Phantom Blade Zero: Five Best Builds

Phantom Blade Zero's build customization is surprisingly deep. You can equip two weapons, two Phantom Edges, up to six accessories, and two different types of medicines. It makes for a ton of variety, but also makes deciding which build to use very tricky. We've now put 60+ hours into the game, and have toyed around with everything that the game has to offer. Here are five of the best builds that we came across when fighting our way through the Wulin. The Best Early Game Build Over the next few days, you'll likely be starting your Phantom Blade Zero adventure. You won't have access to many of the game's 30 weapons, or its 30 Phantom Edges, so pickings are slim. It's not all bad, though, and this is the build that carried us through the opening hours of the game. Weapons: Jagged Steel And Outlaw Warblade The Jagged Steel is one of the first weapons you unlock in Phantom Blade Zero, and it can do a lot of heavy lifting throughout the early to mid-game. Its ability to proc bleed carves through enemies, and with a little help from an accessory, it can even bleed Puppets. The Outlaw Warblade is the perfect companion to the Jagged Steel. It hits hard and can destroy enemy shields, something you'll face more than a few of in the early parts of your journey. Phantom Edges: Hunter's Chain Sickle And Dreadaxe The Hunter's Chain Sickle is probably my favorite Phantom Edge in Phantom Blade Zero. It has incredible range, can be chained for long periods, and has surprisingly strong guard-breaking ability. It's a must-have in almost any build. Like the Outlaw Warblade, the Dreadaxe is mainly designed for destroying shields, with one particular Crimson Forest boss in mind. Accessories: Battle Wraps, Jewel's Knot, Hunter's Insight We're basing this on the fact that you'll only have three of the six accessory slots unlocked at this point in the game, and you won't have many accessories either. The Battle Wraps provide a nice damage boost, as does the Hunter's Insight, and the Jewel's Knot gives you a handy health boost, which you'll need early on. The Best Endgame Build Phantom Blade Zero's endgame is a completely different ballgame from its opening hours. Enemies are more aggressive, have more tricks up their sleeves, and require a variety of techniques to overcome. We found this build the most balanced for the game's closing segments. Weapons: Blazing Edge And Freezing Chaos This build focuses a lot on elemental powers. The Blazing Edge is what becomes of your Sanguine Reach when Soul Tempered, and it is an incredibly powerful fire-infused two-handed sword. It's great for mowing down enemies in the later icy regions. The Freezing Chaos is one of the game's more complex weapons. It allows you to swap between three masks, each one wielding a different elemental power: Steel, Chaos Flame, and Ice. If you can master it, it's an absolute monster. Phantom Edges: Hunter's Chain Sickle And Thunder Spear Hunter's Chain Sickle is present in almost every one of these builds. I think its versatility, especially when upgraded, is unmatched. Then I used the Thunder Spear to add the final element I was missing from the set; it's fast, powerful, and can paralyze enemies. Accessories: Chaos Ring +2, Rouge Box +1, Sha-Chi Headscarf +1, Baishan Writ +1, Broken Vessel +1, Feather Fan Plume +1 These accessories are mainly about enhancing your main weapons. The Chaos Ring makes the Chaos Flames from the Freezing Chaos cause Sha-Chi burn on enemies. In the process, it restores your Sha-Chi by 100 percent of what the enemy loses. The Rouge Box and Sha-Chi Headscarf are both great for Sha-Chi recovery, something you'll want at this point in the game, while the Baishan Writ helps tear through an enemy's Sha-Chi quickly. Finally, the Broken Vessel increases damage from Sha-Chi combos, something both primary weapons use, and the Feather Fan Plume boosts elemental damage. The Guard Breaker Build Breaking an enemy's guard is one of the most important tactics in Phantom Blade Zero's combat. It gives you a window to unload on them, and one where they can't fight back. This build prioritizes depleting an enemy's Sha-Chi to do just that. Weapons: Crescent Blade And Parting Hooks I came very close to putting the Crescent Blade in my Endgame Build list, as it's an absolute monster, but it messes with the elemental synergy. It absolutely shreds through an enemy's Sha-Chi, but you don't get it until relatively late on. In the meantime, the Parting Hooks are a great option. These Dual-Wield weapons play very defensively, offering an additional way to counter enemies, but also happen to deplete Sha-Chi at a rapid rate. Phantom Edges: Hunter's Chain Sickle And Kuyu Prayer Beads You guessed