TL;DR
- The Flying Dagger is a Ranged Phantom Edge found in Crimson Forest.
- Rescue Quick Hand Zhang from his cage, then collect all 3 treasures in Crimson Forest for him.
- Reward: the Flying Dagger, a throwing knife that inflicts Poison on every hit.
- It also shoots down hanging objects in the world — even when not equipped.
- Soul Temper it with the Quick Hand’s Manual to unlock Quickhand Mastery — more daggers thrown, stronger Poison.
- Rated S-Tier by most players for its ranged pressure, Poison buildup, and high-level teleport abilities.
What Is the Flying Dagger in Phantom Blade Zero
The Flying Dagger is a Ranged-type Phantom Edge in Phantom Blade Zero. It’s a set of exquisite willow-leaf throwing knives that you can hurl at enemies in up to three consecutive volleys. Every hit inflicts Poison buildup, which sets it apart from other ranged options. Where the Feather Bow rewards full-HP openers, the Flying Dagger punishes enemies over time with stacking poison damage.
Its base stats are 251 Damage and 216 Guard Break at Level 1. As you level it up, it also gains powerful teleport-based movement skills that make it one of the most dynamic Phantom Edges in the game at higher levels.
Unlike most Phantom Edges that come from boss kills, the Flying Dagger is a quest reward tied to Quick Hand Zhang — one of the most memorable side characters in the game. You’ll need to do some legwork to earn it, but it’s worth every step.
For a full overview of every Phantom Edge available, see our Phantom Blade Zero All Phantom Edges List.
How to Get the Flying Dagger in Phantom Blade Zero
You get the Flying Dagger by completing the Quick Hand’s Request quest in Crimson Forest. The quest is given by a traveling merchant named Quick Hand Zhang. He asks you to recover three specific treasures hidden around Crimson Forest, then bring them all back to him.
Step 1 – Rescue Quick Hand Zhang
Your first encounter with Quick Hand Zhang in Crimson Forest happens near the Trail of Cages Bell. He’s trapped in a suspended cage — use the crane mechanism nearby to free him. After you free him, he’ll tell you he has a hideout in Thieves’ Camp and give you the Quick Hand’s Request quest.
He also starts The Wily Hare’s Three Dens collectible quest at the same time, which tracks his hideouts across the game’s regions. For more on that, see our Wily Hare’s Three Dens Guide.
Step 2 – Collect the Three Treasures
Zhang wants three specific relics from around Crimson Forest. All three are near or within Thieves’ Camp and its surrounding area.
Treasure 1: Sect Leader’s Snuff Bottle
Start from Quick Hand Zhang’s hideout near Thieves’ Camp. Head toward the main relic area and look for the Snuff Bottle — it’s one of the first collectibles you’ll find once you know where to look. Staying near the Thieves’ Camp Bell area will keep you in the right zone.
Treasure 2: Bloodstained Seal
The Bloodstained Seal is found in the same general area as the Snuff Bottle — you can pick up both in the same sweep of the Thieves’ Camp zone. It’s inside or very close to the dungeon area in Thieves’ Camp. If you have the Thieves’ Camp Dungeon Key, this becomes straightforward to access.
Treasure 3: Ancient Crossbow
This one takes a bit more effort. Continue progressing through the level until you reach the Cliffside Lodge area. You’ll find the Ancient Crossbow on the path toward Zhang’s hideout — in a cave that’s also filled with dogs. If you have the A Healer’s Mercy side quest active, you may run into an NPC here as well. Collect the crossbow and head back.
Step 3 – Return to Quick Hand Zhang
With all three treasures in hand, go back to Quick Hand Zhang at his Thieves’ Camp hideout and hand them all over at once. He rewards you with the Flying Dagger Phantom Edge. You also unlock continued access to his merchant stock, including Banyan’s Hearts used for unlocking interconnected skill tree nodes — so the quest has value beyond just the Phantom Edge.
For a full walkthrough of this quest, see our Quick Hand’s Request Guide.
