Bastion in Phantom Blade Zero – How to Get It and Use It

TL;DR

Bastion is an Artifice Phantom Edge — a massive shield dropped by Zhuo Bi, the Gatekeeper in Village of Lu.
He’s a story-required boss near the start of the region. You can’t miss him.
Hold R2 to raise the shield and block all attacks. Release R2 to slam it down and unleash a Reprisal Shockwave — stronger the more damage it absorbed.
Its passive Bolt Ward ability blocks crossbow bolt traps across the world — even when not equipped.
Soul Temper it with the Border Banner to unlock Fierce Reprisal — the shockwave fires twice instead of once.
The only shield-type Phantom Edge in the game and one of the most unique in how it plays.

Table of Contents

What Is the Bastion in Phantom Blade Zero

The Bastion is an Artifice-type Phantom Edge in Phantom Blade Zero. Unlike every other Phantom Edge in the game, it’s a shield — not a weapon you attack with directly. You hold it up to absorb incoming hits, then release it to punish enemies with a shockwave that scales off however much damage you just blocked. The harder they hit you while it’s up, the bigger the blast when you slam it down.

Its base stats are 226 Damage and 198 Guard Break at Level 1. The damage figure applies to the shockwave it releases, and while it starts lower than most Phantom Edges, the shockwave scales dynamically with absorbed hits — so the actual output depends entirely on how you use it. Outside of combat it blocks crossbow bolt traps in the environment, making it a key exploration tool across multiple regions.

Bastion is the only shield Phantom Edge in the game. There’s nothing else like it in your arsenal. For the full list of all Phantom Edges, see our Phantom Blade Zero All Phantom Edges List.

Phantom Blade Zero Bastion

How to Get the Bastion in Phantom Blade Zero

You get Bastion by defeating Zhuo Bi, the Gatekeeper — a story-required boss at the start of the Village of Lu region. You’ll reach Village of Lu right after completing Crimson Forest and beating its final boss, Bai Chilian. From the Place of Awakening Bell at the village outskirts, make your way up toward Old Man Gen’s house. The boss arena for Zhuo Bi is just past it — you can’t miss the fight as you follow the main path.

Defeating Zhuo Bi rewards you with the Bastion Phantom Edge plus a Blackstone Fragment from a purple chest in the arena behind him.

How to Beat Zhuo Bi, the Gatekeeper

Zhuo Bi fights with his own giant shield — the same one you’ll be wielding once the fight is over. His moveset is slow and deliberate, which makes the fight manageable as long as you know what to look for. His main attacks are a spin attack with his shield, shield-slam red-flash combos, a forward shockwave where he places the shield on the ground, and a heavy blue-flash smash.

The most important thing to know: Zhuo Bi’s shield has to be broken before you can deal meaningful damage. Most of your actual health damage comes through finishers that each take a chunk of his health — so your primary goal is guard-breaking his shield repeatedly. Equip the Shieldbreaker Talisman and bring the Dread Axe or the Iron Gauntlets to crack his guard faster. His combo finishers have a noticeable windup, so parry or dodge the last hit in each sequence and punish his recovery. When you see the shockwave coming, sidestep it — don’t try to block it head-on. His blue-flash heavy smash is a perfect parry opportunity that drains a huge chunk of his Sha-Chi.

Bastion Bolt Ward – The Exploration Ability

Once you own the Bastion, you unlock a passive exploration ability called Bolt Ward. This blocks bolts fired by repeating crossbow mechanisms in the environment — those arrow-trap hallways and crossbow-lined corridors that were previously impassable — even when the Bastion isn’t equipped in one of your two Phantom Edge slots.

Just owning it is enough. Walk into a crossbow trap corridor and Soul automatically deflects the bolts. This is how you reach hidden chests and locked-off areas that sit behind bolt trap hallways in Crimson Forest, Village of Lu, and beyond. The Thieves’ Camp Dungeon in Crimson Forest is the first area where you’ll encounter a bolt trap that requires the Bastion — so if you found that passage and wondered how to get through it, go back now that you have the shield.

