This Phantom Blade Zero Combat guide details some tips and tricks that will help you get better at combat in the game. It covers important combat techniques, weapon recommendations, and equipment tips to master your combat and help you handle tougher enemies.
Combat Guide – Phantom Blade Zero
Combat plays a vital role in the game, so it is important that you get better at it as soon as possible. Use the following helpful tips and tricks:
Practise Parrying Early and Learn Enemy Patterns
Parrying is one of the most important combat mechanics in Phantom Blade Zero. Rather than depending mainly on dodging or holding your guard, you should make well-timed parries a major part of your defensive strategy.
The best way to improve is to practise against weaker enemies during the early stages of the game. Instead of immediately defeating every opponent, take some time to observe their movements and learn when their attacks actually connect.
Different enemies have different attack speeds and animations. Some strike quickly, while others use longer animations that can trick you into parrying too early. Learning these patterns will make a significant difference when you eventually face bosses with faster and more aggressive attack combinations.
A successful parry also helps reduce an enemy’s Sha-Chi and break their guard, creating an opportunity for you to attack. Look for the sparks that appear when you perform a perfectly timed parry.
Use your peripheral vision as well. Sometimes, focusing directly on an enemy’s body can make you react to its animation rather than the actual attack. Looking slightly beside the opponent while keeping it in your field of view may help you recognise the moment a projectile is released.
Experiment with both approaches and see which works better for you. The important thing is to focus on the actual moment an attack connects rather than getting distracted by movements, delays, or fake-outs.
Blue and Red Attacks
Enemy attacks marked by blue and red flashes require different defensive responses. Recognising these signals is particularly important during boss encounters.
- Blue flash – Brutal attacks: These moves can be blocked, but blocking consumes a significant amount of Sha-Chi. A properly timed parry is generally the better option because it avoids the heavy resource cost.
- Red flash – Killer attacks: These cannot be stopped through normal blocking or parrying. You need to dodge them instead. A correctly timed backstep can also avoid these attacks, so you don’t always need to dodge in a particular direction.
Some enemies will mix regular attacks with blue and red moves, making it important to recognise when their attack pattern changes.
You can also use Ghost Step to turn certain defensive situations into offensive opportunities. When specific blue or red attacks activate this mechanic, it allows you to reposition behind an enemy and create an opening to strike.
Rather than simply avoiding damage, you can use these moments to get into a better position and deal damage of your own.
Manage Your Sha-Chi
Sha-Chi is one of the most important resources to manage during combat. It is used for powerful attacks, special combos, and blocking, so running out at the wrong moment can leave you vulnerable.
A useful approach is to follow the 30% rule. When your Sha-Chi meter is above 30%, you can use stronger attacks and combos more freely. Once it drops below that level, focus on standard attacks until the meter recovers.
Standard attacks are especially useful because they don’t consume Sha-Chi. You should also avoid holding your guard continuously, as blocking drains the same resource you need for other defensive actions.
There is an exception when an enemy’s guard has been broken. This is your opportunity to become aggressive and spend your available Sha-Chi on powerful attacks while the opponent is staggered.
You can also use weapon switching to recover your resource. Changing to your second equipped weapon instantly refills your Sha-Chi, allowing you to return to attacking and defending without waiting for natural recovery.
Use Weapon Switching to Maximise Damage
Switching weapons is more than just changing your move set. It is an important part of managing your resources and increasing your damage during combat.
Once an enemy’s guard is broken, you should take advantage of the opening before the stagger ends. One effective strategy is to use your Sha-Chi consuming attacks with your first weapon, switch to your second weapon to refill the meter, and continue attacking.
You can repeat this process while the enemy remains vulnerable, allowing you to deal significantly more damage during a single opening.
It is also worth giving your two main weapons different roles. For example, Jagged Steel is excellent for building up bleeding, while the Outlaw Warblade can restore your health through its attacks.
Jagged Steel is obtained after defeating Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute. It is a strong early-game weapon with solid damage and a bleeding effect that deals additional damage when triggered. Upgrading it to level five unlocks a special attack that builds up bleeding quickly against guard-broken enemies.
