Once you’ve finished Phantom Blade Zero, and doubtless felt empty from the default ending, the question inevitably arises: What now? There’s no proper end-game activity per se, but S-Game has stuffed the world with collectables, weapons, bosses, side quests and much more to discover. Those who only dabbled in the side content before venturing past the point of no return will have plenty to keep them busy, and that’s before delving into the other difficulties.
Let’s take a look at 15 things you can do after finishing Phantom Blade Zero, starting with…
Find All Memory Flowers, Sha-Chi Amber and Banyan Hearts
This should be a given, especially because of the max health and Sha-Chi increases, but you should collect all the Memory Flowers, Amber and Banyan Hearts. Besides the intriguing lore between the Flowers, some are mandatory to unlock certain optional fights (which we’ll get to). Perhaps more importantly, these resources help you unlock Soul’s Talents, including those that further increase your max health, damage and more.
Locate Quick Hand Zhang’s Treasures
In the Crimson Forest, you’ll happen upon one Quick Hand Zhang. Rescue and then meet up with him near the thieves’ encampment, and he’ll sell upgrade materials. More importantly, he’ll provide a list of treasures to collect in each region. Trade them in to receive a new Phantom Edge. But there’s a reason he’s “one” Quick Hand Zhang – there are four more to discover in subsequent regions, each with their own treasures to collect. They’ll also offer higher-level upgrade materials and Banyan Hearts, which are the key to fully unlocking all your Talents.
Restore the Illusory Pipa
The Illusory Pipa played a significant role in the events leading up to Phantom Blade Zero, and without going into too many spoilers, repairing it is essential for full completion. It opens several new areas, including the Mountain of Imprisonment (which we’ll get to) and also serves as a ranged Phantom Edge that can temporarily turn enemies to your side.
Conquer the Hidden Bosses
Sometimes, venturing off the beaten path is enough to unearth hidden bosses, like Hua in the Weeping Valley Creek. They’re not all easy to find, however, and while not mandatory for completing the story, you should go out of your way to fight them. Besides posing unique challenges and awarding Remnant Dust, they also award great weapons and Phantom Edges. Defeating certain foes, like Dusk, is necessary to start the quest to restore the Illusory Pipa, while Zhu Yuan awards Scorching Flames, one of two materials used in a mid-to-late-game process known as…
Soul Temper Weapons
As you progress through the game, it becomes clear that some weapons offer better damage than others within the same category. But lest you think this is restrictive, the option to Soul Temper weapons becomes available in Pangzhen. This lets you further upgrade a weapon and bestow some sick new effects. And since both primaries and Phantom Edges can be Soul Tempered, you’ll be busy enough trying to collect them all.
Complete the 5 Long Pillars
Whether you liked the Ip Man movies or not, Donnie Yen as Mo Yuan takes absolutely no prisoners. He’s fought through the Long Pillars scattered around the world, and each fight further contextualises his connection to Soul. Thankfully, they also offer some great rewards, whether it’s the Counterstrike Bracers that increase damage after a successful parry or Soul Temper items for the three Sanguine weapons, so it’s well worth seeking him out.
Help the Friendly Shadow Warden
The Friendly Shadow Warden, later known as Spectral-Blade, is a quest that involves recovering Primal Stones from the Sha-Chi Towers dotting the world. They may not seem worthwhile, but aside from discovering more optional bosses, you’ll also get even more Soul Temper materials. Besides, Blade himself is charming enough in his own way. Why wouldn’t you help him?
Find the Four Acolyte Masks
If the Wulin wasn’t dangerous enough, you’ll discover ominous scarecrows with hidden bosses that will absolutely test your elemental resistances. Defeating each Acolyte awards a Mask that’s important later on. Even if you’re not interested in some fresh fights, the quest is absolutely worth pursuing to Soul Temper the Hunter’s Chain Sickle – the same Phantom Edge from The Hunt.
Mountain of Imprisonment
Once you have the Illusory Pipa, returning to the barrier at Meigu Lake opens the path to a completely new region – the Mountain of Imprisonment. Aside from new NPCs and quests, obtaining the Crystal Puppet Eye in this region is ultimately what allows for accessing Crimson Manor, and getting one step closer to the true ending.
Collect All Accessories
Of course, at this point it’s worth noting that you should really collect all the accessories. Clearing out all the side content and bosses, optional and otherwise, should fill out the collection, but don’t forget about Quick Hand Zhang’s stock as well. Anyway, that aside, it’s time to…
Unlock the True Ending
Many of the so-called optional activities across the Wulin are more than just ways to get stronger or obtain more rewards – they’re also the key to the True Ending. Granted, even if you restore the Illusory Pipa and access the Mountain of Imprisonment, obtain both Crystal Puppet Eyes and all four Acolyte Masks, defeat Mo Yuan across all five Long Pillars, and even retrieve all of Quick Hand Zhang’s treasures, there are still other tasks to complete – like all of the quests with a purple icon – before you’re worthy. Nevertheless, it’s still worth it.
Hellwalker Difficulty
At pretty much any point in your playthrough, you can change the difficulty to Hellwalker, but I would recommend starting a fresh run with it. As the toughest of the three available, it causes enemies to adapt to your tactics. This is particularly horrifying during boss fights, since they’ll switch up patterns frequently, keeping you guessing (and dying). Still, if you’re confident in your skills, it’s the next step.
New Game Plus
Of course, no one said you couldn’t effectively cheat on higher difficulties, and the best way to do that is by starting a New Game Plus playthrough. All your weapons, accessories and collectables carry over, making Soul extremely strong from the outset. Weapons can also be further upgraded, though you need to find them first (which is especially annoying with the late-game options). Whether you want to push your build to the extreme or not, New Game Plus is highly recommended.
66 Days Mode
What can I say about 66 Days Mode, unlocked after clearing the game on Pathbreaker or Hellwalker, that hasn’t already been said? 66 lives, each death ticking one down, and when they’re gone, game over. No manual saving, and the same adaptive enemy behavior is active. Sure, you can walk into this with a New Game Plus build, but it really merits a fresh run.
Complete the Game with Wooden Sanguine
So you’ve done everything Phantom Blade Zero has to offer on every single difficulty. Only one challenge remains: Completing the game with Wooden Sanguine. That’s the wooden training sword from Soul’s youth, and it’s available from the start. Its base damage is nothing impressive, and it can’t be Soul Tempered, so it’s ideal for a challenge run. Then again, it makes up for the lack of over-the-top skills by catering to those who have mastered the fundamentals.
