Scarlet Wraithblade.

Hua, the puppet bride, carried Scarlet Wraithblade, a colossal sword whose fighting style revolves around strewing blossoms over the floor.

The hilt bears a carved, grinning ogre head, and the blade is a hefty, limb-severing slab. Its strength lies in the terrain more than the cutting edge. Each combo seeds Red Spider Lilies at your feet, and the patch hurts whoever lingers there. Enemies can block the sword, yet they cannot block the flowers beneath them, so raising a guard just leaves them easier to pin down.

Guard-breaking is another strong point, and the area denial is at its best in cramped surroundings.

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:

• Arrive at the Valley Sha-Chi Tower, which lies in Weeping Creek Valley
• Defeat Hua, Deadly Betrothed

1. Start at the first-floor Bell of the Valley Sha-Chi Tower. Round the back on the right-hand side there is an opening in the floor; jump through it and slide down the wooden bridge.
2. Take the left-hand path to its far end, which is where the fight with Hua, Deadly Betrothed starts.
3. Win the fight against Hua, and Scarlet Wraithblade is yours as the prize.
4. Before leaving, loot the Twinned Flesh Lilies from the body next to the pavilion where she had been standing. Yu'er's Flesh Lily tale calls for them.

Think of this weapon as a tool for controlling ground as much as dealing damage. Standard combos and Sha-Chi combos are equally important, since either one is how the lilies get planted.

Red Spider Lilies

Lilies remain on the floor after each combo. An enemy walking into them is slowed and loses Sha-Chi bit by bit. Around three seconds on, the blossoms explode, hurting every enemy in the patch for a brief period.

Strew the blooms down a corridor or along an arena wall, and then keep circling your target. One explosion is not the goal, because slowing and draining pile up the more time an enemy spends on the carpet.

Rouge Bloomstorm

Spending 1 Sha-Chi makes the blade deliver a single ruthless slash, and Red Spider Lilies burst open over the floor. Since blocking it is impossible, it connects even against a guarding target.

Lingering Grudge

Once Soul Tempering is done, striking enemies in the lilies charges their Red Flower Gauge, and when it fills, an explosion goes off. Sha-Chi costs drop and healing grows while you or your allies are among the lilies, which makes the patch a good spot to fight from as well.

Perks by level

Leveling up grants Scarlet Field at level 5, Hidden Thorns at levels 10, 20 and 30, Severed Vows at level 15, and Netherlit Bloom at level 25.

Levelling steps

Soul Tempering

Strengths

• Shields pose little trouble thanks to the sizeable guard break and the Rouge Bloomstorm that nothing can block.
• Enemies in the lilies are slowed and lose Sha-Chi, giving you command of the space in confined arenas.
• Even when the sword itself gets blocked, the flowers go through.

Weaknesses

• The lilies hurt only after a brief wait, so the weapon favours preparation over sudden burst damage.
• You need your combos to land on the floor where the target is going to be, or the effects do not apply.

Best used for

• Battles with shield bearers and with blocking enemies.
• Tight arenas and hallways that force an enemy to cross the blooms.
• Holding ground during a drawn-out boss attack sequence.

The game's own item text singles out three things: the ghost head grinning from the hilt, how well the blade shatters guards, and the spider lilies strewn over the floor that eat away at an opponent's lifeforce and murderous intent. Hua the bride once owned it, and the hilt's grin is how she is remembered.