Nine Sols became one of the best indie games of 2024, especially thanks to its excellent metroidvania proposal that delighted both on a gameplay and audiovisual level.

Red Candle Games’ creation is as outstanding as it is difficult, presenting challenges throughout its entire campaign worthy of the hardest modern games.

To face such hardships, it offers a system of passive enhancements that completely modify your playstyle, adding a notable variety to the gameplay.

However, some are more powerful than others, and if you are having trouble dealing with the game, I recommend you check out this list of Nine Sols’ ten best Jades, ranked.

10 Ricochet Jade

Nine Sols is a projectile-heavy metroidvania, with most enemies and bosses capable of throwing attacks from a distance.

The game is very precision-focused, but it’s difficult to keep track of everything happening on screen to perform perfectly, and that’s where the Ricochet Jade comes in.

As it allows you to make imprecise parries to return attacks, its addition for a single Computing Power slot is valuable, even more so considering they go with increased damage.

It’s not the most influential or impressive Jade, but considering what it demands and provides, it’s well worth pondering.

9 Recovery Jade

Automatic Healing

Internal Damage is a mechanic that facilitates Nine Sols‘ combat, allowing you to recover health points if you hold long enough without taking more damage.

This system helps the game feel less unforgiving, which is even more evident when you use the Recovery Jade.

While its effect is simple, as it only increases the recovery rate of Internal Damage, it’s powerful if you’re good at dodging and deflecting attacks.

At certain times, it can even be the difference between being able to beat a boss or not, also thanks to the great synergy it maintains with other Jades.

8 Avarice Jade

Money is King

Unlike many other metroidvanias, money in Nine Sols is extremely valuable, as many powerful upgrades are acquired through Jin.

Thus, the Avarice Jade is a useful tool well worth having on hand when you’re not fighting a boss.

Given you spend a lot of time exploring New Kunlun, having it whenever you’re clearing an area of ​​minions can make a huge difference every time you go to the shop.

Considering you can take it off before important fights, there’s no reason not to put it on whenever you can. And trust me, it quickly impacts your finances.

7 Bearing Jade

Bridging the Gaps

Positioning during combat is crucial to victory because it facilitates parries and helps to evade the strongest attacks.

Consequently, the Bearing Jade is timely thanks to the ability to parry continuously without moving from your position, preventing the timing of each input from changing mid-fight.

Besides, being able to maintain your position is tremendously necessary to dealing damage as soon as the enemy combo has finished.

It takes some time to get used to it, as you spend your first Nine Sols’ hours adjusting to each attack moving you from your spot. Yet, once you get the hang of it, fights feel much better and even easier.

6 Stasis Jade

Suitable For Beginners

One of the main factors that made my entry into Nine Sols more accessible was the Stasis Jade.

Being able to freeze enemies in place whenever you use a talisman is incredibly powerful, even more so when you’re just starting to get familiar with the game.

Not only does it allow you to attack consistently, but it prevents enemies from punishing you when using talismans, which are your main source of damage.

It’s basic, and you’ll eventually find better alternatives to your playstyle, but for the campaign’s first half, it’s a wonderful Jade.

5 Breather Jade

Bloodborne Style

Resembling Bloodborne’s Rally system, which lets you recover health points if you attack right after taking damage, Breather Jade changes Nine Sols’ combat completely.

Despite the gameplay being methodical and calculated, this piece is responsible for radically speeding up your way of playing, allowing you to almost forget about using traditional healing.

Of course, it demands a lot of skill, since it’s not just about attacking like crazy, but being able to carry out parries, attacks, and counterattacks in the right measure to always have your life almost at full.

I could say it’s an advanced Jade, since I don’t recommend it for beginners but for those who have already played for many hours and want to improve their gameplay.

4 Quick Dose Jade

Quick Cure for a Quick Fight

The noticeable speed boost the Quick Dose Jade injects into using Yi’s medicine pipe makes it a must-have talisman for me.

Unless you’re a god in the game and never take damage, this Jade feels almost necessary to be able to heal yourself regularly without getting hit in the process.

Since many bosses have very short cooldowns and are constantly harassing you, being able to recover your health points so quickly is a massive relief.

Other talismans also help you keep your health bar in good numbers, though none will match Quick Dose Jade when it comes to truly healing.

3 Revival Jade

A Necessary Second Chance

I’ve lost count of how many times the Revival Jade saved me from immeasurable frustration when exploring and fighting bosses.

Getting a second chance allows you to take risks of all kinds, greatly increasing how accessible Nine Sols‘ experience feels.

Whether it’s to reach an item that requires some very demanding platforming or to deal massive amounts of damage to an enemy whose attack you know you can’t dodge, the Revival Jade’s impact is enormous.

It’s definitely basic and doesn’t add much if the areas or bosses are already destroying you, but it does smooth out the difficulty curve very noticeably.

2 Iron Skin Jade

Non-stop Aggression

Action in Nine Sols changes entirely when you embrace Internal Damage as one of your best friends, even more so when you use the Iron Skin Jade.

By increasing the amount of damage converted to internal, you feel much more willing to engage in fast, non-stop combat, knowing you can regain that lost health over time or with your attacks.

On its own, the Iron Skin Jade loses power, but it’s the final piece of the puzzle that makes possible an entire build around taking Internal Damage.

Thanks to its existence, it’s clear to me this is one of Nine Sols’ best mechanics, which also demonstrates that Red Candle Games knows how to create a demanding and satisfying gameplay loop.

1 Hedgehog Jade

Unlocking Nine Sols’ Full Potential

If there’s one Jade that could be considered a masterpiece in itself, it’s the Hedgehog Jade, by far the best in all of Nine Sols.

From the moment I started using it, I felt like I unlocked the game’s full potential and discovered why I was looking at one of the best 2D Souls-Likes.

The Hedgehog Jade makes you feel like a true martial arts master, leading you to prioritize perfect parries to inflict tons of damage through talismans.

Truth be told, its nature implies a considerable mastery of Nine Sols‘ gameplay, being probably the most demanding Jade in the entire title.

However, both for the power it grants and the way it improves the combat’s sensations, it’s the most outstanding Jade in every sense.