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Dread Axe Phantom Blade Zero: Location, Stats, and Effects

By the Blade Zero Wiki editors

Updated

The Dread Axe Phantom Blade Zero is a Destructive Phantom Edge won by beating Peng Meng the Axemaster in Weeping Creek Valley. Hold the attack to build a two-stage cleave that breaks shields, and its chain perk opens iron chains across blocked paths even while the weapon sits unequipped.

Phantom Blade Zero screenshot: a dark-armored fighter swings a heavy two-handed bludgeon overhead in a red-lit arena strung with netting, two gold-skinned brawlers closing in
A heavy two-handed swing caught in this screenshot — the mid-arc moment a charged cleave spends its Remnant Spark on, though the shot does not show the Dread Axe itself. (Screenshot: Steam store page)

What Does the Dread Axe Phantom Blade Zero Do?

Charge it and it cleaves. The Dread Axe is a Destructive Phantom Edge whose charged swing lands as a crushing cleave, and both Game8 and the Phantom Blade Zero Database put shield breaking first among its three jobs in any fight.

The charge runs through two stages, and the later stage lands harder than the first; releasing it always spends one Remnant Spark, so the weapon trades burst damage against a resource you have to budget. The Fextralife fan wiki supplies the other half of its identity: high shield-breaking power, plus an Iron Chain Breaker perk that opens iron chains blocking paths even when the Axe is not equipped.

Type How to get Base stats Effect Build
Destructive Phantom EdgeBeat Peng Meng the Axemaster in Weeping Creek Valley309 damage and 208 Guard Break at weapon level 1Two-stage crushing cleave with high shield-breaking power; the Iron Chain Breaker perk opens iron chains while unequippedJuggernaut parry-and-cleave loadout, or Jagged Steel for Bleed

What Are the Dread Axe Stats?

The Dread Axe starts at 309 damage and 208 Guard Break at weapon level 1, a line that Fextralife, Game8 and the Phantom Blade Zero Database all publish. The database also carries level 11 values of 618 damage and 416 Guard Break, the only second data point the three guides list.

Read the weapon level column as an upgrade plan rather than a stat curve: Full-Power Charge at 5, Armored Resilience at 10, Rushing Axe at 15 and Crushing Force at 25, with Soul Temper: Rapid Charge adding 30% charge speed on top. Fextralife and the database agree on all four breakpoints, while Game8 describes the same moves without stating the levels they unlock at.

Stat Weapon level Value Listed by
Damage1309Fextralife fan wiki; Game8; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Guard Break1208Fextralife fan wiki; Game8; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Damage11618Phantom Blade Zero Database
Guard Break11416Phantom Blade Zero Database
Charge stages—2Fextralife fan wiki; Game8; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Remnant Spark per charged release—1Fextralife fan wiki; Game8; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Full-Power Charge (double-tap)5Fully charged strike straight away, for 1 extra Remnant SparkFextralife fan wiki; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Armored Resilience10Lv 1: slightly reduces damage taken while chargingFextralife fan wiki; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Rushing Axe15Charge while sprinting or straight after a dodgeFextralife fan wiki; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Crushing Force25A fully charged running attack becomes a leaping cleaveFextralife fan wiki; Phantom Blade Zero Database
Soul Temper: Rapid Charge16+30% charge speed, paid with 1 Blood Oath Dagger and 5,000 Remnant DustPhantom Blade Zero Database

How Do You Get the Dread Axe?

Beat Peng Meng the Axemaster in Weeping Creek Valley, and the Axe arrives as a card when he falls. Fextralife puts the reward at Mandate Outpost, Game8 files the kill under Against the Flow, and GamersBeacon calls the encounter The Axemaster's Fall.

Phantom Blade Zero screenshot: a straw-hatted swordsman holding a long blade walks a rain-wet stone street past red lanterns, shuttered shopfronts and stacked firewood
A rain-wet stone street of lanterns and shuttered shops — the kind of village approach that leads into a chapter fight rather than a chest, since the Axe only arrives once Peng Meng is down. (Screenshot: S-GAME website)

Can the Dread Axe Break Iron Chains While Unequipped?

Yes, and that is the detail worth remembering: all three weapon guides state that the Iron Chain Breaker perk works while the Axe sits unequipped, so a chained gate never costs you a loadout slot. GamersBeacon adds that the Axe can also be used on chained obstacles directly.

PC Gamer sums the weapon up as the Phantom Edge you use to smash through chains and shields, which is the same pair of jobs the perk list gives it. For a route where a barrier stops progress, unlock the Axe first and treat the gate as solved; the charged cleave is then saved for fights, where its shield breaking does the work.

Illustration: a broad-bladed two-handed axe leans against a rusted iron chain stretched between two stone gateposts above a foggy ravine
Illustration: a heavy axe resting against a chained gate, drawn as a standalone scene for the Iron Chain Breaker perk rather than captured in game.

Is the Dread Axe Phantom Blade Zero Worth It?

Our take: yes for the chain perk alone, because it opens blocked paths without occupying a slot, and the shield-breaking cleave is a genuine second job. The Axe is not a damage-first pick in any of the three guides, though.

The database pairs it with a Juggernaut parry-and-cleave loadout and a Jagged Steel Bleed loadout, and both directions make sense for a weapon whose job is to create openings. The Juggernaut weapon page sets out the parry plan it is meant to feed, and the combat guide covers the Sha-Chi economy behind each charged release.

Videos

Peng Meng boss fight and Dread Axe pickup, gameplay by SolveBase
Peng Meng boss fight and Dread Axe pickup, gameplay by SolveBase

Frequently asked questions

Where do you get the Dread Axe Phantom Blade Zero?

Beat Peng Meng the Axemaster in Weeping Creek Valley and the Axe arrives as a card when he falls. Fextralife places the reward at Mandate Outpost, Game8 files the fight under Against the Flow, and GamersBeacon calls the encounter The Axemaster's Fall.

How do you get the Dread Axe Phantom Blade Zero in Against the Flow?

Follow the chapter into Weeping Creek Valley and walk the river beyond the Outpost, where the Method guide places the Axemaster. The weapon is a kill reward rather than a pickup, so there is no chest to hunt along the way.

What are the Dread Axe stats at weapon level 1?

It starts at 309 damage and 208 Guard Break, and Fextralife, Game8 and the Phantom Blade Zero Database all publish that same line. The database adds a level 11 reading of 618 damage and 416 Guard Break for the upgraded state.

Can the Dread Axe break iron chains when it is not equipped?

Yes. The Iron Chain Breaker perk breaks iron chains blocking paths even while the Axe is unequipped, and it can also be used on chained obstacles directly. That makes it a key for locked routes as well as a fight weapon.

What does the Dread Axe do in a fight?

It charges a crushing cleave over two stages, with the later stage hitting harder, and every release costs one Remnant Spark. Its main combat value is shield breaking, and the double-tap Full-Power Charge at weapon level 5 skips the wind-up entirely.

Sources