Weeping Creek Valley is Phantom Blade Zero's first full region, and its map runs in a rough loop from The Beginning bell past the Outpost and the Ruthless Archer Camp to the Valley Sha-Chi Tower and the Great Waterfall, with Crimson Manor locked away until much later. This guide walks the map area by area in bell order, lists the bosses and their drops, flags the four tales that close for good once you reach the end of the Crimson Forest, and shows what to come back for. PowerPyx records 23 bells here, more than in the Village of Lu.
We built this map guide from PowerPyx's Weeping Creek Valley collectible route and cross-checked bosses, rewards and cutoffs against KeenGamer's walkthrough and weapon and accessory guides, S-GAME's patch notes on Steam and AllThingsHow, in November 2026.
The Valley at a Glance
Weeping Creek Valley hosts the game's first chapter, Against the Flow, which picks up after the prologue drops Soul into the valley. It is also the region you will revisit most, because several of its doors and secrets only open once you have tools from later areas. PowerPyx's totals for the region give you a quick checklist:
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Bells | 23 |
| Accessories and medicines | 12 |
| Weapons and Phantom Edges | 7 |
| Tales | 6 listed (7 described) |
| Sha-Chi Amber Shards | 4 |
| Blackstone Shards | 4 |
| Tempering materials | 2 |
| Memory Flowers | 1 |
| Challenge locations | 1 |
| Treasures | 0 |
Note the small inconsistency: PowerPyx's summary says six tales, but its route describes seven. We list all seven below. The single Memory Flower is in Crimson Manor, which is part of why the valley never shows as complete on a first pass.
The Map, Area by Area
The route below follows the order PowerPyx rings the bells in. Each step is a distinct part of the map, so you can use it as a written legend while you look at the in-game map.
- The Beginning and The Lady's Rift: the opening bells. The Triple Threat tale is accepted at a statue by The Lady's Rift Bell, though you cannot finish it yet, and an enemy past the chain nearby drops the Hunter's Insight accessory.
- Yu'er and the waterfall: talking to Yu'er starts the Flesh Lily tale. Past her, the Sanguine Twin weapon sits on the waterfall, followed by the First Meeting with Yu'er Bell and the Battle Wraps accessory.
- Red Thread Barrier and Broken Puppet Valley: two bells close together. A book by a tree near Broken Puppet Valley starts Four Fierce Axes.
- Rustblade Pavilion: the first boss arena, then its bell.
- The Outpost: the region's hub, with the Outpost Courtyard and Outpost bells, Forge the blacksmith, the Sanguine Reach weapon on a rack behind him, and several tale givers.
- The Axemaster's Fall and Holding Cell: after the Axemaster fight, two more bells; the Focus Pill medicine is in a chest behind a barricade on the left path, and a Blood-Stopper Vine sits in the river near the bridge.
- Creek Valley Plains and the Ruthless Archer Camp: clear the camp's archers for a Blackstone Shard and the Broken-String Bow, and open the nearby chest for Token of Pursuit.
- Valley Sha-Chi Tower: cross the giant wooden bridge to the 1st Floor Bell, then climb to the Summit Bell.
- Waterfall Bridge and Great Waterfall: drop from the tower to reach both bells and the region's big story fight.
- Long Pillar Overlook and Weeping Creek Long Pillar: through a locked gate and into a cave to the region's challenge.
- Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base and Crimson Manor: the last bells on the route, with Crimson Manor's interior gated until later.
Bosses and What They Drop
Spoiler warning: this section names the region's bosses and story fights. Skip ahead to the tales section if you want to meet them unspoiled.
- The Frenzied Brute (Rustblade Pavilion): drops Jagged Steel, which KeenGamer ranks in its top weapon tier for bleed buildup.
- Axemaster Peng Meng (Outpost): drops the Dread Axe Phantom Edge, which later breaks red thread barriers and chains across the game. Beating him unlocks The Axe's Grudge trophy.
- Hua, Deadly Betrothed: found by sliding down the wooden bridge from the tower's first floor and heading left; drops the Scarlet Wraithblade. S-GAME's 4 November patch reduced her grab attacks on Wayfarer and Pathbreaker, as covered in our update guide.
- The Hunt (Great Waterfall): drops the Hunter's Chain Sickle Phantom Edge, which you need to climb the tower roof for a key. Beating it unlocks The Hunt trophy.
- The Gold-Masked One (Weeping Creek Long Pillar): an optional, hard duel that rewards the Counterstrike Bracers accessory. PowerPyx says it can wait until later.
Later in the game, the Puppet Scavenger and Acolyte Hansui wait under Crimson Manor at a bell called Scavenger Pens. That fight needs the Puppet's Tongue and is covered in our guide to the Acolyte scarecrows.
