In Phantom Blade Zero, parry blue attacks and dodge red ones, swap weapons to refill your Sha-Chi, and play the side quests before the main story: they decide the ending. Skill points are fully refundable and weapon reverts are free up to level 10, so experiment early.
Combat
- Parry blue, dodge red. Blue Brutal Moves can be parried; red Killer Moves have to be dodged.
- Sha-Chi is your one gauge: blocking drains it, and an empty gauge leaves you open.
- Tap L1 on time to parry: a parry costs no Sha-Chi. Holding L1 drains it, faster while hits land on your guard, so against a group hold guard instead of fishing for parries on attackers you cannot see.
- Against a red attack, a timed step back is enough: no direction needed.
- An execution animation makes Soul invulnerable. In a crowd, execute one enemy while the others swing.
- A Sha-Chi skill, for 1 Sha-Chi Essence, can interrupt a boss's strong attack.
- Keep some Sha-Chi when a boss is Guard-Broken. If it stands up while your gauge is empty, a single hit Guard-Breaks you.
- Switching primary weapons fully refills Sha-Chi, and every swap throws a quick attack.
- Breach enemies by emptying their Sha-Chi: a breached target cannot block and takes extra damage.
- A perfect parry or dodge triggers Ghostep, which puts you behind the enemy.
- Holding Concentration blocks every attack except those with a blue or red warning.
- Assassinations and executions are more likely to give potion charges back.
- Phantom Edges on R2 spend Remnant Sparks and give super armour while they swing.
- Some bosses have an attack that drains all of your Sha-Chi. When one winds up, get out of its way.
- Blunt attacks break shields, and water-element attacks work well against fire enemies.
- Kuye Dew cuts damage taken by 40% for 25 seconds: drink it before a boss that hits hard.
Progression
- There is no XP. Soul grows through collectibles spent on the skill tree, and the tree can be reset.
- Reverting a weapon refunds every material, and it is free up to level 10. Past that it costs a Weapon Reforge Talisman, or a Phantom Reforge Talisman for a Phantom Edge, so settle on your main weapons before level 10.
- Upgrades add moves, not only numbers: weapon skills unlock at levels 5, 10 and 15. Two or three weapons you like are worth more than every weapon at level 4.
- One weapon can carry a run (even the weakest, a wooden sword) but weapons counter enemy types: gauntlets break shields, a cannon breaks up packs.
- Equip the Treasure Basin early: it raises Remnant Dust drops by 10%.
- On the skill tree, Fluid Form is free and Healing Art adds a Medicine use for 5,000 Remnant Dust: the cheapest early picks (see the skill tree).
Exploration
- Bells are checkpoints: resting refills potions and Remnant Sparks, and every bell you find is a fast-travel point.
- Remember weakened floors and walls, and iron chains across a path: a Phantom Edge you get later opens them. The Dread Axe, dropped by Peng Meng in the first region, breaks the chains even when not equipped.
- Do side quests before the main story. They decide which ending you get, and the true one needs the purple quests done in time.
- In Crimson Forest, free Quick Hand Zhang from his cage by the Trail of Cages bell: leave him there and his quests and accessory are gone.
- Dying in a boss's later phase restarts the fight at that phase, in the launch build too, Hellwalker included. Only 66 Days really punishes a death.
- The weapon a boss is weak to is usually found near that boss. Explore the area before the fight.
- Chest materials matter most in the first two chapters; by mid-game you have plenty.
- The ink maps are hand-drawn, vague on purpose and very vertical: go and look rather than trust the map.
- Come back to earlier areas once you own the Hunter's Chain Sickle or the Feather Bow: the sickle pulls Soul up to anchor points and the bow shoots down hanging objects, even when not equipped.
- Lost? Mind's Eye senses the direction of the quest you are tracking.
- A death carries you back to the last bell you touched, and each bell's Save menu holds 20 manual save slots.
What to do first in Weeping Creek Valley
Our route through the first region, in order. Each stop picks up something you keep for the rest of the game, and the later stops need the Hunter's Chain Sickle from The Hunt.
| Step | Go to | You get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The hamlet by The Axemaster's Holding Cell: read Fragments of the Mandate, then dig the mound | Boulderguard, 15% less damage taken while not Guard-Broken |
| 2 | The red and gold chest on the Mandate outpost walkways | Focus Pill and the second Medicine slot |
| 3 | The Hunt | The Hunter's Chain Sickle |
| 4 | Back to the summit of the Valley Sha-Chi Tower: the sickle pulls you up to the anchor point | The Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Key |
| 5 | Under the tower: the garden beside Crimson Manor | Ancient Armor Fragment, up to 20% less damage at full HP |
| 6 | The second furnace box by the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base bell, with the Sha-Chi Furnace Inspection Crank | Reflex Device, 15% wider Parry and Perfect Dodge windows |
| 7 | A chest up the pipes and ladders of the tower base, guarded by two Shadow Wardens | Vessel Restorative, a Medicine: 70% HP |
| 8 | The sickle gap at the far end of the first area, near The Beginning | Lingran's Pendant, cheaper Sha-Chi Combos |
| 9 | Hua, Deadly Betrothed, in the red lily clearing | The Scarlet Wraithblade |
| 10 | Crimson Forest, before Jing Ye | The Shieldbreaker Talisman from a bandit camp, and Kuye Dew from the outlaw hideout |
Our route. Items, effects and drops as their in-game cards read.
