Phantom Blade Zero walkthrough: opening hours and first bosses

Checked against Day-one build (Oct 29, 2026) on 1 Nov 2026. We re-test every guide after major updates; if something changed, tell us.

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Phantom Blade Zero is out: S-GAME's wuxia action RPG launched on PS5 and PC (Steam and the Epic Games Store) on October 29, 2026, after a 50-day delay from its original September date. As of November 2026 it is running on its day-one build, and it has already become the biggest new release of the year on Steam by concurrent players. This Phantom Blade Zero walkthrough covers the opening hours in route order: the prologue duel with Zuo Shang, the cart fight against The Hunt, and every boss in Weeping Creek Valley, the first real region, up to the point where the road opens toward Crimson Forest.

Expect four to six hours for everything below on the default Pathbreaker difficulty, including two optional fights. Enemies stay dead once you ring a bell, there is no dropped currency to recover, and dying in a boss's second phase restarts you at that phase. The combat still punishes button-mashing, so start with the primer.

Official launch trailer. Video: Phantom Blade Zero (S-GAME).

Combat primer: Sha-Chi, blue flashes and red flashes

Block and parry share one button (L1 on PS5): hold to block, tap as the hit lands to parry. Dodge is R1. Your Sha-Chi gauge is stamina and guard in one: blocking, taking hits and heavy Sha-Chi combos all drain it, and once it is empty the next blocked hit lands at full damage.

Blue flash = Brutal Move. Parry it. A clean parry costs no Sha-Chi, drains the enemy's own bar and triggers a Ghoststep behind the attacker for a free backstab.
Red flash = Killer Move. Cannot be blocked or parried. Dodge slightly early; a perfect dodge also Ghosteps.
Enemy Sha-Chi. Lock on (R3) to see it. An empty bar is when bosses actually take damage.
Weapon swap refills you. Switching main blades (left on the D-pad) fully restores Sha-Chi. Swap instead of backing off.
Phantom Edges are your two secondary tools (right on the D-pad, R2 to use). Several double as traversal keys in this valley.

Soul parries a Brutal Move, shown by a horizontal blue flash of light across the screen — The blue flash is your cue to tap parry; nail it and Soul Ghosteps behind the attacker. Image: S-GAME.

Difficulty can be changed later, but pick deliberately: Wayfarer is the story-first setting, Pathbreaker is the intended default, Hellwalker gives bosses more aggressive, adaptive patterns, and 66 Days is a harder New Game Plus where each death costs Soul some of his remaining days. The strategies below assume Pathbreaker.

Prologue: Zuo Shang and the cart fight against The Hunt

The opening chapter, Diverging Paths, is set sixteen years before the main story and doubles as the tutorial: attacks, Sha-Chi combos, block, parry and dodge are each introduced on the way to a duel with Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign, Soul's sworn brother.

Treat it as a parry lesson. Zuo Shang throws mostly blue Brutal Moves at a readable rhythm: tap parry on each flash, take the Ghoststep backstab, repeat. The fight ends in a cutscene before his health matters and gives no reward. What it teaches is timing: the flash comes a beat before the hit, and a wrong input is worse than none.

Then the story jumps to the present. Soul, framed for the murder of the Order's patriarch and revived by the Flesh Sculptor with a tainted heart, has 66 days to live. Reckless Pursuit is an escape sequence that ends with The Hunt, Hunter of the Order boarding your moving cart. This first meeting is also scripted: parry his blue twin-axe swings, dodge anything red, and the cutscene plays regardless of damage. You settle the score later in the valley.

Soul walks across a rain-soaked wooden bridge toward a mounted figure, with a lantern-lit town in the distance — Soul's opening hours take him from a rain-soaked prologue into Weeping Creek Valley. Image: S-GAME.

The Beginning Bell to Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute

You wake in Weeping Creek Valley at the Beginning Bell. Bells are checkpoints, fast travel, healing refills and, from the Outpost on, your upgrade hub. Ring every one.

Meet Yu'er by the waterfallHead toward The Lady's Rift. Yu'er, a brewer's daughter who fled Pangzhen, starts the Flesh Lily tale. Take the Sanguine Twin blades from the rack past her so you have a second blade to swap to.
Red Thread Barrier and Broken Puppet ValleyFollow the gorge through the thread gate and cut down the puppet behind it. Thread-bound enemies use red lunges more than soldiers do, so default to dodging.
Drop to the riverbedPast the waterfall below Rustblade Pavilion, the exposed riverbed holds Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute, a berserker with a serrated blade.
Ring the Rustblade Pavilion BellIt sits just above the arena; ring it so the valley stays cleared on your way to the Outpost.

Jagged Steel is a deliberate practice dummy for both defensive tools. He alternates slow blue overheads with a red lunge, telegraphs both from far out, and staggers hard once his Sha-Chi breaks. Parry the blues, dodge the reds, follow each Ghoststep with a full combo. He drops the Jagged Steel blade, a heavy bleed weapon that is one of the best early upgrades (bleed does nothing to puppets, so keep a second blade for them).

