Accessory polishing in Phantom Blade Zero makes your passive buffs stronger, but every crystal you spend is a permanent commitment. You unlock it by meeting Jewel in the Village of Lu, after finishing the Crimson Forest. Once you've spoken to her, the service becomes available at any bell, so future upgrades don't need a return trip. Your next decisions are which accessories deserve those materials and whether they stop at level 2 or can reach level 3.
How do you upgrade accessories in Phantom Blade Zero?
Meet Jewel in the Village of Lu and select Polish Accessories. Her upgrade tab lets you improve accessory effects using Tainted Crystal Shards or Refined Indigo Crystal, depending on the upgrade. Meeting her also unlocks accessory polishing through the Upgrade Equipment menu at every bell.
Where do you find Jewel?
Jewel appears along your route through the Village of Lu, the third region, during the Snake's Reflection main story quest. Her shop is in the village's cliffside area.
To reach her:
- Finish the Crimson Forest, the second region.
- Continue into the Village of Lu.
- After waking at the Place of Awakening bell, follow the trail.
- Continue until the automatic encounter with Jewel, then select Polish Accessories.
Phantom Blade Zero Guide: How to Upgrade Accessories
How do you polish accessories at a bell?
After meeting Jewel, interact with any bell, open Upgrade Equipment, and switch to the accessories tab. Select the accessory you want to improve and check its material requirement before spending.
Jewel's service stays available through bells after that first meeting. You can handle later accessory upgrades during your travels instead of returning to her Village of Lu shop.
What materials do accessory upgrades need?
Most accessories reach their maximum at level 2, while some support an additional upgrade to level 3. Tainted Crystal Shards cover level 2 upgrades; Refined Indigo Crystal is needed for accessories that reach level 3.
| Target level | Upgrade material | Accessory limit |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | Tainted Crystal Shard | Maximum level for most accessories |
| Level 3 | Refined Indigo Crystal | Supported by some accessories |
Weapon upgrades follow different refund rules. Resetting weapons that have reached upgrade thresholds back to level 1 requires Weapon Reforge Talismans or Phantom Reforge Talismans. If you're still choosing equipment to build around, compare weapon unlocks and perks before committing to accessory upgrades.
Phantom Blade Zero Guide: How to Upgrade Accessories
Where can you get polishing crystals?
The shop at any bell sells Tainted Crystal Shards and Refined Indigo Crystal. Discovering more Quick Hand Zhang hideouts increases the materials available to purchase, making those discoveries useful when your next upgrade is short on crystals.
Chests also contain polishing materials. Pay particular attention to cracked wooden chests with a light-blue glow while exploring. Checking those chests and the bell shop gives you two ways to supply Jewel's upgrades.
Which accessories should you polish first?
Prioritize an accessory whose effect already supports your combat style. A damage bonus, ranged protection, and longer summon duration solve different problems, so choose the effect you need before spending crystals. Use the accessory locations and effects guide to compare your options before investing.
The effects below help identify a build direction. Check the accessory's polishing details before committing materials.
| Accessory | Effect | Reason to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Wraps | Increases damage dealt to enemies by 5% | A straightforward offensive bonus |
| Arrowward | Reduces ranged damage and Sha-Chi depletion taken by 20% | Protection against ranged pressure |
| A Puppet's Wooden Heart | Increases summon duration by 25% | Support for a setup that uses summons |
| Ancient Armor Fragment | Damage reduction increases with HP, reaching 20% at full HP | Defense tied to keeping your HP high |
Battle Wraps offers a direct damage benefit, while A Puppet's Wooden Heart supports summons specifically. That difference matters more than upgrading whichever accessory happens to appear first in the polishing tab: invest in a passive effect your setup actually uses.
How do you equip more accessories?
You start with 2 accessory slots and can eventually equip up to 6. Check Boundless Capacity in the character skill tree as you progress, since its upgrades are associated with increasing equipment capacity.
To equip your chosen accessories, open the equipment menu, navigate to the accessories section, select an available slot, and choose an item. More slots let you combine offensive, defensive, and support effects rather than relying on a single passive bonus.
Once Jewel unlocks polishing, choose the accessory effect you want to keep, check its required crystal, and spend with the no-refund rule in mind. Plan your other equipment unlocks with the Phantom Blade Zero progression and upgrades guide.
