Soul Temper materials in Phantom Blade 0 give individual weapons permanent effects, and some transform a weapon outright. The upgrade fee is 5,000 Remnant Dust, but finding the correct item is the real job. Rewards sit behind side quests, breakable walls, boss fights, and multi-region collection sets.
Start by unlocking Myst in Pangzhen, then check the tool requirements below before backtracking. This guide organizes materials by how you obtain them, with separate checklists for fragmented upgrades and their weapon effects. Expect late-game boss and quest spoilers.
How do you unlock Soul Temper?
Reach Pangzhen around Chapter 4 and speak with Myst in her tavern. This unlocks Soul Temper for both main weapons and Phantom Edges. After that first conversation, you can access the function at any bell rather than returning to Myst for every upgrade.
How to apply a Soul Temper upgrade
- Collect the material assigned to your chosen weapon. Complete its collection set first if it requires fragments.
- Visit a bell and open Upgrade Equipment.
- Use the Soul Temper prompt and select the appropriate weapon tab.
- Supply the required material and pay 5,000 Remnant Dust.
Each material is weapon-specific. Finding Pigeon Feed, for example, unlocks the Bashpole enhancement, not an upgrade you can assign to another weapon. Soul Temper applies to weapons, including Phantom Edges, but not accessories.
| Upgrade feature | Ordinary weapon upgrades | Soul Temper |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Resources appropriate to the weapon’s classification | A unique weapon-specific material or completed set |
| Remnant Dust cost | Depends on the upgrade | 5,000 per Soul Temper upgrade |
| Main benefit | Progression through weapon levels, with perks at levels 5, 10, 15, and 25 | A permanent special effect or weapon transformation |
| Reset rules | Dust and materials can be refunded; threshold resets require the relevant reforge talisman | Irreversible |
Forge handles ordinary weapon upgrades, while Myst unlocks Soul Temper. If you are still deciding which equipment deserves your resources, the Phantom Blade 0 beginner’s guide covers early weapon choices and upgrade planning.
What should you unlock before hunting materials?
Several Soul Temper materials sit in regions you have already visited, but their routes need later equipment. Tiger Cannon is especially important because you obtain it near the campaign’s point of no return.
| Required tool or progression | Material routes it opens |
|---|---|
| Flaming Mane | Burns the vegetation blocking the Red and Black Serpent Houses |
| Bashpole | Breaks the ground near Master Lan’s home for Border Banner |
| Illusory Pipa, repaired | Clears fog at Pangzhen’s theater, Meigu Lake’s Songhouse, and Meigu Village East Dock |
| Flying Guillotine | Operates mechanisms for Enhanced Chainsaw and Ritual Cauldron components |
| Tiger Cannon | Breaks walls hiding Pigeon Feed, Song of Parting, Border Poems, and Golden Ammunition |
| Four Acolyte Masks | Open access to Meigu Lake’s Discordance realm |
The Crimson Forest also changes as the campaign advances through the Mirage Estate section in Pangzhen. Its eastern side becomes snowy, rivers freeze, and the southern Sha-Chi Tower becomes accessible. Several rewards below depend on that later visit.
Where are the single-item Soul Temper materials?
These upgrades use an individual material rather than a multi-part collection set. Find your weapon in the tables, check its access requirement, and collect its matching item before spending the 5,000 Remnant Dust.
Quest, vendor, and conversation rewards
Myst’s Tavern is a useful starting point for several material hunts. The Star Performer begins with the Leading Opera Actress there, while The Sword and the Way comes from Daoist Bi Di and leads to two different Soul Temper rewards.
