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Phantom Blade Zero is out, and there’s so much of it that you’re going to need a little help finding, doing, and seeing everything. Some mechanics and features aren’t spelled out for you in the game, so we’ve concocted a list of helpful tips and tricks that’ll make your life easier, and Phantom Blade Zero a much better experience!
Some Tales and Quests are Multi-Area
This isn’t immediately obvious as you play, but as big as the areas are in Phantom Blade Zero, they don’t always have every stage of a tale or quest. You won’t know which you’ll be able to complete quickly, or which are multi-area Tales and Quests until you get to a point where you can’t do anymore, but it’s important you don’t forget them, and come back to them as and when you can go to the next area.
Don’t Forget to Sprint
Soul, the main character in Phantom Blade Zero, moves at an odd pace. His normal running speed is more like a walking pace, but the full sprint speed doesn’t feel much quicker. That said, make sure you sprint whenever possible.
The only time you shouldn’t be sprinting is when you’re attempting to navigate an area with a chance of falling off it, like pipes, cliffs and the like. You’ll make far quicker progress, trust me.
Parry or Guard, Don’t Tank
If you try and tank damage in Phantom Blade Zero, you’re going to have a bad time. Soul, whilst an incredibly skilled swordsman, is not the most durable of protagonists. Throughout your journey you’re going to fight a lot, and each time you’ll need to use the Parry, Block and Dodge mechanics more often than not. The combat in the game is a to-and-fro affair, meaning you’ll block, then attack, then block again. Do not tank damage!
Use Your Power Surge Attacks
The more powerful attacks in the game are called Power Surge attacks, which differ from weapon to weapon, depending on what you have equipped. The many different weapons have different attack styles, and so the Power Surge attacks differ greatly in execution. You should get familiar with the ones you want to use and when, as mistiming them can prove fatal, but getting them right and hitting them perfectly is almost certainly a recipe for success.
Explore
A staple tip from us. Phantom Blade Zero is linear, there’s no hiding that. It’s a giant game where you’ll more or less go down one path with the occasional off-shoot, but even with that said, you will want to explore.
There’s plenty of opportunity to find different items, weapons, accessories and more if you go off the beaten path a little, and as the Guide Hub shows, there’s more than a few places you could miss if you’re not looking in the right places for the keys to them.
Keep Up the Attack
While it is true that the combat in the game is to-and-fro, that doesn’t mean you should always wait your turn. Keeping on the front foot and making your mark is paramount to surviving in the game.
Every attack drops the Guard Meter of your opponent down, so waiting around for an opening isn’t the best idea when most enemies can wreck you in a few hits. You do need to be ready to parry and dodge, but your first thought should always be how quickly you can launch your next attack.
Listen Our for Environmental Cues
Whether it’s the tell-tale chime of a hidden chest nearby, or the weeping woman relevant to a main quest, you need to use your ears as much as your fingers in Phantom Blade Zero, There are audio cues for numerous different things in the game, so if you’re paying attention, you can make your time far easier.
Do the Side Quests
There are so many side quests, or Tales as they’re referred to here, that you could ignore the main quest and just do them, and still have a massive amount of time and fun in the process.
Right from the off you’ll be finding people who will give you Tales to complete, including Yu’er and her Apprentice Healer Tale, or the easily missed Archer in the Outpost that’ll also get you the Feather Bow; there’s plenty of variety to keep you interested.
Try Different Weapons and Outfits
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ about Phantom Blade Zero. As you play you’ll end up finding numerous different weapons of all sizes, shapes, types and attack patterns. If you like your dual-wielding swords; long, slow, and sweeping halberds, swords you can throw and just about any melee weapon you can think of, you’ll find it in the game.
Whenever you find a new weapon, I’d suggest equipping it and using it against normal enemies for ten minutes. Ignoring the fact it’ll be Level 1, it may fit your personal playstyle better than the two you have equipped.
Dodge is a Powerful Move
Parry and block are good, but dodge can be a game-changer when you figure out how to implement it properly. Using a well-timed dodge can get you behind some enemies, which when you come to the mounted and shield-bearing enemies, is incredibly important.
Get confident and competent with the mechanic, as you’ll 100% need it.
Do Finishers as Much as Possible
If you do enough damage to an enemy while also dropping their Guard Meter to zero, you’ll be able to do a Finisher on them. It’s not every enemy you encounter, and not the bosses either, but whenever you get the opportunity, you should be doing a Finisher. It can replenish your health when you do, which if you’re surrounded by enemies, is an absolute must if you want to survive. Plus, they look really cool, and vary from weapon to weapon.
