TL;DR
- The Hunter’s Chain Sickle is a Martial Phantom Edge dropped by The Hunt, Sixfold Scythe — a story boss in Weeping Creek Valley.
- You encounter this boss naturally during the Steel and Steam chapter. You can’t miss it.
- It attacks from mid-to-long range and the sickle blade hits harder than the chain (which deals only 30% of blade damage).
- Its passive grapple ability lets you hook onto distant anchor points — even without equipping it.
- Soul Temper it with the Alloyed Scythe Blade from Crimson Manor to unlock Gleaming Hook.
- Rated among the best all-around Phantom Edges in the game.
What Is the Hunter’s Chain Sickle in Phantom Blade Zero
The Hunter’s Chain Sickle is a Martial-type Phantom Edge in Phantom Blade Zero. It’s both a mid-to-long range combat weapon and one of the most important traversal tools you’ll find in the first region. In a fight, you swing it in up to three consecutive strikes. Outside of combat, it hooks onto designated anchor points so you can pull yourself up to areas that were out of reach before.
Its base stats are 247 Damage and 213 Guard Break at Level 1. A decent guard break combined with multi-hit range makes it useful in almost every situation, against regular enemies and bosses alike. Many players keep it equipped throughout the game because of how much it does in one slot.
For a full overview of every Phantom Edge in the game, see our Phantom Blade Zero All Phantom Edges List.
How to Get the Hunter’s Chain Sickle in Phantom Blade Zero
You get the Hunter’s Chain Sickle by defeating The Hunt, Hunter of the Order — the boss found near the end of the Weeping Creek Valley main story path. This is a story-required boss. You’ll encounter him naturally as you progress through the Steel and Steam chapter, near the Great Waterfall Bell. You can’t miss him.
Defeating both phases of The Hunt drops the Hunter’s Chain Sickle along with 20,000 Remnant Dust.
How to Beat The Hunt – Boss Tips
The Hunt is a two-phase fight. He wields twin chain sickles with a reach of roughly 15 metres, which means putting distance between you isn’t always safe. His attacks fall into a few predictable patterns once you learn them.
Phase 1 — The Hunt attacks from horseback beside a cart and leaps onto it periodically. Hold block to absorb his sickle swings from horseback. When he lands on the cart, punish him with Sha-Chi Combos. He also throws a long chain lash in a straight sweep — stay out of the line or dodge it. Watch for Blue-flash attacks (parry them) and Red-flash attacks (dodge those). Parrying his Blue-flash lunges builds your Sha-Chi fast and staggers him for damage windows.
Phase 2 — He sprouts two extra arms holding a second pair of chain sickles. His attacks widen and he adds sickle projectiles, chain sweeps around the arena, and a ground shockwave. The core principle stays the same: parry blue, dodge red, and punish his recovery windows. Stay aggressive during his post-lash recovery and don’t back off too far or he’ll reset to ranged pressure.
Once both phases are done, you automatically receive the Hunter’s Chain Sickle.
Hunter’s Chain Sickle Grappling Traverse – The Exploration Ability
Like the Dread Axe breaking iron chains, the Hunter’s Chain Sickle has a passive exploration ability called Grappling Traverse. Once you own it, you can hook onto distant anchor points marked on the map — even without the sickle equipped in one of your two Phantom Edge slots.
At Level 15, you also unlock Chain-Sickle Traverse (press L1 + R2), which lets you hurl the sickle at the ground or a wall and vault toward that point. This works inside combat too, though the basic grapple traversal doesn’t consume Remnant Sparks when used outside of combat.
The game highlights spots that need a specific Phantom Edge with markers. Once you own the Hunter’s Chain Sickle, those grapple-point markers turn green. Go back through Weeping Creek Valley after getting it — several areas and items were out of reach before.
Key Areas the Hunter’s Chain Sickle Unlocks
- Sha-Chi Tower Summit: Grapple to the very top of the Sha-Chi Tower to collect the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Gate Key. This key unlocks a gate by the Creek Valley Plains Entrance Bell and opens up an optional eastern section of the area.
- The Beginning Bell: Backtrack to the very start of the game and use the Chain Sickle to grapple onto an elevated platform with a chest containing the Lingran’s Pendant accessory.
- Various anchor points across later regions: The sickle continues to unlock grapple routes in Crimson Forest and beyond — always check your map for green markers when you reach a new area.
All Hunter’s Chain Sickle Skills in Phantom Blade Zero
The Hunter’s Chain Sickle unlocks new abilities as you raise its level. Here’s every skill it has:
- Active Ability (Level 1): Press R2 repeatedly to swing the sickle in up to 3 mid-to-long range slashing combos. The sickle blade deals full damage; the chain deals only 30% of that. A full three-hit combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark.
- Grappling Traverse (On Pickup): Once obtained, the Hunter’s Chain Sickle can grapple onto distant anchor points for traversal, even when not equipped.
- Status Damage Bonus (Level 5): Slightly increases Chain Sickle damage against enemies that are Burning, Frozen, Paralyzed, Poisoned, or Bleeding. This pairs well with weapons like the Jagged Steel that inflict bleed.
- Chain-Sickle Traverse (Level 15): Press L1 + R2 to hurl the Chain Sickle at the ground or a wall and vault toward that point. Works both in and out of combat. Consumes no Remnant Spark outside combat.