The Outlaw Warblade, which becomes available in the second region, offers a different advantage. Its attacks can recover health that you have sacrificed through its Sha-Chi combo. It also has Bloodthirst Frenzy, an ability that restores health with every hit once activated.
By combining weapons with different effects, you can create more opportunities to damage enemies while also recovering your health.
Phantom Edges and Unlocking Flowing Chi
You can equip two main weapons and two Phantom Edges, giving you four weapons to use during a fight. Your Phantom Edge selection matters because certain enemies require specific tools to deal with their defences.
One recommendation is to always keep at least one shield-breaking Phantom Edge equipped. Shielded enemies can take a long time to defeat using ordinary weapons, but options such as the Dread Axe and Iron Gauntlets can break through their shields much faster.
The Dread Axe is particularly useful because it can smash shields and open enemies up to further attacks. Upgrading it also unlocks a move where double-tapping RT performs an instantly charged strike, which can be useful during boss fights.
Another important upgrade is Flowing Chi. This ability creates opportunities to use Phantom Edge attacks without consuming Remnant Spark.
After unlocking it, you will occasionally see a new button prompt during combat. Pressing it quickly enough allows Soul to perform a Phantom Edge attack for free. The timing and attack depend on the enemy and the weapons you have unlocked.
These attacks can add extra damage during your normal combos. You can also find an item that gives you a chance to generate additional Remnant Spark whenever you use one of these free attacks.
Powerful Weapons and Useful Accessories
Your weapon and accessory choices can make a major difference, especially when fighting stronger enemies.
One weapon worth collecting early is the Scarlet Wraithblade. Unlike Jagged Steel, it is obtained through an optional boss, so you can miss it if you only follow the main story.
To find it, travel to the Sha-Chi Tower in Weeping Creek Valley, which you encounter during the Steel and Steam story section. After dealing with the monks on the first floor, look for an opening in the floor and slide down. Follow the path to the left until you find Hua, Deadly Betrothed. Defeat her to obtain the weapon.
The Scarlet Wraithblade is a large two-handed sword that leaves red lilies on the ground. These flowers drain the health and Sha-Chi of enemies standing in them, including bosses. This makes it particularly useful for weakening enemies and creating opportunities to break their guard.
Accessories are equally important. You can eventually equip up to six at once, so try to select items that complement your weapons and combat style.
Some useful options include:
- Token of Pursuit: Increases damage against guard-broken enemies, making it particularly useful when taking advantage of stagger opportunities.
- Quick Hand Pendant: Boosts damage with one-handed weapons.
- Quick Hand Might: Increases damage with two-handed weapons.
- Mother’s Talisman: Restores some health when your guard is broken. You can make use of this effect through careful weapon switching.
- Reflex Device: Increases the timing window for parries and dodges. When fully upgraded, it provides a 25% boost.
- Cavalrybane: Increases damage against mounted enemies.
Focus on Right Combos
One common mistake is trying to attack constantly without considering what the enemy might do next. Long combos can deal heavy damage, but they also require more commitment and may leave you unable to defend yourself when an enemy counterattacks.
Instead, pay attention to how much time you have before choosing an attack. If an enemy gives you only a short opening, use a smaller combo and return to your defensive position.
Against tougher enemies and bosses, focus on breaking their guard first. Use well-timed parries to reduce their Sha-Chi, recognise their attack patterns, and wait for an opportunity to punish them.
Once their guard is broken, unleash your stronger attacks and make use of weapon switching to refill your Sha-Chi. This is when longer combos and powerful abilities become most effective.
You don’t always need to rush a boss or overwhelm it with constant attacks. Sometimes, waiting for the enemy to strike, parrying its attacks, and responding at the right moment is a much better strategy.
The key to mastering combat in Phantom Blade Zero is knowing when to defend, when to attack, and when to save your resources. Combining these seven techniques will help you make better use of the game’s combat mechanics and handle difficult encounters more confidently.
That is all for this guide. Additional Phantom Blade Zero guides are linked below:
This concludes our Phantom Blade Zero guide on how you can master combat in the game. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comment section below.
