Iron Fiend Phantom Blade Zero: Iron Fiend and Jade Dancer, Young Mistress's Guardians

iron fiend location and encounter setup

Iron Fiend and Jade Dancer are found in a boss encounter in the Village of Lu. Game8 says the encounter unlocks after completing the Young Mistress questline and defeating Mu Xiaokui in her first two phases. That gives you a clear condition for reaching this fight: finish that questline, then win those two phases before facing the guardians.

The guardians can also join Mu Xiaokui’s final phase if you collect all five of her ribbons, according to the Kung Fu Punk boss list. The All Things How Mu Xiaokui guide likewise says Iron Fiend joins alongside Jade Dancer and advises keeping both guardians in view.

How to beat iron fiend and Jade Dancer

For the Iron Fiend Phantom Blade Zero fight, the guides disagree on which guardian to take first. The Fextralife fan wiki says to focus Jade Dancer first, because her frequent red flash attacks create chances to retaliate, and Kuye Temple Prayer Beads can summon monks to distract Iron Fiend. Game8 says to isolate Iron Fiend first, because his aggressive moveset can create openings. Read both before you choose a target order.

Game8 describes the combined three-hit attack as ending with a parryable blue-glint strike, while red-glint grab attacks should be dodged and followed with a Ghoststep counter. The All Things How Mu Xiaokui guide adds that Iron Fiend's main opening comes after his charge: dodge aside, then punish his heavy punches. It also says to create distance when attack chains end, so the two guardians cannot catch you together.

• Keep both guardians in view while you focus one (All Things How).
• Parry the final hit of the combined three-hit attack (Game8).
• Dodge red-glint grab attacks, then counter with Ghoststep (Game8).
• Jade Dancer's frequent red flash attacks create chances to retaliate (Fextralife fan wiki).
• When Iron Fiend charges, step away, then punish after his heavy punches (All Things How).
• Stay near Iron Fiend's sides and dodge his Aftershock fissure laterally before it explodes (Fextralife fan wiki).
• Watch for Jade Dancer's blue crescent kicks while you handle Iron Fiend (All Things How).

iron fiend weakness and openings

No specific weakness is listed for either guardian. The Fextralife fan wiki lists no resistances, weaknesses, or damage values, and the All Things How guide names no elemental or weapon weakness for Iron Fiend. The openings they do describe are in the table below.

Drops and rewards

The reward list is the same across the guides: three items. Game8 and the Fextralife fan wiki both list Fiend Saws, Fist Fragment: Core, and Puppet No. 44's Eye, and All Things How lists the same three.

A separate spar in the Use It Against Them side tale is a different reward condition. The All Things How side tale guide says it requires defeating Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend using Fiend Saws and Iron Gauntlets, and winning it rewards the Heel Reinforcement Part, a Soul Tempering material for Fiend Saws.

Our take on the guardian fight

Our take: for the Iron Fiend Phantom Blade Zero encounter, target priority and awareness are the central decisions. Pick one guardian as your focus, track both, and answer each named cue with its listed response. No weakness, resistance, or damage type is listed, so there is no damage-type plan to build around here. This is a reading of the listed moves, not an extra build recommendation.

Frequently asked questions