Phantom Blade Zero Best Phantom Edges and Where to Get Them

The best Phantom Edges in Phantom Blade Zero right now are the Flying Dagger, the Bashpole and the Hunter's Chain Sickle, with Inanis' Radiant Fan and the Iron Gauntlets close behind. Those picks show up near the top of nearly every launch tier list because they solve real problems: poison and stagger at range, guard breaks against crowds, and a gap closer that also opens up the map. Below you will find how the secondary weapon system actually works, where each top pick comes from, and how to pair two of them so they cover each other's weak spots.

We checked this against Game8's Phantom Blade Zero wiki and tier list, KeenGamer's Phantom Edge tier list and the Wikipedia entry for the game in November 2026.

How Phantom Edges Work in Combat

Soul carries two primary blades and two secondary weapons, and the secondary slot is where Phantom Edges live. Game8 lists the button layout on PlayStation as R2 to fire the equipped Edge (some can be held for a charged version) and Right on the D-pad to swap between your two equipped Edges mid-fight. Most Edges spend Remnant Sparks, a limited resource that only refills when you rest at a Bell or when a specific weapon or accessory hands a spark back.

Game8 sorts every Edge into five families, and knowing the family tells you most of what the weapon is for:

• Ranged: bows, daggers and firearms for chip damage, interrupts and shooting hanging objects.
• Destructive: heavy tools that break guards and shields, smash weak floors and sever chains.
• Martial: technique weapons such as the chain sickle, which also latches onto grapple points.
• Artifice: odd devices like the pipas, fans and lanterns with unusual effects.
• Summoning: Edges that call allies to pull aggro or add damage.

How many exist depends on who is counting. KeenGamer ranks 25 Edges, while Game8 says there are 26 at release. The gap mostly comes from how each site treats the two pipa versions, since the Illusory Pipa replaces the Heartrend Pipa once it is repaired.

The Edges Most Guides Rank Highest

Tier lists are opinions, but when two large guide teams land on the same names, that agreement is worth more than any single ranking. Game8's top four are the Flying Dagger, Bashpole, Swordsman's Summon and Hunter's Chain Sickle. KeenGamer's S tier includes the Hunter's Chain Sickle, Bashpole, Iron Gauntlets, Inanis' Radiant Fan, Flaming Mane, Kuye Temple Prayer Beads and Flying Dagger. Here is why the overlap keeps showing up:

• Flying Dagger: Game8 lists it at 251 damage and 216 guard break, with built-in Poison and heavy stagger. The catch is cost, because firing extra daggers drains your sparks quickly.
• Bashpole: 221 damage and 237 guard break in Game8's numbers. Its spinning sweep hits everything around you, which makes it the go-to answer when a group surrounds Soul.
• Hunter's Chain Sickle: 247 damage and 234 guard break, a long reach and a gap closer. Game8 notes it scales well when enemies already carry a status effect.
• Swordsman's Summon: three soldiers with 1,574 summon HP each in Game8's table, useful for splitting a mob's attention.
• Inanis' Radiant Fan: creates a zone that slowly restores HP and Sha-Chi, which KeenGamer singles out as a sustain tool rather than a damage tool.
• Iron Gauntlets: fast punches that break shields and stoneskin enemies, ideal for armored targets.

Treat the lower tiers as situational rather than useless. KeenGamer points out that the You Loong's Deluge water attack makes targets more vulnerable to lightning and ice and also puts out flames, which matters a great deal in a few specific fights.

Where to Get the Top Picks

Almost every strong Edge drops from a boss or sits at the end of a quest, so your route through the regions decides when you can use them. KeenGamer's location table gives these sources for the picks above:

• Hunter's Chain Sickle: defeat The Hunt, Hunter of the Order, in Weeping Creek Valley. Game8 ties this fight to the Deep in the Valley quest and notes it is mandatory before you can head to the Crimson Forest.
• Bashpole: defeat Wan Jun, the Coppermaul, in the Mandate Encampment.
• Iron Gauntlets: defeat Stone Hand Iron Fever in the Crimson Forest.
• Flying Dagger: rescue Quick Hand Zhang in the Crimson Forest, collect the three treasures he asks for in that region and return them to him.
• Inanis' Radiant Fan: complete Whence the Weeping, which wraps up in the Mountain of Imprisonment.
• Flaming Mane: defeat Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster, in Pangzhen, then have it repaired by Lei Dang.
• Kuye Temple Prayer Beads: defeat Master Bi Hai of Kuye Temple in the Village of Lu. KeenGamer says the beads summon three Bronze Men monks for 15 seconds.

Two of these sit inside the game's second region, so our Crimson Forest walkthrough covers the Quick Hand Zhang rescue timing and the Stone Hand Iron Fever fight in more detail. The chain sickle also has a second life later: its Soul Tempering material, the Alloyed Scythe Blade, is one of the rewards waiting inside the sealed manor described in our guide to entering the Crimson Manor.

Pairing Two Edges So They Cover Each Other

Because you only carry two, the smartest loadouts pair Edges from different families. A pairing that duplicates a role leaves you with nothing to press when the fight changes shape. A few combinations that follow directly from the stats and effects the guides list:

• Flying Dagger plus Bashpole: poison and stagger from range for single targets, then a spinning guard break the moment a crowd closes in. This is the most common general-purpose pair.
• Hunter's Chain Sickle plus Inanis' Radiant Fan: close the distance aggressively, then drop the fan when your HP or Sha-Chi runs low. Good for players who like to stay in an enemy's face.
• Iron Gauntlets plus Swordsman's Summon: the soldiers hold a group's attention while you break the one shielded or stoneskin enemy that would otherwise wall you.
• Flaming Mane plus You Loong's Deluge: a niche elemental pair. Fire hits groups and burns vines, while the water attack extinguishes flames and sets up lightning or ice damage from your main weapon.

Your accessories should lean into the pair you choose. The Remnant Spark Cube adds damage to Phantom Edges, and the Remnant Spark Cage can return sparks on Edge follow-ups, which helps the expensive daggers most. Our accessory rankings and slot guide explains which of those are worth a slot. If your Edge plan relies on long boss fights, the sustain side matters too, and our medicine breakdown lists the brews that stretch a run between Bells.

Upgrading and Soul Tempering Your Edges

Phantom Edges level up like your main weapons, using materials plus Remnant Dust, and higher tiers can add new techniques. Game8 notes, for example, that the Flying Dagger can be used to teleport once it reaches higher tiers. Regular upgrades are not permanent decisions either: Game8's Remnant Dust guide says you can reverse upgrades in their menus and get the resources back, which lets you experiment early without wasting a run.

Soul Tempering is the one exception. It opens after you meet Myst in Pangzhen during Chapter 4, costs 5,000 Remnant Dust per weapon and requires a material tied to that exact Edge. Game8 is clear that Soul Tempering is irreversible and cannot be undone through Reforging. A few Edge materials worth knowing about:

• Alloyed Scythe Blade for the Hunter's Chain Sickle
• Pigeon Feed for the Bashpole
• Quick Hand's Manual for the Flying Dagger
• Worldbreaker Fist for the Iron Gauntlets, assembled from fragments and earned through the Heart of the Fist Tale
• Kuye Temple Sutra for the Kuye Temple Prayer Beads, a reward from The Sword and The Way

Since tempering is a one-way door, temper the Edge you actually use most rather than the one a tier list ranks highest. If you are still deciding on your main blades as well, the existing best weapons guide pairs well with this one.

Edges That Unlock the Map, Not Just Fights

A few Edges are mandatory tools for exploration, and skipping them means skipping content. KeenGamer notes that some Phantom Edges are required to reach hidden locations and to finish the main story. The useful ones to remember:

• Bashpole: breaks weakened floorboards, including the one in the Crimson Forest house south of the Outlaw's Trap Bell.
• Dread Axe: cuts iron chains that block paths.
• Flaming Mane: burns vines and branches, which opens rooftop routes in Pangzhen.
• Tiger Cannon: destroys walls that hide secret areas.
• Feather Bow: shoots down hanging objects.
• Illusory Pipa: removes the mist barriers that seal off areas such as the Weeping Mistgate.
• Flying Guillotine: spins mechanical dials.

The practical habit is simple: every time you pick up a new Edge, think back to the blocked paths you walked past. Game8 recommends revisiting earlier areas after each new Edge, because several upgrade materials and accessories cannot be reached on a first visit.

Skip the Collecting, Keep the Choice

Hunting down every Edge means clearing optional bosses in almost every region and finishing quest chains such as Whence the Weeping and Quick Hand Zhang's treasure requests. If you would rather spend that time testing pairings, the store's Phantom Blade Zero mega modded save includes the full weapon roster maxed out alongside 73 fully upgraded accessories, 17 fully upgraded medicines, 99,999,999 currency and 9,999 skill points, spread across four fresh Cycle 1 slots set up for different difficulties.

It is a replacement save for PlayStation 5 and PC only (not Xbox or Nintendo Switch 2), you need to own the game already, and the platinum trophy is sold separately. The rest of the store's options are on the Phantom Blade Zero hub.

Frequently Asked Questions