Follow the Threads and Use Every Bell Possible
Phantom Blade Zero takes the idea of checkpoints being interactive in the same way as actual Soulslikes do, like Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Elden Ring etc.
You’ll regularly see bells in the environment, sat there ready for you to ring them. If you’re struggling, close to death and need to get all your medicine back, or fast travel to another part of the map, bells are your go-to, and so when you see red threads coming out of Soul, seemingly going to nowhere, follow them to a bell.
Pick Up All Remnant Dust
Not just Remnant Dust, but pick up everything you can find. If there’s a glowing item of any colour on the floor, table, in a chest, or dropped from an enemy, you pick it up. Remnant Dust is the most often found, and you’ll use this to upgrade your weapons; sometimes it’s keys or cranks, like the Crimson Forest Tunnel Crank, and other times it’s a unique item required for the Tale or main quest, but whatever it is, pick it up!
Assassinate Unaware Enemies
If enemies don’t know you’re there, you can save yourself some time fighting them. Creep up behind them and press circle to assassinate them, killing them in one fluid move and keeping yourself hidden from other enemies in the area. The stealth mechanic in Phantom Blade Zero isn’t all that deep, but you can also use high grass to crouch through and sneak up on unaware enemies.
If there’s multiple in the area close by, you’ll be able to chain another after the first, getting rid of two and cutting down the numbers you’ll face. It saves time and looks incredibly cool at the same time!
Use the Mind’s Eye Skill
Using the DualSense touchpad, swipe up when you’re standing still, and it’ll direct you to your tracked quest. It’s easy to get lost in the world of Phantom Blade Zero, at least in respect of which quest is where, so this is a useful, and unobtrusive, way of finding the right direction again.
Destroy Everything
While there’s not many times you’ll find items in boxes themselves, there are many times where you’ll destroy a box or crate and then find something behind it, be it an item, or even a hidden route. Make sure to take a few seconds to destroy whatever you can in every area.
Use the Environment
It’s rare, but you can get the jump on unsuspecting enemies by using the environment to your advantage. There’s times where you can push giant boulders onto enemies below, for example, and there’s many different fires on the floor, which you’ll be able to either draw the enemies into, or push them in during your combat encounters.
Rest at Crane Bells
These Bells differ from the normal ones. Instead of replenishing medicine and health, these ones contain moments in Soul’s and Zuo Shang’s story from the Discordance. Finding them all will uncover the truth and give you the full picture of what’s really going on in Phantom Blade Zero.
Don’t Sleep on the Memory Flowers
Memory Flowers are scattered throughout the world of Phantom Blade Zero. Not only are they needed to increase your health, but they offer more backstories and world building to the game, telling self-contained tales.
Some of these Memory Flowers are pretty well hidden, and while there’s a total counter on the Collectibles page of each area, there’s no counter or map markers for the individual ones. Just make sure you find them!
Take Back Any Item You Can
Throughout your travels in Phantom Blade Zero you’ll end up having to complete numerous puzzles. Whenever you’re given the opportunity to, you need to take back any items you may have found and used, and store them in your inventory, just in case you can use it again in the future, like the Sha-Chi Furnace Crank, for example.
Go Back on Yourself and Make Use of The Phantom Edge Abilities
As you progress you’ll end up unlocking more and more Phantom Edge weapons, which, as well as being incredibly useful in combat, also allow you new traversal options. For example, the Dread Axe from Peng Meng will allow you to break giant gates, or the Hunter’s Chain Sickle from The Hunt, Hunter of the Order will sling you around to ledges and platforms around you.
The Metroidvania aspects of the game means you’ll be able to find new areas, items, weapons and so much more just by backtracking a little.
Talk to the Same People Again and Again
Similarly to the tip above, you’ll want to speak to the same characters multiple times. Sometimes they’ll repeat the same lines, but other times they’ll say something new, give you a new quest, or reveal information about another quest or story beat.
This difference is usually brought about by your own progress, maybe with a main story mission or another Tale entirely.
Keep an Eye on Your Tales, They Run Out
Our final tip, but one of the biggest of Phantom Blade Zero. Don’t wait around to complete your Tales. While it’s true that some of them you have to continue by exploring further into the main game, you can miss some Tales by not doing them quickly enough.
Every time you lose a day off the total 66 you have, you could be timing yourself out of another Tale, so think twice before ‘resting’ at a bell.
For your next read, make sure to check out every game coming out in 2027, or our solo DMZ guide for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
