White Serpent & Crimson Viper paired with the Outlaw Warblade gives you fast damage, quick Sha-Chi Essence generation, and healing when you need it. That makes the combination an excellent target in Phantom Blade 0, but you have strong options before both weapons become available. Jagged Steel punishes enemies that can bleed, Sanguine offers a straightforward starting point, and Fiend Saws excel at attacking broken guards. The right choice depends on the enemy, your unlocked perks, and how comfortably you can manage each weapon's drawbacks.
What are the best weapons in Phantom Blade 0?
White Serpent & Crimson Viper is the strongest recommendation for versatility, Outlaw Warblade for healing, and Jagged Steel for bleed-focused boss damage. Choose Fiend Saws for guard-break burst, Sanguine for ease of use, or The Fanatic's Broken Blade for long-range attacks once its drinking mechanics are under control.
| Weapon | Best reason to equip it | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|
| White Serpent & Crimson Viper | Fast combos, a spinning blade technique, and ranged attacks | Short-range combo starters and heavy Sha-Chi consumption |
| Outlaw Warblade | Healing attacks and a powerful life-draining special | Heavy attacks convert your health into recoverable damage |
| Jagged Steel | Bleed damage and Blood Blade attacks against broken guards | Weak guard breaking and restrictions on which enemies can bleed |
| Fiend Saws | Fast attacks, Corrosion burst, and Fiend Form | Fiend Form consumes Sha-Chi Essence and lasts only 10 seconds |
| Sanguine | Simple combos and a useful level 5 damage buff | Later perks add less than those of more specialized weapons |
| The Fanatic's Broken Blade | Excellent reach while Soul is tipsy or drunk | Drinking creates an opening for enemies to punish you |
Which weapon combination should you use?
Phantom Blade Zero Guide: Best Weapon & Combinations
White Serpent & Crimson Viper with Outlaw Warblade
Use White Serpent & Crimson Viper to stay on the offensive and build Sha-Chi Essence, then switch to Outlaw Warblade when you need its healing special. The dual swords can sustain long combos by alternating standard and heavy attacks, making them a natural partner for a weapon that spends Essence to recover health.
The pairing also gives you different ways to approach enemies. White Serpent & Crimson Viper has fast close-range attacks, a throwable dagger, and a blade-spinning technique that continues dealing damage around Soul even while he is not attacking. Outlaw Warblade adds reach and healing without forcing you to use it as your main damage source throughout the fight.
- Build Sha-Chi Essence with the dual swords' fast attacks.
- Alternate standard and heavy attacks to extend their combo.
- Switch to Outlaw Warblade when its healing special would help.
- Keep an eye on Sha-Chi while using the spinning blade technique, especially when you also need to block.
Switching between your two equipped main weapons quickly refills Sha-Chi. That makes swapping useful even when you do not need healing: finish your attacks, change weapons, and prepare to defend. For the surrounding mechanics, use the Sha-Chi, parry, and weapon-switching guide.
Fiend Saws with Outlaw Warblade
Fiend Saws and Outlaw Warblade form another strong pairing. Use the saws as your main damage weapon against mobs and bosses, then bring out the Warblade for shielded enemies or healing. The saws' fast attacks and Corrosion burst make them especially effective when an enemy's guard is already broken.
Fiend Form costs 1 Sha-Chi Essence and lasts 10 seconds. During that window, all attacks become unblockable and deal increased damage to guard-broken enemies. Pressing L2 again performs a powerful follow-up without another Essence cost, then ends Fiend Form. Activating it against a broken guard takes advantage of its specific damage bonus.
Why does Outlaw Warblade work so well as a backup?
Outlaw Warblade heals Soul through successful standard attacks, while its special attack drains a substantial amount of health from an enemy. That special also gives you an invincibility window. On controller, activate it with L2; on keyboard, use Q when you have at least 1 Sha-Chi Essence.
Its defensive value improves further with Survival Shield, the level 15 perk that grants 10 seconds of invincibility when triggered. The weapon's damage becomes less competitive later in the game, but healing and defensive utility keep it useful in the second slot.
Which weapons are best for bosses and beginners?
Jagged Steel: Best for bleed-focused boss damage
Jagged Steel is an early boss reward with a clear purpose: repeatedly attack enemies that can bleed, then collect the extra damage when their hidden bleed gauge fills. Its Blood Blade mechanic provides a stackable increase to bleed buildup and damage, giving you a reason to learn its rhythm rather than immediately replacing it with the next sword.
At level 5, Jagged Steel gains a special attack against guard-broken enemies that grants a Blood Blade stack. Soul is invulnerable during Blood Blade's vertical slash against those targets. At level 15, a charged slash lets you build Blood Blade stacks before releasing them, while other upgrades increase bleed buildup further.
Jagged Steel Rampage, its Power Surge, spends 1 Sha-Chi Essence on an unblockable flurry that rapidly builds bleed. The weakness is getting through an enemy's defenses in the first place: Jagged Steel has poor guard-breaking capability, making shielded enemies an awkward matchup.
How do you make bleed work on more enemies?
Puppets, Golden Bodies, and Phantom Bodies normally resist Jagged Steel's bleed mechanic. The Livingwood Talisman, found in a chest near the Smuggler's Tunnel in the Village of Lu, lets bleed affect those enemy types at 50% effectiveness. Polishing the accessory raises that to 70%.
That accessory gives Jagged Steel a much broader role after its early human-enemy matchups. The bleed gauge remains hidden, though, so you cannot watch an on-screen meter to predict the exact hit that will trigger blood loss.