| Material and matching weapon | Where to get it | Soul Temper effect |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Oath Dagger → Dread Axe | Finish Four Fierce Axes, which begins in Pangzhen. Climb the Pavilion of Knowledge and speak with the Child of Insight. | Rapid Charge: Increases charge speed by 30%. |
| Dancer’s Ribbon → Soft Snake Sword | Accept The Star Performer from the Leading Opera Actress in Myst’s Tavern. Investigate Tianxiang Pavilion and open the chest. | Final Gambit: Hold heavy attack to spend all sha-chi on a sequence of sword strikes. Spending more sha-chi makes the attack stronger. |
| Bronze Essence → Tianxuan Bronze Sword | Follow The Sword and the Way from Daoist Bi Di. Investigate the forge behind the Green Serpent House in Pangzhen. | Effortless Action: Hold block to keep guarding after your guard breaks, paying a small amount of HP. |
| Kuye Temple Sutra → Kuye Temple Prayer Beads | Complete The Sword and the Way, then return to Daoist Bi Di in Myst’s Tavern. | Golden Formation: Changes the three summoned Bronze Men into Gold Men variants. Their existing weapon upgrades carry over. |
| Quick Hand’s Manual → Flying Dagger | Buy it from Quick Hand Zhang in Pangzhen for 9,920 Remnant Dust. | Quickhand Mastery: Throws more daggers and strengthens their poison effect. |
| Supreme Order Token → Wild Oriole Sword | Speak with Mu Xiaokui on the Crimson Forest’s Sha-Chi Tower rooftop, beyond the Friendly Shadow Warden. | Tianmiao Wild Oriole: Adds Mu Tianmiao’s sword to sha-chi combos for dual-blade attacks. While Oriole Sword is active, Tianmiao Sword produces stronger blade waves. |
| Heel Reinforcement Part → Fiend Saws | After speaking with Mu Xiaokui on the rooftop, challenge Jade Dancer and defeat her and Iron Fiend together. | Endless Fiend Form: Once Fiend-Aura Erosion erupts on an enemy, attacks against that enemy become unblockable. |
| Old Wooden Comb → War Wagon | Complete Old Man Gen’s quest line, then sail to the frozen shoal in northwestern Meigu Lake. He awards the War Wagon and its material. | Free Rein: Damage increases with the distance the War Wagon travels. Hitting an enemy resets that distance. |
Materials behind walls, fog, and mechanisms
Tiger Cannon opens four of these caches, but other tools matter too. The Black Serpent House contains both Reinforced Bowstring and a fragment for Serpent’s Memory, so collect both during the same visit.
| Material and matching weapon | Where to get it | Soul Temper effect |
|---|---|---|
| Pigeon Feed → Bashpole | In Weeping Creek Valley, return to the weakened wall near the Lóng Pillar. Destroy it with Tiger Cannon and open the chest inside the house. | Whirling Advance: Press Phantom Edge and block together to advance while spinning the Bashpole. |
| Song of Parting → Parting Hooks | Use Tiger Cannon on the destructible wall in the Cliffside Lodge cellar in Crimson Forest. | Foretelling Strike: Parrying a blue-flash attack automatically produces a counterattack. |
| Reinforced Bowstring → Feather Bow | Burn the brambles blocking the Black Serpent House in the Village of Lu with Flaming Mane. | Precision Shot: Release the charged shot when Soul’s hand briefly glows to greatly increase damage and sha-chi depletion. |
| Border Banner → Bastion | Use Bashpole to smash the ground near Master Lan’s home in the Village of Lu. | Fierce Reprisal: Reprisal Shockwave gains one additional shockwave. |
| Border Poems → Wolfjaw | Travel to the Hidden Passage to Pangzhen bell at the bottom of the Village of Lu well. Look right and destroy the wall with Tiger Cannon. | Ghostfire Wreath: Attacks generate ghostfire that burns enemies with chaotic flame, continuously draining health and sha-chi. |
| Thunder Core → Thunder Spear | Repair the Illusory Pipa and clear the fog blocking Pangzhen’s theater. Loot the golden chest inside. | Cascading Thunder: A hit chains lightning to up to 2 nearby enemies, dealing 100% and 50% of the original damage, respectively. |
| Enhanced Chainsaw → Flying Guillotine | Defeat Huangxing in the Mountain of Imprisonment. Return to Moji’s house in the Mandate Encampment and use Flying Guillotine on the dial to enter the basement. | Soul-Siphoning Hunt: Press block and Phantom Edge together for a ranged execution on weaker enemies or heavy damage against stronger ones. It also restores 20% HP. |
| Six Paths Warrant → Outlaw Warblade | Clear the fog at Meigu Lake’s Songhouse with the Illusory Pipa. | Ruthless Outlaw: Retaining recoverable HP for longer increases damage dealt. |
| Golden Ammunition → Tiger Cannon | On the Meigu Lake island where you fight Grief-Stricken Jin, destroy the weakened wall in the corner with Tiger Cannon. | Full Blast: Press block and Phantom Edge together to launch the Tiger Cannon forward for heavy damage. |
| Rules of the Blackwater Crew → Loong Trident | Use the Illusory Pipa to remove the mist at Meigu Village East Dock. | Precision Throw: Release the charged throw when Soul’s hand briefly glows to greatly increase damage and sha-chi depletion. |
Boss rewards and exploration pickups
Some materials come directly from named bosses, while others need a careful search after reaching the correct area. Alloyed Scythe Blade is worth remembering during the Crimson Manor visit because its duo boss also awards an Acolyte Mask, contributing to Discordance access later.
