The right order to do the areas of Phantom Blade Zero without missing anything is: Weeping Creek Valley → Crimson Forest → Village of Lu → Pangzhen → Mandate Encampment → Meigu Lake → Mountain of Imprisonment → Crimson Manor → Phantom Illusionist Ruins → Mirage Estate → Mount Soulrend. There are two points of no return: the stairs behind the Green Serpent House, in Pangzhen, which lead to the final part, and The Last Chance bell.
Follow the route on the map
The 11 areas numbered in this same order, each with its point-of-no-return warning, the game’s 376 points (174 bells, bosses, weapons, Edges, accessories and medicines) and your saved progress. Open the map, mark what you already have and don’t leave anything behind before you cross.
The route, step by step
- Weeping Creek ValleyAgainst the Flow · Steel and Steam
- Crimson ForestSnake’s Reflection
- Village of LuHeartless Remnants
- PangzhenTown of Death · The Heart’s Trail
- Mandate EncampmentOptional, after Gu Wanyue
- Meigu LakePartly optional
- Mountain of ImprisonmentOptional
- Crimson ManorOptional
- Phantom Illusionist RuinsOptional, past the Mirror
- Mirage EstateThe Way Forward
- Mount SoulrendA Soul’s Worth (finale)
1. Weeping Creek Valley
Against the Flow · Steel and Steam. It’s the first region and has no serious missables: use it for the Long Pillar once you’re strong enough. Guide: Weeping Creek Valley.
Save manually before the Long Pillar: if the pillar isn’t destroyed, it gets bugged. Vandal (Spanish guide) recommends leaving that duel for later.
2. Crimson Forest
Snake’s Reflection. Freeing Zhang opens his shop and his requests, which continue throughout the game. Guide: Crimson Forest.
Save before the Mirrorwood Long Pillar. Free Zhang on the Trail of Cages: his requests count toward the perfect ending.
3. Village of Lu
Heartless Remnants. The important purple quests start here, and there is gear you lose when you leave. Guide: Village of Lu.
Missable: the Wild Oriole Sword is lost if you leave the area. Collect the 5 ribbons for “Young Mistress” before the last fight with Mu Xiaokui.
4. Pangzhen
Town of Death · The Heart’s Trail. It’s the hub of the game: from here the Encampment, the lake and the rest of the optional areas open up. Guide: Pangzhen.
Point of no return for tales: before closing The Heart’s Trail, only Cui, A Severed Mindseal, Triple Threat, Quick Hand’s Request and Las tres guaridas de la liebre astuta can remain pending. The rest fail.
This is also where “Flesh Lily” ends, if you handed over the lilies before Bai Chilian: at Yu’er’s House (the bell of the same name, after Blaze) her father gives you the Blessed Jade Pendant. You have the steps in Yu’er’s quests.
5. Mandate Encampment
Optional, after Gu Wanyue. It opens when you jump into the well after Gu Wanyue and gives pieces for the Illusory Pipa. Guide: Mandate Encampment.
In the Dovecote, don’t defeat Red: before you empty her health, leave the fight by the chain on the roof. If you take all her health, even though she leaves with a “we’ll meet again”, the game counts it as a victory: she doesn’t come back in the Seven Stars Disciple fight and you lose the petal “The Mandate’s Decision” and the Twin Fish Pendant (verified in our playthrough).
6. Meigu Lake
Partly optional. You need the Flaming Mane to burn the brambles at the dock; the Illusory Pipa is completed here. Guide: Meigu Lake.
Complete “The Journey Home” before reaching Meigu to get the War Wagon. Leave Illusory Pipa 5 for last: it closes two other purple quests at the same time.
7. Mountain of Imprisonment
Optional. It only opens with the restored Illusory Pipa. Guide: Mountain of Imprisonment.
It opens with the Illusory Pipa at the Weeping Mistgate. The Puppet Cell gives the last part of the Puppet’s Tongue.
8. Crimson Manor
Optional. It requires the Puppet’s Tongue, which is assembled across three different regions. Guide: Crimson Manor.
You need the Puppet’s Tongue (three portals: Village of Lu, Encampment and Mountain of Imprisonment).
9. Phantom Illusionist Ruins
Optional, past the Mirror. It requires the four acolyte masks; it’s key for the perfect ending. Guide: Phantom Illusionist Ruins.
You need all 4 acolyte masks. After the Blizzard Blademaster, examine the statue: it opens the extra fight for the perfect ending.
10. Mirage Estate
The Way Forward. The final part begins: do it with everything before it finished. Guide: Mirage Estate.
Mo Yuan’s Long Pillar is the last purple quest. The Bosque congelado opens here without warning.
11. Mount Soulrend
A Soul’s Worth (finale). The last region: this is where the definitive point of no return is. Guide: Mount Soulrend.
Final point of no return: The Last Chance bell. Before you cross it, finish all the purple quests and Zhang’s requests.
Why do side quests fail when you beat a boss?
Besides the two points of no return, some story bosses change the state of the world and close any tales you have open in the area. The game doesn’t warn you: the tale switches to “Failed” in the journal. The first ones are Jing Ye and Bai Chilian, the final boss of the Crimson Forest. On the Steam forum, some players report losing Yu’er’s whole questline this way.
