How to Get and Repair the Illusory Pipa Phantom Edge in Phantom Blade Zero

The Illusory Pipa is a Phantom Edge that you do not simply pick up — you assemble it, one piece at a time, across almost the entire game. The quest starts with a broken fragment dropped by the final boss of the Crimson Forest and then sends you hunting the head, the strings, and the back plate through the Village of Lou, Maegu Lake, and the Mandate Encampment before a character named Mist can finally restore the instrument for you. This guide walks through every step of the route.

How It Starts: The Broken Pipa in the Crimson Forest

The first piece of the Illusory Pipa, along with the quest itself, comes from the final boss of the Crimson Forest. To reach that fight, push toward the top-right corner of the region map by working your way through the mirror forest — the area filled with faint crying sounds. Whenever the path branches, take every illusionary gate that carries the crying sound, and you will eventually be funneled straight into the boss arena.

Win the fight and you receive a Broken Piece of the Pipa. Picking it up starts the Illusory Pipa quest, which is tracked in your story tab and tasks you with collecting three pieces so the instrument can be restored. From here, the story pushes you into the Village of Lou, where the next zone boss holds the first of the three: the head, with the strings and the back plate waiting in later regions.

The Three Pipa Pieces at a Glance

Village of Lou: The Six Firefly Flowers

The path to the Pipa head is blocked almost immediately. Progress through the Village of Lou until you reach the Temple of Blue Fireflies. From the temple bell, head into the location beyond: the far side is sealed by a wall of mist, and that mist only lifts once you have collected all six of the zone's special blue flowers. The flower sitting right by the temple is the first of the six, and grabbing it starts the quest The Secrets at the Heart of the Lake, which conveniently marks the remaining flower locations on your map. Here is the full route through all of them.

The First Flowers

Start back at the beginning of the zone, at the bell by Old Man Jen's hideout. From that bell, drop down and head to the right-hand side. The flower here is the first one on the route — and if you explored the area thoroughly before arriving, you have probably already looted it. It sits in the spot where you fight the enemy who drops the Bastion Phantom Edge.

Once that enemy is down, go through the door beyond him. You will find two children standing together and speaking beside a flower — that is the next flower you need, and with it collected, four more remain.

The River Flower Near the Well of the Three Puppets

The next firefly flower sits in the river at the bottom of the map, close to the Well of the Three Puppets — an area you should know well by now. From the well, simply jump down into the riverbed and push along the water. A group of enemies guards the way; defeat them, and the flower waiting just behind them is yours. That leaves three more to find.

The Big House Route to the Hut Flower

The next flower requires a proper detour, starting from the Well of the Three Puppets bell. Head up the stairs and work your way through the exploration route toward the large house — you will naturally scoop up plenty of other pickups on the way. Once inside the house, go left and climb the ladder in that room to reach the very top. Run through the upper floors, clearing every enemy, and then jump down at the end.

You will land in a section that is blocked off, with a new bell to activate — this is the bridge that stands barred. Instead of pushing forward here, take the alternate path: drop into the new lower section, push through the house there, and jump down again. Another pack of enemies waits below; defeat them all and continue to the small hut at the end of the path. The next firefly flower is inside that hut. Pick it up, and only two flowers remain.

The Bridge Route to the Overlook Flower

From the hut, turn left and use the axe Phantom Edge to smash the blocked pathway open. Then defeat the enemy standing at the far right — killing him is what unlocks the bridge you saw earlier. Head back to the left to reach that bridge again, which now opens up a brand-new pathway for you.

Climb up, jump your way to the top, and keep pushing through; the route loops all the way around and reconnects with the same section as before. Open the gate up here, explore and loot the area, then head down the left-hand side to a zip line. You do not actually need to ride it — you can simply fall from here straight down to the bridge that was previously blocked, which is now open.

Run across the bridge, and at the halfway point use the hook Phantom Edge to swing across the gap. Keep following the path, then go up the stairs and immediately turn right, following along the fence. That leads into a room packed with enemies — there are enemies everywhere on this route. Clear them out, then descend the ladder at the end of the room. Down below you will find a small overlook with a flower on it: that is flower number five. One to go.

The Long Route to the Final Flower

Turn around and head back into the house, then keep progressing through the zone. This time, take the right-hand side and push up the hill: go up on the right, then left (the path only goes left there), then right at the bell. You will face a boss enemy in this spot — defeat it, then head left through the door.