| Material and matching weapon | Where to get it | Soul Temper effect |
|---|---|---|
| Alloyed Scythe Blade → Hunter’s Chain Sickle | Defeat Puppet Scavenger and Acolyte Hansui in the depths of Crimson Manor, in Weeping Creek Valley. | Gleaming Hook: Raises chain damage to match the sickle blade. Sickle hits deplete more sha-chi and build bleed, causing blood loss when full. The bleed effect does not work on puppets, golden bodies, or phantom bodies. |
| Honed Blacksteel → Sundering Dual Axes | Open the chest in the lower sections of the Crimson Forest’s Sha-Chi Tower once campaign progression opens it. | Sundering Twin Calamities: Gives Baleful Aura a second tier. Filling it strengthens sha-chi combos, Baleful Barrage, and Heart-Rending Strike. Baleful Aura ends after 16 seconds and empties the gauge. |
| Blazing Lion Head → Flaming Mane | Search inside Pangzhen’s Lion Dance Hall. | Chaotic Flame: Converts Flame Breath into Chaotic Flame, causing ignited enemies to continuously lose health and sha-chi. |
| Plain Sword Tassel → Ink Cut | In the Mandate Encampment, follow the sloping path uphill from the Mass Grave, where you fight Corpse-Eating Xue, until you reach a tomb. | Twin Radiant Wheels: While a Radiant Wheel is active, press Phantom Edge to create another. The additional wheel cannot repeat this effect. |
| Embroidered Shoes → Scarlet Wraithblade | Defeat Grief-Stricken Jin at the Village of Lu Shallows Dock in the Meigu Lake region. | Lingering Grudge: Attacks against enemies with Red Spider Lilies build their Red Flower Gauge, which explodes when full. You and allies within Red Spider Lilies spend less sha-chi and receive more healing. |
| High-Power Pump → You Loong’s Deluge | Defeat You Loong at his Blackwater camp in Meigu Lake. He also drops Loong Trident. | Scalding Steam: Attacking burning enemies produces a scalding stream that adds damage and also hits nearby enemies. |
| Everlasting Flame → Fire Meteor | Sail to western Meigu Lake. Find the inlet leading to a pier with a glowing pickup. | Bone-Eating Ghostfire: Enhances all moves and greatly increases damage and sha-chi depletion against enemies affected by Phosphor Flame. |
| Violet Blossom → Inanis’ Radiant Fans | After defeating Blizzard Blademaster, place both Crystal Puppet Eyes in the statue that appears. Enter Discordance, defeat the elders performing the ritual, and speak with Inanis. | Nirvana: Fatal damage inside the healing field triggers one revival with 30% HP. It refreshes after touching a bell or respawning. Other available revival effects activate first. |
| Iron Butcher Mask → Jagged Steel | Defeat Iron Butcher, the Frenzied Brute, in the Mountain of Imprisonment. | Open Wounds: Blocked attacks still build bleed. Puppets, golden bodies, and phantom bodies are immune to this effect. |
Parting Hooks, Feather Bow, and Loong Trident each tie their enhancement to a specific combat input or timing window. The Sha-Chi and parry combat guide explains the combat systems behind those effects.
Where are the multi-part Soul Temper materials?
A fragment such as Serpent Rattle - Red is part of a collection set, not a complete upgrade by itself. Track the pieces together, especially when a quest spans several regions or requires returning with a new Phantom Edge.
Worldbreaker Fist: Iron Gauntlets
Complete Worldbreaker Fist with two fragments, one from the Village of Lu and one from the Crimson Forest. Its effect makes every Phantom Edge attack release a Fist Wave.
- Fist Fragment - Core: Interact with every Mu Xiaokui ribbon you encounter in the Village of Lu. This extends the chapter-ending boss encounter to three phases. Win that fight to receive the fragment.
- Fist Fragment - Shell: At the Sha-Chi Tower rooftop in Crimson Forest, take the request to light incense at the master’s grave. Travel to the Burial Grounds bell and interact with the nearby tomb.
Serpent’s Memory: White Serpent & Crimson Viper
Collect the components from all four Serpent Houses to complete Serpent’s Memory. The resulting Hundred-Knot Serpents effect summons additional serpents when you recall Crimson Viper with block and heavy attack together. Leaving Crimson Viper away from Soul for longer increases how many serpents appear.
| Component | Region | Location and requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Serpent Rattle - Red | Crimson Forest | Inside the Red Serpent House. Burn the thorny vines with Flaming Mane. |
| Serpent Venom Sac - Black | Village of Lu | Inside the Black Serpent House. Flaming Mane removes the blocking brambles. |
| Serpent Gall - Green | Pangzhen | Inside the Green Serpent House. |
| Serpent Slough - White | Meigu Lake | Open the chest in the White Serpent House. |
Flaming Grip: Sanguine Reach
Flaming Grip requires Scorching Flames and Quenched Flaming Grip. Together, they transform Sanguine Reach into Blazing Edge, giving it a new fire-based moveset.
