Phantom Blade Zero side quests and Tales
Updated
Phantom Blade Zero side quests are called Tales, and the guides do not agree on one total. PowerPyx counts 30 Side Tales, while the Fextralife wiki names 15 Wulin Tales by region. The table below combines every named Tale from those pages, with the start and reward Game8 gives, so each Phantom Blade Zero side quest can be checked against one list. This page covers only the Tales named in the cited guides, so an entry that appears in just one guide is included with the details that guide gives.
Phantom Blade Zero side quests: three takeaways
The guides give different totals. PowerPyx counts 30 Side Tales in the game, and the Fextralife list has 15 names, so treat any single number as the count of that one guide. The table counts each distinct name once, so a Tale listed by two guides appears in one row.
Several Tales can fail for good. PowerPyx says several Side Tales become missable if you advance the story too far, and its trophy guide asks you to complete the first objective of A Severed Mindseal before leaving Weeping Creek Valley.
Starts vary. Game8 says Tales unlock through NPC interactions, boss encounters, books, and main quest progress, and the first step differs by Tale: Four Fierce Axes begins with a book beside the Broken Puppet Valley Bell.
All Phantom Blade Zero side quests by region
Rows follow the Fextralife regional grouping. Game8 supplies the start and reward unless a cell names another source, and a dash means no listed source gives that detail. The names also match the quest list on PCGamesN. Each region's rows sit together, so you can compare the names, starts, and rewards for one area at a time without jumping between pages.
| Side quest or Tale | Region | How to start | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flesh Lily | Weeping Creek Valley | Meet Yu'er near the Lady's Rift Bell during Chapter 2 and ask her how to save her father | Scarlet Wraithblade |
| Triple Threat | Weeping Creek Valley | Enter the Rift near the Lady's Rift Bell, west of The Beginning | Three-Headed Doll |
| Four Fierce Axes | Weeping Creek Valley | Pick up the book next to the Broken Puppet Valley Bell | Blood Oath Dagger |
| Festering Secret | Weeping Creek Valley | Approach the chained gate near the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost Bell and interact with the door and guards | Dread Axe |
| Purge the Sect | Weeping Creek Valley | Speak to the old man on the roof of the house east of the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost Bell | Feather Bow |
| Apprentice Healer | Weeping Creek Valley | Speak to Yu'er at the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost | Calming Gourd |
| A Severed Mindseal | Weeping Creek Valley | Travel to the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Summit and approach the Friendly Shadow Warden | — |
| Honor Among Thieves | Crimson Forest | Defeat the enemy tending a campfire north of the Outlaw Trap Bell to obtain Blood Letter from the Nimble Thief | Silent Wrap |
| Secrets of the Baishan Sect | Crimson Forest | Speak to the women on the bridge south of the Outlaw Trap Bell | Soft Snake Sword; Baishan Stormswords |
| A Healer's Mercy | Crimson Forest | Complete Apprentice Healer, then speak to Yu'er at the Thieves' Camp | Medicine Case |
| Quick Hand's Request | Crimson Forest | Talk to Quick Hand Zhang and pick 'Relics across the land' (All Things How) | — |
| The Wily Hare's Three Dens | Crimson Forest | — | — |
| The Journey Home | Village of Lu | Talk to Old Man Gen at his Hideout Bell in the Village of Lu (PowerPyx) | — |
| Young Master Lan | Village of Lu | Speak to Lan Shaodi at Young Master Lan's Hideout | Crimson Resolve |
| A Dream of Motherhood | Village of Lu | — | — |
| Leave None Alive | Village of Lu | — | — |
| A Puppet's Wooden Heart | Village of Lu | Speak to the Songstress Puppet at the Temple of Blue Fireflies | A Puppet's Wooden Heart |
| Dahuang | Village of Lu | Find the Sleeping Flower Masked Hunter inside a house near the Survivor's Camp Bell during Chapter 5 | — |
Notes on starts and missable Tales
The notes below repeat only what the cited guides state, and where two guides give different starts, both versions are shown. Secrets of the Baishan Sect has two start descriptions. Game8 says to speak to the women on the bridge south of the Outlaw Trap Bell, while PowerPyx says to accept it from Lanlan on the giant bridge near the Thieves' Camp Bell, and warns that it can no longer be accepted once you defeat Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents.
Honor Among Thieves and A Healer's Mercy are both marked missable in the PowerPyx Crimson Forest guide. Each fails if it is not finished after the region's main boss.
PowerPyx's trophy guide says The Journey Home and Young Master Lan need their first objective done before you enter Pangzhen. It also says A Severed Mindseal's first objective must be done before you leave Weeping Creek Valley, but does not say exactly when that failure trigger happens.
Fextralife describes side quests as optional stories that can reward unique weapons, special accessories, or upgrade materials. Game8 adds that most Tales reward new items and equipment and may unlock more quests when completed.
Our take on tracking side quests
The simplest way to run Phantom Blade Zero side quests is to clear each region before moving on. The missable warnings above mostly concern story progress, so finishing a region's Tales first avoids most of them.
Use the table as a checklist. Tick off each named Tale region by region, and check the notes before you reach a boss or leave an area.
Because the guides differ on totals and starts, check the cited page for any Tale before you rely on its start. For Flesh Lily, Game8 gives the Chapter 2 conversation with Yu'er; for Dahuang, it gives the Chapter 5 house near the Survivor's Camp Bell. Those details are easy to miss if you pass through an area quickly.
Frequently asked questions
How many Phantom Blade Zero side quests are there?
The guides do not agree on one number. PowerPyx counts 30 Side Tales, while the Fextralife wiki names 15 Wulin Tales, and the table above lists 18 named entries from the pages cited.
How do I start Phantom Blade Zero side quests?
The Game8 list starts Tales from a conversation at a Bell, a book, a rift, or an enemy encounter. Game8 also says Tales can unlock through boss encounters and main quest progress, and the table gives the start for each Tale that a source describes.
Which Phantom Blade Zero side quests can be missed?
PowerPyx says several Side Tales become missable as the story advances. It marks Honor Among Thieves and A Healer's Mercy as missable in Crimson Forest.
Where do I start Flesh Lily?
Game8 says to meet Yu'er near the Lady's Rift Bell during Chapter 2 and ask her how to save her father. Flesh Lily is listed with Triple Threat and Four Fierce Axes in Weeping Creek Valley.
Where do I start Secrets of the Baishan Sect?
Game8 says to speak to the women on the bridge south of the Outlaw Trap Bell. PowerPyx says to accept it from Lanlan on the giant bridge near the Thieves' Camp Bell before you defeat Bai Chilian.
What do Phantom Blade Zero side quests reward?
Fextralife says they can reward unique weapons, special accessories, or upgrade materials. Game8 says most Tales give new items and equipment, and the table lists the named reward for each Tale that Game8 covers.
Sources
- Quests | Phantom Blade Zero checked 2026-11-01
- All Tales (Side Quests) | Phantom Blade Zero (PBZ)｜Game8 checked 2026-11-01
- Phantom Blade Zero Collectibles Guide - 100% Completion checked 2026-11-01
- Phantom Blade Zero Crimson Forest Collectible Locations checked 2026-11-01
- Phantom Blade Zero Trophy Guide & Roadmap checked 2026-11-01
- All Phantom Blade Zero Tales and Side Quests: Full Quest List with Objectives checked 2026-11-01
- Phantom Blade Zero quest list - all main and side quests checked 2026-11-01