How to Beat Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic in Phantom Blade Zero - Phantom Blade Zero Guide - IGN

Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic is a story boss in Phantom Blade Zero , and he appears during the Snake's Reflection main quest. He's the first story boss you encounter in the Crimson Forest. Here are a few tips and strategies for how to beat him.

How to Defeat Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic

Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic , is one of the men you saw Soul fighting against in the flashback at the first Crane Bell in the Crimson Forest. He’s a shifty opponent who uses water to attack. These are the special moves you need to be aware of:

Hua Qianxiao is an erratic boss who attacks using quick, multi-hit combos. You might need to see his moves a few times to get used to their speed and timing.

Focus more on defense than offense because Hua Qianxiao can hit you with his floating sword even while you’re attacking him. You’re only fully safe to counterattack after a blue-flash parry, a red-flash dodge, or when you deplete the boss’s Sha-Chi meter. But pay attention, because his meter refills quickly.

When you do break his guard, you can use Power Surges to deal the most damage, especially with Jagged Steel or the Scarlet Wraithblade

You obtain The Fanatic’s Broken Blade Main Weapon (One-Handed) after winning the fight. Its unique ability allows you to drink by pressing L1 + Triangle on controller or Right Click + F on keyboard. You can also hold the buttons/keys to drink longer.

Drinking restores Sha-Chi and makes you tipsy, which allows you to use ranged sword attacks like Hua Qianxiao. Use the Power Surge while sober to immediately enter a tipsy state. Use it when tipsy to enter the drunk state, which disables your block, enables automatic dodges, and increases damage.

The Fanatic’s Broken Blade shares upgrade materials with Jagged Steel since they’re both One-Handed weapons. You should choose one or the other to avoid splitting upgrade materials at this point. You can use a Weapon Reforge Talisman to revert Jagged Steel and transfer those upgrades to the new weapon if you want to swap.

Be sure to check out some of our other Phantom Blade Zero guides: