Phantom Blade Zero Crimson Forest: Bosses, Loot, Missables

The Crimson Forest is the second major region in Phantom Blade Zero, the bandit-ridden woodland you enter after beating The Hunt in Weeping Creek Valley, and it ends with Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents. It packs in six boss rewards, Quick Hand Zhang's first hideout, three medicines and a run of easily missed Tales. It also changes later: once you enter the Mirage Estate, part of the forest freezes over and opens a Sha-Chi Tower you could not reach before, so this is a region you will visit twice.

We built this region guide from Game8's Crimson Forest map and collectibles page, its Tales, Collectible Quests and missables pages, GameSpot's medicine guide, Maxroll's Illusory Pipa route and KeenGamer's tier lists, all checked in November 2026.

Getting There and What to Expect

You cannot skip ahead into the forest. Game8 notes that the second fight with The Hunt at the Great Waterfall, which hands you the Hunter's Chain Sickle, is mandatory before you can travel on to the Crimson Forest. GameSpot calls the forest the campaign's second major region, and it is noticeably denser than the valley before it, with caves, a bandit camp, a deeper woodland area called Mirrorwood and a tunnel network under the main road.

Game8's map lists 19 Bells in the region, which gives you a sense of its size. Unlocking them all is worth the effort, since every Bell is both a save point and a fast travel stop. Some of the names you will see:

• Crimson Forest, Abandoned Main Road and Pangzhen Bridge Overlook near the start
• Trail of Cages, Outlaw Trap and Thieves' Camp in the bandit territory
• Red Serpent House, Cliff of Longing and Cliffside Lodge along the edges
• Mirrorwood Entrance, Mirrorwood Long Pillar, Parting Mists and Mirrorwood Depths deeper in
• Burial Grounds, Threadbound Great Tree and Lakeside Arch Bridge toward the end

Game8 also counts six Sha-Chi Amber Shards, six Blackstone Shards and 18 Memory Flowers here, so the region rewards slow, thorough exploration over a straight run to the boss.

Bosses and What They Drop

The forest is generous with boss rewards. Game8 lists these weapons and gear from its encounters:

• Hua Qianxiao: The Fanatic's Broken Blade. GameSpot adds that after the fight and the bridge collapse, the Simmering Brew medicine is glowing nearby.
• Jing Ye: the Outlaw Warblade.
• Stone Hand Iron Fever: the Iron Gauntlets, a Phantom Edge KeenGamer ranks in its S tier for breaking shields and stoneskin.
• The Gold-Masked One (second encounter): the Miraculous Scabbard, an accessory that gives Super Armor and damage reduction for two seconds after a weapon switch.
• Yucong, the No. 34 Twisted Puppet: the Freezing Chaos weapon, through the Triple Threat Tale.
• Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents: the White Serpent and Crimson Viper weapon and the Resonance Talisman, both received when you wake in the Village of Lu afterward. Maxroll notes she also drops the Broken Illusory Pipa.

Two warnings attached to these fights. First, Game8's missables guide says equipping the Blazing Edge before facing Yucong unlocks a third phase, a cutscene and Chaos Iron Fragment II; without it the fight stops at phase two. Second, beating Bai Chilian is the game's main point of no return for masked NPCs, covered below. For tactics on the harder fights, the existing boss guide goes into patterns.

Quick Hand Zhang and His Treasures

The forest is where you meet the game's most useful merchant. Game8 says Quick Hand Zhang is found caged near the Trail of Cages Bell, and his rescue comes with a deadline that is easy to blow through.

1. Free him before Stone Hand Iron Fever falls. If you beat that boss first, Zhang leaves the cage and reappears at his shops, and you lose the free Quick Hand Pendant (+10% one-handed damage).
2. Grab the Cavalrybane on the way. Game8 places it in a golden chest on a platform below the crank that frees him.
3. Visit his hideout near the Thieves' Camp. He gives you the Pendant on your first visit, and his shop sells the Quick Hand Might and Quick Hand Pair for two-handed and dual weapons.
4. Bring him three treasures. Hand over the Bloodstained Seal, the Sect Leader's Snuff Bottle and the Ancient Crossbow to complete this region's Quick Hand's Request and earn the Flying Dagger.

The Flying Dagger is Game8's top-ranked Phantom Edge, so this short chain is one of the best returns in the region. Our Phantom Edge rankings explain why it rates so highly and what to pair it with.

Tales and Quests in the Forest

Several of the forest's side stories close once Bai Chilian is dead, so work through them as you explore. From Game8's Tales and Collectible Quests lists:

• A Healer's Mercy: finish Apprentice Healer in the valley, then speak to Yu'er at the Thieves' Camp. Reward: the Calming Gourd.
• Honor Among Thieves: defeat the enemy tending a campfire north of the Outlaw Trap Bell to get the Blood Letter, then deliver it. Reward: the Silent Wrap, which must be done before the Bai Chilian fight.
• Secrets of the Baishan Sect: speak to the women on the bridge south of the Outlaw Trap Bell. Rewards: the Soft Snake Sword and Baishan Stormswords.
• Heart of the Banyan: a Collectible Quest started at the huge tree in the forest's southwest. Its Banyan Heart is a rare skill material.
• Resonant Strings: a Memory Flower chain. Game8's pages give two triggers: its quest list points to the first flower in the cave near the Stone Hand Iron Fever fight, while its map says picking up Inanis' flower beside the Mirrorwood Long Pillar starts it. Collect both and you will be covered.
• Illusion of Inanis: a Purple Quest that triggers when you head east out of the cave at the start of Chapter 4.

Two more Tales, Use It Against Them and Heart of the Fist, only open on the return visit described later. Our full side quest guide lists what each region holds and which deadlines apply.

Medicines, Accessories and Hidden Loot

Beyond boss drops, the forest hides a lot of gear in chests and caves. The pieces worth detouring for:

• Kuye Dew: Game8's pick for the best medicine in the game. Per GameSpot, the route runs through the tunnels: pick up the Tunnel Crank in the cave by the Outlaw Trap, operate the mechanism, then follow the underground path up into a building above the starting area and check its ledge.
• Preservation Jar: combine two fragments found in the caves near that same Tunnel Crank.
• Shieldbreaker Talisman: a chest on a wooden platform along the Main Road.
• Brass Chest Guard: past the arrow trap in the Thieves' Dungeon, which needs the Bastion Phantom Edge from the Village of Lu, so this is a return trip.
• Seal of Dugu: dropped by a corrupted Baishan Disciple on the Thieves' Camp bridge after Chapter 3.

Our medicine guide compares Kuye Dew and Simmering Brew with the rest of the game's remedies. If you want to break the floor in the house south of the Outlaw's Trap Bell, you will need the Bashpole, which comes from a later region; Game8 marks it on the map as a Bashpole spot.

The Point of No Return and the Frozen Return Visit

Game8 calls the Bai Chilian fight the game's one crucial point of no return: once she is defeated, NPCs in the Outpost and the Thieves' Camp turn maskless and stop talking. Before entering her arena, make sure you have:

1. Finished Honor Among Thieves and A Healer's Mercy.
2. Rescued Quick Hand Zhang and visited his hideout.
3. Spoken to every masked NPC in the Outpost and Thieves' Camp who has a quest marker.

Beating her is also when your accessories start getting stronger. KeenGamer says polishing opens after you finish the Crimson Forest and meet Jewel in the Village of Lu, and our accessory guide explains which pieces to polish first.

Much later, the forest changes. Game8 explains that entering the Mirage Estate freezes the southeast part of the Crimson Forest, respawns enemies and adds new loot. GameSpot adds that the river south of the Burial Grounds Bell freezes, letting you walk to the previously unreachable Sha-Chi Tower. Inside, two chests near the bottom of the tower hold the Miracle Remedy and a Blackstone Fragment, and Game8 lists the Frostward accessory in the frozen area. The Tower's 6th Floor Bell is also where Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend start Use It Against Them and Heart of the Fist, the latter rewarding the Worldbreaker Fist that tempers your Iron Gauntlets.

Funding Upgrades Without Extra Farming

The forest is where the upgrade bills start piling up: new weapons, polishing and Boundless Capacity all cost Remnant Dust. If you would rather keep your current save and skip the farming, the store's Remnant Dust and upgrade materials save edit is done on the save already on your account, so your story progress and gear stay put. You can choose the Remnant Dust package (each save slot raised to 999,999,999 Dust), the Weapon Upgrade Materials package (materials you already hold raised to 9,999) or both.

Know the limits first: it is available for PS5 and PC, not Xbox; it needs your own copy and an existing save; and the materials option will not add anything you have not picked up yet. Other options are on the Phantom Blade Zero hub.

Frequently Asked Questions