Dread Axe.

Dread Axe was formerly the great axe of the Axemaster, Peng Meng, and is an early Phantom Edge designed around raw power.

The blade is wide and thick, and the whole axe is too heavy for a single hand, which shapes how it feels in play. Each swing is a commitment, rewarding you with a strike that smashes through a guard rather than circling round it. That makes it the answer to one particular problem, enemies sheltered by shields and bosses who hold a defensive stance, and not a routine attack.

A second use is as a key. Iron chains seal off a number of passages across the opening regions, and this axe cuts through them, so it earns a second role the moment you walk out of the boss arena. Being a Phantom Edge, it occupies a slot apart from your main weapons, and it deserves a comparison with other edges you pick up, like the Hunter's Chain Sickle and Bashpole.

Because Phantom Blade Zero has no published 0–100 bars for stats, this page gives the weapon's numbers as they stand at level 1.

These numbers are taken from values the game itself lists for level 1; they were not confirmed through play.

Before you start:

• Beat Peng Meng, the Axemaster
• Arrive at the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley

1. Get to the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley and light its Bell.
2. Walk the principal trail out of the Outpost to where Peng Meng, the Axemaster, awaits in his arena, and kill him. The axe is given straight after the duel.
3. With the duel finished, light the crane-styled Bell called The Axemaster's Fall. You also collect a letter that serves the Four Fierce Axes tale, The Axemaster's Final Letter, and an achievement named The Axe's Grudge.
4. Head again to the yard across from the Outpost's smithing forge, where sentries are held back by chains, and slice through them with the axe; that opens the Outpost's chained gate.

What defines this axe is its charge. Up to two stages can be held, and every extra stage makes the strike harder. Time is the price: swings are slow, and a fully charged strike is only worthwhile when the enemy remains in front of you at impact.

Charging against shields and guarding bosses

Smashing shields is what the axe is for. When a shielded boss tumbles from his horse, unleash a fully charged swing, and use the Shieldbreaker Talisman as well when Hua Qianxiao's shield is raised during his charge.

Partial charges have their uses too. During the Hua battle, letting go of a first-stage charge at the instant she flashes blue sends her to the ground, lengthening the opening that follows her stun.

Its own resource

Remnant Spark powers the axe in place of Sha-Chi, so swinging it leaves untouched the Sha-Chi your main weapons rely on.

Chains and obstacles

Away from fights, the axe severs iron chains and certain barriers. Once Peng Meng is down, it unlocks the Outpost's chained gate, triggering a brief battle with the guards and moving on to the Festering Secret quest. It is likewise required for the northern route past The Axemaster's Holding Cell, where a chest contains Focus Pill medicine.

Later zones call for it as well: the axe is needed at the closing gate of the fourth Long Pillar, found in the Phantom Illusionist Ruins.

Perks from levelling

Every upgrade adds one weapon level, and the abilities below unlock at the levels given.

Soul Tempering

Once Myst has unlocked the ability, Soul Tempering this axe consumes the Blood Oath Dagger, which is awarded by the Four Fierce Axes tale.

Strengths

• The charge that breaks guards deals with shielded enemies head-on, so you need not nibble at their edges.
• Letting off an early-stage charge may bring a dazed boss to the floor, giving extra seconds of free attacks.
• Using Remnant Spark instead of Sha-Chi means your main weapons never have to share their Sha-Chi with it.
• Severing iron chains gives it a role in exploring, beyond its combat use.

Weaknesses

• A missed or interrupted swing leaves you exposed because the axe is slow.
• Specialised in purpose, it lacks the reach or movement options that other edges supply.

Best used for

• Facing soldiers with shields, and bosses that block.
• After a stun, a fast first-stage charge adds to the time you can keep attacking.
• Revisiting sealed chain gates and obstacles in zones already completed.