Phantom Blade Zero: A Healer’s Mercy – All Wounded Thieves Locations Guide

TL;DR

Start A Healer’s Mercy by talking to Yu’er at the Thieves’ Camp in Crimson Forest.
You must first complete the Apprentice Healer Tale in Weeping Creek Valley.
Find and heal four injured thieves scattered across Crimson Forest using Yu’er’s Life-Saving Pills.
Two thieves are hidden behind locked areas — you’ll need specific cranks and a dungeon key.
This quest is missable — complete it before fighting Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents.
Reward: Calming Gourd — prevents Sha-Chi consumption for 3 seconds after a guard-break.

A Healer’s Mercy is a Wulin Tale in Phantom Blade Zero that continues the story of Yu’er, a healer you first meet in Weeping Creek Valley. It’s one of those quests that sounds simple — find some hurt people and patch them up — but the four injured thieves are scattered in corners of Crimson Forest that are easy to miss, and a couple of them sit behind locked passages.

The bigger issue? This quest expires. If you defeat Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents, at the end of Crimson Forest without completing it, it fails permanently. The Bronze trophy A Healer’s Legacy goes with it. So don’t rush past this one.

Phantom Blade Zero A Healers Mercy 1

Table of Contents

Phantom Blade Zero A Healer’s Mercy – How to Unlock

Before A Healer’s Mercy even shows up, you need to finish the Apprentice Healer Tale first. That’s the earlier quest where you collect three medicinal herbs for Yu’er in Weeping Creek Valley. Our Apprentice Healer herbs guide can help if you’re still on that step.

Once Apprentice Healer is done and you’ve progressed into Crimson Forest, make your way to the Thieves’ Camp. You’ll find Yu’er there — she’s near the Crane Bell area. Talk to her and select the dialogue option about “the wounded in the woods.” That starts A Healer’s Mercy.

She hands you Yu’er’s Life-Saving Pills and points you to the Record of the Lost Thieves, which marks the general area of each injured man on your map. Use that as your guide.

All Four Injured Thief Locations in A Healer’s Mercy

Here’s where to find every wounded thief, in the order that makes the most sense to tackle them.

Injured Thief 1 – Cave North of the Outlaw Trap Bell

Fast travel to the Outlaw Trap Bell and head north. Look for a cave entrance in that direction. Head inside and you’ll find the first injured thief. Walk up to him and use one of Yu’er’s Life-Saving Pills to treat his wounds. Straightforward — no locked doors or special items needed here.

Injured Thief 2 – Underground Area via Crimson Forest Tunnel Crank

The second thief is in an underground area accessed through a hatch mechanism right beside the Outlaw Trap Bell. The mechanism has a circular indent — it won’t open without the Crimson Forest Tunnel Crank.

To get the crank, enter the cave near the Outlaw Trap area. Inside, defeat the Maskwalker Butcher enemy you encounter. After the fight, pick up the Crimson Forest Tunnel Crank from near the pile of bodies and metal cages. You’ll also find a Preservation Talisman Fragment I nearby — don’t skip it.

Return to the mechanism by the Bell, insert the crank, and descend into the underground passage. The second injured thief is down there. Heal him with a Life-Saving Pill. For more on this, see our Backstreet Cellar Crank guide and Preservation Talisman Fragments guide.

Injured Thief 3 – Near the Exit of the Cliffside Lodge Basement

The third wounded thief is near the underground exit below the Cliffside Lodge. Getting to him means opening the basement hatch on the ground floor of the lodge, which requires the Crimson Forest Cellar Crank.

To find the Cellar Crank, climb to the second floor of the Cliffside Lodge building and step onto the balcony. The crank is sitting on the ledge up there. Note that the upper room has poison fog — grab it quickly and get out.

Back on the ground floor, insert the Cellar Crank into the locking mechanism to open the basement. Head down, deal with the enemies inside, and make your way toward the underground exit. The third injured thief is waiting along that path. Heal him to continue.

If you’re also working on the Secrets of the Baishan Sect quest, you’ll be using the same Cliffside Lodge basement — both Tales share this area, so it’s efficient to handle them together.

Injured Thief 4 – Locked Cave Near the Thieves’ Camp (Dungeon Key Required)

The fourth and final injured thief is behind a locked door near the Thieves’ Camp Bell. You need the Thieves’ Camp Dungeon Key to open it.

Here’s where to get the key: after you’ve opened the Cliffside Lodge basement using the Cellar Crank, go deeper inside. You’ll find the Crimson Forest Secret Chamber Crank in a chest. Next to that area, climb the nearby wall and drop down onto the middle platform between the two ledges — the Thieves’ Camp Dungeon Key is there.

Take the key to the locked cave door near the Thieves’ Camp Bell. Unlock it, head straight in, and the last injured thief is right there at the entrance. Use Yu’er’s Life-Saving Pill one final time to heal him. See our Thieves’ Camp Dungeon Key guide if you need more detail on finding it.

How to Complete A Healer’s Mercy – Return to Yu’er

With all four thieves healed, go back to the Thieves’ Camp and speak with Yu’er. Tell her you’ve helped everyone. She’ll thank you and hand over your reward: the Calming Gourd.

The Calming Gourd is a medicine accessory that lets you recover from guard-breaks and prevents Sha-Chi consumption for 3 seconds after it triggers. That might sound minor, but in tougher fights where enemies are constantly applying guard pressure, it gives you a real window to reset without burning your Sha-Chi bar.

Completing this Tale also unlocks the A Healer’s Legacy Bronze Trophy / Achievement.

Is A Healer’s Mercy Missable?

Yes — two separate things can lock you out of it:

If you don’t start it in time: You must complete Apprentice Healer before defeating Jing Ye, the Outlaw. Without finishing Apprentice Healer first, A Healer’s Mercy never unlocks.
If you advance too far in the story: Defeating Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents — the final boss of Crimson Forest — causes this quest to fail automatically if it isn’t finished. Don’t push ahead until you’ve healed all four thieves and turned in the quest.

It’s also one of the Tales tied to the perfect ending, so there’s extra reason to get it done.

Quick Tips for This Quest

Do the Outlaw Trap thieves first (1 and 2), then come back for Cliffside Lodge (3 and 4). This way, you naturally pick up the cranks and dungeon key as you go.
The Crimson Forest Cellar Crank is also needed for the Secrets of the Baishan Sect quest — handle both at once while you’re in the Cliffside Lodge basement to save time.
Don’t fight Bai Chilian until A Healer’s Mercy shows as complete in your Tales journal.
The Calming Gourd reward is worth it. Equip it before tough boss fights where guard-breaks are common.

More Phantom Blade Zero Guides

Here are some other guides that may help you around Crimson Forest and beyond:

Phantom Blade Zero is available on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Epic Games Store.