How To Upgrade Your Gear In Phantom Blade Zero

Want to upgrade your gear in Phantom Blade Zero? Every type of equipment in the game--from main weapons and secondary weapons, to accessories and medicine--can be boosted further. You just need to meet certain NPCs and acquire the right materials.

Upgrades in Phantom Blade Zero: Important NPCs and where to find them

There are four NPCs related to Phantom Blade Zero’s weapon and gear upgrade system. After chatting with them for the first time, their function is automatically unlocked in every bell/fast travel point. You just need to click on the Upgrade Equipment menu. You don’t even have to revisit the NPCs.

• Main weapon and Phantom Edge upgrades: Forge - This lady is in the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley, the game’s first region.
• Accessories: Jewel - She has a shop at the cliffside area in the Village of Lu.
• Soul Temper: Myst - She owns a tavern in the city of Pangzhen. You visit this location as part of the main quest.
• Medicines: Xie Xaorong - He operates the Green Serpent House, which is in the western portion of Pangzhen.

Talk to characters like Jewel (left) and Xie Xaorong (right) to permanently unlock their functions.

Weapon upgrades: How they work and what materials do you need

Weapon upgrades in Phantom Blade Zero require resources like metals and solvents. The type differs depending on the weapon classification--i.e. Forged Metal for one-handers, Broadplate Metals for two-handers, and Twinned Metals for dual-wielded armaments. Phantom Edges also have their own materials depending on their classification--i.e. Destructive, Ranged, Martial, and Artifice, and Summoning.

Both main and secondary weapons gain additional perks at levels 5, 10, 15, and 25. You can also press a button to upgrade something to its max level. Even better, you’re able to refund all spent dust and materials freely.

Note: When equipment reaches thresholds and you want to reset them back to level 1, you have to spend Weapon Reforge Talismans or Phantom Reforge Talismans.

Refunding spent materials is totally fine and encouraged, especially if you want to test different equipment.

Accessories and medicine upgrades: How they work and what materials do you need

As mentioned earlier, meeting Jewel allows you to upgrade your accessories. Doing so improves their stats significantly.

• Most accessories can only be upgraded up to level 2, which requires a Tainted Crystal Shard.
• Some max out at level 3, and you need a Refined Indigo Crystal for these.

Medicines, meanwhile, require Healer’s Memory items of varying tiers:

• Apprentice Healer’s Memory - Level 1 to level 2.
• Skilled Healer’s Memory - Level 2 to level 4.
• Master Healer’s Memory - Level 4 to level 6.

It’s imperative to max out consumables that you really prefer. This not only bolsters their effects, but also increases the number of uses/charges.

Be on the lookout for resources that you need in order to improve your gear.

Weapons and Soul Temper

The last mechanic related to Phantom Blade Zero’s gear upgrade system is called Soul Temper, which you learn after talking to Myst in Pangzhen. Unlike regular boosts that require a ton of resources, Soul Tempering only needs one unique item that’s specific to a weapon. This is usually something that’s well-hidden or in a late-game area.

Soul Temper grants permanent additional effects. For instance, the Flying Dagger’s Quickhand Mastery perk increases the number of daggers thrown and its poison application. The Jagged Steel, meanwhile, gets Open Wounds, causing blocked attacks to still build up the bleed gauge. There’s even the Sanguine Reach, which turns into the Blazing Edge, once it’s imbued with fire damage. You can learn about these special resources in our Soul Temper guide.

You definitely want the enhanced effects from Soul Tempering.

That does it for our guide on how to upgrade weapons and gear in Phantom Blade Zero. Since we’re already on the subject of various stuff you can equip, you might be curious as to where you could actually find them. If so, you can read our articles about weapon locations, accessory locations, and medicine locations.

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Join Soul as he faces numerous threats in the Wulin and be sure to check out more tips in our Phantom Blade Zero guides hub.