Phantom Blade Zero Walkthrough: Story Route & Boss Order
A complete Phantom Blade Zero walkthrough by region: story route, every mandatory boss, the optional content worth clearing, and the perfect-ending checklist.
Phantom Blade Zero's story route runs 20–30 hours, and the optional layer adds another ten to fifteen. The route is linear by region, but each region hides side bosses, gear, and perfect-ending requirements that disappear after a chapter transition. This walkthrough follows the story order and flags what to clear before moving on.
It is written for a first playthrough on Normal. Boss links go to full attack tables; this page is the route, not a substitute for the fight guides.
Pick Normal, learn the blue/red defence in the prologue, and decide whether you want the perfect ending. If yes, read the endings checklist now; several requirements are missable before the final warning.
Prologue: Diverging Paths
The prologue is a tutorial in two fights. It teaches movement, light and Sha-Chi attacks, the parry, and the dodge.
- Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign. Two phases, no drops. Parry the blue leaping slash, dodge the red flurry finisher, punish the phase-two dive. Full Zuo Shang guide.
- The Hunt, Hunter of the Order. A carriage fight with almost no dodge space. Parry the first blue hit, dodge the red, hit the QTE prompt. The fight ends at roughly half HP. Full The Hunt guide.
Before leaving the prologue, spend your first Remnant Dust on Healing Art and one combat ability. The game does not refund missed tutorial prompts, and the next region assumes you can parry.
Weeping Creek Valley
The first full region. The main route runs from the Valley Outpost to the Sha-Chi summit.
| Order | Objective | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valley Outpost | Rest at the bell, reveal the map, check the side path for chests |
| 2 | Peng Meng, the Axemaster | Drops the Dread Axe; equip it immediately for chain barriers |
| 3 | Optional field bosses | Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet, Jagged Steel |
| 4 | Hua, Deadly Betrothed | Summit of Sha-Chi; drops the Scarlet Wraithblade |
| 5 | The Gold-Masked One | Story encounter |
| 6 | The Hunt, Sixfold Scythe | Rematch with an expanded moveset |
Clear the optional bosses before the summit. The Dread Axe opens several chain-gated routes in the valley, including chests and a shortcut back to the outpost. If you skip Peng Meng, you will walk past those routes for the rest of the game.
Quick Hand Zhang makes his first appearance in this region. Find him, collect the three green-glowing chests, and turn them in before the chapter transition.
Crimson Forest and Pangzhen
The forest route leads to Pangzhen Bridge and then the city.
- Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic waits on the bridge. Break the Bubble Shield with a heavy or Sha-Chi attack, dodge the flying swords sideways, and punish Tidal Sword. He drops The Fanatic's Broken Blade. Full Hua Qianxiao guide.
- Bai Chilian, the Sacrificial Serpent is optional but tied to the serpent relics for the perfect ending. Clear the serpent content in this region.
- Stone Hand Iron Fever and Jing Ye the Outlaw are optional field bosses; both drop materials and Remnant Dust.
- Pangzhen opens after the bridge. Rest at the city gate bell, then work through the market and docks. The city contains several story bosses: Blaze, Cavalrybane, Wu Xuan, Gu Wanyue, Chang Hong, You Loong, the Lion Dance Grandmaster, and Soulclaimer.
Acolyte Leiting stands at a scarecrow in Pangzhen. Defeat him for the Thunder Mask; it is required for the perfect ending and easy to walk past in the city's side streets.
Village of Lu
The puppet region. The Broken Puppet Pit is the main dungeon, and Lakefield is the arena for the hardest mandatory fight in the region.
- Dusk, the Puppeteer. Kill the summoned puppets to damage the boss; in phase two, focus the caster body. Drops the Puppeteer's Bell. Full Dusk guide.
- Acolyte Yanru. Scarecrow encounter; drops the Blazing Mask. Required for the perfect ending.
- Mu Xiaokui, Queen of Iron and Jade. Take the lift west of the Puppet Testing Grounds. Phase one is a rapier duel; phase two adds Iron Fist and Jade Dancer. Kill the adds first. Full Mu Xiaokui guide.
- Optional masters. Zhuo Bi the Gatekeeper, Master Bi Yuan of Tianxuan Sect, and Master Bi Hai of Kuye Temple are optional duels with useful materials.
Quick Hand Zhang appears in the village. Clear his three relics before leaving.
Mandate Encampment
A short military region with formation fights and puppet tests.
- Wan Jun, the Coppermaul drops the Bashpole Phantom Edge, one of the best crowd-control tools in the game.
- Red, the Mysterious Swordswoman is a story duel.
