Against the Flow Walkthrough - Phantom Blade Zero Guide - IGN

Against the Flow is the first major quest in Phantom Blade Zero . This chapter picks up as Soul falls into a large valley after his high-speed fight against The Hunt. This walkthrough will guide you through the first half of Weeping Creek Valley.

Jump to a specific section of the page using the header links below:

This chapter begins as Soul wakes up after falling far down into Weeping Creek Valley. Hold Triangle or F to get up, then heal and open the map using the touchpad on controller or M/Tab on keyboard.

Yellow quest markers indicate main objectives that’ll lead you toward Zuo Shang. Purple quest markers indicate side quests that can change the outcome of Soul’s fate.

White scroll quest markers indicate Wulin Tales , which can provide useful info for boss fights or exploration.

You’ll also notice that there’s a red square on the map, marking an item that you can’t yet obtain. First, you need to find The Hunter’s Chain Sickle weapon.

For now, follow the path forward, under the hanging horse, until you hear someone crying. The Whence the Weeping side quest is then added to your quest list.

You can interact with the petrified body and sword on either side of the stream for a bit of extra info. There’s also a currency called Remnant Dust near the sword. Climb the scratched rock ledge to your left to proceed to the next area.

Just ahead, you’ll encounter your first Maskwalker brute . This common enemy type appears throughout this area. They have low health and can be dispatched quickly with standard combos. But be ready to parry their blue-flash attacks when necessary.

Maskwalker brutes can be overwhelmed if you stay on the offensive. Don’t be afraid to unleash combos before they get a chance to attack you.

Drop down to your right to collect some Remnant Dust, then help the man ahead by defeating a pair of Maskwalkers.

The dying escapee tells you he came from upstream and asks that you save the village there. That’s our next destination.

Collect the Remnant Dust in the water, then climb the large scratched stone near the man’s body.

Walk forward until Soul mentions being pulled by something. Red strings are pulling you toward a bell on the path. A woman named Inani tells you that the bells ring only for you, and they’ll heal your wounds.

Bells function as rest spots, restoring HP and medicine. Touch a bell for the first time to reveal new sections of the surrounding area on the map. You can also train abilities and save at bells.

You should always follow red strings if you ever see them attached to Soul’s body – especially if you’re in a new area. It means that you’re near a bell. This bell is called The Beginning .

Select the Train Abilities option at the bell to enter a quick tutorial. Use Blackstones , Sha-Chi Ambers , and Large Memory Flowers to increase your attributes and unlock new abilities.

You also use Remnant Dust to activate unlocked abilities. The first unlock is free in this tutorial, and you can also refund all unlocked abilities to regain all Remnant Dust.

You’re forced to refund Fluid Form Lv. 1, but you should acquire it again before exiting the training menu since it’s still free.

Walk past the waterfall ahead and into another clearing where two Maskwalkers are waiting. As the game suggests, you should prioritize ranged enemies. Melee attackers are tougher to handle when long-range enemies hit you from different angles.

The next group of Maskwalkers is a group of four around a fire. None are ranged, but the one with a flaming weapon is the most dangerous. Remember to lock on to your target and execute them when prompted.

You’re invulnerable during execution animations, so take advantage of them. And oftentimes, one or two successful parries can trigger the execution prompt on these basic Maskwalkers.

You can read the writing on the wall near the fire, then walk over to the waterfall in front of you to fight a Yellow-Robed Brute . This Maskwalker variant is a bit tougher, so prepare to block or parry his club.

Pick up the Remnant Dust under the falls, then climb the scratched rock on the nearby ledge. It leads to a path that goes up a large branch and some scaffolding. A short scene plays when you cross the branch, as a creature’s roar is heard in the distance.

Three Maskwalkers are waiting for you at the top of the stairs. Take out the stone-throwing enemy first, then the other two.

Pick up the note titled Investigating the Villagers’ Belongings: Abandoned Land Deed . It’s on the ground, just past a ladder.