The Seven Tales and What You Can Miss
The valley's tales are Triple Threat, Flesh Lily, Four Fierce Axes, Purge the Sect, Festering Secrets, Apprentice Healer and A Severed Mindseal. PowerPyx marks four related rewards as missable, all tied to bosses at the end of the next region:
- Purge the Sect: from the Brooding Old Archer on a roof at the Outpost. Fails after the Crimson Forest's main boss.
- Festering Secrets: starts automatically after talking to Forge's guards. Fails after the Crimson Forest's main boss.
- Apprentice Healer: from Yu'er. Fails after you defeat Jing Ye, the Outlaw, in the Crimson Forest, and is required for The Healer's Legacy trophy.
- Feather Bow: take the Broken-String Bow from the archer camp to the Brooding Old Archer to repair it, before the Crimson Forest's main boss.
Two more items are easy to lose. The Medicine Case comes from Yu'er after you gather three herbs and fails after Jing Ye. The Boulderguard accessory needs you to talk to the NPC hidden behind boxes in the building right of the Brooding Old Archer first, then inspect the grave at the Holding Cell. A Severed Mindseal, from the Shadow Warden at the tower summit, is required for the Spectral Blade trophy. Jing Ye's fight is also where the Crimson Forest's letter quest sits, so our Nimble Thief answers guide is worth reading before you go near him.
Keys, Cranks and Locked Doors
The valley teaches the game's habit of hiding loot behind small key items. These are the ones PowerPyx lists, in the order you find them:
- Cell Key: from a body near the Outpost, opening a cave gate with a Blackstone Shard behind it.
- Sha-Chi Furnace Inspection Crank: from an enemy on the tower roof. Keep it: used on the furnace beside the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base Bell, it releases the Reflex Device, an accessory KeenGamer rates in its top tier for widening parry and perfect dodge windows.
- Primal Stone: from the furnace on the tower's first floor, handed to the Shadow Warden for A Severed Mindseal.
- Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Gate Key: on the summit roof, reached with the Chain Sickle. It opens the gate to the Long Pillar Overlook.
- Rusted Loong Key: in a chest behind the Long Pillar Overlook Bell, opening a door with a Sha-Chi Amber Shard and enemies inside.
The Lingran's Pendant accessory is a nice reward for backtracking with the Chain Sickle: return to the very start of the region and grapple to the platform with the chest.
What to Come Back For Later
A first visit cannot finish the valley. PowerPyx lists the clean-up trips:
- After reaching the Village of Lu: once the Leave None Alive quest is unlocked, defeat the monk near the Outpost shop for Prayer Beads, then cross into town to The Lady's Cave Bell for Shenji's Ring and a Colorful Pinwheel, and finish the last Four Fierce Axes objective.
- With the Puppet's Tongue: open Crimson Manor for its Memory Flower on the second-floor balcony and the Scavenger Pens fight below.
- With the Tiger Cannon: break a wall near the Weeping Creek Long Pillar Bell to reach a house on the hill with a tempering material.
Readers on PowerPyx's guide also report that the Crimson Manor Bell and the items near it, including the Ancient Armor Fragment, cannot be reached until you have the Puppet's Tongue, so do not burn time searching for them on your first visit. Our chapter list shows roughly when each of these tools arrives, and our Village of Lu walkthrough continues the route from where the next region begins.
Topping Up Dust and Materials on Your Own Save
The valley is where most players first feel the squeeze: Remnant Dust for early abilities such as an extra accessory slot, and upgrade materials for Jagged Steel or the Dread Axe. If you want to keep your current run but skip that early grind, the store's save edit for Remnant Dust and materials edits the save already on your PS5 or PC account rather than replacing it, so your character and story progress stay put.
Choose the Remnant Dust package, which raises every save slot to 999,999,999 Dust, the Weapon Upgrade Materials package, which raises each material you already own to 9,999, or both. It is not available for Xbox and does not include the platinum trophy. The Phantom Blade Zero store page lists the other options.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bells are in Weeping Creek Valley?
PowerPyx counts 23, from The Beginning to Crimson Manor, including the hidden Lady's Cave bell you reach on a later visit.
Where is Hua in Weeping Creek Valley?
From the Valley Sha-Chi Tower 1st Floor Bell, slide down the giant wooden bridge and head left. The arena becomes the Flesh Lily Fields Bell.
What is missable in Weeping Creek Valley?
Purge the Sect, Festering Secrets, the Feather Bow, Apprentice Healer, the Medicine Case and the Boulderguard steps. Most fail after Jing Ye or the Crimson Forest's main boss.
How do you get into Crimson Manor?
Its inner areas need the Puppet's Tongue, which comes much later from the Mountain of Imprisonment.
Where is the Reflex Device?
Use the Sha-Chi Furnace Inspection Crank on the furnace beside the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base Bell.
What is the Weeping Creek Valley Long Pillar?
The region's challenge location, a hard duel against the Gold-Masked One reached past the Long Pillar Overlook. It rewards the Counterstrike Bracers.