What follows is a bit of a journey. Go down the section ahead, through the doorway on the right, then left, then down again. On the right, drop into the little cave and follow it all the way through — and take your time here, because there is a lot to explore along the way, and the video strongly recommends doing so. Inside the cave you will trigger a cutscene followed by another boss fight. Note that a flower also grows in this area, but it is not one of the six quest flowers — you can still pick it up, it just does not count.

After the cave, cross the bridge all the way to the far northern end of the Village of Lou map. Head up to the house and climb the stairs — there is a lot of running on this leg — past the next bell, and keep pushing through the farming areas toward the right-hand side. Jump up the ledge to the next section and fight your way to the big house at the top of the hill, jumping across the gaps and defeating the enemies as you go. At the very top, climb the ladder; there is a bell to collect at this spot too.

Enter the house at the top and defeat the enemy standing inside. Another decoy flower sits in this house — again, not the right one. The flower you actually need is down below: exit, make your way to the left, and jump over the fallen log. The flower on the other side is the sixth and final firefly flower.

Dusk's Bridge: Defeating Dusk for the Pipa Head

With all six flowers collected, take the nearby zip line, which eventually loops you back to the main section from the start of this leg: the Temple of Blue Fireflies. The mist can now be dispelled, and you can finally enter Dusk's Bridge for the next stage of the quest. Interact with the fog to open up the canyon beyond, then explore the canyon to find Dusk — the next boss you need to defeat, and the holder of a Pipa piece.

At one point the canyon seems to dead-end, and if you do not know where to go next, the answer is simple: just jump down. The drop begins the boss fight. Defeat Dusk to claim the Illusory Pipa Head, and your quest updates, pointing you toward the remaining two pieces.

To leave the Village of Lou and continue, make your way to the well inside the village — that is the entrance to the next location. Finish the village and you will move on to Pangzhen.

Pangzhen: Finding Mist at the Underground Tavern

Inside Pangzhen, once you reach the Hang Manor crossroads, proceed down and to the left — this is the direction the game leads you anyway — and you will eventually arrive at the Order Tavern, also called the Mist Tavern. You will know you are in the right place because Soul reacts to it.

The entrance to the Order's underground tavern is hidden. Go into the little wine cellar section and destroy the pots inside: behind them is a button that opens up a staircase. Interact with it, follow the newly opened pathway down, and you will reach another bell along with the Mist Tavern itself — a place that becomes important later. This is also where you find the character named Mist as part of your main quest.

Speak with Mist and ask her about the Illusory Pipa. She tells you that if you bring her the strings, the head, and the back plate, she will restore the Pipa for you — which is what ultimately grants you the Phantom Edge. At this point you already have the head, so only the strings and the back plate are left.

Unlocking the Boat to Maegu Lake

Before the lake opens up, you have to complete the Pangzhen area boss, found all the way at the Lion Dance Hall on the left-hand side of the map. Defeating that boss rewards the Flaming Mane item. Return to Jingyang Hall and go inside the building there — this is part of the main story — and you receive the Flaming Mane Head Phantom Edge.

That Phantom Edge is what eventually lets you reach the docks, which is exactly where the story encourages you to go next. Make your way to the Pangzhen docks, where you will find a boat you can board to ride across the water of Maegu Lake.

Maegu Lake: The Allure of Vanity and the Strings

As soon as you are on the boat, your first objective is to collect all of the blue flowers scattered across the lake — these are the key to unlocking the boss who drops the next Pipa piece. The first flower sits directly in front of you as you set off; picking it up starts The Allure of Vanity, the quest for the memory flowers of Maegu Lake, and marks the rest of the flower locations on your map. Another one waits directly to your right, back toward the end of that stretch of water. You need to grab all of the flowers before moving on.

Look toward the big tower on the first island — that first island is your destination once the flowers are done, because it unlocks the boss. On the way, you will be visiting every single island anyway. Sail a big loop around the island to the left, picking up the blue flowers as you pass them.