Climb the ladder to get a quick stealth tutorial. Press the Left Stick on controller or C on keyboard to crouch, then press execute when behind an unaware enemy to assassinate them.

The screen borders darken when you sneak up behind an unsuspecting enemy – that’s how you know you’re doing it right.

You can also perform assassinations after wall runs. Wall run across the gap ahead, then press the execute prompt when you reach the next Maskwalker.

Watch out for the next enemy up the steps – they throw fire pots that ignite the ground. Attack quickly or wait until the fire clears to get your chance.

Keep moving along the wooden walkway until you see a ladder to your right. Red strings will attach themselves to Soul from below, so look down to find The Lady’s Rift bell .

Now that you’ve unlocked a second bell, you can use the Traverse option in the bell menu to fast-travel between bells.

You can interact with the golden rift next to the bell to enter an optional boss fight. This Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet boss fight is a tough one early on, so you can always return later with more weapons and abilities.

The Triple Threat side quest is added to your quest log after exiting the rift. Climb back up the ladder near the Lady’s Rift bell and run along the wall ahead to continue.

Pick up the purple-colored item on the ground near the chained fence to obtain the Traversal Talisman – a consumable item used to travel to a bell from anywhere on the map.

Swing across the chain ahead to cross the gap, then defeat the dual-wielding Maskwalker to get the Hunter’s Insight accessory. It increases damage dealt and Sha-Chi depletion against attacking enemies by 7%.

Continue along the wooden walkway to get a tutorial for Mind’s Eye , which is a feature that shows your tracked quest objective marker in the world. Hold down the top part of the touchpad on controller, or press V on keyboard to trigger Mind’s Eye.

Wall run across the next gap, then sprint to the chain hanging from the tree above to swing over to the other side of the gap in front of you.

There are two Maskwalkers tossing fire pots and rocks from the other side, so you need to be quick to avoid getting hit before swinging on the chain. Attack the Maskwalkers immediately to prevent them from pelting you with a barrage of throwables.

Slide down the rope at the end of the cliffside to reach the area below, then walk toward the woman sitting at the campsite.

The woman’s name is Yu’er , daughter of the village brewer, and she’s just escaped from Pangzhen. She’s out here looking for a rare flower to save her father from a mysterious illness that has befallen everyone in the village.

Yu’er also tells you that the road to Pangzhen is through the woods in the valley, above a large waterfall.

You can ask Yu’er about the main road, the weeping woman, and how to save her father. She’s looking for a Flesh Lily for her father, and the Flesh Lily side quest appears in your quest log after speaking to her about it.

Climb the scratched ledge near Yu’er’s campsite and continue along this linear path to find twin blades named Sanguine Twin at the base of a ladder.

You can equip two main weapons at once, so equip Sanguine Twin, and press Left on the D-Pad or 1 on keyboard to switch weapons.

Switching weapons fully restores Sha-Chi, which means you can swap weapons after Sha-Chi combos to lengthen your combo without waiting to recharge the meter. Take advantage of this feature to become relentless on offense when aiming for guard breaks.

There’s a short cooldown after switching weapons, though, so give yourself some time before swapping weapons consecutively.

Climb the ladder to find the First Meeting with Yu’er bell . You can also destroy the boxes near the top of the ladder to obtain Forged Metal – a weapon upgrade material that upgrades one-handed weapons to Lv. 10.

You should also be able to unlock new abilities at this bell. Healing Art is a great choice here if you’re playing on Hellwalker difficulty or above, because it increases your medicine uses by one, giving you an extra heal. Whereas Steady Composure allows you to interrupt enemy attacks after dodging or parrying.

Head toward the waterfall in the distance to find a group of Maskwalkers fighting each other. Before you engage, you should drop down near the first lamp along the road to find a lower path that leads to Remnant Dust and a Traversal Talisman.

Climb back up onto the main road to finish off the stronger enemies who are still alive. They should drop the Battle Wraps accessory, which increases damage dealt to enemies by 5%.

Red strings are blocking the path next to the waterfall, but you can find the Red Thread Barrier bell to the left of that obstacle.

