Josee’s story has two apparent endings, and the pause between them is easy to mistake for a broken quest. Defeating Josee the Blind Hero completes the mandatory hero-hunt objective, but the Fading Bond left at her Outpost cannot be used until you bring back Lise’s Hair Ornament from late in Timeline Shift Decision: Holly. If you are standing at that bond now, stop searching the tower for another switch: the next requirement is in a different hero’s route.
This spoiler-heavy route follows that chain from the first ride into the Sunken City through the Seized Substation, Sunken Pylon, both versions of Josee, Lise’s shelter, and Bureau’s Castle. It also separates real progression locks from the quest bugs addressed by the latest official patch.
The route has seven gates, but only two finish lines
- Open the mainland after Noah, enter the Sunken City, and reach Josee’s Outpost.
- Defeat Mutated Survivor Bernd and use the bond beneath Josee’s cocoon.
- Meet Josee in the past, reclaim the Seized Substation, and defeat the Darkborn Leader.
- Descend the Sunken Pylon, defeat the Metagen Remnant, and receive Glutton’s Eyes.
- Return to the present and defeat Josee the Blind Hero. This is the mandatory finish line.
- Progress through Holly’s timeline quest, take Lise’s Hair Ornament, and restore Josee’s Fading Bond.
- Recover Lise’s device, defeat Gobbo, then defeat Hero Josee. This is the optional character-route finish line.
The key distinction is state, not location. The first trip through the Outpost discovers the cocoon. The past changes Josee’s relationship with you and produces the key. The first present-day boss leaves a Fading Bond. A later item from Holly’s route converts that bond into a usable timeline path. Returning to the same tower without changing one of those states will not advance anything.
Reach the cocoon with three navigation anchors intact
After saving Noah, cross the newly available bridge from MagMell to the mainland. The Motorcycle Forma is introduced on this approach, so use it for the long ride into the Sunken City rather than treating the open world as a required combat corridor. Activate the first Mistle and destroy the map jammer beneath the broken road near the Brig Park sign. That reveal makes every later return to the Outpost easier.
Follow the road through the cemetery and down to the Refugee Village. Activate its Mistle and note Jadwiga’s minion on the road out: this is the convenient place to buy, transform, and upgrade before the first dungeon. Continue west through the ruined gate. The building on the right contains Phantom Assault, a weapon Forma that becomes useful against Josee’s single-hit sword attacks later, but taking it is not the story trigger. The large clock-tower structure farther west is Josee’s Outpost.
At the locked ground entrance, activate the Mistle, then use the elevator at the end of the left hallway. Register the Revival Point after the ride. Follow the upper route across the skybridge and break the map jammer below it before dropping to the West Gate Mistle. Pick up the Stinger Jail near that checkpoint, then cross the central area to the fog wall.
Mutated Survivor Bernd rewards controlled distance
Bernd directs six floating blades, so his body is not the only threat indicator. When all six pull behind him and he crouches, make space before the wide sweep. His jumping and standing slams have short recovery windows; dodge away from the impact, then circle for a back attack or use Stinger from outside the blade cluster. His strings are generally short, but blocking several blades still drains stamina quickly. A clean evade is safer than holding guard through an animation you have not learned.
After the fight, interact with the pathos inside the golden webbing and walk through the incursion. Take either elevator to the cocoon room. The golden bond below the cocoon, not the cocoon model itself, is the travel point that sends you to the past.
Josee’s trust is the key before the weapon becomes one
The past opens with an attack on the Outpost. Go down from the tower roof, help Josee defeat the two hunters, and let the following scenes resolve. When control returns, the Gula Bloodline: Josee Blood Code is the proof that the meeting state registered. Your assignment then moves west to the Seized Substation.
Pin the Substation and use the motorcycle across the open region. Destroying the map jammers on its north and south approaches is optional for the quest flag but valuable for recovery after a death. At the east entrance, activate the Seized Substation Mistle and turn left through the transformers. The electrified water is a navigation hazard, not a puzzle that needs to be shut off. Use the yellow gate route to cross, and open the large chest on the far side for Umbral Shift. Be ready for the enemy that attacks as the chest opens.
Break the wooden covering near that area to enter the interior. The route descends to the Turbine Control Zone Mistle, passes electrified walls and floors, then rises by elevator. Clear the map jammer in the room opposite the first elevator before using the next lift. The final stairs lead to the Upper Floor Mistle and the Darkborn Leader fog wall. Spend the Tender stones gathered inside before entering if your weapon or Jail is still behind the area’s drops.
Read the floor during the Darkborn Leader fight
The Darkborn Leader changes the safe response according to where its electricity remains after the hit:
- Ground waves: jump the incoming electrical lines instead of rolling along them.