Once the flowers are collected, dock on the island: sail around, look for the dock jutting out from the shore, and press the interact button when you get close enough. Then continue on foot. Grab the bell, and you will see that your quest now marks the Illusory Pipa at this location, alongside the Allure of Vanity objective to find a certain lady on the island. Simply walk forward to trigger the cutscene, and then the boss fight begins. She carries the Illusory Pipa's Strings — defeat her, and only one piece stands between you and the repaired instrument.

The Mandate Encampment: The Back Plate

The final piece is found at the Mandate Encampment, an area you unlock from the Village of Lou. On the map it sits all the way on the right-hand side, behind a gate — and that gate requires a key.

Where to Find the Gate Key

If you have made it this far in the game, you should already have the key. It comes from Pangzhen: past the Pond of Fading Song bell there is a well you jump into during the story, and the key was lying down at the bottom, so you likely picked it up along the way. If you do not have it for some reason, head back into that well and grab it.

Claiming the Back Plate

With the key in hand, go to the Village of Lou, head all the way to the right-hand side, and unlock the gate on the right. That opens the path into the Mandate Encampment. Push through the entire encampment, fighting your way to the very end, because the final boss here is the one holding the back plate of the Pipa. Defeat him to collect the Illusory Pipa Back Plate — and with that, you have every piece.

Restoring the Pipa with Mist

With all of the pieces in hand, it is finally time to repair the instrument. Head back to Pangzhen. Your quest updates to Ask Mist to Restore the Illusory Pipa, so return to the Mist Tavern from earlier in this journey and speak with Mist herself. She lays all of the parts out on the table and works her repair — as the video puts it, she basically spits on it and fixes it — and the Illusory Pipa Phantom Edge is yours.

What the Illusory Pipa Unlocks

The restored Pipa is more than a collectible: it dispels the blocked pathways you have likely been walking past the whole game. On the map, these locations now appear in a turquoise color, meaning you can travel to them, dispel the barrier, and walk right in.

Several of these blocked spots sit on Maegu Lake itself, including the area where you picked up one of the earlier pieces — you can now return there — as well as the Shachi Tower. The Pipa also lets you push further into the Maegu Lake region toward the top right of the map to unlock the Spectral Gate, and from that location you can use the Illusory Pipa to enter an entirely new region.

Tips

• Explore as you go. The routes to the flowers and the back plate pass by a huge number of pickups and side paths, and the video recommends clearing them as you travel rather than rushing the quest.
• Not every blue flower counts. Decoy flowers grow near the cave boss area and inside the house at the top of the hill — your map markers and quest tracker are the reliable guide, not the flower itself.
• Skip the zip line. On the bridge route after the axe Phantom Edge section, you can simply fall down instead of riding the zip line back to the bridge.
• Stuck in Dusk's canyon? Jump. When the canyon path appears to end, dropping down is exactly how the boss fight is triggered.
• Lost the encampment key? It is at the bottom of the well just past the Pond of Fading Song bell in Pangzhen.
• Budget your time. The quest spans the Crimson Forest, the Village of Lou, Pangzhen, Maegu Lake, and the Mandate Encampment, so it takes a good while to fully unlock the Phantom Edge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the Illusory Pipa quest start?

The quest starts in the Crimson Forest. Defeat the region's final boss — reached through the mirror forest by taking every illusionary gate with the crying sound, up in the top-right of the map — and you receive the Broken Piece of the Pipa, which begins the Illusory Pipa quest in your story tab.

How many pieces does Mist need to restore the Illusory Pipa?

Three: the head, the strings, and the back plate. The head drops from Dusk in the canyon beyond Dusk's Bridge in the Village of Lou, the strings are held by the lady on the first island of Maegu Lake, and the back plate comes from the final boss of the Mandate Encampment.

How do I open the gate to the Mandate Encampment?

You need a key found in Pangzhen. Past the Pond of Fading Song bell, jump into the well — the key lies at the bottom. If you progressed through the story normally, you probably already picked it up, but it will still be there if you missed it. Take it to the right-hand gate in the Village of Lou to unlock the encampment.

What does the restored Illusory Pipa Phantom Edge actually do?

It dispels the mist-blocked pathways marked in turquoise on your map, letting you walk into previously sealed locations. That includes spots around Maegu Lake — such as the Shachi Tower and the area where you claimed an earlier piece — and it opens the way to the Spectral Gate in the top-right of the lake region, beyond which lies an entirely new region you can enter using the Pipa.