Swing across the gap ahead using the chain in front of the bell, then drop down on the left side of the path to find more Remnant Dust.

Return to the road above and follow the floating red thread overhead to find the source of the red thread barrier blocking your path.

Follow the wooden walkway to find more Maskwalkers waiting for a fight. There’s Solvent on the ground behind the furthest Maskwalker. It’s a universal upgrade material used to upgrade weapons to Lv. 10.

Drop down to the lower level of the valley while still following the red thread. There’s also an Exotic Copper Ingot near the waterfall dead-end in the opposite direction of the main path. It’s another upgrade material that raises Martial-type Phantom Edges to Lv. 10.

Watch out for the two arsonists and three brutes waiting for you along the main path as you return from the waterfall dead-end. Target the arsonists first to avoid fiery complications. One is on a high ledge you can climb, and the other is down in the water. Both can be assassinated if you sneak before engaging the group.

Look for the Broken Puppet Valley bell near the stream after the fight. Then, pick up the glowing green book collectible titled The “Four Axes” Case Files: The Four Axes Rebellion: Calamity on the ground under a tree. Picking up this collectible adds the Four Fierce Axes tale to your quest log.

There’s also another glowing green collectible, titled The Four Axes Rebellion: Chaos , inside the nearby house.

Now, you can walk forward into a small campfire area surrounded by red threads. This is your first battle against a shielded enemy. Aim for blue-flash attack parries to land counterattacks from behind.

Shielded enemies often block frontal attacks, so you need a mix of movement and counters to defeat them. Open the chest in the campground after the duel to obtain your first Sha-Chi Amber Fragment . Collect four of these to increase your maximum Sha-Chi by 10%.

The red threads blocking the path near the Red Thread Barrier bell vanish after you win. Return there and walk toward the opening to trigger a scene. Two Maskwalkers ambush you, but the Hunt drags them away, saying that he’s waiting for you.

Proceed under the red threads and pick up the Wulin Tales: Captain Chen Zhu’s Secret Letter collectible on a corpse next to a lantern.

You can speak to the dying Iron Mask at the next lantern along the path for a bit of extra dialogue. Then, walk through the waterfall ahead to enter a fight against an unexpected boss.

Boss Battle: Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute

Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Blade , is your opponent here. You can wait a bit to see what he does to the other opponents nearby, but it’ll be your turn to fight soon. Here are all the special attacks you need to look out for:

The dying Iron Mask warned you about a rusty blade that makes you bleed, and he was talking about Frenzied Brute’s sword, Jagged Steel. Every one of his hits causes Bleed buildup, which drains your health. Do your best to avoid taking hits, either by parrying, dodging, or simply creating distance.

Use your new Sanguine Twin blades to extend your Sha-Chi combos by swapping weapons when your Sha-Chi runs low. You can also swap weapons defensively to refill your Sha-Chi meter before a guard break, allowing you to block more attacks. But watch for when the boss’s Sha-Chi meter refills – he’ll instantly start attacking again, ignoring and interrupting your combo.

Be ready to switch from offense to defense instantly whenever the Frenzied Brute recovers from being guard-broken. He also starts using longer combos under 50% HP, so try to be more patient as the battle goes on.

You obtain the Jagged Steel blade after winning the fight. It’s a solid early-game status-effect weapon that inflicts Bleed on enemies as you land hits. You can replace either Sanguine or Sanguine Twin to equip it.

The Rustblade Pavilion bell is at the foot of the steps ahead, but you can also look to the right and crouch under some debris to pick up x2 Twinned Metal. It’s another upgrade material used to raise Dual-Wielded weapons to Lv. 10.

Steady Composure is a good ability to unlock at the bell here, especially if you’ve gotten used to parrying or dodging. But you should also have enough Remnant Dust for Boundless Capacity, which gives you another accessory slot.

Climb the steps in front of the bell and stop when you see a scratched ledge. Look to the left of the ledge to read the writing on the wall and gain x180 Remnant Dust.

