Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago

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*watches Horangi redo Jiao in X1
Me: Whelp, guess its my turn to steamroll Jiao in X2
*proceeds to get bodied (T,T )

In terms of combat capability, Jiao in X2 is the same as X1 and other versions in X2, but some slight differences in this particular fight make him a bit tougher than I thought. Most prominently, his weight class increased to "Heavy", and his Iron Stance is not only quite chunky, but it comes back really fast after breaking it.

Some of his attacks hit overhead, which Leia does not like, but its not consistent; Wolf Strike is the most notable offender. He has a very quick low normal attack which i try to avoid by approach from the air or sidestepping prematurely but fortunately he doesn't do it anymore than other attacks. His counter of choice is usually Rending Quake, which leaves him pretty open during his counter-retreat phase, but can also counter with Devil's Maw. He can be guard manipulated into doing Sundering Fang, which is a really slow grab that will leave him very vulnerable. He also has a move that summons an eagle or a wolf to the field, but I've not had any trouble with them as he rarely uses it and the monsters die quick.

I start by using Eagle's Rage to break his IS, then accrue additional damage during his RQ counter-retreat phase. Once he starts his counter-attack phase, then I prefer to use backwards Crescent Flash, then Shining Spiral away. This makes him easier to ER him than just timing his recovery, since he can hit overhead. IF I am fast enough, I can use Swallow Flight(preferred) or RQ after ER, but this controller isn't easy to do that with consistently =0v. Using Soulstoke Spin when he used lengthy, vulnerable normal attacks was also a viable strategy; I preferred using that after 50% since he can walk-up-Devil's Maw you while descending from an ER. If he Devil's Maw, ER's invulnerability on the ground can avoid it(you can also backstep, but timing is extremely tight) or I can go high in the air, but it'll require a double jump + height increasing arte to dodge it.

That's pretty much the fight. Most of my losses were from overhead attacks and running into Devil's Maw. I said before in the Chimeriad fight that he got superarmor when doing Devil's Maw, but its actually just a guard shield instead of the IS shield. It can be broken if its weak enough for my attacks to break it(like @ 1:58) but ER and/or SsSpin can't break guard as easily as IS, so its not common in that small window.

On a side note, I used a feature of RPCS3's to recognize the stick inputs better which helped a decent amount. Its still not as good as a PS4/5 controller in responsiveness, but I didn't have as many "unread input errors". This is the 18th boss I've done in the run(in case one could consider it a "modification").

Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQmeMnoDpaH4ZHRdeuxhv_2V2s5oEAIDV

Modifications used:
-bosses have all weaknesses and resistances removed

Music: Steadfast by Gardens(Soundcloud)

BIG thanks to @Sora3100 for the cheat table to make this run possible =03.