How to beat Bi Feng in Phantom Blade Zero (Giant Saber Commander)

Where is he and how do you get there?

He is on the main path of the Mountain of Imprisonment, after the Iron Butcher:

1. Go through the Hanging Cage CavernFollow the main path from the Iron Butcher’s camp. In the cavern there is a caged fighter who gives you the tale “The Broad Saber”.
2. Cavern Passage bellRest here: it is where you come back if you die.
3. Commander’s PlatformWhen you leave the cavern you reach the platform, next to a big tree with red ribbons. The fight starts as you walk in.

In “The Broad Saber”, the fighter explains that Bi Feng was the old commander who cleared dozens of bandit camps with his saber; now he is a corrupted masked one.

How to beat Bi Feng

He has few moves, but he chains them into combos that reach you from any distance. Vandal (Spanish guide) recommends learning his two or three combos to anticipate them: a full combo up close can finish you off.

His attacks

• Saber combos: two or three slashes with more reach than it looks. He also throws sword waves while leaping backward.
• Mid and long range waves: if you back off, he throws them at you. Vandal says you can send them back to stop his combo.
• Horizontal guard break (dark flash): a very wide sideways slash. If you do not interrupt it, he follows with a combo that ends in red or blue. Sometimes he uses it after a combo and pushes you away with a palm strike.
• Blue combo: three side-to-side hits ending in a backhand. Parry it; since it is the end of the combo, there is no follow-up even if you miss.
• Red leap strike: he spins twice in the air and lands with a huge slash that throws up rocks. If you do not perfect-dodge, it stuns you.
• Red grab: a red flash warns that he is going to grab you, lift you and slam you into the ground. Dodge it.
• Whirlwind: rings of wind that reach much further than his saber. Back away instead of closing in.
• Rocks and debris: his heavy hits tear up the ground and throw stones and wood at you, which keep flying for a moment after the impact.

The key: the perfect dodge on red

• Vandal points out his weak spot: he takes longer than other bosses to recover from a perfect dodge on a red attack. It is your best moment to attack.
• To close the distance, you can bait him into the red leap, which is easy to dodge.
• Watch out for the lit braziers on the platform: if you fight right next to them, you can catch fire.
• The fight ends with a mandatory QTE. If you fail it, you can repeat it.

Strategies to beat him

Pick the one that fits your playstyle. We only recommend gear you can have by the time you reach the Mountain of Imprisonment.

Fast weapon strategy (one-handed and dual)

His combos are long: do not try to trade hits. The best options here are Sundering Dual Axes and Parting Hooks. Punish after the perfect dodge on red and after the backhand of the blue combo, and keep your other weapon in reserve: switching restores all your Sha-Chi.

Heavy weapon strategy (two-handed)

Save the charged Sha-Chi attack for the window he leaves after the perfect dodge on red. Try Armybreaker or Outlaw Warblade. The Outlaw Warblade restores health on hit, ideal if the waves catch you.

Elemental strategy (exploit his weaknesses)

He is weak to fire. Equip:

• Fire: Fire Meteor (Blaze’s Phantom Edge, in Pangzhen); Flaming Mane (Phantom Edge Lei Dang repairs after you beat Flame); Goldblaze (fire Phantom Edge Zhang gives you for the Pangzhen relics); Blazing Edge (tempering of Sanguine Reach with half of the Flaming Grip).

Fire Meteor and Goldblaze let you punish him from afar without stepping into his combo.

Defensive strategy (parries and dodges)

His most dangerous attacks are the red leap strike and the chained combos up close: learn their animations and always dodge them. Parry the blue combo to drain his Sha-Chi without spending yours, and execute as soon as he is stunned. If you are struggling, the Counterstrike Bracers accessory (first Long Pillar) rewards parries.

Phantom Edge strategy

Bring the Bashpole or the Iron Gauntlets to break his guard and, if the summon icon glows in the arena, the Puppeteer’s Bell or the Kuye Temple Prayer Beads so something soaks up his combos while you heal. Remember that sparks recharge when you rest at a bell: spend them freely on the boss.

If you get stuck

• If after dying an invisible wall stops you from entering the fight, resting at the bell does not fix it: according to allthings.how, go back to the title screen, choose Continue and go in again.
• Upgrade your two main weapons before coming back (the boss is level 22) and level up your medicines with the healer at the Green Serpent House.
• Drop to Wayfarer: it does not affect any trophy and you can raise the difficulty again later.

Recommended gear

• A ranged fire Phantom Edge: Fire Meteor or Goldblaze.
• A weapon that quickly punishes the window after the perfect dodge.
• A guard-breaking Phantom Edge: Bashpole or Iron Gauntlets.

Rewards

• Juggernaut: two-handed weapon. Each parry gives it a charge and, at maximum, it unleashes a powerful slash.
• The Commander’s Platform bell: after beating him, interact with the wooden post next to the tree and the watchtower to activate it.

The other bosses in the area are in the Mountain of Imprisonment bosses and the full region in the Mountain of Imprisonment guide. Looking for another boss? The list is in all Phantom Blade Zero bosses in order.

Frequently asked questions

Kaarosu Damu Kira