For help finding what’s locked behind those areas, see our Thieves’ Camp Dungeon Key Location guide.

All Bastion Skills in Phantom Blade Zero

Bastion unlocks new abilities as you level it up. Here’s every skill from base pickup through Level 30 and Soul Temper:

Active Ability – Shield Block (Level 1): Hold R2 to raise the Bastion and block all incoming enemy attacks. While raised, press L1 to shove away enemies in front of you. Keeping the shield raised continuously drains Sha-Chi, and each blocked attack drains additional Sha-Chi. If your Sha-Chi depletes completely while blocking, the shield shatters and leaves you exposed. Consumes 1 Remnant Spark to activate.
Reprisal Shockwave (Level 1): Hold R2 to raise Bastion and guard against attacks. Release R2 before your Sha-Chi runs out to slam the shield into the ground and unleash a powerful forward shockwave. The more damage absorbed while blocking, the stronger the shockwave that follows.
Bolt Ward (On Pickup): Blocks bolts fired by repeating crossbow mechanisms, even when the Bastion is not equipped.
Sha-Chi Reduction Lv. 1 (Level 5): Slightly reduces all Sha-Chi consumption while the shield is raised. Makes it easier to sustain the block without running your gauge dry.
Sha-Chi Reduction Lv. 2 (Level 10): Moderate reduction to Sha-Chi consumption while blocking. A meaningful upgrade for players who use Bastion frequently in fights.
Swift Deployment (Level 25): Bastion can be drawn and raised faster. It also stows faster after using Reprisal Shockwave. Reduces the window where you’re exposed while transitioning in and out of the shield stance.
Sha-Chi Reduction Lv. 3 (Level 30): Greatly reduces all Sha-Chi consumption while the shield is raised. At this level you can sustain a block through significantly longer attack strings without depleting your gauge.
Fierce Reprisal (Soul Temper): Reprisal Shockwave now unleashes one additional shockwave when released. Instead of a single blast, the slam sends out two shockwaves in sequence — effectively doubling the shockwave damage output for the same block and release action.

How to Soul Temper the Bastion

The Soul Temper material for the Bastion is the Border Banner. You’ll find this item through exploration in Village of Lu — keep an eye out as you move through the region’s areas. Soul Tempering is available after meeting Myst in Pangzhen and costs 5,000 Remnant Dust plus one Border Banner.

The result is Fierce Reprisal, which doubles the shockwave output on every shield release. This transforms how the Bastion plays in longer fights. Before Soul Tempering, you absorb a heavy combo and release a single shockwave. After it, the same release fires two blasts. The second wave catches enemies who dodged or repositioned after the first, and the combined output on a well-charged block becomes one of the strongest burst moments any Phantom Edge can produce.

How to Use the Bastion in Combat – Tips

The Shockwave Scales With Damage Absorbed — Let Them Hit You

The Reprisal Shockwave’s strength is directly tied to how much damage you absorbed while blocking. A quick tap-block that eats one light hit produces a weak blast. Holding the shield through a full boss combo and then releasing produces a shockwave that can hit for serious damage. The ideal moment to use Bastion in a boss fight is during a recognizable long multi-hit combo — raise the shield at the start of it, let it absorb the full string, then slam it down immediately after the last hit for maximum payoff.

Watch Your Sha-Chi While Blocking

The Bastion drains Sha-Chi while it’s raised, and every hit it absorbs drains extra on top of that. If your Sha-Chi bar empties while you’re blocking, the shield shatters and leaves you completely open. Don’t hold the Bastion up indefinitely — only raise it when you’re about to eat a hit or combo you want to absorb, then release it immediately after. Managing this rhythm is the difference between using Bastion effectively and finding yourself suddenly unprotected mid-fight.

