Route at a glance: which barrier can you open?
The base-camp gate is a return visit, not the next step on your first approach. In Phantom Blade Zero Weeping Creek Valley, reach the Great Waterfall and defeat The Hunt to obtain Hunter's Chain Sickle. Then return to the Sha-Chi Tower roof for the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Gate Key. Dread Axe opens chained barricades, but it does not replace that key.
| Where you are stuck | What moves you forward | When to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Red Thread Barrier | Follow the threads toward Broken Puppet Valley and defeat the puppet controlling the obstruction. | Before reaching the Outpost. |
| Outpost chained passages | Defeat Peng Meng and use Dread Axe. | During the first Outpost visit. |
| Creek Valley Plains Entrance locked gate | Retrieve the base-camp key from the tower roof using Hunter's Chain Sickle. | After The Hunt at the Great Waterfall. |
| Furnace mechanism | Obtain the Sha-Chi Furnace Inspection Crank from the enemy outside the tower. | During the tower climb. |
First bells: leave the red threads and follow their source
Activate The Beginning Bell, continue upstream and climb past the waterfalls. When the scaffolding gives you a ladder down on the right, descend to The Lady's Rift Bell. The statue beside it offers the Triple Threat encounter, but that fight is a detour rather than the route through the valley.
Climb back up and continue toward Yu'er. Speak to her to accept Flesh Lily, then collect Sanguine Twin at the waterfall beyond her. The nearby ladder takes you to First Meeting with Yu'er Bell.
Cross onward to Red Thread Barrier Bell. You cannot pass the threads from this side yet. Use the chain route and follow the visible threads to Broken Puppet Valley, where a book near the bell starts Four Fierce Axes. Defeat the puppet in the threaded area to remove the obstruction, then return through the newly opened passage.
The next boss is The Frenzied Brute. Defeating him awards Jagged Steel; activate Rustblade Pavilion Bell beyond the arena. Climb the stairs and continue through the enemy-held approach to Outpost Courtyard.
At the Outpost, get Dread Axe before chasing chained paths
Enter the Outpost and find Forge, with the Outpost Bell beside her. Sanguine Reach sits on the rack behind Forge. Speak to the Brooding Old Archer to start Purge the Sect, and approach the guards near Forge to pick up the related Outpost investigation, Festering Secrets.
The Cell Key is a separate local pickup, not your answer to the plains gate. Search the courtyard reached by taking the stairs from the Outpost Bell. Return toward the entrance and descend into the small cave; the key opens the cell containing a Blackstone Fragment.
Continue to Peng Meng, The Axemaster. His defeat gives you Dread Axe, the first major traversal change in Phantom Blade Zero Weeping Creek Valley. Return to the chained passage near Forge, break it and clear the enemies inside. Speak to Yu'er by the Outpost Bell about gathering herbs to accept Apprentice Healer before continuing.
Resume the route from Peng Meng's arena and break the chained obstruction ahead. After the scene with The Hunt, activate The Axemaster's Holding Cell Bell in the ruined settlement. This is your departure point for the plains, not the Great Waterfall boss arena.
Clear the Archer Camp, then cross to Sha-Chi Tower
Leave the ruined settlement and cross the stone bridge to Creek Valley Plains Entrance Bell. Speak to the Panicked Mandate Disciple nearby to start Deep in the Valley. The adjacent locked gate belongs to that optional branch; continue toward the archer camp rather than searching the bridge for its key.
Clear the enemies throughout Ruthless Archer Camp, including the elevated archers. Finishing the camp yields a Blackstone Fragment and Broken-String Bow. The bow belongs to the Old Archer's quest, so take it back to him at the Outpost to receive Feather Bow rather than treating it as a weapon you can equip immediately.
Activate Ruthless Archer Camp Bell at the top, then cross the large bridge toward Sha-Chi Tower. Reach Valley Sha-Chi Tower 1st Floor Bell before choosing your next branch.
Hua's arena and the crank are different tower branches
For Hua, circle behind the tower and find the opening with the sloping wooden passage. Slide down, clear the enemies below and follow the cavern path into the flower-filled arena. Defeat Hua, Deadly Betrothed to obtain Scarlet Wraithblade, then activate Flesh Lily Fields Bell.
Pick up the Twin Flesh Lilies at Hua's altar. Killing the boss does not replace collecting the quest item, and collecting it does not replace delivering it: return to Yu'er at the Outpost to advance Flesh Lily. The healer's ingredient route is separate from the tower's furnace objective.
For the furnace, return to the first-floor bell and climb the tower to Valley Sha-Chi Tower Summit. Speak to the friendly Shadow Warden to accept A Severed Mindseal. Climb onto the roof and descend the exterior ladder; the enemy below drops the Sha-Chi Furnace Inspection Crank.
Take that crank to the central furnace on the first floor to retrieve the Primal Stone, then deliver the stone to the friendly warden. Remove the crank from the mechanism afterward. Another furnace in the lower valley uses the same item, so leaving it installed creates an unnecessary return trip.
Reach the Great Waterfall and earn Hunter's Chain Sickle
Continue along the tower's exterior descent toward Waterfall Bridge Bell. Cross the bridge and follow the passage to Great Waterfall Bell. The Hunt waits beyond it.
Defeat The Hunt to receive Hunter's Chain Sickle. The route out of Phantom Blade Zero Weeping Creek Valley now continues behind the waterfall, using the sickle to climb and traverse the cave toward Crimson Forest. Before taking that exit, you can use your new tool to open the lower-valley route.
Return for the base-camp gate, Long Pillar and lower furnace
Fast travel to Valley Sha-Chi Tower Summit, climb onto the roof and use Hunter's Chain Sickle to reach the higher section containing the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Gate Key. Take it back to Creek Valley Plains Entrance Bell and unlock the gate beside it.
Inside the newly accessible part of Phantom Blade Zero Weeping Creek Valley, follow the right-hand route to Long Pillar Overlook Bell. Collect the Rusted Loong Key from the chest behind the bell. Cross the bridge and continue over the scaffolding; the key opens the nearby cave door leading toward Weeping Creek Long Pillar Bell.
The dragon monument offers an optional challenge against The Gold-Masked One, with Counterstrike Bracers as the reward. You do not need to win it to reach the bell or the main-story exit.
Another branch leads through the cave beneath the tower toward Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base Bell. Use your recovered inspection crank at the furnace beside that bell to obtain Reflex Device. For the Crimson Manor approach, lure an explosive-carrying enemy into the large metal cage, then use the exposed elevator to descend.