Sifu - The Sanctuary Boss Fight Guide: How To Defeat Yang The Leader

So it all comes down to this. You're finally in The Sanctuary. You’ve made it this far and there’s only one fight left in Sifu. The fight against Yang is unequivocally the toughest in the game, due in part because you can’t utilize many of the strategies you might have relied on with other bosses. Despite this, Yang can be defeated--you’ll just need to approach the battle with the utmost patience. Here’s how to defeat the final boss of Sifu known as Yang The Leader, who waits for you at The Sanctuary.

How to defeat Yang

There are a few things to be aware of before engaging with Yang. First, you cannot use Focus attacks on this boss, so it’s best to spend your precious rewards elsewhere. Secondly, we highly recommend coming to the fight with a staff or other weapon. With previous fights, you were encouraged to skip using weapons, but that’s not the case against Yang. You certainly can get through the fight with your bare hands, but you’ll have a much harder time.

Your main goal when battling Yang is to block and avoid attacks. Remember, to avoid attacks, hold L1 and move the left stick away. For instance, if Yang punches directly in front of him, hold L1 and move the left stick left or right. Avoiding is effective because it allows you to stay in place and follow up with a move of your own without impacting your Structure meter. In fact, a successful avoid actually causes your Structure meter to go down, which is ideal.

Begin the fight by approaching Yang and waiting for him to attack. Make sure you block his strikes so you can increase his structure meter. Mix in a few dodges here and there to help recover Structure, and do not attack him unless you’ve blocked a flurry of strikes first.

You may have to block six or seven of Yang’s moves before you can even hit him once, so keep this in mind throughout the battle. Just remember that even if you aren’t striking him yourself, blocking still increases his Structure meter.

One thing to keep in mind is that you have to continuously engage with Yang if you plan on taking him down. In other words, don’t back away for too long because he’ll recover Structure in the process. Backing away so you can recover your own Structure is tempting, but you won’t make any progress if you do that. For this reason, it’s imperative that you avoid his attacks–so you’ll recover your own Structure quickly, allowing you to block more.

The general process of this fight should involve you blocking his combos, getting a few hits in, then avoiding his combos to recover your Structure, and then repeating the process. It’s important to make sure your Structure doesn’t break, as he’ll absolutely decimate you in the blink of an eye. Being aggressively defensive is the key to this fight. In addition, try not to strike him more than four times, because otherwise, you’ll get caught and parried.

Once his Structure is broken, you can use a finisher to lead into phase two. This phase plays out a lot differently and much slower than the previous section. The main strategy during phase two is to back away from his attacks and as soon as he wraps up a combo, get close and hit him a couple of times.

Make sure you monitor your Structure bar as well as his. Stay around 10 feet from him, get close to bait him into attacking, and then back up so you don’t get hit. Make sure to throw in a couple of blocks here and there to raise his Structure meter. You should also avoid some of his attacks so he’ll be open for a few counters of your own. After he wraps up a combo while you’ve got some distance between him, start approaching, and he’ll strike again. Avoid the attack by using L1 and the left stick, and then unleash three or four hits. Then back away and repeat the process.

Sometimes, after you hit Yang, he’ll hunch over, indicating he’s wide open for an attack, so watch out for this animation during battle. And if you can manage to knock him down, make sure you run over to him and hold Circle to deal more damage. Though, make sure you don’t keep hitting him after he gets up because he’ll likely break your Structure.

As long as you implement a healthy mix of blocking, avoiding, and backing away, you’ll be able to safely chip away at Yang’s health. Stay on him and don’t let his Structure recover, while ensuring you aren’t being greedy.

Sifu is extremely tough, but our tips and tricks guide will give you the boost you need. If you want to know how long it’ll take to finish Sifu, make sure you visit our dedicated guide.