To the right, you’ll see a table with a green collectible on it, titled Reflections: Outposts, Rare Places of Rest .

Now, climb the ledges and prepare to be ambushed by three Maskwalkers. Don’t let them surround you, and watch for the dual-wielder’s multi-hit attack. You’re rewarded with a Sha-Chi Amber Fragment after the encounter.

Pick up the x898 Remnant Dust along the path, then open the chest ahead to obtain Ancient Timber. It upgrades Ranged-type Phantom Edges to Lv. 10. You also receive x2 Twinned Metal.

Swing across the gap using the chain near the chest, then follow the path until you reach tall grass. Look left to see x224 Remnant Dust on a wooden overlook.

Crouch-walk into the tall grass, then assassinate the Maskwalker near the campfire. Crouch into the next patch of grass and do the same to the next Maskwalker as well.

You should see another campfire in the distance with more enemies surrounding it. There’s x217 Remnant Dust on the left side of the path, and the Outpost Courtyard bell is waiting for you on the far side of the campfire.

You can chain assassinations together if you execute one unaware enemy near another unaware enemy. Press the prompt that appears on-screen after the first assassination to keep the combo going. Try this with the two Maskwalkers at the campfire.

Continue down the ledges, past the Outpost Courtyard bell. You can see a collectible titled The Four Axes Rebellion: Confusion in the building ahead, and x3 Solvent on the roof, but watch out for the Maskwalkers waiting for you around that building. There’s also x2 Solvent on the path leading up to that roof.

Drop down onto the enemies around this next campfire to assassinate from above, and remember to press the prompt to chain the executions.

Walk into the next area along the main path near the campfire to enter an ambush . Several Maskwalkers appear, but you’re aided by guards who realize you aren’t an enemy.

The battle goes smoothly with their help, but look to the left of the gate before you report to the guards. There’s x437 Remnant Dust near a locked door with a purple item on the other side.

You can’t open the door without a cell key, so speak to the guards at the gate to proceed. They say anyone going to Pangzhen now is a madman, but they let you through.

Enter the outpost and pick up the purple item on the broken cart. It’s a Reforge Talisman – an item that restores a weapon to its initial level. Speak to the woman leaning on the post to learn more about the situation in the outpost.

Speak to the men behind her to find out there’s a Maskwalker bound in chains in the forest near the waterfall. They’re having trouble defeating the threat.

The yellow-robed monk near the bamboo, Huijue , says he needs to find his master, Bi Hai , in the Village of Lu . Soul offers to help, so that may turn into another side quest soon.

You can also trade with the peddler in the building next to the horse, along the main road. He doesn’t have anything you need at this very moment, but keep in mind that he sells weapon upgrade materials.

From the peddler’s shack , look up and to the right. The first building on the hill contains x3 Solvent and x2 Phantom Reforge Talismans, which restore a Phantom Edge to its initial level.

You can also speak to the man in that same building to learn about the Axemaster, which will update the Four Fierce Axes tale in your quest log.

There’s a man – the Brooding Old Archer – on the roof of the next building over as well. Climb up the scratched section in front of him to reach the roof.

Speak to him to add the Purge the Sect tale to your quest log, then pick up the x2 Forged Metal underneath the roof he’s sitting on.

Continue up the stairs along the main path to trigger a scene with a woman named Forge . Inanis sent her here to help you, and her two sisters are elsewhere, waiting to do the same. You can ask Forge about her sisters, Sanguine, and how to obtain weapons.

The youngest sister, Jewel , specializes in jewelry, and the middle sister, Myst , focuses on Phantom Arts.

Exhaust all of Forge’s dialogue options to gain access to her weapon upgrades. You can finally use those upgrade materials you’ve been collecting!

Each weapon type uses different upgrade materials, so focus on upgrading your favorite weapon of each type at this early stage in the game. Don’t split upgrade materials between two weapons of the same type at this point – it’s not worth it.

You should use different upgraded weapon types in combat to get the most out of your materials. Upgrade your two favorites as much as possible here.