- Lightning from above: choose a direction and keep moving through the full sequence.
- Leap or dash: move away from the landing zone or dodge across the dash, then check the floor before counterattacking.
- Melee string: retreat through the early claws because the ending creates a wider electrical pattern.
Josee can apply heavy close-range pressure, but do not follow her into a lingering field just to keep a stagger going. Long elemental effects are poor parry targets. Either attack from outside them or commit only after the visible electricity clears. Defeating the boss secures the Substation and advances the return scene at the Outpost.
Make the Sunken Pylon a one-way descent with a return elevator
Fast travel to the Below Clock Tower Mistle, watch the Gobbo-related scene, and take the adjacent elevator to Josee’s quarters. Her next target is the Metagen Remnant in the Sunken Pylon at the south end of the region. Enter the tower and ride down. The first memory incursion leads to the Mall Below the Pylon Mistle.
Cross the central bridge and take the right-side chest for Power Shot. Clear the rooms, descend through the library, and use the elevator that reconnects the lower route to the Mistle. That shortcut is more important than the nearby loot because the remaining path contains additional memory barriers, a repeat Darkborn enemy, and another long descent. Pick up the Hound Jail near the shortcut and Bloody Impact beside a later elevator if you want them, but do not let cleanup pull you away before the return line is open.
Continue through the golden-heart incursions, destroy the map jammer beside the lower door, and activate each new Mistle. At the Aquarium Mistle, stop and prepare for Ground Zero. The Metagen Remnant’s green gas applies Acid, which drains LP and then HP. The reviewed route recommends Wound resistance, a Venom Vaccine for resistance, and Anti-Venom to clear the ailment. Check the names available on your current client; the live item description outranks an older guide label.
Metagen Remnant punishes both the edge and its tail
Do not camp behind the boss. Its rear gas builds Acid and its tail slam checks anyone staying there. At medium range, continuously run sideways through the tracking fireballs rather than spending stamina on a separate roll for each projectile. Orange ground markers warn of the flame pillars. For the mouth beam, avoid the first vertical line, then dodge into the horizontal sweeps instead of racing them toward the arena wall.
The leaping slam and elbow drop are the cleaner punish opportunities because they end in one committed impact. Dodge as the body lands, take a short counter, then leave before the next arm sequence. The front swipes can end in a clap, so do not attack after the first hand passes.
Turn Glutton’s Eyes into the present-day boss key
Defeating the Metagen Remnant produces the route item that was missing from the beginning: Josee gives you Glutton’s Eyes, a weapon that also functions as the key to her cocoon. The next actions matter. Speak with Lou in the Confluence, return to Josee near her throne, and complete the farewell that creates her summoning pact. Then use the Bond of Returning on the Outpost roof to go back to the present.
Fast travel to the Front Gate Mistle and return to the cocoon. If Glutton’s Eyes is in the route state and the farewell completed, interacting with the seal begins the Josee the Blind Hero fight. If the prompt does nothing, verify those two handoffs before repeating the Pylon.
Josee the Blind Hero uses Bind to steal your next action
Bring De-Snares or another current-client answer to Bind. The danger is not only the damage from a golden projectile or ground mark; Bind can remove your dodge, heal, or punish window while Josee begins the next sword action.
- Running ground stab: move sideways at the landing point. Do not roll early while the attack is still tracking.
- Charged wide slash: dodge toward Josee as the blade releases. This crosses the arc and places you near the recovery.
- Spinning sword string: expect the swing to reverse and allow for a delayed follow-up. Attack only when the rotation fully stops.
- Ground Snare: leave the glowing target immediately; a successful dodge is wasted if Bind builds underneath the recovery.
A cutscene around half health starts phase two. The old sword actions remain, but the stomp can now plant a Bind trap before the slash, and large golden orbs spread into the arena. Move away from the stomp marker first, then solve the blade. When the large orbs fan outward, avoid being trapped at the edge; use the open interior lanes and wait for the full sword string before committing. Phantom Assault or another brief vanish-and-return Forma can cross a single slash and counter, but it is not permission to attack through a multi-hit spin.
Winning grants Josee’s first post-battle Blood Code and opens an incursion. At its end, the game introduces a Fading Bond. That bond is the signal that the mandatory Slaying the Hero Josee objective is done and the optional rescue route is waiting on an item from elsewhere.
The Fading Bond waits for Holly, not more Outpost exploration
Advance the wider campaign until late in Timeline Shift Decision: Holly. In the Sanatorium, take Lise’s Hair Ornament from the front desk before the final Hero Holly encounter. The route evidence identifies this ornament as the meaningful item that restores Josee’s bond. Carry it back to Josee’s Outpost and interact with the Fading Bond to start Timeline Shift Decision: Josee.
