Phantom Blade Zero The Fanatic's Broken Blade: Hua Qianxiao's Blade and the Drunken Style

Getting The Fanatic's Broken Blade

Defeat Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic, in the Crimson Forest and the broken blade is yours. The boss list has that fight in the Crimson Forest section, and the Blade is the drop — there is no chest to open and no quest step afterwards. The pickup is at the Pangzhen Bridge Overlook bell: beebom lists the pickup area as Pangzhen Bridge in the Crimson Forest, while GamesDB.gg gives the region only. Because it is a story boss, the Blade is awarded on victory and cannot be missed.

It counts as a One-Handed Blade on the Blade roster, and it is the odd one out there. Every other one-hander is played on its raw numbers; this one is played at range, through the Drunken Style.

What it does in a fight

The community database figures for the launch build, current as of 2026-11-05:

One set of numbers is contested: GamesDB.gg and beebom give 228 damage and 96 guard break at level 1, while IGN's weapons table lists 272 damage and 142 guard break. This page uses the GamesDB.gg and beebom figures. The higher pair belongs to the tempered version of the Blade, where Flying Sword damage no longer falls off with distance.

The Blade is built around one state. Press L1 + Triangle to Drink: it restores Sha-Chi and puts Soul into the Tipsy state for 15 seconds, and in that window every swing becomes a ranged Flying Sword attack whose damage falls off the further away the target is. Soul returns to Sober on his own once the 15 seconds run out.

Moves: Standard Combo, Sha-Chi Combo. The Power Surge is Drink Until Dawn. While Sober, L2 spends 1 Sha-Chi Essence to unleash an unblockable Flying Sword Flurry and enter Tipsy. While Tipsy, L2 spends another Essence to enter the Drunk state for 20 seconds: mobility is greatly restricted and L1 can no longer block, but incoming attacks are dodged automatically and Flying Sword damage is greatly increased. While Drunk, L2 again throws an unblockable Empowered Flying Sword Flurry, this time without spending Sha-Chi, and returns Soul to Sober.

Taking it to level 30

Boundless Thirst restores more Sha-Chi with every Drink and speeds the Drink up. Drunken Clarity Lv. 1 adds 5 seconds to the Tipsy window, and its level 2 and 3 unlocks raise it further. A Strong Drink greatly raises Attack while Soul is Tipsy or Drunk. Drunken Counter is the one to learn: while Drunk, press L1 just before a blockable attack lands to evade it, take a Drink, and counterattack. That is the same tight timing window the parry guide explains, and the Sha-Chi guide covers the bar that every Drink refills.

Maxroll keeps the Blade off its best-weapon list because Drunken Counters demand precise timing, though it calls the weapon "a ton of fun", and IGN describes it as far more complicated than any other Blade met up to that point. The best weapons page names it the safe pick against fast opponents, because the ranged Flying Sword reaches further than the other one-handers.

What the upgrade ladder costs

The track runs 59 steps from level 1 to level 60 and costs Remnant Dust plus a metal and a solvent:

The published figures put the whole +1 to +59 ladder at 2,036,340 Remnant Dust, on top of those three metal and solvent tiers.

Soul Tempering

The Fanatic's Drunken Sword — a Fanatic's Obsession and 5,000 Remnant Dust. The temper reforges Hua Qianxiao's blade so Flying Sword damage no longer falls off with distance, and the Blade reaches 260 damage and 104 guard break. Soul Tempering unlocks at Chapter 4 and happens at Myst in the Order's underground tavern in Pangzhen, and it cannot be undone.

Where to go next

• The Blade roster — every Blade, its class and where it comes from.
• Best weapons — the picks for bosses, crowds and shields.
• Parry — the timing window that Drunken Counter asks for.
• Phantom Edges — the two second-slot weapons that go with your Blades.