Sanguine.

Sanguine, which Soul has in hand from the beginning of Phantom Blade Zero, is a blood-red main weapon used one-handed; a sword in appearance, it strikes with something far heavier.

Its name works on two levels. Soul is titled Black Scar among the Shadow Edicts, and the blood-red weapon in his hand is Sanguine. Red covers all of it, even the cord around the guard. Its shape blends two types of weapon: a sword's straight profile and the crushing drop of a heavy blade.

As a weapon it is the plain option. Moves are direct, the starting set is small, and nothing has to be charged first, so it is a good fit for picking up combat basics. It takes one of the two main weapon slots Soul has, and Sha-Chi is refilled when you swap main weapons.

Other weapons descend from it too. Using its material, Forge makes Sanguine Twin and Sanguine Reach, and the childhood practice blade Soul trained with is Wooden Sanguine. Once the game starts handing over weapons with stronger offence or defence tricks, Sanguine is no longer the clear choice, and the way back into a top loadout late in the game is Soul Tempering, which yields Infernal Rouge.

Begin the game. Soul already holds Sanguine, so there is no place to visit, no boss to defeat and nothing to buy, and you cannot miss it.

Only a few moves make up Sanguine's list: a Standard Combo, a Sha-Chi Combo and the Sweeping Blade art. The weapon is meant to be simple. It gets its worth from constant forward pressure and not from charging up some special state.

Sweeping Blade skimming the ground

Sweeping Blade is this weapon's Power Surge. It consumes a point of Sha-Chi Essence, not the regular Sha-Chi used for blocks and heavy strikes. Soul rushes forward with the blade in fast cuts that skim the floor, and nothing can block it.

The strikes arrive thick and low, so opponents are usually pushed back and get no time to respond. Use it against an enemy that is guarding, or to hound somebody who is already retreating.

Impact of a heavy blade in a sword's form

More weight sits behind each cut than the narrow shape implies. Still, do not look for the attack rate of Sanguine Twin. This one-handed blade gives up hit count in exchange for a steadier beat directed at a single target at once.

Chi-Infused Blade and Phantom Execution

Soul unlocks Chi-Infused Blade first, at Level 5: a timed buff that boosts his damage and speeds his draining of enemy Sha-Chi. Phantom Execution follows with its initial rank at Level 10, a powerful slash that closes the distance, and gets more ranks at Level 20 and Level 30. Level 15 and Level 25 are where Drifting Clouds and Flowing Water open.

Perks from levelling

Every upgrade lifts the weapon by one level, and these moves and passives become available at the levels listed.

Materials for upgrading

Upgrades open once you have met Forge at the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley. Every step also uses Remnant Dust, and each range of levels wants higher-quality metal and solvent.

Soul Tempering

You can begin Soul Tempering once you have met Myst in Pangzhen. Each weapon can be tempered a single time, and each demands a unique material of its own.

Reforging

Should you switch to a different main weapon, reforging gives back the upgrade materials you sank into it so they can be used elsewhere. Reportedly it costs nothing up to Level 10, while higher levels call for a reforging talisman.

Strengths

• Even an enemy that has settled into a guard is hit by Sweeping Blade, since it cannot be blocked.
• Lacking Bleed or any other status to charge, its damage is not shut down by puppet enemies who shrug off Bleed.
• Learning it is easy given its direct strikes and compact moveset; you do not watch a gauge or hold a stance.
• Upgrades flesh out what it can do, adding an enhancement for damage and draining Sha-Chi as well as a slash for closing gaps, which offsets the limited choices it begins with.

Weaknesses

• It has nothing special of its own at level 1, so later arms with stronger offence or defence effects leave it behind.
• Compared with Sanguine Twin it connects less often, so wearing a target down through sheer attack volume takes longer.
• Single targets suit it best, and when you are surrounded Sanguine Reach covers much more ground.
• The material for its Soul Tempering shows up only at the close of the Long Pillar chain, which puts its tempered form very late.

Best used for

• Getting to grips with the game's combat during the first hours.
• Fights against puppets like Hua, where the Bleed from Jagged Steel is useless.
• Teaming it with Sanguine Twin and switching between the two to restore Sha-Chi while keeping a guard under pressure, as in the Jagged Steel fight.
• Punishing an enemy that will not stop guarding by using Sweeping Blade.

A blade picked out for Soul

The item text speaks of a blade that has endured countless hardships next to Soul, crimson along its whole length and not obviously either sword or saber. At their first meeting Forge says a little more: the previous Shadow Sovereign picked it for him, and she thinks it old and worn by now, hence her offer of a fresh copy.

The destination of the tempering

Infernal Rouge, its tempered form, serves as the Bastion of Mó's heirloom weapon.

• A costume carries the same name. The Sanguine costume can be used from the beginning and only changes looks, leaving speed and combat untouched.
• Its Chinese name, 黑伤, explains the alternate spelling Heishang.