it, the Hunter's Chain Sickle is back again. It has an uncanny ability to destroy an enemy's posture, and it does it all from range. The other is the Kuyu Prayer Beads; these summon additional fighters to take some of the heat off you, but like the Parting Hooks, they also melt your enemy's Sha-Chi. When Soul Tempered and leveled to 25, these summons gain the Golden Body and Backlash abilities, which, when combined, turn them invulnerable for a period and drain Sha-Chi from enemies when in this state. Accessories: Baishan Writ, Token Of Pursuit, Fine Thread, Nuo Mask, Wraith Mask, Ultimate Talisman (all+1) The Baishan Writ is an obvious pick here, as it boosts enemy Sha-Chi depletion. The Token of Pursuit gives the benefit of a 15 percent damage boost when an enemy is Guard Broken, which is the whole aim of this build. The Ultimate Talisman does the same but gives a 20 percent damage boost when using Power Surge attacks. The next three are all about summons. Usually, summons cost two Remnant Sparks; the Nuo Mask brings that cost down to one. The Fine Thread boosts damage and Sha-Chi depletion by 50 percent from summons, and the Wraith Mask summons three Wraiths every time you make a perfect parry or dodge, great for more passive Sha-Chi depletion. The Shield Breaker Build This Shield Breaker build is more limited in its use, but can help deal with the game's pesky shield-bearing enemies, of which there are more than a few. Weapons: Outlaw Warblade And Armybreaker The Outlaw Warblade, like the Jagged Edge, is one of the game's earliest weapons, and it can help you deal with those early shield users. It also comes with the added benefit of recovering your health. The Armybreaker is very similar, except on a grander scale. Phantom Edges: Bashpole And Dreadaxe The Dreadaxe is another early-game find and pairs perfectly with the Outlaw Warblade in this build. It can devastate an enemy's shield with one swing. In parallel with your main weapons, the Dreadaxe is like an Armybreaker on steroids, dealing with late-game shielded enemies with ease. Accessories: Shieldbreaker Talisman, Guardian Idol, Quickhand Might, Remnant Spark Cage, Wraith Mask, Rouge Box (all +1) The Shieldbreaker Talisman is the most obvious accessory in this entire article. When upgraded, it increases damage to enemy shields by 100 percent. Quickhand Might is also a great pick, boosting damage dealt by Two-Handed weapons by 18 percent. Given both the Outlaw Warblade and Armybreaker are Two-Handed, it just makes sense. You'll be using Remnant Sparks rapidly with this build, and a couple of accessories support that. The Guardian Idol doubles the cost of using your Phantom Edges, but increases the damage by 70 percent. The Remnant Spark Cage has a chance to restore one Remnant Spark each time you use a Phantom Edge. Synergy. The Wraith Mask operates similarly here to the previous build, offering passive shield breaking, and the Rouge Box will help to recharge your Sha-Chi, which your main weapons use rapidly because of their heft. The Fire-Starter Build Without giving away too much, a few of Phantom Blade Zero's mid- to late-game areas are a little bit chilly. Having a build that combats this is a great thing to have in your back pocket. It's also just a lot of fun to burn enemies. Weapons: Scarlet Wraithblade And Blazing Edge While it's not strictly Fire, the Scarlet Wraithblade spawns fiery-looking Red Spider Lilies across the field, draining enemies' HP and Sha-Chi. Oh, and they explode. The Blazing Edge is where your true Fire powers come in. As mentioned earlier, you get it by Soul Tempering the Sanguine Reach after completing the Loong challenges, and it's a monster. It shreds enemies, and when you pull off a long-enough Sha-Chi combo, the whole sword sets aflame. Its Power Surge attack also blasts a huge pillar of magma toward enemies. Phantom Edges: Fire Mane and Flaming Meteor Both of these Phantom Edges epitomize fire. The Flaming Mane is a giant fire-breathing lion's head that sets the battlefield alight, and the Fire Meteor is like a fiery version of my beloved Hunter's Chain Sickle, albeit with slightly less range. Accessories: Feather Fan Plume, Remnant Spark Cube, Rouge Box, Venom Pouch, Acolyte Whisk (all +1) As before, the Feather Fan Plume offers a healthy boost to any Fire damage you deal. The Wraith Mask will spew flames around the place when you perfect parry or dodge. The Venom Pouch has a 30 percent chance of Poisoning enemies, which, again, while not strictly fire, pairs well with the build. The Rouge Box does what the Rouge Box does, the Remnant Spark Cube buffs your fiery Phantom Edge damage, and the Acolyte Whisk has a chance to restore a Remnant Spark when you deal Fire and Poison damage.