The Shrine Guardian waits beyond the Endu Shrine gate on the Isle of Neasied. Bring the shrine key, attack between its swings and retreat farther when its sword rises overhead. After winning, interact with the defeated Guardian and collect Holy Sword Endu beyond it.

Prepare before the gate

If the entrance is still locked, finish the Crypt key route first. Save at a Crystal Monument after collecting the key so a failed attempt does not also erase that pickup. Put healing items in a quick slot and check that your throwing daggers have available charges.

The Rusted Spear is a practical early option because its secondary attack moves you backward while striking. The Wooden Club provides an alternative damage type if you collected it in the Crypt. This guide does not assign a damage ranking or a required character level: the source-based advice here is about a controllable attack-and-retreat loop.

Read the overhead attack

The Guardian is a large skeleton with a long weapon. Its overhead wind-up is the movement to watch closely. When the sword goes above its head, back away with more distance than you would use for an ordinary swing.

Avoid beginning a slow charged attack when the Guardian is preparing that move. Keep open ground behind you so a retreat does not end against a boundary. Surviving the wind-up is more useful than squeezing in an extra hit that leaves you unable to move out of range.

Keep the fight deliberate

Use the same short sequence until the timing feels predictable:

  1. Stay outside the immediate swing range and allow your Power Meter to recover.
  2. Let the Guardian commit to an attack instead of rushing into its wind-up.
  3. Take a safe opening for a melee hit or the spear’s retreating special.
  4. Use a throwing dagger when you have a charge and a clear opportunity.
  5. Re-establish distance before deciding whether to attack or heal.

Repeatedly swinging with an empty Power Meter is a poor exchange. If your damage suddenly feels weak, stop pressing the attack and check the meter. Do not hold a charged swing through a moment when you need to reposition or use another action.

Collect both rewards

The fight ending is not the end of the pickup sequence. Interact with the fallen Guardian for the Stone Duck Figurine, then continue into the shrine to take Holy Sword Endu. Check that the sword is in your inventory before leaving.

Endu unlocks the air-dash traversal that makes previously unreachable routes accessible. The figurine is associated with access to Umbada’s Trading Outpost through Crystal Monuments. Return to a monument and save once you have collected the rewards; do not treat the boss victory itself as a replacement for a manual save.

Where to go afterward

Use the Endu guide to separate movement upgrades from weapon upgrades. The next useful direction is the eastern approach for the Azure Torch, followed by an additional Wind Gem. A large closed door visible near the starting region is not a reason to abandon that early route.

Sources and scope

Reviewed November 5, 2026 for the PC full game. See the published Shrine Guardian guide and 9Puz’s opening walkthrough. Enemy health, damage values and unsupported weakness multipliers are intentionally omitted.