Step 9 is optional. We take it after The Hunt, with one weapon at level 5 and the accessories above. The accessories page ranks the best early ones, and the builds page shows what to do with the pieces.
Early missables
- Apprentice Healer, Yu'er's herb quest: hand in her three herbs before Jing Ye. Enter the bandit camp after that fight and the quest locks.
- Quick Hand Zhang: free him from his cage by the Trail of Cages bell in Crimson Forest, or his quests and accessory are lost.
- Whence the Weeping is offered at the very start but cannot be finished until late in the game. Do not chase it early.
How boss fights are won
Hits on a boss whose Sha-Chi is still up do little. Parry its blue-flash attacks and keep pressure on until its Sha-Chi empties: the Breach that follows is where the real damage goes in. The game's own tip reads: "Parry Blue-flash Attacks and Perfect Dodge Red-flash Attacks whenever possible to gain the upper hand!"
Long fights are split into phases, and a death in a later phase restarts you at that phase. Bai Chilian is one example: her second bar, the Sacrificial Serpent, follows a cutscene. Every fight is on the boss list.
Medicines and accessories to swap per fight
Loadouts are free to change at a bell, so set them for the fight ahead. The card texts:
| Fight | Take | What the card says |
|---|---|---|
| A boss that hits very hard | Kuye Dew (Medicine) | "Reduces damage taken by 40% for 25 seconds and restores 60% HP over 10 seconds." |
| A long fight on Sha-Chi skills | Simmering Brew (Medicine) | "Continuously generates Sha-Chi for 15 seconds and gradually restores 30% HP over the same duration." |
| Shield carriers | Shieldbreaker Talisman | "Increases damage dealt to Shield Durability by 50% and reduces damage taken from Spiked Shields by 30%." |
| Playing on parries | Hunter's Insight with the Reflex Device | +7% damage and Sha-Chi depletion against attacking enemies, and 15% wider Parry and Perfect Dodge windows |
| Relying on Medicine | Medicine Case | "Increases healing from Medicine by 20%." |
Card texts as read in the game.
Every accessory and where to find it is on the accessories page.
Which difficulty to pick
Start on Pathbreaker, the standard setting, unless you only want the story, which is what Wayfarer is for. Wayfarer, Pathbreaker and Hellwalker can be swapped from the pause menu at any time, every trophy can be earned on Wayfarer, and only 66 Days, unlocked after a first clear, limits your deaths. The four modes are compared on the difficulty page.
FAQ
What should you do first in Phantom Blade Zero?
Learn to parry blue attacks and dodge red ones, and swap weapons to refill Sha-Chi. Then clear Weeping Creek Valley before pushing on: Boulderguard, the Focus Pill chest with the second Medicine slot, The Hunt for the Hunter's Chain Sickle, then the Ancient Armor Fragment, Reflex Device and Lingran's Pendant it opens the way to.
Can you miss Yu'er's quest?
Yes. Apprentice Healer locks if you enter the bandit camp after beating Jing Ye, so hand in Yu'er's three herbs before that fight. Its reward is the Medicine Case.
When can you finish Whence the Weeping?
Late in the game. The quest is offered at the start of Weeping Creek Valley and later points to the Threadbound Great Tree at the end of Crimson Forest, but it cannot be completed early. Leave it in your log and carry on.
Is Phantom Blade Zero hard for beginners?
It can be as gentle as you like: Wayfarer is designed for players who want the story, and every trophy is earnable on it.
Do boss phases save when you die?
Yes. A death in a boss's later phase restarts the fight at that phase, not from the top, on every difficulty. In 66 Days the death still costs a day.
Which Medicine is best for boss fights?
Kuye Dew against bosses that hit hard: 40% less damage taken for 25 seconds and 60% HP over 10 seconds. Simmering Brew suits long fights on Sha-Chi skills, with Sha-Chi generated for 15 seconds and 30% HP.
Should you upgrade every weapon?
No. Pick two or three and push them past levels 5, 10 and 15, where their skills unlock. Reverting is free up to level 10 if you change your mind; past it each revert takes a Reforge Talisman.
Is the Phantom Blade Zero map accurate?
Only roughly. The ink maps are hand-drawn and vague on purpose, and the areas are very vertical, so a spot that looks close on the map can sit floors above you. Bells you ring uncover their part of the map.
By Edwin Galibert · Last checked Oct 29, 2026 · How we source · Report an error