Phantom Blade Zero Boss Guide
Nineteen bosses award a trophy, and the Platinum needs all of them. This is the order to take them on, which ones you can leave until later, and the two fights you must not rush because they end a side quest.
The four rules that decide whether you keep everything
Clear the side quests before the story
Every permanently-failable quest triggers on a story beat. Finish an area's side quests before you push the main story past it.
Group fights need every member
Four trophies cover several opponents each. Killing one member of the group does not award anything.
Optional does not mean late
Most optional fights can wait. A handful cannot — some of them end the quest sitting next to them.
Save before the trigger, not after
There are 20 manual saves on top of 3 automatic ones. Save at the start and end of every region.
Which bosses to fight in which order
This is the order the game introduces them, grouped by region. It is not alphabetical and it is not optional — several encounters only appear after the previous objective in the same area is done.
- 011st regionHunt closes the region. Hua is an optional opponent you can take on the way out. The Scavenger Puppet is hidden inside the Crimson Manor, so search it rather than running past.
- 022nd regionHua Qianxiao the Sword Fanatic waits at the start. Bai Chilian closes the region — but talk to Lanlan on the large bridge near the bandit camp before you fight her, or The Secrets of the Baishan Sect is gone for good.
- 03Village of Lu and PangzhenMu Xiaokui ends the Village of Lu. Flame opens Pangzhen. This is also where you Loong shows up for the first time — that encounter does not count for the cross-platform trophy, but it does count for the Steam-exclusive one.
- 04Illusory DomainLei Dang closes it. Yucong's part of the four Great Puppets only completes after this area, so do not expect that group trophy to land here.
- 055th regionThe Chief Disciple of the Seven Stars sits in the middle. The four Great Puppets close the story path — and one of them is across the frozen lake in the 2nd region, so this group spans two areas.
- 06Meigu LakeThe Blizzard Swordmaster waits at the end of the ruins of the illusionist. You Loong, Yan Qiansui and the One-Eyed Archer fight here — this is the lake meeting that the cross-platform trophy counts. The three Shadow Wardens sit on the story path between Pangzhen and the lake.
- 077th region and the endThe Saw and the Crusher is in the middle of the final region. Huangxing ends the 7th region. The Two Blade Masters are optional but required for the true ending — they appear at the Sha-Chi Tower of Meigu Lake and in the middle of the 7th region.
Group fights: every member has to go down
Four trophies each cover several opponents: the three Shadow Wardens, the four Great Puppets, the Two Sword Masters, and You Loong together with Yan Qiansui and the One-Eyed Archer. You cannot claim any of them by defeating one member. The four Great Puppets are the awkward one — Yuzan, Yudi, Yuding and Yucong are not all in the same area, and Yucong's quest only completes after the Illusory Domain.
Does difficulty matter?
No. Every achievement in the game can be earned on the easiest setting, and the developer has confirmed that all of them can be earned in a single playthrough. Difficulty is not where this run is won or lost — order is. If you are chasing the Platinum, pick the easiest difficulty and put the attention on clearing side quests before you advance.
Before every boss fight
- →Save the game. One manual save at the start of the region and one at the end is the pattern that prevents nearly every loss.
- →Check the journal for purple icons. Those quests are required for the true ending and for the Gold trophy.
- →Clear any red entry you find. Red means the quest has already failed and only an earlier save can recover it.
- →Keep count of group members. If a trophy covers several opponents, all of them have to go down before the trophy lands.
- →Do not skip the Banyan rematch. Heart of the Banyan is five waves followed by a rematch against a former boss — you resume from the wave you died on, so a partial attempt is not lost.
Frequently asked questions
How many bosses are in Phantom Blade Zero?+
Nineteen of them award a trophy, across seven regions. That is the number you must beat for the Platinum — the rest of the list is quests, collectibles and weapon upgrades.
Can I skip optional bosses?+
Mostly yes. Optional fights still award their trophy, so skipping one only costs you the trophy. The exception is an optional fight that ends a side quest next to it — check the boss page before you engage.
Do I have to beat every boss for the Platinum?+
Yes. All 19 trophy bosses are required. The optional ones are still required, because each one awards its own trophy.
Which boss should I fight first?+
Hunt, the Order's Hunter — it closes the 1st region. The order is listed above, region by region.