Flying Dagger Ranged Shot – The Exploration Ability
Like the Feather Bow, the Flying Dagger has a passive field ability: Ranged Shot. Once you own it, you can shoot down hanging objects from medium to long range — pouches, bundles, or containers hanging from trees and ropes — even when the Flying Dagger isn’t one of your equipped Phantom Edges.
This means between the Feather Bow and the Flying Dagger, you have two separate Phantom Edges that can trigger the Ranged Shot ability passively. You only need one to clear hanging objects, so both slots are free for combat-focused Edges while still having full exploration coverage.
All Flying Dagger Skills in Phantom Blade Zero
The Flying Dagger unlocks new abilities at each upgrade threshold. Here’s every skill it has:
- Active Ability (Level 1): Press the Phantom Edge button repeatedly to throw daggers in up to 3 ranged volleys. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark. Every hit inflicts Poison buildup on the target.
- Poisoned Blades (Level 1 Passive): All attacks with the Flying Dagger inflict Poison buildup. This is always active — no need to do anything special to trigger it.
- Ranged Shot (On Pickup): Once obtained, the Flying Dagger can shoot down certain hanging objects at medium to long range, even when not equipped.
- Quickhand Step (Level 5): While attacking with the Flying Dagger, press Dodge to Teleport to a new position, then throw the dagger at enemies. This does not interrupt the current combo. Lets you reposition mid-volley without losing your chain.
- Lock-On Damage Bonus Lv. 1 (Level 10): When a locked-on enemy is within range — indicated by a special glow on the lock-on icon — Flying Dagger damage and Sha-Chi Depletion are slightly increased.
- Shadowless Step (Level 15): While using the Flying Dagger, if an enemy attacks you, automatically Teleport to negate the incoming damage, then throw the dagger at that enemy. This is a defensive-automatic counter — you don’t need to react manually.
- Lock-On Damage Bonus Lv. 2 (Level 20): Moderate increase to Flying Dagger damage and Sha-Chi Depletion when the enemy lock-on glows. Noticeable upgrade from Level 10.
- Windborne Step (Level 25): Press Block + Phantom Edge to enter a high-speed movement state. The Flying Dagger leaves behind 1 Phantom Double for every set distance traveled, up to 4 maximum. When the state ends, Soul and all Phantom Doubles attack the target together simultaneously.
- Lock-On Damage Bonus Lv. 3 (Level 30): Greatly increases Flying Dagger damage and Sha-Chi Depletion when the lock-on glow is active. At this level it’s a meaningful damage bonus worth playing around.
- Quickhand Mastery (Soul Temper): Increases the number of daggers thrown per volley and enhances the Poison effect. More daggers per press means faster Poison buildup and more total damage.
How to Soul Temper the Flying Dagger
The Soul Temper material for the Flying Dagger is the Quick Hand’s Manual. You need one copy to unlock Quickhand Mastery.
The Quick Hand’s Manual is tied to Quick Hand Zhang’s ongoing questline. As you continue delivering treasure sets to him across future regions — Village of Lu, Pangzhen, and Meigu Lake — he rewards more items and materials, including the Manual at the appropriate point in the quest chain.
Soul Tempering requires you to have already met Myst in Pangzhen. Once both conditions are met, use the Soul Temper system at any bell or Forge and apply the Quick Hand’s Manual to the Flying Dagger. The result — Quickhand Mastery — makes each press of the Phantom Edge button throw more daggers than before, and each dagger applies a stronger Poison buildup. If you were already using the Flying Dagger for poison stacking, this upgrade makes that strategy work noticeably faster.
How to Use the Flying Dagger in Combat – Tips
Always Lock On Before Throwing
From Level 10 onwards, locking onto an enemy within range triggers a glow on your lock-on icon. When that glow appears, your Flying Dagger damage and Sha-Chi depletion both go up. Make it a habit to lock on before every volley. It costs you nothing and gives you free extra damage and Sha-Chi drain on every hit.
