The Rubinite Route I Use From the First Boss to the True Ending

Quick Answer

My safest Rubinite rhythm is dodge, Slash, Slash, reset. I use a focused dart against red aerial attacks, Strike Slash against grabs, and movement before another dodge when the arena is crowded. After Guardian Faye, I clear the more readable Mana Source bosses first and leave Plaguebearer until my Slash damage, talisman capacity, and Strike recovery are better. I also return to the Monastery after every major boss. The first Alcina victory is only Maybe the End; I reload the same save to enter the White Space and continue toward the true ending.

I expected Rubinite to be a short, linear boss rush.

My apparent ending arrived at roughly 4 hours 20 minutes, but that was only the first half of the full route. About five minutes later, the same cleared save continued into the White Space, and the story restarted under True Difficulty.

Across both routes, this guide cluster covers:

• 14 major progression boss encounters;
• 2 main ending states;
• 38 achievements;
• the normal route and continued True Difficulty route;
• Mira, Roy’s rescue, Rubinite, and the real three-phase Alcina fight.

This Hub focuses on the decisions that affect the entire run. Detailed Boss, ending, and achievement instructions stay in their own pages.

Start With the Guide That Matches Your Problem

The Combat Rule That Fixed My Runs

My most common mistake was pressing the third Slash.

Ruby’s first and second normal attacks recover quickly enough for me to read the next animation. The third hit commits her for longer and frequently lands after the boss has already begun attacking again.

My normal sequence is:

Dodge → Slash → Slash → reset

Against a fast recovery, I take only one Slash.

I finish the third hit only when:

• the boss is staggered;
• a phase transition has started;
• the recovery is clearly long;
• the boss cannot reach Ruby during the animation.

This mattered more than several small damage upgrades.

Gravekeeper, Plaguebearer, second Faye, Puppet Master, and real Alcina all punished me for treating every successful dodge as permission to finish the full combo.

Dodge, Aerial Counter, or Grab Counter?

Rubinite uses three different defensive answers.

Normal attacks: dodge the committed movement

For an ordinary strike, projectile, or body attack, I dodge through the actual hit.

I watch the boss’s body rather than reacting only to the first flash or wind-up. Several later attacks pause before connecting. Dodging at the start of the animation leaves Ruby vulnerable when the attack finally lands.

Afterward, I use the one- or two-hit punish described above.

Red aerial attacks: enter Focus and fire a dart

When an enemy rises into a red aerial attack, I stop attacking, enter Focus, and fire a dart as the move commits.

I do not repeatedly roll and hope to pass through the aerial hit.

The tutorial explains this mechanic before it becomes essential, but Gravekeeper was where ignoring it started ending entire attempts.

Grabs: use Strike Slash

When the grab cue appears, I use Strike Slash.

The harder grabs occur after another attack or while a second part of the boss is still active. Second Faye and Puppet Master both punished me for pressing the counter before the previous sequence had ended.

My order is:

1. finish avoiding the current combo;
2. identify the grab cue;
3. use Strike Slash;
4. take one short punish;
5. reset my position.

How I Use Focus, Perfect Dodges, and Marks

Focus is more than a ranged aiming mode.

I use it to:

• fire darts;
• interrupt aerial attacks;
• maintain distance;
• interact with Pureblood Crystal mechanics;
• support Mark-based skills and talismans.

Perfect Dodges can accelerate Mark generation and create strong punish opportunities, but I do not chase one against every attack.

Large body sweeps, overlapping projectiles, and delayed sequences may be safer to avoid from a distance.

Marks become more valuable as the skill tree and talisman selection expand. Some effects scale Slash, projectile, or Strike damage with the number of Marks already applied.

That makes survival part of the damage plan.

Preserving a long attempt is often worth more than forcing one unsafe hit for another Mark.

What I Upgrade First

I do not buy every node as soon as it appears.

My priority is:

1. reliable base Slash damage;
2. the aerial and grab counters;
3. enough talisman slots for a complete setup;
4. one Strike that fits the next fight;
5. health, recovery, or protection when it changes how many mistakes I survive.

Base Slash damage works throughout the game.

Poison resistance matters only when the next route contains poison. A larger area Strike matters when I am fighting multiple targets, but may be too slow against a boss with short openings.

When I buy a new Strike

I buy a Strike when it solves one of these problems:

• my current Strike recovers too slowly;
• I need a cleaner grab response;
• multiple targets need a wider hit;
• the next boss provides only short punish windows.

I do not buy a slow move solely because its listed damage is higher.

Against Gravekeeper, a shorter Strike that let me leave safely produced more real damage than a heavier move that trapped Ruby beneath the next aerial drop.

When I buy another talisman slot

I buy a slot when it completes a setup.

A useful combination may include:

• one primary Slash effect;
• one resistance matching the next boss;
• recovery or protection;
• one effect supporting my selected Strike.

I save the currency when the new slot would remain empty or hold an effect that does not change the next fight.

How I Choose Talismans

I build for the next problem, not for the highest-looking collection of numbers.

Before Plaguebearer, poison or negative-effect resistance has real value. Against a clean physical fight, that same slot should usually return to damage, recovery, or another relevant effect.

On True Difficulty, Mira’s Shadow gives Ruby one protected mistake.

I do not consume that protection intentionally.

One blocked attack can preserve ten or twenty minutes of progress during a late boss. I change to a more aggressive setup only after I can reach the difficult phase consistently.

A separate revival talisman does not refresh Mira’s Shadow after the protection has already been spent.

