Weapons

Weapon System Overview

Players in Phantom Blade Zero carry four weapons at all times: two primary weapons called Blades and two secondary weapons called Phantom Edges. This loadout can be swapped outside of combat. The total weapon count is over 50, broken into 30+ Blades and 20+ Phantom Edges. Switching your primary weapon mid-fight fully recovers your Sha-Chi meter, which creates a strong incentive to swap weapons regularly rather than sticking with one for an entire encounter.

Each weapon has its own moveset, combo strings, and a unique L2 ability. The combat system is built around weapon-switching as a core mechanic, not an afterthought. Starting a combo with one Blade and finishing with another is how the game expects you to play at higher levels.

Confirmed Blades (Primary Weapons)

Eight Blades have been revealed through demos and gameplay footage. Each has a distinct identity and L2 special ability.

Sanguine

Soul's personal weapon. A sword that hits with cleaver-weight impact despite its relatively standard appearance. Sanguine is the weapon shown most frequently in trailers and the one players use first. Its L2 triggers quick tumbling attacks that close distance while dealing damage. It is the baseline for understanding the game's rhythm: fast, aggressive, and rewarding commitment.

Sanguine Twine

A pair of short swords crafted by Forge. These are the speed option. Attack chains come out fast and hit many times. The L2 triggers a dazzling combo at elevated speed, useful for overwhelming enemies before they can respond. The Sanguine Twine builds Sha-Chi quickly due to high hit count, but each individual hit does less damage than heavier weapons.

Sanguine Reach

A polearm that sacrifices speed for reach. Sanguine Reach lets you control space in a way the other Sanguine weapons cannot. Its L2 performs wide swings that hit multiple enemies. Useful in situations where you are surrounded or fighting large groups, and it pairs well with a faster Blade as your swap weapon.

Jagged Steel

A weapon designed around the Bleeding status effect. Attacks with Jagged Steel fill the target's Bleeding meter. When the meter is full, it triggers Hemorrhage, a burst of damage that punishes enemies who let the meter build up. The L2 is a storm of frenzy attacks that rapidly fills the Bleeding meter. Jagged Steel rewards sustained pressure on a single target.

Juggernaut

Juggernaut builds charges from successful parries. Each parry adds a charge, and the weapon visibly turns red when fully charged. The L2 releases overwhelming power attacks that consume the stored charges. This creates a defensive-offensive loop: parry to build charges, then spend them for massive damage. Juggernaut rewards players who are confident in their deflect timing.

Seamless Death

Twin rings that function as both ranged and melee weapons. The most distinctive feature: "you briefly phase out of existence when dodging." This makes Seamless Death one of the safest weapons defensively, giving extra invulnerability during dodges. The ranged/melee hybrid playstyle makes it versatile across different encounter types.

White Serpent & Crimson Viper

A dual-sword set where each sword has a different size. The shorter sword can be thrown as a projectile while the longer one is used for melee. This creates a mixed-range fighting style where you can maintain pressure at distance while closing in for close-range combos. The thrown sword returns after a short delay.

Soft Snake Sword

A defensive parry weapon. The Soft Snake Sword can form a blade barrier that blocks incoming attacks. Where most weapons in the game reward aggressive play, the Soft Snake Sword offers a more methodical, counter-heavy approach. Parry, barrier, counter. It is the choice for players who prefer reading enemy patterns over overwhelming them with speed.

Confirmed Phantom Edges (Secondary Weapons)

Phantom Edges are secondary weapons activated with R2. They serve different roles: some are purely combat tools, while others double as traversal or exploration keys in the game's Metroidvania-style level design. S-GAME has confirmed roughly 10 key-lock combinations where specific Phantom Edges open new paths. Five Phantom Edges have been revealed.

Night Owl

A teak longbow that fires owl-feathered arrows. Holding R2 charges the shot for higher damage. Night Owl is the primary ranged option among Phantom Edges, useful for picking off distant enemies or dealing damage to bosses during phases where melee is too dangerous.

Man-Cutter

An axe that can be charged after dodging. The dodge-charge mechanic rewards aggressive repositioning. Man-Cutter also functions as an environmental key, able to destroy specific barriers to open new paths through the level. This is one of the clearest examples of the Metroidvania design philosophy.

Flaming Mane

A metallic mask that spews fire. Attacks with Flaming Mane fill the target's Burning meter. When the meter is full, it triggers Ignition, dealing a burst of fire damage. Like Jagged Steel's Bleeding mechanic for Blades, Flaming Mane gives Phantom Edges access to status effect buildup. The fire also has visual flair: the metallic mask design makes it one of the more memorable weapons in the game's lineup.

Ink Cut

A medium-range Phantom Edge that performs a 3-hit combo. Ink Cut deals extra damage against the boss Huangxing, making it a situation-specific tool that rewards players who match their loadout to the encounter. Whether other Phantom Edges have similar boss-specific bonuses has not been confirmed.

Bashpole

A sledgehammer. Bashpole can slam from the air for a ground-pound attack. It also breaks weakened floors, functioning as a traversal tool that opens vertical paths downward. Combined with Man-Cutter's barrier destruction, Bashpole shows how Phantom Edges serve double duty as combat tools and exploration keys.

Sha-Chi Recovery

Sha-Chi is the energy meter that powers special abilities. The key mechanic linking it to weapons is that switching your primary Blade fully recovers Sha-Chi. This means weapon-swapping is not just a stylistic choice. It is a resource management tool. If your Sha-Chi is depleted after using abilities with one Blade, switching to your second Blade refills it immediately. The system pushes players toward constant weapon rotation.

Status Effects

At least two status effect systems are tied to specific weapons:

• Bleeding (Jagged Steel) - Fills a Bleeding meter on the target. Full meter triggers Hemorrhage for burst damage.

• Burning (Flaming Mane) - Fills a Burning meter on the target. Full meter triggers Ignition for fire burst damage.

Whether additional status effects exist on unrevealed weapons is likely but not confirmed.

Martial Arts Choreography

The weapon animations are choreographed by Kenji Tanigaki (action director for SPL, Flashpoint, and Sakra with Donnie Yen) and Master Yang. S-GAME has over 20 kung fu masters working at their Shanghai office. Motion capture for weapon animations was recorded at real fight intensity, meaning the actors performed the moves at full speed and power rather than slowing down for safety. The result is that every weapon moveset is rooted in actual martial arts technique rather than animation shortcuts.

This matters because it affects how weapons feel. The weight, timing, and follow-through of each swing come from real physical movement. When a heavy weapon feels slow and powerful, it is because a real person swung a real weapon. When dual swords feel fast and fluid, it is because the motion capture performers actually moved that way.

Weapon Upgrade and Evolution

Each weapon has an upgrade and evolution system. Upgrades improve a weapon's stats, while evolution changes its properties more fundamentally. The full details of this system have not been disclosed, but it means that a weapon you find early in the game can remain viable throughout if you invest in upgrading it. See the difficulty and progression article for how this fits into the broader progression design.