- Scorching Flames: Defeat Zhu Yuan the Searing Blade at the bottom of the Sha-Chi Tower.
- Quenched Flaming Grip: Clear the Lóng Pillar challenge in eastern Meigu Lake.
The Blazing Edge transformation is required to complete the Triple Threat/Three-Eyed Puppet quest, so this material hunt also matters for quest progression.
Fanatic’s Obsession: Fanatic’s Broken Blade
Fanatic’s Obsession combines two fragments. Its effect, The Fanatic’s Drunken Sword, removes the weapon’s damage fall-off over distance.
- Fanatic’s Fragment - Fixation: Defeat Gu Wanyue, the Wailing Wraith, in Pangzhen.
- Other component: Obtain the second fragment from a boss in Meigu Lake.
Ritual Cauldron: Juggernaut
All three Ritual Cauldron components are in the Mountain of Imprisonment. The completed upgrade grants Unfading Sunset: Crimson Wheel Slash stops consuming Red Edge when it hits an enemy with Bandit-Slayer Mark.
- Defeat Bi Feng, then report to the Wulin Fighter in the cavern for a component.
- Defeat Huangxing and acquire Flying Guillotine. Use it on the device in the Wulin Fighter’s cavern for another component.
- Return to the encampment near the region’s first bell. Operate its mechanism with Flying Guillotine for the remaining component.
Boy’s Worn Outfit: Whiteshadow
Collect four clothing pieces in Meigu Lake’s Discordance realm to assemble Boy’s Worn Outfit. You need all four Acolyte Masks to access this realm. The completed enhancement gives Whiteshadow the Deepening Frost effect, allowing attacks to build the target’s Frozen Gauge even when blocked.
| Clothing piece | Route through Discordance |
|---|---|
| Boy’s Shoes | Descend the cliffside using the coffins and ledges until you reach the glowing pickup. |
| Boy’s Cap | In the fishing village, grapple onto the ship and cross the rooftops. The cap is beside a Memory Flower and a Sha-Chi Amber Fragment. |
| Boy’s Trousers | Continue through the fog-covered settlement to the large tent at its exit. |
| Boy’s Shirt | After the cavern zip line, reach the area with floating shipwrecks. Complete the wall run and cross the platforms. Before taking the newly formed bridge, check the wooden stairs or ramp attached to the platform on the right. |
Chaos Twin Daggers: Sanguine Twin
Chaos Iron Fragment I is a component of Chaos Twin Daggers, the Soul Temper enhancement associated with transforming Sanguine Twin into Shadowless Edge.
Find its route in Meigu Lake’s Discordance realm, near another Lóng Pillar challenge. At the base of the cliffs, destroy the iron gate with Dread Axe to access the fragment’s location.
Hero’s Courage: Swordsman’s Summon
Hero’s Courage is tied to The Undying Heroic Spirit and the Swordsman’s Summon weapon. Begin with the Purple Robed Wolf Leader in Myst’s Tavern. Defeat the Disciple of the Seven Stars Formation, then obtain the quest item from the Wolf Leader.
The next step is to collect Memory Flowers from four Mandate soldiers in the Mandate Encampment. These soldiers initially appear friendly, then become hostile after a short delay.
- Near the Mass Grave: Check the river’s edge close to the Corpse-Eating Xue arena.
- Main Encampment Gate: Search north of the gate.
- Moji’s home: Enter the bamboo garden behind the house.
- Baishan’s Fall: Follow the northeastern cliffside path beyond the bell.
What should you check before spending Remnant Dust?
The upgrade fee stays at 5,000 Remnant Dust, but some hunts have an extra purchase or progression requirement. Quick Hand’s Manual, for example, costs 9,920 Remnant Dust before you pay to apply the Flying Dagger enhancement.
- Match the material to its named weapon. Border Banner upgrades Bastion; Border Poems upgrades Wolfjaw.
- Finish collection sets before returning to the Soul Temper tab. One Serpent’s Memory component is only part of the requirement.
- Read the activation condition. Nirvana requires you to be inside the healing field, while Precision Shot and Precision Throw depend on the brief hand-glow timing.
- Keep enemy restrictions in mind. The bleed effects from Gleaming Hook and Open Wounds do not affect puppets, golden bodies, or phantom bodies.
For weapon selection and the rest of your upgrade planning, use the Phantom Blade 0 guide collection alongside this material checklist.
