How to Unlock the Crimson Manor in Phantom Blade Zero

The Crimson Manor stands as an enigmatic estate in Phantom Blade Zero, tucked away just past a deceptive elevator ride in Weeping Creek Valley. While accessible early in your journey, the heavy threshold remains locked tight, demanding a specialized artifact shaped like a puppet. Though technically a side excursion, unlocking this manor is essential for uncovering deep lore about a pivotal figure and ultimately securing the game’s true conclusion.

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For those eager to peel back the layers of this forgotten sanctuary, this guide details how to unlock the Crimson Manor in Phantom Blade Zero.

How to open the Crimson Manor in Phantom Blade Zero

Gaining entry to the Crimson Manor requires the Puppet’s Tongue, a rare collectible earned by finishing “The Herald’s Illusion” side quest. This multi-step endeavor tasks you with interacting with the enigmatic Three-Eyed Puppet on three separate occasions.

Image: S-Game via Polygon

You can only reach this entity through Spectral Gates—hidden dimensional rifts scattered across three distinct zones. Upon each visit, ensure a new azure eye illuminates before stepping back through the portal.

Spectral Gate #1 location (Village of Lu)

Graphic: Paulo Kawanishi/Polygon | Source images: S-Game

The initial rift awaits in the Village of Lu, the third major territory you explore. Before you can access it, you must conclude the “Heartless Remnants” main scenario, which grants you access to the local well. Dive down to descend into a subterranean cavern, press onward to the Puppet Testing Grounds, and prepare for a clash against the Yuzan, No. 3 Musician Puppet boss.

Following your victory, face the Pangzhen-bound door marked with the distinctive puppet seal, then glance to your left to spot a passageway leading to a gate concealing the portal. Engage with it to visit the Three-Eyed Puppet and awaken its first eye.

Spectral Gate #2 location (Mandate’s Encampment)

Graphic: Paulo Kawanishi/Polygon | Source images: S-Game

The secondary portal sits within the final boss arena inside the Mandate’s Encampment. While you reach this zone via the Village of Lu, you must first triumph over Gu Wanyue in Pangzhen and explore the subterranean depths beneath the well to retrieve the specific key required to open the encampment’s gateway.

Graphic: Paulo Kawanishi/Polygon | Source images: S-Game

Once inside the encampment, defeat its chief adversary, Yubi, No. 21 Swordfighter Puppet. Concluding the encounter clears the way to enter the sprawling structure adjacent to the large bell, where the portal rests.

Spectral Gate #3 location (Mountain of Imprisonment)

Graphic: Paulo Kawanishi/Polygon | Source images: S-Game

Similar to the previous gates, reaching the third Spectral Gate requires you to conquer the final boss of the Mountain of Imprisonment. To step foot in this forbidding region, travel to the northeastern shores of Meigu Lake to locate the Weeping Mistgate, though several strict prerequisites must be satisfied first.

Initially, you must gain entry to Meigu Lake via Pangzhen by overcoming Flame, the Mask-Bound Lion Dance Grandmaster. Succeeding yields the “Dormant Flaming Mane” material. Deliver this piece to Jingyang Hall to have it forged into the Flame Mane phantom edge, a specialized weapon capable of burning away the entangled roots obstructing the docks on the southeastern edge of the territory.

Graphic: Paulo Kawanishi/Polygon | Source images: S-Game

The secondary condition involves completing the “Illusory Pipa” side quest. Fulfilling this assignment awards you the Illusory Pipa phantom edge, an essential instrument without which you cannot disperse the heavy vapors guarding the Weeping Mistgate into the Mountain of Imprisonment.

Graphic: Paulo Kawanishi/Polygon | Source images: S-Game

Once inside, battle your way through to the final encounter against Huangxing, the Kunlun Renegade. Harness the Flying Guillotine phantom edge acquired from the skirmish to carve open a passage leading deeper underground.

Descend to the lowest level to locate Chord and trigger a narrative sequence. As soon as control returns to Soul, retrace your steps to the chamber where Chord sat and step through the portal positioned directly behind the chair. Here, you will encounter the Three-Eyed Puppet once more; open its final eye to conclude “The Herald’s Illusion” side story. Your efforts will be rewarded with both the Puppet’s Tongue and the Crystal Puppet Eye [Yin].

Make your way back to the Crimson Manor and insert the Puppet’s Tongue into the mechanism to unbolt the gates.

What is inside the Crimson Manor in Phantom Blade Zero?

Stepping past the threshold of the Crimson Manor immediately exposes you to a series of documents concerning the Herald, shedding light on the character’s background. However, the true treasures rest hidden in the depths below.

Image: S-Game via Polygon

Traversing the stairwells and dropping across platforms to reach the subterranean arena floor brings you face-to-face with a formidable secret boss, the Puppet Scavenger—who is soon reinforced mid-battle by the Acolyte Hansui.

Emerging victorious yields the Alloyed Scythe Blade (essential for upgrading the Hunter’s Chain Sickle via Soul Tempering), alongside the Crystal Puppet Eye [Yang] and Hansui’s Frost Mask. Acquiring these final two relics is mandatory if you wish to unlock Phantom Blade Zero‘s true ending.

Source: Polygon