Soul leaps over a hulking grey brute wielding a spear in a shallow riverbed in Weeping Creek Valley — The riverbeds of Weeping Creek Valley host the game's first proper boss arenas. Image: S-GAME.

The Outpost and Peng Meng, the Axemaster

The Outpost is the valley's hub. Speak to Forge to unlock weapon upgrades and take the Sanguine Reach from the rack behind him. Three side tales start here: Purge the Sect from the Brooding Old Archer on the roof, Festering Secrets, and Yu'er's Apprentice Healer (gather Blood-Stopper Vine, Congealeaf and Blemish Goldweed as you explore). Finish the first two before Bai Chilian and the healer tale before Jing Ye in Crimson Forest, or they fail.

Tip: Put your first two upgrades into Jagged Steel before fighting Peng Meng. Upgrades are fully refundable at Forge, so there is no reason to hoard materials, and the extra damage shortens every fight in this section.

Peng Meng, the Axemaster waits by the river southwest of the Outpost, beside what becomes The Axemaster's Fall bell. He is so large that his body often fills the camera and hides the wind-up, so lock on and react to the flash rather than his limbs.

Almost everything he does is blue. Learn the stamps-then-swing sequence: count the foot stamps, parry the axe.
His wide sweep is faster than it looks; dodge sideways instead of parrying.
Never eat the back slam. It strips your whole Sha-Chi bar; if that happens, swap weapons immediately to refill.
When he drops to a knee, sidestep first, then punish; he rises with a swing.
Below roughly a sixth of his health, a finisher prompt appears on his next big swing. Take it.

He drops the Dread Axe, your first Phantom Edge, 9,000 Remnant Dust and the bronze trophy The Axe's Grudge. Equip the axe at once: it cuts the iron chains sealing the Axemaster's Holding Cell and the bridge beyond.

Archer Camp, the Sha-Chi Tower and Hua, Deadly Betrothed

Cross the bridge from the Holding Cell, ring the Creek Valley Plains Entrance bell (the gate stays locked for now) and climb to the Ruthless Archer Camp. Grouped archers are the nastiest ordinary enemy early because arrows interrupt parries: rush the nearest one and use the camp's walls to break line of sight. The last archer carries the Broken-String Bow; hand it to the Brooding Old Archer to finish Purge the Sect and receive the Feather Bow, a ranged Phantom Edge.

Soul sprints into a sunlit camp of archers and mounted soldiers surrounded by wooden palisades — Camps full of archers and riders are where group fights in the valley get dangerous. Image: S-GAME.

The large wooden bridge leads to the Valley Sha-Chi Tower. Ring the 1st Floor bell, then go behind the tower before climbing: a floor opening with a faint red glow drops you down a wooden ramp into the Flesh Lily Fields, where a wedding altar marks the arena of Hua, Deadly Betrothed, the one optional boss worth doing immediately.

Hua is a puppet, so bleed is wasted; swap to the Sanguine blades. The fight is footwork: the flesh lilies on the ground hurt you if you stand in them, so keep moving and never fight from the patches. Her floating slashes come in blue strings that end in a red dive; parry the string, dodge the dive. She drops the Scarlet Wraithblade, a two-handed blade good enough to carry into the midgame, 9,000 Remnant Dust and the Twin Flesh Lilies that finish Yu'er's tale. Beating her also clears the fog from the northern half of the map.

Common mistake: fighting the Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet in the Challenge Rift temple plaza now. It is around level 15, vanishes into mirrors between red strikes and barely takes damage this early. Come back late in the game.

The Hunt, Sixfold Scythe at the Great Waterfall

Climb the tower and ring the Summit bell. A friendly Shadow Warden starts A Severed Mindseal: roof, ladder down, kill the soldier carrying the Sha-Chi Furnace Inspection Crank, use it on the first-floor furnace for the Primal Stone, hand it in. Then follow Waterfall Bridge to the Great Waterfall for the real fight with The Hunt and his sixfold scythe.

Soul crouches low with his blade drawn as a thread-bound enemy attacks through heavy rain on a wooden walkway — The Hunt uses the whole arena; stay centred and only commit when he is grounded and close. Image: S-GAME.

Two phases, each with a full health bar, and the first serious wall for most players. The rules that make him manageable:

Airborne blue means parryHis leaping scythe strikes flash blue in the air. Tap parry on the landing and take the Ghoststep.
Whirlwind means leaveWhen he spins, dodge away, not through; blocking it drains your Sha-Chi.
Airborne after the spin means redA jump straight after a whirlwind is a Killer Move. Dodge early.
Attack only when he is grounded and closeChasing him gets you caught mid-swing. Let him come to you and empty a combo while his Sha-Chi is broken.
Phase two is a checkpointDie after the transition and you restart in phase two, so spend medicines freely there.

