All 5 Banyan Tree Locations for Banyan's Hearts in Phantom Blade Zero

What Banyan Tree Challenges Are

Scattered across the world of Phantom Blade Zero you will run into five enormous Banyan trees with eerie human faces. These are challenge trees: special landmarks you can simply walk up to and interact with, and doing so pulls you straight into a gauntlet. To walk away with the prize, you have to defeat every enemy the tree throws at you and then finish off a repeated boss waiting at the end of the fight. Clear everything, and the reward is yours to claim.

The reward is what makes these trees worth hunting down. Every tree whose challenge you defeat hands you a Banyan's Heart, an item that feeds directly into ability training. These hearts are very important when you train your abilities, because they are what lets you unlock new skills — so every one of the five trees you clear is another step toward filling out your skill options.

A couple of things to know before you start hunting:

• The challenges are optional and flexible. You can attempt each tree whenever you want. If a gauntlet is too brutal for your current build, you can simply come back later once you are a lot stronger.
• A defeated tree is hard to miss. Once you clear a tree's challenge, the tree visibly deflates and slumps over. If you spot a sad, deflated giant in someone's game, that challenge has already been beaten.

Here are all five tree locations, in the order they can naturally be found.

All Five Banyan Tree Locations

Tree 1: Pangjian

The first tree — and the first one you are likely to find — sits in Pangjian, all the way on the far left-hand side of the region.

How to get there: Start at the Lion Dance Hall and run straight down the road. As you make your way along it, you should see the tree waiting in the distance. From there, go across the water, then run over the little bridge platform on the far side. The tree is right past it — just run straight up to its face and interact with it to begin the challenge.

Notes: Nothing forces you to fight on your first visit. If the gauntlet feels overwhelming early in the game, treat this as a scouting trip and return once you have grown stronger.

Tree 2: Crimson Forest

The second Banyan's Heart comes from a tree hidden in the Crimson Forest, and you can actually come across this one quite early in the game. It is tucked away all the way at the end of the region.

How to get there: Work your way across the whole platform area and down toward the bottom right of the region until you reach a bell called the Parting Mists. From this bell, head further south — the tree is standing out there, and you can quite clearly see it in the distance from the bell itself.

Notes: This is the most deceptive tree of the five. At first glance it looks like a completely ordinary tree, and you might walk right past it — exactly what the discoverer of this spot did for the longest time. Once you know the truth, the approach is refreshingly simple: just jump into the water, swim over to the tree, and challenge it directly from its face.

Tree 3: Mandate Encampment

The next tree is found inside the Mandate Encampment, and reaching the encampment at all is the real puzzle here — the entrance gate is locked, and you need to find its key first.

How to unlock the gate: The key is not in the encampment's region. Travel back to Peng Zhen, to the area just after the Pond of Fading Song. There, following a boss fight, you can jump into a well at that spot. After a little bit of walking underground, you will find the gate key waiting directly below. With the key in hand, go to the Village of Lou, all the way on its right-hand side, where the gate itself is located, and pass through it to finally enter the Mandate Encampment.

How to get there: The tree sits just above the Sunset Path, right at the beginning of the encampment. Starting from the bell in that area, continue up the pathway as it curves around to the right-hand side and climb onto the platform on the right. The tree stands there on your right — run up to its face and interact with it to start the challenge.

Notes: Unlike some of the other trees, this one is basically on your path as soon as you set foot in the encampment, so you can knock it out immediately after unlocking the gate.

Tree 4: Maegu Lake

The fourth Banyan tree grows on an island in Maegu Lake, right beside the bell on the right-hand side of the lake called the Lake Banyan Dock — the name alone tells you exactly what the island is for. You can actually see the tree standing there from a good distance away.

How to unlock the lake: Maegu Lake is accessed from Peng Zhen. The boat only becomes an option after you have defeated the Lion Dance boss and picked up the Flaming Mane phantom edge. Once you have both, head to the Peng Zhen Docks, located at the top right of that section, where you will find a boat at the dock you can interact with. It lets you head out and explore the entire lake by boat — which, if you have not done it yet, is a genuinely cool trip on its own.

How to get there: Board the boat and sail to the island with the tree. You should spot it from a distance on the way in. Park the boat near the dock, hop off, and run straight up to the tree to challenge it to its battle.

Tree 5: Mountain of Imprisonment

The final Banyan tree waits in the Mountain of Imprisonment, the last and most remote stop on this tour.

How to unlock the area: The Mountain of Imprisonment is reached through Maegu Lake, and only once the pipa has been restored. With the restored pipa in hand, go to the Weeping Mist Gate on the lake and use the pipa to dispel the pathway leading up to the mountain. That opens the route into the whole zone.

How to get there: Progress through the Mountain of Imprisonment all the way to near the end of the region. There you will find a giant tree — you cannot really miss it — sitting right after the Shrine Outer Gate bell. You will be passing through this way for the story anyway, so keep an eye out and you will stroll right past it. When you arrive, run up to the tree and challenge it directly from its face.

Tips for the Tree Challenges

• Save a tree for later if you need to. Every one of these challenges can be attempted whenever you want. Coming back when you are a lot stronger is a perfectly valid strategy — the trees are not going anywhere.
• Do not judge a tree by its bark. The Crimson Forest tree in particular looks like an ordinary piece of scenery at first, and it is easy to ignore for a very long time. Treat any suspiciously large tree near a bell as a potential challenge.
• Watch for the deflated look. Trees you have already beaten slump and deflate, which is a handy way to keep track of which of the five you have cleared.
• Plan your route around story unlocks. Three of the trees sit behind progression gates — the Mandate Encampment key, the boat from Peng Zhen after the Lion Dance boss and the Flaming Mane phantom edge, and the restored pipa for the Weeping Mist Gate — so several will only be reachable as the story opens them up.

Completing the Heart of the Banyan Quest

Defeat the challenge at all five Banyan trees and the job is done. After the fifth one falls, the tree — as the video so delicately puts it — will get very sad, and that is how you complete the quest Heart of the Banyan. Along the way you will have banked five Banyan's Hearts, each one ready to spend on ability training to unlock new skills back at the bell.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I get for defeating a Banyan tree challenge?

Each tree you clear rewards a Banyan's Heart. These items are used for ability training and are what allow you to unlock new skills, making all five trees well worth the detours.

Can I come back and attempt a tree later?

Yes. The challenges are not on any timer — you can interact with each tree whenever you want, and it is completely viable to return later in the game when you are a lot stronger.

How do I get into the Mandate Encampment to reach its tree?

The gate is locked, and its key is found in Peng Zhen just after the Pond of Fading Song: after a boss fight there, jump into the well and the key sits a short walk below. Take it to the gate on the right-hand side of the Village of Lou and pass through into the encampment, where the tree waits just above the Sunset Path at the beginning.

How do I reach the last tree in the Mountain of Imprisonment?

First restore the pipa, then sail to the Weeping Mist Gate in Maegu Lake and use the pipa to dispel the pathway into the mountain. Push through the zone to near its end — the giant tree stands right after the Shrine Outer Gate bell, on a path you follow for the story anyway.