Phantom Blade Zero: Requirements for the “The Final Battle” Ending

Phantom Blade Zero’s “The Final Battle” ending asks players to explore well beyond the main story. Its requirements span optional regions, hidden bosses, collectible quests and a secret realm, so reaching the finale without checking those areas can leave important tasks unfinished. The route isn’t built around solving an obscure puzzle: the challenge is keeping track of several threads and completing them before the game’s final warning that there’s no more time to explore.

The objectives can be done in different orders, and the game doesn’t require you to tackle them as soon as they become available. That gives you room to follow the main story, return to earlier regions and collect what you missed. Still, if you want this ending, treat the warning near the finale as a firm deadline. Some of the names below may reveal details about the journey, so use this as a checklist if you’re trying to avoid larger story spoilers.

For general advice before setting out, see Game Informer’s Phantom Blade Zero tips and tricks. The steps below focus on the specific tasks required for “The Final Battle.”

Gather the two Crystal Puppet Eyes

You need both the Crystal Puppet Eye [Yin] and the Crystal Puppet Eye [Yang]. The Yin eye comes from completing the optional Mountain of Imprisonment region. The Yang eye is awarded for defeating the hidden boss in the Crimson Manor, a late-game residence in Weeping Creek Valley.

These objectives send you to separate parts of the game, so don’t assume that completing one will automatically lead you to the other. The Crimson Manor boss is hidden, making it especially easy to overlook while progressing through the main story. Check that both eyes are in your inventory before you move on to the mirror realm objective.

Track down the four Acolytes

Four scarecrows across the world serve as entrances to fights with Acolyte bosses. Find one in each of these locations: the Village of Lu, Pangzhen, Meigu Lake and the Crimson Manor in Weeping Creek Valley. The Crimson Manor scarecrow is the last one you can reach.

Interacting with a scarecrow sends you to a special arena. Defeating its boss grants one of four masks: Yanru’s Blazing Mask, associated with fire; Leiting’s Thunder Mask, associated with lightning; Guhe’s Venom Mask, associated with poison; and Hansui’s Frost Mask, associated with ice. You need all four.

These fights are described as extremely challenging, and each Acolyte attacks with a specific element. Resistance accessories can help blunt that damage, so consider matching your equipment to the opponent before entering an arena. If a fight is proving difficult, checking your resistance setup is one concrete adjustment to make before trying again.

Open the Meigu Lake mirror

With all four masks collected, return to Meigu Lake and take the Sha-Chi boat to the western side of the region. Look for ice floes near a snow-covered mountain, then dock and continue on foot to find a mysterious mirror. The masks allow you to enter it and reach a special realm.

This area is optional in the sense that it isn’t required to reach the ordinary finale, but it is required for “The Final Battle.” Defeat the chapter-ending boss inside the realm. After the fight, place both Crystal Puppet Eyes into the statue. The mirror, boss and statue form a connected sequence, so keep the eyes with you when you go in.

Finish the Long Pillars and collection quests

There are five Long Pillars to complete. The first four are found in Weeping Creek Valley, Crimson Forest, Meigu Lake and the special mirror realm. The fifth is in the finale area, which is part of the non-optional endgame. Since one pillar is inside the mirror realm, completing that area also advances this separate requirement.

You’ll also need the White Serpent Eye, Black Serpent Fang and Red Serpent Tongue. Collect all three, then follow the main quests toward the finale. Their location is part of the main story and is impossible to miss, so there’s no need to search for a separate hidden destination.

Quick Hand Zhang’s quest has another set of collectibles. You meet him five times in five different regions during the main quest, and each encounter involves finding three Relics in green-glowing treasure chests. Find every Relic he asks for before entering the finale. The clearest check is the quest itself: it should show as complete once you’ve gathered them all.

Enter the finale with the checklist complete

Before crossing the final warning, confirm that you have both Crystal Puppet Eyes, all four Acolyte masks, the three Serpent items, every Long Pillar and the completed Quick Hand Zhang quest. Then finish the mirror realm’s chapter-ending boss and place the eyes in the statue. The game leaves the order of most of these tasks up to you, but every item and objective needs to be finished before the story closes off the opportunity to explore.

Once those steps are done, continue into Phantom Blade Zero’s finale and beat the game. The reward is “The Final Battle,” the ending tied to completing this wider set of side content. For more on the game, read Game Informer’s Phantom Blade Zero review.