Back in the past, move to the west side of the Outpost and defend it with Josee. Stay out of the corners during the enemy waves; the space is tight and several attackers can interrupt a long animation. The scene ends with Gobbo forcing Josee into a frenzy and Lou returning the group to the present. This forced exit is progress, not a failed defense.
Lise’s shelter supplies the device, then Gobbo steals the result
Fast travel to the Hill Overlooking the Clocktower Mistle north of the Outpost. Speak to the woman at the building southeast of that checkpoint to receive the Shelter Key. Enter the building behind her, drop through the opening in the floor, and unlock Lise’s underground shelter. The cutscene and incursion there reveal the device needed for Josee.
Use Josee’s bond again and give her the device in the past. Then speak to Lou in the Confluence. Gobbo’s intervention changes the present and removes the device, so the objective correctly pivots from helping Josee to retrieving it. Return to the Below Clock Tower Mistle, ride the elevator to Josee’s room, and get the marked location of Bureau’s Castle in the northwest.
Bureau’s Castle is a two-target check followed by a healing lock
Enter the castle grounds from the east fog wall near the Mistle. Upgrade before opening the large door: the first phase puts Gobbo and Oskar in the arena together and uses one shared health bar. Do not let the unengaged target attack freely. If your partner has Gobbo occupied, pressure Oskar; if the partner switches, switch your attention so neither enemy gets an uncontested ranged or teleport setup.
Oskar’s thrust and leaping stab are single committed approaches, while his teleport string demands repeated backward movement after he reappears. Gobbo’s shot leaves an explosion at its landing point, and the beam is preceded by a visible line. Leaving either cue outside your camera is more dangerous than choosing the “best” target, so keep both enemies in view and deal damage to whichever can be controlled.
At roughly half of the shared bar, the encounter becomes a solo fight with Alessandro Gobbo. He can apply Luna Rapacis, preventing normal Regeneration healing, so carry Luna Suppressants or the equivalent resistance item available in your build. His huge red sword extends the bayonet’s apparent range: sidestep the vertical blow, then dodge into the horizontal follow-up. Leave red ooze immediately because spikes follow from the marked ground. Closing distance can reduce the pressure from his faster magical shots, but only after the red hazard has cleared.
Hero Josee reverses the first fight’s comfortable range
After Bureau’s Castle, return to the present and go to Josee’s Outpost. Speak with Lise, then interact with the cocoon. Hero Josee is a one-phase fight with magical blades, tracking fire, teleport attacks, and laser markers. Mid-range is the awkward zone: the blades can reach you, her teleport can cross the gap, and you are not far enough away to read every projectile.
Choose one of two plans and stay consistent. At long range, run laterally through the fireballs, sidestep the thrown blades, and dodge when a targeting line brightens before the laser. At close range, move toward Josee’s back or side after the blades sweep away from her body, but leave as soon as fire appears underfoot or she begins a teleport. When she vanishes in flame, wait for the reappearance before dodging; moving on the disappearance gives the slash time to correct.
Defeating Hero Josee awards the Hero Josee Blood Code and ends her character route. This is the point at which the cocoon, Lise’s device, Gobbo’s theft, and the restored bond have all resolved. The first Blind Hero victory was still required; it was simply not the last possible state for Josee.
Use Ver. 1.0.9 as the first troubleshooting test
If a required object is absent, an Outpost enemy cannot be attacked, fast travel appears to have skipped a scene, or the character becomes stuck in the tower, check the title screen for Ver. 1.0.9 before re-running the route. The official notes specifically identify those Josee-related failures. After updating, verify the last concrete handoff instead of guessing:
- No past travel: interact with the golden bond below the cocoon after Bernd, not an unrelated memory object.
- No Metagen key state: defeat the boss, speak to Lou in the Confluence, finish Josee’s throne farewell, and use the roof return bond.
- Fading Bond still inert: obtain Lise’s Hair Ornament during Holly’s timeline route.
- No Shelter Key: start the restored Josee timeline, survive the forced Outpost return, then speak to the woman southeast of Hill Overlooking the Clocktower.
- No castle objective: give Josee Lise’s device in the past, speak to Lou, then visit Josee’s room in the altered present.
Those checks separate a missing quest state from a combat or map problem. They also prevent a long, unnecessary repeat of the Sunken Pylon when the actual gate is an item in the Undead Forest branch.
Sources and credits
Game identity, release metadata, mechanics overview, and the original screenshots used here were verified through the official CODE VEIN II Steam page. The current bug boundary comes from Bandai Namco’s official Ver. 1.0.9 patch notes. The playable sequence, item handoffs, and combat responses were independently reconciled across the readable non-official walkthrough captures in the evidence ledger. Pages that returned access challenges supplied no facts.