Use the Shove Between Combos

While Bastion is raised (during an active block), pressing L1 shoves enemies in front of you. This creates distance instantly when you’re being pushed into a corner or when a group of enemies is crowding you. It costs no additional Spark or Sha-Chi and can interrupt weaker enemies’ attacks. Against regular mobs, raising Bastion and shoving is often faster and safer than dodging through a crowd.

Bastion Pairs Well With Fast Main Weapons

Because Bastion’s role is absorbing damage and punishing with shockwaves rather than applying offensive pressure, it pairs best with fast main weapons that can deal damage quickly in the window after a shockwave staggered an enemy. The Jagged Steel and Sanguine are natural fits — both are quick one-handed swords that can follow up a shockwave knockback with rapid hits before the enemy recovers. Avoid pairing Bastion with slow two-handed weapons that struggle to capitalize on the brief window a staggered enemy gives you.

Swift Deployment at Level 25 Changes Everything

Before Level 25, raising and lowering Bastion takes a noticeable moment. You can get punished if you try to raise the shield too slowly or if you can’t stow it fast enough after a shockwave. Once Swift Deployment unlocks, both of these animations become significantly faster — raising is quicker to respond, and the post-shockwave recovery stow happens almost immediately. The Bastion becomes much more fluid to use in real-time fights and far less punishing to pull out against faster enemies.

Use Bolt Ward Passively — Free Up Your Slots

Since Bolt Ward works without equipping the Bastion, you never need to sacrifice a Phantom Edge slot just for trap corridor navigation. If you’re using Hunter’s Chain Sickle and Flying Dagger as your combat loadout, keep that setup and simply walk through crossbow corridors — the Bastion handles them in the background. Save your equip slots for what helps you fight, not for what helps you explore.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Bastion

Is Zhuo Bi a Required Boss?

Yes. Zhuo Bi, the Gatekeeper is a story-required boss in Village of Lu. You’ll fight him as part of normal progression and cannot skip him. Bastion is guaranteed as long as you keep playing the story.

Does Bolt Ward Work Without Equipping the Bastion?

Yes. Bolt Ward is a passive that activates the moment you own the Bastion. Crossbow bolt traps in the environment are blocked automatically — you don’t need to equip the shield or even hold it. Walk through the corridor and the protection is already active.

Does the Shockwave Hit Multiple Enemies?

Yes. The Reprisal Shockwave fires forward in a cone and can hit multiple enemies standing in front of you. After Soul Tempering for Fierce Reprisal, both shockwaves fire in sequence in the same direction, which is particularly useful for clearing groups or catching an enemy that repositioned after the first blast.

What Happens If My Sha-Chi Runs Out While Blocking?

The Bastion shatters and you’re left completely open. This is a hard penalty — you lose both the block and the shockwave opportunity. Always keep an eye on your Sha-Chi bar while the shield is raised, and release before the bar empties rather than waiting for it to run dry. The Sha-Chi Reduction upgrades at Level 5, 10, and 30 make this much more forgiving over time.

Is Bastion Worth Upgrading?

Yes, especially if you use it regularly in boss fights. The biggest upgrades are Level 5 and 10 (Sha-Chi Reduction), Level 25 (Swift Deployment), and Soul Temper (Fierce Reprisal). Bastion uses Artifice-type upgrade materials — separate from Martial, Ranged, or Destructive Edges — so it doesn’t compete for resources with weapons like the Iron Gauntlets or Feather Bow.

Bastion is unlike anything else in Phantom Blade Zero. Every other Phantom Edge is about offense — ranged shots, heavy cleaves, poison chains, fist combos. Bastion asks you to play a completely different game: absorb the hit, hold your nerve, and punish at exactly the right moment. Once you Soul Temper it for Fierce Reprisal, that double shockwave payoff makes the whole system click. If you’ve been ignoring it in your loadout, give it a real try on the next challenging boss.

For more on the game, visit the official Phantom Blade Zero website. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Epic Games Store.

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