He drops the Hunter's Chain Sickle, a Phantom Edge that grapples to marked ledges, plus 20,000 Remnant Dust and the silver trophy The Hunt. If you took the Scarlet Wraithblade from Hua first, its reach makes punishing his landings much easier.

Long Pillar Overlook and the Gold-Masked One (optional)

Fast travel to the Sha-Chi Tower Summit, follow the rooftops to the orange-marked ledge and swing across with the Chain Sickle for the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Gate Key. Open the gate at the Creek Valley Plains Entrance, ring the Long Pillar Overlook bell, take the Rusted Loong Key from the chest in the house, and head for the cave across the bridge.

The cave holds the first of five meetings with the Gold-Masked One, the swordsman played by Donnie Yen. He is around level 10 when you are three or four, and he takes almost no damage until you empty his Sha-Chi, land a perfect parry on a blue move or a perfect dodge on a red one. His red flashes are very quick, so this is a pure reaction check. Most players should return after Crimson Forest; beat him now and the Counterstrike Bracers accessory and the first step of the Bloodline Awakening are yours.

Before leaving: the Rusted Loong Key opens the northeastern cave door for the Weeping Creek Long Pillar bell, and on the left route from the Plains Entrance you can lure a powder-keg carrier into the brittle wall to reveal the elevator up to Crimson Manor. Its sealed door needs the Puppet's Tongue much later, but ringing the bell now saves a trip. Then the story sends you into Crimson Forest, where Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic opens the next run of bosses.

Phantom Blade Zero first bosses at a glance

Boss	Where	Type	Approx. HP (Pathbreaker)	Reward
Zuo Shang, the Order's Shadow Sovereign	Prologue: Diverging Paths	Scripted tutorial	Ends in cutscene	None
The Hunt, Hunter of the Order	Prologue: Reckless Pursuit (cart)	Scripted	Ends in cutscene	None
Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute	Riverbed below Rustblade Pavilion	Mandatory	8,300	Jagged Steel (bleed blade)
Peng Meng, the Axemaster	River southwest of the Outpost	Mandatory	18,700	Dread Axe, 9,000 Remnant Dust
Hua, Deadly Betrothed	Flesh Lily Fields, below the Sha-Chi Tower	Optional	21,100	Scarlet Wraithblade, 9,000 Remnant Dust
The Hunt, Sixfold Scythe	Great Waterfall	Mandatory, 2 phases	20,600	Hunter's Chain Sickle, 20,000 Remnant Dust
The Gold-Masked One (1 of 5)	Cave past Long Pillar Overlook	Optional, level 10	48,600	Counterstrike Bracers

Health figures are rounded community measurements on the default difficulty and will shift with level and balance patches. For the launch itself, including the Steam player record, see our report on Phantom Blade Zero's record-setting Steam launch; the Phantom Blade Zero hub will carry the Crimson Forest and Village of Lu walkthroughs next. If you want more parry-heavy boss runs, our Elden Ring Nightreign Nightlord walkthrough and Hollow Knight: Silksong Act 1 walkthrough are on the walkthroughs desk.

Official sources: the Steam page and PlayStation page (editions, 145 GB PC install, SSD required), S-GAME's launch letter on the Steam news hub, the official site, and Wikipedia for release history and review scores.

FAQ

Is Phantom Blade Zero out, and on what platforms?

Yes. It launched digitally on October 29, 2026 (the evening of October 28 in the Americas) on PS5, Steam and the Epic Games Store, priced at $59.99 for the standard edition. S-GAME has said physical PS5 editions will follow in 2027.

Who is the first real boss in Phantom Blade Zero?

After the scripted prologue duels with Zuo Shang and The Hunt, the first boss you must actually kill is Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute, in the riverbed below Rustblade Pavilion in Weeping Creek Valley. Peng Meng, the Axemaster, at the Outpost is the first fight with a full moveset to learn.

How do I beat Peng Meng?

Lock on, parry the blue axe swing that follows his foot stamps, dodge his sweep sideways, and never let the back slam connect because it empties your Sha-Chi bar. Swap weapons to refill Sha-Chi, and take the finisher prompt when he is nearly dead.

Should I fight the Gold-Masked One in Weeping Creek Valley?

Only if you want the challenge. He is around level 10, takes real damage only after a perfect parry, perfect dodge or a broken Sha-Chi bar, and his reward (Counterstrike Bracers) is not required to progress. He is still there after Crimson Forest.

Do enemies respawn in Phantom Blade Zero?

No. Once you interact with a bell, defeated enemies stay dead, there is no currency to recover on death, and if you die in a boss's second phase you restart at that phase rather than from the beginning.

Did this guide help you?

Jules Rivera Souls specialist

Has finished every FromSoftware game at level 1. Writes the boss guides and checks them on every patch.