Pick up the Sanguine Reach weapon next to Forge to add a two-handed weapon to your arsenal. You likely won’t be able to upgrade it yet, but you can still use it if you like the moveset.

Upgrade Sanguine Twin and one of the one-handed swords, then pick up the x4 Solvent in the bucket next to Forge before returning to the path.

The guards across from Forge give you the Festering Secret tale before you leave the area as well. The Outpost bell is to the right of Forge, and you can now upgrade your weapons or buy the peddler’s items directly in the bell menu.

It’s better to save your Remnant Dust for abilities, as you’ll likely find plenty of upgrade materials through exploration.

You can’t cross the bridge to the left of the bell, so head up the stairs to the right to continue toward the main quest objective.

The path splits at the top of the stairs. Left is progress, and to the right, you’ll find several useful items. Let’s go right first to pick up x2 Darkfire Charcoal, x2 Solvent, x441 Remnant Dust, and the Cell Key for the locked door where you first entered the Outpost.

Run all the way back to that first Outpost gate and use the Cell Key to obtain a Blackstone Fragment. Collect four of these to increase attack and guard break by 10% permanently.

Now, return to the split path at the top of the stairs where you found the Cell Key. Head left this time to trigger a scene that leads straight into a boss fight.

Peng Meng, the Axemaster, breaks free from his chains just as you arrive. He’s a large opponent with plenty of strong strikes, so prepare yourself. These are the special attacks you need to look out for in this fight:

The Axemaster is a slow-moving boss who hits extremely hard. Oftentimes, it’s safer to dodge than attempt a parry, but you’ll want at least a few successful parries to lower his Sha-Chi meter and cause a guard break.

The Axemaster has slow recovery animations after big hits, so stay patient and counterattack when he’s on the ground or regaining his balance. The Jagged Steel sword is great here because it inflicts Bleed and the boss is slow enough to give you generous combo openings.

You earn the Dread Axe after the battle. This is your first Phantom Edge – a secondary weapon that you can equip alongside your main weapons. You also automatically obtain a collectible titled The Axemaster’s Final Request .

Interact with the Crane Bell that appears to see a flashback in which Soul and Zuo Shang fight off an assailant known as the Ethereal Swordsman as children 23 years ago. They also meet a man named Mu Tianmiao, who offers to teach them in the Wulin.

Find Crane Bells to see more of Zuo Shang’s memories to reveal a truth.

Some Phantom Edges, like the Dread Axe, also offer traversal options to unlock new areas in the map. Press R2 on controller or Left CTRL on keyboard to break through chained barriers. Phantom Edges consume a resource called Remnant Sparks, marked by a red swirl icon.

This part of the Festering Secret side quest leads to finding over 600 Remnant Dust and a Sha-Chi Fragment inside the Outpost. You should at least obtain the Sha-Chi Fragment and speak to Yu’er before progressing.

Remember to unlock a new ability and upgrade the Dread Axe as well. The Ascendance Lv. 1 ability is useful because it increases Sha-Chi essence by one and also leads to more healing-related abilities. The choice is yours.

Use the Dread Axe to break through the chain barrier in front of the Axemaster’s Fall Crane Bell to proceed with the main quest.

Walk through the water and up the hill, picking up the x216 Remnant Dust near stacked boxes along the road. Approach the corpse at the top of the hill to trigger a scene with the Hunt. You can actually see him perched on a roof in the distance, staying completely still.

The Hunt slaughtered everyone in this settlement. He taunts Soul, then leaves the area. There’s plenty to interact with here, including The Axemaster’s Holding Cell bell .

Ring the bell, then pick up the collectible near the campfire, titled Captain Wu’s Final Letter . There’s also x2 Forged Metal and a Weapon Reforge Talisman inside the torchlit building nearby.

You should also check the unlit buildings and narrow paths around this settlement to find the Inventory Report collectible, x2 Solvent, and Remnant Dust.

When you're ready, leave through the eastern exit to end this chapter. The Against the Flow chapter ends here. Next up, we have the Steel and Steam chapter.