Phantom Blade Zero true ending needs four Acolyte masks and five Long Pillars
Only the true ending unlocks Zuo Shang's second form, the Final Battle ending and the With Heart and Blood achievement. New Game+ keeps your weapons.
Phantom Blade Zero has three endings, and only one lets you fight the real final boss. A PC Gamer guide published on October 30, 2026 lays out the checklist: finish the "Secrets at the Heart of the Lake" quest, clear all five Long Pillar duels in "Bloodline Awakening," and, in the writer's view, complete every Quickhand's Request.
Secrets at the Heart of the Lake
The quest starts when you find one of Firefly's Memory Flowers in the Village of Lu. The core job is collecting four scarecrow Acolyte masks:
- Acolyte Yanru, in the Village of Lu.
- Acolyte Lei Ting, in Pangzhen, reached by burning a barrier near the Pond of Fading Song bell with the Flaming Mane phantom edge.
- Acolyte Guhe, on the east village dock island at Meigu Lake.
- Acolyte Hansui, deep inside the Crimson Manor, which is by far the longest stretch.
With all four masks, step through the mirror in northwest Meigu Lake into the Phantom Illusionist's realm, beat its boss, and slot the Yin and Yang puppet eyes into the statue it summons. Both eyes come from the Crimson Manor questline. Killing the puppet monks at the ritual closes the quest.
The five Long Pillars
Each Long Pillar is a duel with the Gold-Masked One, and the later ones also drop Soul Tempering materials. They sit in Weeping Creek Valley (grab the key atop the Sha-Chi tower with the Hunt's Scythes), the Crimson Forest near the start of the Mirrorwood, an island in east Meigu Lake, the Phantom Illusionist's realm, and the Mirage Estate near the Willow Pavilion.
Quickhand's Requests
PC Gamer's guide writer Sean Martin says he is fairly sure the thief's treasure deliveries are also required. They are worth doing regardless, since they award the Flying Dagger and Goldblaze phantom edges you cannot get elsewhere.
The payoff
The cut-off is generous: Martin finished some steps after entering the Mirage Estate without trouble. If everything is done, Inanis tells you there is nothing left to prepare before Mount Soulrend. The finale then pits you against Leng Tu, Meng Hua and Zuo Shang, including a second Zuo Shang phase the lesser endings skip. Afterwards you can start New Game+ through Inanis, adjust difficulty and carry over weapons and phantom edges.
S-GAME launched the game on PC and PS5 on October 28. Players in Thailand and Vietnam get native text on Steam, which lists Thai and Vietnamese support.
Source: PC Gamer; S-GAME (Steam).