- Status Damage Bonus Lv. 3 (Level 25): Greatly increases Chain Sickle damage against status-affected enemies. At this level, pairing with any weapon that applies a status condition makes the sickle hit noticeably harder.
- Gleaming Hook (Soul Temper): The chain’s power is increased so it deals the same damage as the sickle blade. When the sickle blade hits an enemy, it also depletes more Sha-Chi and builds the enemy’s Bleed Gauge. Has no effect on Puppets, Golden Bodies, or Phantom Bodies.
How to Soul Temper the Hunter’s Chain Sickle
The Soul Temper material for the Hunter’s Chain Sickle is the Alloyed Scythe Blade. Getting it takes a few steps.
The Alloyed Scythe Blade is found inside the Crimson Manor — a hidden location beneath Weeping Creek Valley’s Sha-Chi Tower. To reach it, go to the base of the tower and find a low-level water area with a cracked wall. Near that wall is a Powderkeg enemy. Break the cracked wall, and you’ll find an elevator behind it that goes down to the Crimson Manor.
The Crimson Manor itself is locked. You’ll need the Puppet Tongue Key to open it. Once inside, you can find the Alloyed Scythe Blade. For detailed steps, see our guide on how to enter Crimson Manor.
Once you have the Alloyed Scythe Blade, use the Soul Temper system — available after meeting Myst in Pangzhen — to unlock Gleaming Hook. This upgrade is a significant combat boost. The chain portion of each swing now hits just as hard as the blade, which effectively doubles the damage output of the portion of your combo that previously dealt 30% damage. On top of that, blade hits drain more Sha-Chi and start building the enemy’s Bleed Gauge — useful for setting up bleed with your main weapon.
How to Use the Hunter’s Chain Sickle in Combat – Tips
Hit With the Blade, Not the Chain
Before you get Gleaming Hook via Soul Temper, aim your swings so the sickle blade lands on the enemy rather than the chain portion. The blade deals 100% damage; the chain deals 30%. This sounds obvious but the sickle’s reach makes it easy to catch enemies with the chain if you’re slightly too far away. Close the gap before pressing R2 for the full damage swing.
Use It to Close Distance Fast
The Hunter’s Chain Sickle is one of the best tools in the game for closing gaps. Fast bosses that keep retreating across the arena are frustrating when you’re using slow main weapons. The Chain Sickle hits them from range and keeps your combo going without needing to sprint across. Once you hit Level 15 and unlock Chain-Sickle Traverse (L1 + R2), you can also vault toward them directly — which is even faster in fast-paced boss fights.
Combine With Status-Inflicting Weapons
The Level 5 and Level 25 skills give the Chain Sickle a significant damage bump against enemies affected by Burning, Frozen, Paralyzed, Poisoned, or Bleeding. If you’re running a weapon that naturally inflicts any of these, fire off a status hit first, then switch to the sickle combo for boosted damage. A setup like Jagged Steel (bleed) plus Hunter’s Chain Sickle is a natural fit even in the early game.
Three-Hit Combo Is Your Main Damage Tool
The full three-hit combo for 1 Remnant Spark is solid value. Don’t stop at one or two hits if you have the opening — the third strike extends your reach and completes the Spark cost regardless, so you’re leaving damage on the table by cutting it short. Against groups of enemies, the mid-to-long range of the combo hits multiple targets naturally, making it one of the better AoE options among the early Phantom Edges.
Best Build Pairings
The Hunter’s Chain Sickle is versatile enough to fit into almost any loadout. A strong early-game setup is:
- Main Weapons: Jagged Steel + Outlaw Warblade
- Phantom Edges: Hunter’s Chain Sickle + Dread Axe
The Dread Axe handles shielded enemies while the Chain Sickle handles range, mobility, and applying bleed support. For more aggressive melee builds, swapping the Dread Axe for Iron Gauntlets gives you fast combos and guard break to close up the gap the sickle can’t cover.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Hunter’s Chain Sickle
Can You Miss the Hunter’s Chain Sickle?
No. The Hunt is a story boss and the Hunter’s Chain Sickle is a guaranteed story reward. You will always get it before leaving Weeping Creek Valley’s main path.
Do You Need the Hunter’s Chain Sickle Equipped to Use Grapple Points?
No. The Grappling Traverse ability works passively as soon as you own the sickle. Walk up to any grapple-point marker and you’ll get a prompt automatically, regardless of what you have equipped in your two Phantom Edge slots.
Does Gleaming Hook Work on All Enemies?
No. Gleaming Hook’s Bleed Gauge and extra Sha-Chi depletion effects do not apply to Puppets, Golden Bodies, or Phantom Bodies. Against all other enemy types it works normally.
Is the Hunter’s Chain Sickle Worth Upgrading Early?
Yes — it’s one of the best Phantom Edges to prioritize. It uses Martial-type upgrade materials, separate from Destructive (Dread Axe) or Ranged (Feather Bow) materials, so there’s no resource conflict. Upgrading it to Level 15 for Chain-Sickle Traverse alone is worth it. Most players who run it keep it equipped through to the end of the game.
The Hunter’s Chain Sickle is genuinely one of the best things to come out of Weeping Creek Valley. It hits at range, grapples to high spots, synergises with status builds, and only gets stronger once you Soul Temper it. If you’re still debating whether to invest upgrade materials here — do it.
For more on the game, check out the official Phantom Blade Zero website. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Epic Games Store.
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