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Unofficial guide · Launch edition · Last checked Confirmed Reported Conflict After unlock

Phantom Blade Zero tips and tricks for new players

17 tips for your first hours, each reported by at least two independent sources, then the things you can miss and a few single-source leads. Every tip links to the page that goes deeper. Reported

If you read nothing else

Fighting

The habits that make early fights easier.

  1. Swap to your second main weapon when Sha-Chi runs low

    Switch weapons when your Sha-Chi meter is nearly empty.

    The swap refills the bar at once, but the weapon you put away needs time to recover, so do not swap back and forth in a panic.

    Reported · GamesRadar+ Sha-Chi and weapon swap

  2. Parry blue, dodge red

    Read the colour of the attack: parry blue ones, dodge red ones, and do not try to block red.

    A parry costs no Sha-Chi, a dodge costs none either, and blocking a blue attack works but drains your meter. If you cannot tell them apart in the moment, a dodge is the cheaper mistake.

    Reported · TheSixthAxis Blue, red and dark attacks · How to parry

  3. Dodge the dark attacks instead of blocking them

    Attacks wrapped in black smoke are better dodged than blocked.

    PC Gamer says blocking them drains your Sha-Chi, and two other reports say they break guard. Whether a dark attack can also be parried is still unconfirmed.

    Reported · RPGamer Dark attacks

  4. Keep hitting to empty the enemy's Sha-Chi

    Plain attacks, parries and Power Surges all wear down an enemy's own Sha-Chi, and an empty meter leaves them open.

    You do not need a big move to start this: ordinary strikes already chip at it, so staying aggressive is rewarded. Ease off only when the enemy is blocking or parrying you.

    Reported · Game Rant Sha-Chi and guard breaks

  5. Use Power Surge, it cannot be blocked

    Charge a Power Surge with a heavy attack when you want damage that the enemy cannot guard against.

    Two guides agree it ignores blocking. Game8 adds that it drains Sha-Chi best on an enemy who has not been staggered yet.

    Reported · Push Square Heavy attacks and Power Surge

  6. Bring guard-break gear for shields and puppets

    Against shielded enemies and puppets, equip weapons and accessories with high guard-break.

    Game Informer says this matters most in the Village of Lu, where most enemies are puppets. Game8 recommends destructive weapons and guard-break accessories. Whether plain blades can do the job is disputed.

    Reported · Game Informer How to break shields · Best weapons

Dying, saving and difficulty

How forgiving the game is, and what you can change.

  1. Do not fear dying

    Dying costs you nothing you carry, and a multi-phase boss restarts you at the phase where you fell.

    There is no corpse run and no currency to recover, so use early deaths to learn a boss rather than to play it safe.

    Reported · TheSixthAxis What you lose when you die

  2. Clear an area once and it stays clear

    Defeated enemies do not come back, even after you rest.

    That makes thorough exploring cheap: clean out a region once and you can walk through it later without a fight. It also means there is no farming loop.

    Reported · TheSixthAxis Bells and saving

  3. Choose a difficulty knowing you can change it

    The three standard difficulties can be changed from the pause menu, and 66 Days only opens after your first clear.

    So there is no need to agonise at the start. PC Gamer calls the game not particularly tough unless you play on the top difficulty.

    Reported · Push Square Which difficulty to pick

Getting stronger

Where upgrades, stats and builds come from.

  1. Upgrade your weapons and do not hoard materials

    Spend Remnant Dust and materials on the weapons you use instead of saving them.

    Upgrades are refundable (free up to level 10 per PC Gamer, with sources disagreeing beyond that), and most weapons use their own materials, so one upgrade seldom starves another.

    Reported · Game Informer Weapon levels · Refunds

  2. Collect Blackstones, Sha-Chi Ambers and Memory Flowers

    These three collectibles are how your attack, Sha-Chi and HP grow, so pick them up as you go.

    Four Amber or Blackstone shards make one whole item, and a finished Memory Flower set raises max HP. Spend them at a Bell.

    Reported · PC Gamer Collectibles hub · Memory Flowers

  3. Try more than one weapon type

    Carry weapons of different types and test new ones as you find them.

    Each weapon class has its own upgrade material, some weapons are better against certain enemies, and a newly found weapon may replace your favourite. PC Gamer suggests one one-handed and one two-handed weapon.

    Reported · PC Gamer Best weapons early on · All weapons

  4. Fit accessories on purpose

    Treat accessories as half of your build, and match them to the boss ahead.

    You start with two slots and unlock more. Game Informer names fire and lightning resistance accessories to bring to Blaze and Chang Hong, and PC Gamer says accessories can be buffed once you reach the Village of Lu.

    Reported · Fextralife Phantom Blade Zero Wiki Accessories

  5. Do the Banyan Tree trials

    Finish the combat trials at Banyan trees to earn a Banyan's Heart.

    Some abilities on Soul's skill tree cannot be bought without one.

    Reported · PC Gamer Where upgrades go

  6. Use your Phantom Edges, and watch the map for the ones that open routes

    Spend your Phantom Edge charges freely, and note that some also open paths.

    They are limited-use secondary weapons, and Game Informer says the map marks places that need a particular Edge, so you can come back later.

    Reported · GamesRadar+ Phantom Edges

Exploring

Why leaving the golden path pays off.

  1. Leave the main path and examine things

    Explore side routes and examine objects and notes, not just the golden objective line.

    Examining items pays out Remnant Dust and can start side quests, and some secrets have no map marker at all.

    Reported · PC Gamer Map and regions

  2. An optional boss can wait

    If an optional boss is walling you, go and do something else, then come back stronger.

    Both guides note the game has very few points of no return, and the toughest fights are optional.

    Reported · PC Gamer Boss guides

What you can miss

The game has few points of no return, but some quests, weapons and trophies can be lost. Keep a manual save at the start and end of each region.

  1. Finish side quests before you leave a region

    Complete the quests you can reach in your current region before moving on.

    Reviewers and both tip guides say some quests can fail or be locked out. Game Informer adds that skipping its purple-icon quests costs a large share of the content and the best ending; PC Gamer notes some quests are meant to be revisited later, so not every one is a trap.

    Reported · GamesRadar+ Can you miss collectibles? · Missable trophies · Endings

  2. Gather a region's Memory Flowers before its boss

    Collect the Memory Flowers in a region before you fight its chapter boss.

    Both guides say a full set can change the fight: an extra phase or a reward such as a weapon. Game Informer gives the Village of Lu as an example. PowerPyx does not flag individual flowers as permanently missable, so this is about bonuses, not lockouts.

    Reported · PowerPyx Memory Flowers · Can you miss them?

On PS5, PowerPyx lists seven missable trophies. See the trophies page for the names and the Side Tales list for which quest closes when and the collectibles page for what each region holds. Reported · PowerPyx

Other tips worth knowing

Each of these comes from a single source so far. We move one up the page when a second source backs it.

Sources and checks

Official and store pages

Press, reviews and data sites

Other sources