Use Poison to Wear Down Enemies Between Phases
The Flying Dagger’s core strength is passive pressure. Apply a full three-hit volley early in a fight to get Poison ticking, then switch to your main weapon. The Poison carries on draining health in the background while you handle the melee work. Against tough elites and boss fights with long phases, this free ongoing damage adds up over time without spending extra Remnant Sparks.
Quickhand Step Makes You Nearly Unpunishable
At Level 5, mid-combo teleporting changes how dangerous using the Flying Dagger feels. Before Quickhand Step, throwing daggers mid-fight means standing in place and exposing yourself. After it, you can dodge mid-volley to a new position without breaking the combo. Once you have this, the Flying Dagger becomes much more reliable to use against aggressive enemies and in tight boss arenas.
Shadowless Step Is a Free Hit Absorber
The Level 15 skill Shadowless Step is surprisingly strong. If an enemy hits you while you’re throwing daggers, you automatically teleport out and the dagger fires at them as a counter. You don’t need to input anything — just keep pressing your attack and the skill activates reactively. This essentially means that if someone reads your dagger throw and swings into it, you negate the hit and punish them automatically.
Windborne Step Is a Fight-Closer at Level 25
Windborne Step is the Flying Dagger’s flashiest ability. You enter high-speed movement, leave Phantom Doubles in your wake, and all of them attack together at the end. It’s satisfying to pull off against bosses and deals significant burst. Use it when you have a clear window — long boss recovery animations or staggered states are your best entry points.
Pair It With Status-Building Main Weapons
The Flying Dagger’s Poison stacks with other status effects from your main weapons. If your primary weapon inflicts Bleed (like Jagged Steel), the Flying Dagger adds Poison on top of it. Many bosses and elites can’t easily cleanse status effects, so layering Bleed and Poison at the same time means they’re draining health from two sources between your melee swings. Once you Soul Temper the Flying Dagger for Quickhand Mastery, Poison stacks fast enough to keep it rolling continuously.
Compare It to the Feather Bow
Both are Ranged Phantom Edges, both can shoot hanging objects, and both deal decent damage from range. The key difference is purpose. The Feather Bow hits harder when the enemy is at full HP — it’s your opener. The Flying Dagger inflicts Poison and gets better the longer the fight goes — it’s your pressure tool. Running both in the same loadout is redundant since they share a role. Pick the one that fits your style, or run one with a melee Phantom Edge for broader coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Flying Dagger
Can You Miss the Flying Dagger?
It’s tied to the Quick Hand Zhang questline, which continues across multiple regions. As long as you rescue Zhang in Crimson Forest and collect the three treasures before leaving the region for good, you won’t miss it. Unlike the Feather Bow, there’s no hard deadline that locks you out permanently.
Do You Need the Flying Dagger Equipped to Use the Ranged Shot Field Ability?
No. Like all Phantom Edge exploration abilities, the Ranged Shot passive works as long as you own the Flying Dagger. You can run completely different Phantom Edges in combat and still interact with hanging-object markers on the map without equipping it.
Does Poison From the Flying Dagger Stack With Other Effects?
Yes. Poison from the Flying Dagger stacks independently alongside other status effects like Bleed from your main weapon. Enemies don’t need to be in one status state or the other — both run at the same time.
Is the Flying Dagger Worth Upgrading?
Yes, and it’s worth prioritizing. It uses Ranged-type Phantom Edge materials — the same category as the Feather Bow — so if you’re running both, be mindful of your material split. The biggest upgrades are at Level 5 (Quickhand Step), Level 15 (Shadowless Step), and Soul Temper (Quickhand Mastery). All three meaningfully change how the weapon plays.
The Flying Dagger earns its S-Tier reputation. It’s not just a throwing knife — it’s a poison-delivery system that gets more dangerous the longer you keep it leveled. Get it as soon as you reach Crimson Forest, do Zhang’s treasure hunt, and keep upgrading it. By Level 15 with Shadowless Step active, it fights back on its own.
For more on the game, visit the official Phantom Blade Zero website. Pick it up on Steam, PlayStation Store, or Epic Games Store.
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