Against the Flow is chapter 1 of Phantom Blade Zero and takes place in Weeping Creek Valley. Soul wakes up after the fall in the prologue and heads up the river to the Mandate Outpost while searching for the Great Waterfall. Along the way you meet Yu’er and Forge, defeat the mini-boss Jagged Steel, and the chapter boss is Peng Meng the Axemaster, who gives you the Dread Axe, your first Phantom Edge. No guide gives the length of the chapter.
Chapter summary
After falling from the carriage, Soul wakes up next to a waterfall and starts heading up the river. The chapter works as an introduction to the Valley: you learn stealth, find your first alternative weapons, meet the healer Yu’er and reach the Outpost, a Mandate camp where Forge teaches you to upgrade weapons and several characters give you errands. There you hear about a problem in the area that leads you to the Axemaster. Defeating him gives you the Dread Axe, which breaks the chain barriers, and you continue northwest toward the Valley plains.
Against the Flow route
Key bells, objectives and boss of chapter 1
- BellThe Beginning
- BellFirst Meeting with Yu’er
- Mini-bossJagged Steel
- ObjectiveEnter the Outpost
- BossPeng Meng
- ObjectiveBreak the chains with the Dread Axe
- BellPlains Entrance
Order according to Vandal (Spanish guide; bells) and Fextralife (golden objectives).
Step by step
- The Beginning: follow the path upriverThis is the first golden objective. Climb the waterfall and activate the The Beginning bell. Shortly after, the purple quest Whence the Weeping activates on its own; you will not be able to finish it until much later. Vandal warns that you will see markers for The Hunt’s area that you cannot use yet.
- The Lady’s Rift and stealthGo down to The Lady’s Rift bell; the stealth tutorial is on a scaffold: crouch in the tall grass and ambush from behind. Nearby there is a crevice that leads to the Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet and activates Triple Threat; it is optional and Fextralife recommends leaving it for later.
- First Meeting with Yu’erActivate the bell of the same name. After the rope scene, Flesh Lily begins. Cross the rope and the bridge: the Sanguine Twin, your first alternative weapon, is there.
- Red Thread Barrier and Broken Puppet ValleyContinue to the southeast of the valley to the Red Thread Barrier bell and then to Broken Puppet Valley. Around this area you pick up the first files of Four Fierce Axes.
- Jagged Steel and Rustblade PavilionPast the waterfall, Jagged Steel the Frenzied Brute is waiting. His hits cause bleed: if the meter fills, you take a burst of damage all at once. Defeating him gets you the Jagged Steel weapon and you reach the Rustblade Pavilion bell.
- Report to the guard and enter the outpostThe golden objectives ask you to talk to the guard by the broken wall and enter the outpost held by the Mandate. Activate Outpost Courtyard and Mandate Outpost. There Forge teaches you to upgrade weapons; behind him is the Sanguine Reach. Talk to everyone: the archer on the roof gives you Purge the Sect and the chained guards in the courtyard give you Festering Secret.
- Peng Meng the AxemasterTo the northwest, past the torii gate, is the chapter’s mandatory boss, Peng Meng. He gives you the Dread Axe. Next to his arena is The Axemaster’s Fall, the first Crane Bell.
- Break the chains with the Dread AxeThis is the next golden objective. With the Axe you break the chains of Festering Secret and get the Written Order. Go back to Yu’er at the outpost: she gives you Apprentice Healer and her recipe. In the village to the northwest is The Axemaster’s Holding Cell bell.
- Keep looking for the Great WaterfallAt the lookout in the northwest corner there is a golden chest with the Focus Pill. The exit is to the northwest: the bridge leads to the Creek Valley Plains Entrance bell, where Steel and Steam begins.
Chapter bosses
| Boss | Type | Reward | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jagged Steel the Frenzied Brute | On the main route (Vandal calls him a mini-boss) | Jagged Steel weapon | How to beat Jagged Steel |
| Peng Meng the Axemaster | Mandatory | Dread Axe Edge | How to beat Peng Meng |
| Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet | Optional; better left for later | Three-Headed Doll and start of Triple Threat | How to beat the Aberrant Puppet |
Vandal does not include Jagged Steel in its boss list and treats him as a mini-boss; Fextralife places him in an arena on the main path without saying whether he is mandatory. More bosses in all bosses.
Tales and purple quests in this chapter
| Tale or quest | Where it starts | Missable if you move on? |
|---|---|---|
| Whence the Weeping (purple) | Automatic, shortly after you start the Valley | Yes: it fails if you cross into the Mirage Estate without closing it |
| Flesh Lily | Yu’er, First Meeting with Yu’er bell | Yes: hand in the twin Flesh Lilies before defeating Bai Chilian |
| Triple Threat | Crevice next to The Lady’s Rift | No |
| Four Fierce Axes | Files in Broken Puppet Valley and the Mandate Outpost | Yes: it fails if you defeat Bai Chilian without closing Festering Secret |
| Purge the Sect | Archer on the roof, Mandate Outpost | Yes: hand in the bow before defeating Bai Chilian |
| Festering Secret | Chained guards in the outpost courtyard | Yes: close it before defeating Bai Chilian |
| Apprentice Healer | Yu’er, at the outpost, after defeating Peng Meng | Yes: hand in the three herbs before defeating Jing Ye |
The deadlines come from our page for each tale. You have the rest in side quests and in Yu’er’s quests.
Nothing closes in this chapter, but almost everything you start here has a deadline later on: defeating Jing Ye (chapter 3) closes Apprentice Healer, and defeating Bai Chilian (end of chapter 3) closes Flesh Lily, Purge the Sect, Festering Secret and, with it, Four Fierce Axes. Whence the Weeping fails when you cross into the Mirage Estate. Review every cutoff in area order and points of no return.
Collectibles and key items
Book and petal titles are translated from the Spanish version of the game; the in-game English wording may differ.
- Weapons: Sanguine Twin, Jagged Steel and Sanguine Reach.
- Phantom Edges: Dread Axe.
- Accessories: Hunter’s Insight and Battle Wraps.
- Medicines: Focus Pill (golden chest at the northwest lookout).
- Collectibles: two Sha-Chi Amber Fragments, one Blackstone Fragment and several books, among them the volumes of The Four Axes Rebellion and the letters of captains Chen Zhu and Wu (Vandal’s count).
- Other: Traversal Talisman, travel talisman, Weapon Reforge Talisman and Phantom Reforge Talisman, and the Enredadera hemostática for Apprentice Healer.
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Frequently asked questions
Who is the boss of Against the Flow?
Peng Meng the Axemaster, the game’s first mandatory boss. Before him you run into the mini-boss Jagged Steel past the waterfall.
Where do I get the Dread Axe?
By defeating Peng Meng, northwest of the Mandate Outpost. It breaks chains and shields, and you need it to progress in Festering Secret.
Should I fight the Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet now?
There is no need. It is optional and Fextralife recommends coming back later, with an upgraded weapon. Its tale, Triple Threat, is not missable.
Where can you upgrade weapons for the first time?
At the Mandate Outpost: Forge teaches you how to upgrade them. You have the materials in upgrading weapons and Soul Temper.
