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Phantom Blade Zero side quests and Tales

By the Blade Zero Wiki editors

Updated

Phantom Blade Zero side quests are called Tales, and the guides do not agree on a total: PowerPyx counts 30, the Fextralife wiki names 15, and this page lists 18 named Tales with the start and reward each cited guide gives. Check a region's Tales before the story moves you on, because several close for good.

Phantom Blade Zero screenshot: a misty village alley between wooden houses hung with paper lanterns, stacked firewood and clay jars along the path
A misty village alley hung with paper lanterns in this screenshot, the sort of street where Tales start from a conversation rather than a marker. (Screenshot: S-GAME website)

How Many Phantom Blade Zero Side Quests Are There?

The count depends on which list you open. PowerPyx counts 30 side quests, KeenGamer walks through 33, the Fextralife wiki names 15, and the table on this page holds 18 distinct Tales. Each figure is that guide's own tally, so the names matter more than the total.

Entries How it is counted Last updated
18 named Tales (30 in PowerPyx, 15 in the Fextralife list, 33 in KeenGamer)One row per distinct Tale name a cited guide lists, grouped by region, with the start and reward that guide gives3 November 2026

Why Do the Guides Count Phantom Blade Zero Side Quests Differently?

The lists measure different things. Fextralife groups only the Wulin Tales it names, while PowerPyx counts every side tale in its 100% completion run and KeenGamer covers the optional quests its walkthrough visits. Translations of a name also differ, so one job can appear twice under two titles.

One number is worth carrying into your own run: the PowerPyx trophy roadmap says 7 of the 30 side quests are needed for trophies, and the trophies page tracks those achievements separately from the full list.

Guide Tales counted What the number covers
PowerPyx collectibles guide30Every side tale in the game, listed by region
PowerPyx trophy guide30The same total, with 7 marked as needed for trophies
Fextralife wiki15Wulin Tales names, spread across 5 locations
KeenGamer walkthrough33Optional Tales in its own order
This page18Distinct names taken from the pages cited here

Where Does Each Phantom Blade Zero Side Quest Start?

Every Tale begins at one fixed spot: a Bell, a book on a crate, a rift, or an NPC standing on a road. Game8 gives the start for most of them, PowerPyx fills in several more, and the table keeps their wording beside the region and reward so one area can be cleared at a time.

Rows follow the Fextralife regional grouping. Its list spreads the names over five locations, and the two it adds beyond the three areas below, Pangzhen and Mandate Encampment, do not appear in this table. Game8 also says Tales open through NPC interactions, boss encounters, books, and main quest progress, so a conversation is usually the first step. When a start names a Bell you have not found yet, the locations guide lists the regions and their travel points.

Side quest or Tale Region How to start Reward
Flesh LilyWeeping Creek ValleyMeet Yu'er near the Lady's Rift Bell during Chapter 2 and ask her how to save her fatherScarlet Wraithblade
Triple ThreatWeeping Creek ValleyEnter the Rift near the Lady's Rift Bell, west of The BeginningThree-Headed Doll
Four Fierce AxesWeeping Creek ValleyPick up the book next to the Broken Puppet Valley BellBlood Oath Dagger
Festering SecretWeeping Creek ValleyApproach the chained gate near the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost Bell and interact with the door and guardsDread Axe
Purge the SectWeeping Creek ValleySpeak to the old man on the roof of the house east of the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost BellFeather Bow
Apprentice HealerWeeping Creek ValleySpeak to Yu'er at the Weeping Creek Valley OutpostCalming Gourd
A Severed MindsealWeeping Creek ValleyAccept it from the Shadow Warden at the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Summit Bell—
Honor Among ThievesCrimson ForestDefeat the enemy tending a campfire north of the Outlaw Trap Bell to obtain Blood Letter from the Nimble ThiefSilent Wrap
Secrets of the Baishan SectCrimson ForestSpeak to the women on the bridge south of the Outlaw Trap BellSoft Snake Sword; Baishan Stormswords
A Healer's MercyCrimson ForestComplete Apprentice Healer, then speak to Yu'er at the Thieves' CampMedicine Case
Quick Hand's RequestCrimson ForestTalk to Quick Hand Zhang and pick 'Relics across the land' (All Things How)—
The Wily Hare's Three DensCrimson Forest——
The Journey HomeVillage of LuTalk to Old Man Gen at his Hideout Bell in the Village of Lu (PowerPyx)—
Young Master LanVillage of LuSpeak to Lan Shaodi at Young Master Lan's HideoutCrimson Resolve
A Dream of MotherhoodVillage of Lu——
Leave None AliveVillage of Lu——
A Puppet's Wooden HeartVillage of LuSpeak to the Songstress Puppet at the Temple of Blue FirefliesA Puppet's Wooden Heart
DahuangVillage of LuFind the Sleeping Flower Masked Hunter inside a house near the Survivor's Camp Bell during Chapter 5—
Phantom Blade Zero screenshot: a misty lake harbor ringed by stilt houses and wooden piers, boats moored along the shore
A misty harbor village in this screenshot, the kind of stretch of map the Tales are grouped by. (Screenshot: S-GAME website)

Which Phantom Blade Zero Side Quests Can You Miss?

