Revision 4

Overview

The Venomous Softblade (No. 13) is a flexible snake sword in Phantom Blade Zero a super-long venomous sword that excels at both attack and defense. It is the best parry weapon in the game, designed for players who favor defensive, counter-based play. The weapon belongs to the Seven Judgments' leader (the Decree) making it both a powerful tool and a significant piece of the game's lore.

Parry and riposte system

The Venomous Softblade transforms parrying from a defensive necessity into the core offensive loop. The weapon's flexibility gives it unique blocking and counter properties:

Successful parries and ripostes with the Softblade destroy the enemy's Sha-Chi gauge at an extraordinary rate. Against bosses whose Brutal Moves (blue flash attacks) can be parried, the Venomous Softblade provides the fastest path to breaking their posture and creating vulnerability windows.

Design and lore

The Softblade is a flexible sword whose blade can wrap around joints, severing tendons and vessels with surgical precision. This unsettling capability reflects the weapon's nature as an assassin's tool. It doesn't simply cut but finds weak points in the body's structure. Its designation as No. 13 places it within the Order's numbered weapon arsenal.

The weapon was revealed in the Year of the Snake trailer in January 2025, fitting its serpentine design: a flexible blade that moves like a living snake, coiling and striking with deceptive speed.

Playstyle

The Venomous Softblade is the ideal weapon for players who have mastered the game's Parry and Deflection system. Rather than dealing damage through aggressive combos, the Softblade user waits for enemy attacks, parries them with precise timing, and devastates their Sha-Chi gauge through ripostes. Against humanoid bosses and members of the Seven Judgments, this defensive approach can break posture faster than any offensive weapon.

Key details