Parting Hooks Route: Open the Thorn Path and Reach the Dock Encounter

Parting Hooks is awarded after defeating Soulclaimer, Elite Shadow Warden (鬼差高手·勾魂) in Pangzhen. Reaching the encounter first requires a usable Flaming Mane to remove thorns, followed by a route through a temporary residence and the dock storehouse.

The Chinese checkpoint names below are retained as navigation identifiers where exact English localization remains unverified. This guide covers access and acquisition, not a tested boss strategy.

Confirm that Flaming Mane has been repaired

If you still have the extinguished lion head, complete the repair conversation with Lei Dang first. Then return to the Bell labelled 八卦阁前路口, the junction before the pagoda. Repairing the exploration tool opens access; it does not award Parting Hooks by itself.

Follow three route checkpoints

1. Thorns beside the left staircase. Head upward from the junction and inspect the thorns in front of the stairs on the left. Remove them, climb to the street and use the boards on the right to enter a building. Continue to the Bell labelled 正道临时居所.
2. The rooftop chain crossing. From the boards beside that residence, climb onto the roof again. Use the chain crossing to reach the opposite roof, then follow the descending route to the Dockside Warehouse (码头货栈) Bell.
3. The bottom street and return ascent. Continue down to the lowest street. From there, take the stairs upward and look for the boss encounter at the top.

The route alternates between climbing, crossing rooftops and descending. Reaching the dock storehouse Bell does not finish the approach. Use the Bells as checkpoints instead of trying to remember an uninterrupted series of turns.

Check the reward after the encounter

Defeat Soulclaimer, then inspect the weapon reward and your equipment list for Parting Hooks. A strategy from another similarly titled boss should not be assumed to work here; move-by-move advice remains outside this route guide.

If the first barrier remains closed, check the lion head’s repair state. If you reached the dock without finding the fight, revisit the final descent to the bottom street and the stairs leading back up.