Iron Gauntlets.

Made of solid steel and worn on both hands, Iron Gauntlets are the Phantom Edge suited to brawling at short range.

Steel covers the knuckles, the backs of the hands and the cuffs. Rather than extending your reach, they make the hand bulkier and heavier. Attack and defence both happen within a single arm's length, fast to strike and fast to withdraw, whereas a longer weapon becomes a hindrance at that range, with too little room to swing and too sluggish to retreat.

Their approach is repetition. Strike after strike holds the enemy down until its guard collapses and a harder hit can follow. A shield has no trick to bypass; it simply gets pounded.

Martial-type Phantom Edges include them, and such items are used on a track independent of whichever primary weapon you carry. A guardian of the Young Mistress called Iron Fiend has iron gauntlets too, though his are a different pair.

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:

• Kill Stone Hand Iron Fever in the Crimson Forest

1. Advance through the Crimson Forest until you reach the arena where Stone Hand Iron Fever waits.
2. Kill him. The boss drops the gauntlets as his reward.
3. Once the fight ends, you will find a Memory Flower inside that arena.

Success with the gauntlets comes from throwing a chain of quick punches instead of holding out for an opening. Every hit wears the guard down until it gives way.

Against shielded and stoneskin foes

Shields and stoneskin armor are where they perform best. Skip the repeated sword swings at protected enemies; wear down their defenses with the gauntlets and open them up.

Masterstroke Fist

One technique stands out: Masterstroke Fist. That strike gives the gauntlets their name, and a single achievement exists purely for it.

Combining with primary weapons

They fit well next to primary weapons built on repeated strikes, so Fiend Saws and other quick dual-wield options pair nicely. With Hunter's Chain Sickle you can close the gap, then switch to the gauntlets once a shielded or armored enemy stands in front of you.

Perks from levelling

Every upgrade adds one weapon level, running from level 1 to level 60. The abilities below become available at the levels shown.

Cost of upgrades

Level 60 requires 59 upgrades, at which point every stat has been multiplied by 6.9 relative to level 1: Damage reaches 1,801 and Guard Break 1,539.

Soul Tempering

Strengths

• Rapid punches carry high Guard Break, so shields and stoneskin armor, which would halt a sword combination, get broken apart.
• Striking and retreating happen swiftly, giving comfort within a single arm's length.

Weaknesses

• Limited range: gauntlets add nothing to the arm's length, so every target requires you to step in.

Best used for

• Facing enemies with shields or stoneskin armor.
• Next to primary weapons that depend on repeated strikes, for example Fiend Saws.
• Worth upgrading early when armored enemies keep giving you trouble.