Phantom Blade Zero has a prologue and 8 chapters (according to Vandal) across 9 regions, in this order: Weeping Creek Valley → Crimson Forest → Village of Lu → Pangzhen → Mandate Encampment (optional) → Meigu Lake → Mountain of Imprisonment (optional) → Mirage Estate → Mount Soulrend. The story takes 25-30 hours.
Phantom Blade Zero route
The nine regions in order; in red, the point of no return
- Valleych. 1-2
- Crimson Forestch. 3
- Village of Luch. 4
- Pangzhench. 5-6
- Encampmentoptional
- Meigu Lakepartly optional
- Mountain of Imprisonmentoptional
- Mirage Estatech. 7
- Soulrendch. 8 (finale)
Items per region
Accessories, weapons, Phantom Edges, flowers and medicines according to Vandal (Spanish guide).
Chapter guides
According to Vandal (Spanish guide), the story has a prologue and 8 chapters. The table below numbers the regions instead, as SoloJugadores does. Here is every chapter step by step, with its bosses, side quests and missables:
- Prologue
- Chapter 1: Against the Flow
- Chapter 2: Steel and Steam
- Chapter 3: Snake’s Reflection
- Chapter 4: Heartless Remnants
- Chapter 5: Town of Death
- Chapter 6: The Heart’s Trail
- Chapter 7: The Way Forward
- Chapter 8: A Soul’s Worth
Chapters and regions in order
| # | Chapter | Region | Mandatory bosses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Prologue: Diverging Paths and Reckless Pursuit | Bamboo forest and road to Pangzhen | Zuo Shang and The Hunt (tutorials) |
| 1-2 | Against the Flow and Steel and Steam | Weeping Creek Valley | Jagged Steel, Peng Meng, The Hunt |
| 3 | Snake’s Reflection | Crimson Forest | Hua Qianxiao, Jing Ye, Stone Hand, Bai Chilian |
| 4 | Heartless Remnants | Village of Lu | Zhuo Bi, Bi Yuan, Bi Hai, Yuzan, Mu Xiaokui |
| 5-6 | Town of Death and The Heart’s Trail | Pangzhen | Blaze, Cavalrybane, Wu Xuan, Gu Wanyue, Xie Qiudong, Chang Hong, Flame, Soulclaimer |
| — | Hero or Heretic (optional) | Mandate Encampment | None |
| — | El lago | Meigu Lake | Heartpiercer |
| — | Treason and Confinement (optional) | Mountain of Imprisonment | None |
| 7 | The Way Forward | Mirage Estate | Yuding, Qiu Feng, Lei Dang |
| 8 | A Soul’s Worth | Mount Soulrend | The Crusher and the Saw, Leng Tu, Meng Hua |
Chapter numbering changes depending on the guide: some don’t count “Steel and Steam” separately and others put the lake and the Mountain of Imprisonment the other way round. The order of the regions is the same in all of them.
How the world works
- Semi-open: regions connected by shortcuts and hidden areas. Some doors require a specific Phantom Edge: the sickle to grapple, the Dread Axe for chains, Flaming Mane for brambles or the Bashpole for floors.
- Bells: these are the rest points. They restore health and medicines, recharge Phantom Edges and let you upgrade, buy, save and travel. There are 167.
- Color-coded objectives: gold = story, black = side tales, purple = true ending quests.
- Enemies don’t respawn when you rest.
Optional areas
Mandate Encampment, Mountain of Imprisonment, Crimson Manor (Valley basement), Phantom Illusionist Ruins (Meigu Lake) and frozen Crimson Forest (Crimson Forest, after entering the Mirage Estate). A large part of Meigu Lake is optional too.
Points of no return
- Green Serpent House → Mirage EstateCloses the purple quests and Long Pillars 1-4. Zhang’s requests stay open: according to Vandal, the fifth one starts inside the Mirage Estate.
- The Last Chance bellIn Mount Soulrend: you won’t get out until you see an ending.
There are smaller cut-offs: beating Jing Ye (Apprentice Healer), Bai Chilian (several tales in the Valley and the Forest), entering Pangzhen (The Journey Home, Young Master Lan) and The Crusher and the Saw (Cui).
Access and unlocks
- How to enter the Crimson Manor
- How to get and repair the Illusory Pipa
- How to reach the Mountain of Imprisonment
- How to open the Four Guardians’ Mirror
- How to enter the Mandate Encampment
- How to reach Meigu Lake
- How to reach the frozen Crimson Forest
- The Herald’s Illusion: the 3 portals of the Three-Eyed Puppet
Frequently asked questions
Is Phantom Blade Zero open world?
Not entirely: it’s semi-open, with large connected regions, shortcuts and paths that open with Phantom Edges, but with a fairly linear story.
Can I go back to earlier regions?
Yes, by traveling between bells. What closes off are specific quests when you beat certain bosses or cross the points of no return.
Which is the biggest region?
Pangzhen, with 28 bells and most of the side tales.
Kaarosu Damu Kira is a soulslike player with 13 platinum trophies, from Dark Souls and Bloodborne to Elden Ring and Black Myth: Wukong, and the author of PBZ Guide. Kaarosu earned the Phantom Blade Zero platinum on 14 Nov 2026 in a single playthrough and turns every fight into clear, fact-checked guides.