- Chief Disciple of the Seven-Stars Formation and Yubi No. 21 are optional challenges.
The encampment is a good place to finish weapon upgrades before the lake. Rest at the command tent bell and check that your main weapon has its level-10 milestone.
Meigu Lake
The lake region ties the serpent and mirror content together.
| Order | Objective | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeside bell | Reveal the map and refill charges |
| 2 | Yan Qiansui, the Zither Maiden | Music-based story boss |
| 3 | Zhu Yuan, Grief-Stricken Jin, One-Eyed Archer | Optional field bosses |
| 4 | You Loong, Frenzied Blackwater Crew Leader | Second encounter |
| 5 | Acolyte Guhe | Drops the Venom Mask; required for the perfect ending |
| 6 | Sha-Chi boat | Requires all four masks; west side, ice floats |
| 7 | Mirror guardian | Chapter-ending boss inside the mirror |
| 8 | Statue | Insert both Crystal Puppet Eyes |
Do not take the boat before you have all four masks. The dock interaction will not complete, and the mirror is the route to the perfect ending's final requirement.
Optional late-game content
Before the final point of no return, clear these:
- Mountain of Imprisonment — optional region; Crystal Puppet Eye [Yin].
- Crimson Manor — late-game residence in Weeping Creek Valley; hidden boss drops Crystal Puppet Eye [Yang]; Acolyte Hansui drops the Frost Mask.
- Five Long Pillars — Weeping Creek Valley, Crimson Forest, Meigu Lake, the mirror realm, and the finale area.
- Three serpent relics — White Serpent Eye, Black Serpent Fang, Red Serpent Tongue.
- Quick Hand Zhang's fifth appearance — Meigu Lake, three more relics.
The endings guide has the full checklist and the order that avoids backtracking.
Finale checklist
| Check | Requirement |
|---|---|
| ☐ | Both Crystal Puppet Eyes inserted at the Meigu Lake statue |
| ☐ | Four Acolyte masks collected |
| ☐ | Five Long Pillars complete |
| ☐ | Three serpent relics collected |
| ☐ | Quick Hand Zhang's five appearances complete |
| ☐ | All optional bosses cleared |
| ☐ | Main weapon at level 15 or higher |
| ☐ | Medicine capacity upgraded |
| ☐ | Remnant Spark charges full |
Once the game warns you about the final point of no return, there is no way back. Save in a separate slot before continuing if you are unsure about a requirement.
FAQ
How long is the Phantom Blade Zero main story?
20–30 hours for the main route. A completionist run with optional bosses and the perfect ending is closer to 40 hours.
How many chapters are there?
The story is divided into five named chapters plus the prologue. The route above follows the region order rather than the journal's chapter labels, because several regions share a chapter.
Can I go back after the final boss?
No. The game warns you before the final point of no return. Finish optional content first, or keep a save from before the warning.
What should I do before the final chapter?
Collect both Crystal Puppet Eyes, all four Acolyte masks, the three serpent relics, and Quick Hand Zhang's five relic sets, and complete the five Long Pillars. The endings guide tracks each one.
What if I miss a perfect ending requirement?
Finish the run, then start a second playthrough with the endings checklist open. The game does not let you return to optional areas after the final point of no return, so a new run is the reliable fix.
Where to go next
Sources and further reading
Official reference: Phantom Blade Zero — S-GAME's official game site.
More Phantom Blade Zero Guides
Beat Mu Xiaokui in Phantom Blade Zero: the rapier phase, the Queen of Iron and Jade unarmed phase, add control, and the punish windows that win the fight.
Beat Peng Meng in Phantom Blade Zero: every axe attack read, the safe spot behind the Axemaster, and how to claim the Dread Axe Phantom Edge.
Survive The Hunt in Phantom Blade Zero: the cramped carriage fight, kusarigama parry timing, the half-health cutscene, and the harder Sixfold Scythe rematch.
Beat Zuo Shang in the Phantom Blade Zero prologue: read the blue and red flashes, punish both phases, and learn the parry timing that carries forward.
Every Phantom Blade Zero boss in story order, grouped by region, with rewards, ending requirements, and links to full attack-by-attack strategies.
How Phantom Blade Zero's endings work, the perfect ending checklist, the four Acolyte masks, Crystal Puppet Eyes, Long Pillars, and the point of no return.
Every Phantom Blade Zero region in order, what each map hides, how bell checkpoints and fast travel work, and the optional areas that gate the perfect ending.
A practical Phantom Blade Zero parry guide: the exact blue-flash timing, why parries fail, how red attacks differ, and how to turn a guard break into damage.