The Boss Order I Recommend

The fixed opening route is:

1. The Beast
2. Guardian Faye

After Guardian Faye, four Mana Source destinations become available:

• Dual Cultists
• Gravekeeper
• Martyred Angel
• Plaguebearer

My preferred order is:

1. Dual Cultists
2. Gravekeeper
3. Martyred Angel
4. Plaguebearer

The middle order is flexible. The important decision is leaving Plaguebearer until later.

Plaguebearer was my longest non-final wall. My serious attempts lasted almost 56 minutes, and the recorded death count approached 100 during that fight.

Before entering, I want:

• stronger base Slash damage;
• more talisman capacity;
• a fast-recovery Strike;
• an answer for poison;
• enough damage to shorten the three-segment pressure.

Gravekeeper was my first mechanical wall, but the learning stretch was closer to 15 minutes. Once I recognized its aerial drop as a Focus-dart check, the fight became much more consistent.

After the four Mana Sources, the route continues through:

1. Faye’s second battle
2. Ghost
3. Roy
4. apparent-ending Alcina

The detailed attack tells, phases, rewards, and True Difficulty encounters are in the Rubinite Boss Guide.

What I Do After Every Major Boss

Returning to the Monastery is part of progression, not merely a shopping trip.

My routine is:

1. speak to characters along the main route;
2. check whether a hidden passage or room opened;
3. enter the newest memory;
4. leave through its intended exit;
5. inspect the nearby corridor and library;
6. search the new room for a chest or Damaged Talisman;
7. inspect the skill tree;
8. check Witchiwi’s new recipes;
9. rest only after the new interactions are exhausted.

This becomes essential on True Difficulty because Mira’s event chain is placed between repeated story sections.

If I defeat several Mana Source bosses without returning, I may later know that something is missing but not know which memory or conversation I skipped.

When I deliberately turn back

I turn back when:

• a new passage appears;
• an illusion barrier disappears;
• dialogue mentions a changed library, courtyard, or storage area;
• I hear the nearby item sound;
• a boss exit contains a small side opening;
• the game displays a no-return warning.

I do not return during every failed boss attempt for a tiny sidegrade.

I return when I can investigate a newly opened route or make a build change that directly addresses the current wall.

When I Stop Spending

I stop buying when an item does not solve a current problem.

Before spending, I ask:

1. Will I equip this against the next boss?
2. Does it change how many mistakes I survive?
3. Does it shorten or simplify the mechanic ending my attempts?

When all three answers are no, I save the currency.

A newly unlocked recipe is not automatically an upgrade.

Buying every sidegrade immediately can delay:

• a broader Slash upgrade;
• another talisman slot;
• the final node in a skill branch;
• a crafted item required for achievement cleanup.

Meditation and Boss Rematches

After Meditation opens, lighting the candles lets Ruby relive previously defeated bosses.

This changes my achievement strategy.

I do not force these conditions during a difficult first clear:

• no damage;
• no talismans;
• no Gravekeeper poison-pod detonation;
• all three Plaguebearer segments active;
• every second-Faye grab countered;
• Ghost prevented from leaving its host;
• Roy hit with his own dagger.

I finish the progression fight with the safest setup and return through Meditation with one clear objective.

For example, True Hunter and Talismans? Nah. can be combined against the Beast: remove every talisman and complete one no-damage rematch.

The complete route for all 38 achievements is in the Rubinite Achievement Guide.

The Apparent Point of No Return

Before entering the first Alcina battle, the game warns that Ruby will be unable to return to the Monastery.

This is where I stop and turn back.

Before confirming, I check:

• current skill purchases;
• equipped Strike;
• talisman slots;
• useful unspent currency;
• newly opened memories;
• visible chests;
• any Meditation challenge I already want to complete.

I do not need all 38 achievements before this fight, but I do not enter with an obvious upgrade unpurchased or a newly opened room unexplored.

The first Alcina fight has two major phases and leads to Maybe the End.

It is not the actual conclusion.

What to Do After Maybe the End

I reload the same cleared save.

I do not start a separate file.

Ruby wakes inside the White Space and learns that the apparent victory was part of Alcina’s illusion.

After choosing to wake up, the story repeats under True Difficulty.

True Difficulty is the name of the post-ending route. It is separate from the Normal or Story gameplay difficulty selected in the menu.

The new route changes several important systems:

• boss health bars are hidden;
• healing is restricted;
• the skill tree changes;
• Mira begins appearing;
• new memories and rooms open;
• new bosses become available;
• Roy can be saved;
• the real Alcina battle has three phases.

The true route also introduces the five-slot Rubinite, which sets the Mark cap to infinite during the final sequence.

The complete progression order is in the Rubinite True Ending Guide.

The Three Decisions That Matter Most

During combat

I stop after one or two Slashes unless I have confirmed a long recovery.

Inside the Monastery

I inspect new rooms, memories, dialogue, recipes, and passages before resting or launching the next destination.

Before a no-return prompt

I stop advancing and finish the preparation that will actually affect the next sequence.

Those three habits prevented more wasted retries than trying to copy one maximum-damage build for the entire game.

My Final Beginner Checklist

Before leaving the Monastery for a difficult destination, I ask:

• Did I inspect the newest room?
• Did I complete the newest memory?
• Is the third Slash still coming out accidentally?
• Does the next boss use normal attacks, aerial counters, grabs, or several?
• Does my resistance match the actual arena hazard?
• Is my Strike fast enough for the available punish window?
• Am I buying a solution or only a sidegrade?
• Would another talisman slot complete the setup?
• Should I leave this boss until after another Mana Source?
• Is the next prompt warning that I cannot return?

Rubinite rewards execution, but it rewards restraint just as much.

My biggest improvements came from attacking less, returning to the Monastery at the right time, and refusing to spend resources on an upgrade that did not solve the next problem.