Accepting a Tale is not the same as keeping it. PowerPyx warns that several close once the story passes them, marks Honor Among Thieves and A Healer's Mercy as missable in Crimson Forest, and asks for the first objective of A Severed Mindseal before you leave Weeping Creek Valley.

Its roadmap also wants The Journey Home and Young Master Lan started before you enter Pangzhen. The clearest failure trigger belongs to Secrets of the Baishan Sect: PowerPyx says it can no longer be accepted once you defeat Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents. Game8 gives a different start for the same Tale, speaking to the women on the bridge south of the Outlaw Trap Bell, while PowerPyx points to Lanlan on the giant bridge near the Thieves' Camp Bell.

The boss list shows where Bai Chilian sits in the fight order, so you can see how much room is left before that lock, and the NPC list names the people who hand out the rest.

Phantom Blade Zero screenshot: a straw-hatted swordsman walking a stone path lined with red lanterns at night, sparks in the air
A lantern-lined stone path at night in this screenshot, the sort of walk where a Bell or a waiting NPC begins a Tale. (Screenshot: S-GAME website)

What Do Phantom Blade Zero Side Quests Reward?

Tales pay in gear rather than currency. Fextralife says they can reward unique weapons, special accessories, or upgrade materials, and Game8 adds that most Tales give new items and equipment and that finishing one may unlock another quest for you to chase.

The named rewards in the table above are pieces you would otherwise walk past: Scarlet Wraithblade from Flesh Lily, Blood Oath Dagger from Four Fierce Axes, and Feather Bow from Purge the Sect. Weapons taken from a Tale are the easiest to judge, so check the weapons list for their numbers, or the items list for the non-weapon drops, before deciding a detour is worth it.

Which Phantom Blade Zero Side Quests Do You Need for Trophies?

PowerPyx ties 7 of its 30 side quests to trophies, and its roadmap asks you to clear each region's Tales before the story outruns them. That figure is its own count of what the achievements need, not a second list of hidden quests waiting somewhere else.

If you are chasing completion, treat the trophy requirement as a reason to talk to every NPC standing near a Bell on arrival, since those conversations are what start most of the seven. The trophies page carries the achievement names themselves, and the table above shows which rewards those Tales hand over along the way.

Phantom Blade Zero screenshot: a rain-soaked village alley with hanging banners, shuttered wooden houses and a plank walkway
A rain-soaked alley of wooden houses in this screenshot, the kind of side street worth sweeping before the story moves you on. (Screenshot: S-GAME website)

What Order Should You Clear Phantom Blade Zero Side Quests In?

Our take: finish each region's Tales before the main story carries you out of it. Almost every missable warning on this page is tied to story progress, so the safe order is the one the walkthrough already lays out: clear the area you are standing in, then move on.

Talk to everyone near a Bell when you arrive, because several Tales open with a conversation rather than a marker, and keep the table above open as a checklist. A Tale accepted early rarely expires while you stay in its region, and the one place worth deciding in advance is Secrets of the Baishan Sect, where two starts compete and a boss fight closes the door.

Frequently asked questions

How many Phantom Blade Zero side quests are there?

The guides do not agree. PowerPyx counts 30 side quests, KeenGamer covers 33, the Fextralife wiki names 15 Wulin Tales, and the table on this page lists 18 named entries from the pages cited here.

How do I start Phantom Blade Zero side quests?

Game8 says Tales open through NPC conversations, bells, books, rifts, boss encounters, and main quest progress. The table above gives the start for each Tale that a cited guide describes, and most of them begin with someone standing near a Bell.

Which Phantom Blade Zero side quests can be missed?

PowerPyx warns that several become missable as the story advances and marks Honor Among Thieves and A Healer's Mercy as missable in Crimson Forest. Its roadmap adds that The Journey Home and Young Master Lan should be started before you enter Pangzhen.

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 grouped with Triple Threat and Four Fierce Axes in Weeping Creek Valley, and it rewards the Scarlet Wraithblade.

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, and warns that the Tale is gone once you defeat Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents.

What do Phantom Blade Zero side quests reward?

Fextralife says they can reward unique weapons, special accessories, or upgrade materials, and Game8 says most Tales give new items and equipment. The table names the reward where a cited guide lists one, from the Scarlet Wraithblade to the Feather Bow.

Do I need Phantom Blade Zero side quests for the platinum?

PowerPyx says 7 of the 30 side quests are required for trophies, so the full list is optional but part of it is not. Its roadmap advises finishing each region's Tales before the story pushes you past them.

Sources