Sanguine: Best for a straightforward first build
Sanguine, Soul's starting weapon, is a sensible investment if you want fast combos without a demanding setup mechanic. Its attacks have good reach, and its level 5 Chi-Infused Blade perk grants a damage boost lasting 40 seconds.
Sanguine's level 15 and level 25 perks do less to improve its strengths, but the basic weapon remains reliable. Keep it while learning defense and weapon switching, then use these beginner loadout and upgrade strategies to plan your next investment.
The Fanatic's Broken Blade: Best for reach with setup
The Fanatic's Broken Blade earns its place through range, particularly when Soul is tipsy or drunk. Those states give its attacks excellent reach, letting you connect from relative safety even before the enemy's guard breaks.
The price is preparation. Drinking leaves Soul vulnerable, and the weapon needs perk investment to make maintaining his drunken state easier. Choose it because you want that fighting style, not because long reach automatically makes it the easiest one-handed option. Sanguine asks less of you, while Jagged Steel has a more direct damage payoff against enemies that bleed.
What other weapons are worth keeping?
Scarlet Wraithblade: Heavy damage with battlefield control
Scarlet Wraithblade combines high damage and guard breaking with spider lilies that appear as you complete combos. Those flowers slow enemies and drain their Sha-Chi, giving the sword a way to control space rather than relying entirely on its swing speed.
Exploding lilies can extend combos, and keeping several enemies around the flowers can quickly wear down their Sha-Chi. The same effect is useful against slower bosses. Its finishing attacks are very slow, however, and even guard-broken enemies can sometimes retaliate before those attacks finish. The lilies need to do real work to justify that commitment.
Tianxuan Bronze Sword: High investment, unusual defense
Tianxuan Bronze Sword has high damage and guard-break stats for a one-handed weapon, long-reaching attacks, and reduced Sha-Chi consumption when blocking. Its level 15 perk, Resolute Stillness, adds medium-range projectiles to some attacks.
The catch is substantial: you cannot perform a normal parry with this sword. Its level 25 perk, All Things Converge, adds a parry-like defensive action with a strong counterattack. Until that investment is available, its blocking advantages come with the loss of an important defensive tool.
Sanguine Reach and Sanguine Twin: Useful early alternatives
The other Sanguine weapons give you accessible ways to try a different weapon category before committing to more technical equipment:
- Sanguine Reach: A two-handed sword with long reach that works well against groups. It rewards keeping Sha-Chi nearly full with enhanced heavy attacks. Its level 15 Sweeping Slash perk grants a damage buff lasting 25 seconds.
- Sanguine Twin: Fast dual swords obtained during the tutorial. Their level 5 Chi-Infused Blade buff lasts 20 seconds, and later perks support sustained attacking. Short-range combo starters mean you must stay close.
Where do you find the best weapons?
Most weapons come from defeated bosses, so optional encounters can matter as much as main-story progress when building your loadout. Scarlet Wraithblade is a useful example: its early optional boss gives you a heavy weapon with a completely different approach to crowd control.
| Weapon | How to obtain it |
|---|---|
| Sanguine | Soul's starting weapon |
| Sanguine Twin | Collected during the early tutorial |
| Sanguine Reach | Take it from the weapon rack after meeting Forge for the first time |
| Jagged Steel | Defeat Jagged Steel in chapter one |
| Scarlet Wraithblade | Defeat Hua, Deadly Betrothed, an optional boss in chapter one |
| The Fanatic's Broken Blade | Defeat Hua Qianxiao in chapter two |
| Outlaw Warblade | Defeat Jing Ye, The Outlaw, in the Crimson Forest during chapter two |
| White Serpent & Crimson Viper | Defeat Bai Chilian in chapter two |
| Tianxuan Bronze Sword | Defeat Master Bi Yuan in chapter three |
How do you reach Scarlet Wraithblade's optional boss?
To reach Hua, Deadly Betrothed, look around the back of the steam tower at its base:
- Find the hole in the ground behind the tower.
- Drop through it and slide down the broken bridges.
- Defeat the enemies in the area where you land.
- Climb the stairs to reach Hua.
There is no bell checkpoint in this area. If Hua defeats you, you must repeat the route through the hole and broken bridges before attempting the fight again.
How should you upgrade your chosen weapons?
Buy useful perks, not just higher levels
Weapon perks can change how a sword functions. Sanguine's level 5 damage buff is useful early, while Tianxuan Bronze Sword's level 25 defensive perk requires a much later commitment. Upgrade materials are tied to progression, and the materials needed for maximum upgrades appear near the end of Soul's journey.
You can refund spent upgrade materials through the forge menu and move them to another weapon. At level 10 and above, resetting a weapon also consumes a Weapon Reforge Talisman. These items can be found or bought from merchants, but your currency is limited.
What should you equip next?
Use the problem in front of you to choose your next investment:
- Need reliable early offense? Keep Sanguine and work toward its level 5 buff.
- Fighting bosses that bleed? Invest in Jagged Steel and its Blood Blade mechanics.
- Running through medicine? Pair a fast dual-wield weapon with Outlaw Warblade.
- Want guard-break burst? Use Fiend Saws and activate Fiend Form against a broken guard.
- Struggling with groups? Try White Serpent & Crimson Viper's spinning blade or Scarlet Wraithblade's lilies.
Start with Jagged Steel or Sanguine, then work toward a dual-wield weapon paired with Outlaw Warblade if you want damage and healing in the same loadout. For your next combat or progression question, use the Phantom Blade 0 strategy guide collection.
