Revision 1

Against the Flow is Chapter 2 of Phantom Blade Zero. Soul travels through Weeping Creek Valley toward the Great Waterfall, meets Yu'er and Forge, and obtains the Dread Axe after fighting Peng Meng.

Chapter overview

Follow the river and activate Bells

Defeat the first enemies and follow the river to the first Bell. Interacting with Bells reveals nearby map areas and provides return points. Pick up the Blood Letter of Despair before climbing onward, then use the wall and fallen-log route to reach the next section.

The route near The Lady's Rift splits between continued progression and an optional rift. Activate the Bell before entering the rift if you want to challenge the Aberrant Three-Faced Puppet. It is an optional detour, not a required boss for reaching the Outpost.

Meet Yu'er and reach Broken Puppet Valley

Continue through the wall and chain traversal to meet Yu'er. Ask how to save her father to begin Flesh Lily. Beyond the conversation, the Sanguine Twin can be collected near the waterfall before climbing to the next Bell.

Follow the red threads through the valley. Around the Broken Puppet Valley Bell, collect The Four Axes Rebellion: Calamity and Chaos from the nearby shrine area and house. Defeat the puppet hanging over the campfire to remove the red-thread barrier, then return to the opened route.

Jagged Steel and the Outpost

The route through the removed barrier leads to Jagged Steel. Defeating the boss awards the weapon of the same name and opens the route to Rustblade Pavilion. Continue up the cliffs and across the chain to the Outpost Courtyard Bell.

Drop through the rooftops, collect The Four Axes Rebellion: Confusion from the house, and help clear the enemies at the Outpost gate. Speak to the guards after the fight to enter. Inside, the Old Archer offers Purge the Sect, the Petrified Mandate Disciple connects to Four Fierce Axes, and the Swordsman Captain starts Festering Secret.

Forge, Peng Meng and the Dread Axe

Speak with Forge to access weapon upgrades. The Sanguine Reach is on the weapon rack behind her. Before approaching Peng Meng, check the stairs opposite his arena for the Cell Key; it opens the locked door near the Outpost gate for a Blackstone Fragment.

Defeat Peng Meng to obtain the Dread Axe. Its barrier-breaking function opens the chained routes around the Outpost and beyond the Axemaster's Fall. This lets you revisit nearby side-quest routes before continuing.

Optional tasks before moving on

Return to Yu'er at the Outpost and ask about gathering herbs to begin Apprentice Healer. The Blood-Stopper Vine is at the end of the stream reached from the area beyond the Axemaster's Holding Cell. Continue Festering Secret through the newly accessible chained path.

Beyond Peng Meng, meet The Hunt again, activate the next Bell and collect Captain Wu's Final Letter. Nearby houses contain a Weapon Reforge Talisman and the Inventory Report. Follow the river and chained route onward to Steel and Steam.