.
Overhead Attacks
Outside of her more dangerous Flesh Lily and grab attacks, Hua's standard melee moves are relatively slow and easier to read.
However, be careful when trying to parry her overhead slashes. These can consume a large amount of Chi and may leave you vulnerable if she immediately follows up.
It is generally safer to dodge these attacks using R1 or RT, depending on your controller setup.
Punishing Grab and Blue Attacks
Hua's grab attacks are dangerous, but they also provide one of your best opportunities to punish her.
Using R1 or RT at the correct moment allows you to avoid the grab and briefly stun Hua. This gives you enough time to deal damage while also building significant Posture damage.
The same applies to her Blue Glowing attacks. Successfully countering them creates one of the safest openings in the fight, so take advantage of these opportunities whenever possible.
General Strategy
Hua becomes much easier once you stop trying to constantly pressure her.
Stay patient, avoid the Flesh Lilies, react to her Red Marker attacks, and wait for the larger openings created by her grabs and Blue Glowing attacks.
Her slower normal attacks may make it tempting to keep attacking, but this is exactly where she tends to punish greed. Take the guaranteed damage when an opening appears, then reset and wait for the next one.