What do I have to finish in the Valley and the Crimson Forest before Bai Chilian?
| Do this | Before | Otherwise you lose |
|---|---|---|
| Hand in the first stone for “A Severed Mindseal” | Leaving the Valley | Spectral Blade trophy |
| Free Zhang on the Trail of Cages | Moving on from that bell | His shop and “Quick Hand’s Request” |
| Finish “Apprentice Healer” (Yu’er) | Beating Jing Ye | Part of The Healer’s Legacy trophy |
| “Flesh Lily“: beat Hua, Deadly Betrothed, and hand the lilies to Yu’er. The tale ends later, in Pangzhen (see Yu’er’s quests) | Beating Bai Chilian | Part of The Healer’s Legacy |
| “A Healer’s Mercy”: heal the four thieves | Beating Bai Chilian | Calming Gourd and part of The Healer’s Legacy |
| “Purge the Sect” (old archer at the Mandate Outpost) | Beating Bai Chilian | Feather Bow |
| “Honor Among Thieves”: take the letter to the thief | Beating Bai Chilian | Silent Wrap |
| Accept “Secrets of the Baishan Sect” from Lanlan | Beating Bai Chilian | Two weapons and The Last of Baishan trophy |
| Talk to the man hiding behind the crates until he mentions the tomb | Beating Bai Chilian | Rocky Guard accessory |
Save manually before Jing Ye and before Bai Chilian. You’ll find the deadlines and rewards for each tale in the side quests.
The two points of no return
1. The stairs behind the Green Serpent House (Pangzhen)
When you solve the serpent head puzzle in the Green Serpent House, with the tongue, the fang and the eye from the Red, Black and White Serpent Houses, a staircase opens behind the house. Climbing it takes you to the final part of the game, and from then on almost every tale you have in progress fails. According to Vandal, only these survive:
| Tale that stays available | Note |
|---|---|
| Cui | |
| A Severed Mindseal | |
| Triple Threat | |
| Quick Hand’s Request | Zhang’s requests |
| Las tres guaridas de la liebre astuta |
Before climbing, finish the rest of the tales, pick up the pending gear in the open areas and check the Crimson Manor, the Mountain of Imprisonment and the Ruins. Watch out for Daughter of the Dark Sect: it can fail without warning.
2. The Last Chance bell (Mount Soulrend)
It closes the game. For the true ending you must arrive with all the purple quests completed; the last one is the duel with Mo Yuan at the Mirage Estate Long Pillar. After you cross it you can no longer go back to earlier regions in this playthrough.
Make a manual save in a new slot right before each point of no return and before each Long Pillar. If something goes wrong, you go back without losing hours.
Collectibles per region according to the game
Totals from the “View collectibles” screen of the in-game map, verified in our PS5 playthrough. The game calls what we count by petals a “Memory Flower”.
| Region | Bells | Weapons and Edges | Accessories and medicines | Challenges | Sha-Chi Amber | Blackstone | Memory Flower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeping Creek Valley | 23 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Crimson Forest | 19 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
| Pangzhen | 42 | 10 | 22 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 34 |
| Meigu Lake | 22 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 30 |
| Mandate Encampment | 17 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 19 |
| Mountain of Imprisonment | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Village of Lu, Mirage Estate and Mount Soulrend: data under review.
Ready to cross? Check the map first
The 11 areas numbered in this same order, each with its point-of-no-return warning, the game’s 376 points (174 bells, bosses, weapons, Edges, accessories and medicines) and your saved progress. Open the map, mark what you already have and don’t leave anything behind before you cross.
How to get there and unlock
- How to enter the Crimson Manor
- How to get and repair the Illusory Pipa
- How to get to the Mountain of Imprisonment
- How to open the Four Guardians’ Mirror
- How to enter the Mandate Encampment
- How to get to Meigu Lake
- How to get to the Bosque congelado
- The Herald’s Illusion: the 3 portals of the Three-Eyed Puppet
Frequently asked questions
What is the point of no return in Phantom Blade Zero?
There are two: the stairs that open behind the Green Serpent House, in Pangzhen, where almost all pending tales fail, and The Last Chance bell, on Mount Soulrend, which closes the game.
Can I go back to earlier areas after the point of no return?
After The Last Chance, not in that playthrough. Whatever you’re missing you’ll have to do in New Game Plus.
Which tales don’t fail as you progress?
Cui, A Severed Mindseal, Triple Threat, Quick Hand’s Request and Las tres guaridas de la liebre astuta.
What do I need for the true ending?
All the purple quests before Meng Hua. The last one is the duel with Mo Yuan at the Mirage Estate Long Pillar. True ending guide.
Which tales do you lose when you beat Bai Chilian?
Flesh Lily, A Healer’s Mercy, Purge the Sect and Honor Among Thieves, plus Secrets of the Baishan Sect if you didn’t accept it from Lanlan. Apprentice Healer closes even earlier, when you beat Jing Ye.
In what order should I do the optional areas?
Mandate Encampment, Meigu Lake, Mountain of Imprisonment, Crimson Manor and Phantom Illusionist Ruins, always before climbing the stairs of the Green Serpent House.
