Phantom Blade Zero: Crimson Forest Weeping Portal Puzzle Solution

TL;DR

The Weeping Portal puzzle is in the Mirrorwood Depths section of Crimson Forest, near the end of the region.
There are two separate portal areas, each with three portals to choose from.
The solution is based on audio cues — listen for the sound of weeping from each portal.
Area 1 order: Left → Middle → Right.
Area 2 order: Right → Left → Middle.
Getting through both areas leads you to the Threadbound Great Tree Bell and eventually to the final boss of Crimson Forest, Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents.

Late in the Crimson Forest region of Phantom Blade Zero, the path forward stops making sense. You walk into an enclosed clearing ringed by mirror portals with no obvious direction from the game. No map marker. No clear hint. Just a carved message on a nearby tree that says: “Follow the sound of weeping.”

This is the Weeping Portal puzzle, and it’s one of Crimson Forest’s most disorienting moments — especially if you’re playing with the volume low. This guide gives you the full solution for both portal areas, plus what to do and look out for along the way.

Table of Contents

Where Is the Weeping Portal Puzzle?

The Weeping Portal puzzle appears in the Mirrorwood Depths, the northeastern section of Crimson Forest. You’ll encounter it toward the very end of the region, well after the Mirrorwood Long Pillar Bell and after completing the Crimson Forest section of Bloodline Awakening.

The puzzle is part of the main story path — you can’t skip it. It’s directly tied to the Whence the Weeping questline, which runs through most of the game. Getting past both portal areas is the only way to reach Bai Chilian, the final boss of Crimson Forest.

How the Weeping Portal Puzzle Works

Each portal area contains three mirror portals arranged around the clearing. Only one portal in each set leads forward. The other two loop you back to the start of that area and reset your progress in it.

The intended method is audio-based: walk slowly toward each portal and listen carefully. The correct portal emits the sound of a woman weeping — a soft but audible crying sound. The wrong ones are either silent or make a different noise. Turn your volume up before entering this area. On low volume, the audio cues are very easy to miss.

If you’d rather skip the audio detective work entirely, the fixed solutions for both areas are below.

Phantom Blade Zero Crimson Forest Weeping Portal Puzzle Solution 1

Weeping Portal Puzzle Solution – Area 1

When you enter the first enclosed area, you’ll see three portals arranged around the space. The correct sequence to exit this area is:

Left → Middle → Right

Go through the left portal first. You’ll land in a sub-area. From there, go through the middle portal. Another short sub-area follows. Finally, take the right portal to complete the first sequence and emerge on the other side.

Between portal jumps, keep an eye out for collectibles in each sub-area. There’s an Inanis’ Memory Flower hidden in this section — don’t rush through without grabbing it. Memory Flowers permanently increase your max HP when you collect a full set, so these are worth stopping for. If you need more on the collectibles in this region, see our chapter list for a full breakdown of Crimson Forest content.

Phantom Blade Zero Crimson Forest Weeping Portal Puzzle Solution 2

Weeping Portal Puzzle Solution – Area 2

After clearing the first portal set, you’ll reach a second enclosed area with another three portals. The solution here is different from the first:

Right → Left → Middle

Go through the right portal first, then the left portal, then the middle portal. Follow this order and you’ll exit the second portal area successfully.

Again, check each sub-area between portals for any collectibles or items before moving on. A second Inanis’ Memory Flower is available in this section as well.

What Happens After the Portal Puzzle?

Once you clear both portal areas, you emerge at the Threadbound Great Tree Bell. Activate it for a fast travel point — this is useful if you need to backtrack for anything before the final boss.

From the Threadbound Great Tree Bell, the path leads to Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents — the Crimson Forest final boss and one of the most significant encounters in the game’s story.

Before you push into the boss fight, make sure you’ve completed everything in Crimson Forest that has a deadline:

A Healer’s Mercy — all four injured thieves must be healed and the quest turned in to Yu’er. See our A Healer’s Mercy guide if you haven’t finished it yet.
Secrets of the Baishan Sect — you must have accepted this from Lanlan on the bridge before the boss. Our Baishan Sect guide has details.
Festering Secret — another Tale that fails after Bai Chilian is defeated. See our Festering Secret walkthrough.
Flesh Lily for Yu’er — collected from the Hua, Deadly Betrothed boss arena. See our Flesh Lily location guide.
Quick Hand’s Request (Crimson Forest) — all three treasures and the turn-in with Zhang. See our Quick Hand’s Request guide.

Defeating Bai Chilian moves you to the Village of Lu and permanently closes out Crimson Forest’s missable content. If any of the above are still open, go back and finish them first.

Audio Tips If You Want to Solve It Yourself

If you want to use the game’s intended method rather than the fixed solutions above, here’s how to do it cleanly:

Turn the volume up before entering the Mirrorwood Depths — the weeping audio is subtle and easy to miss at normal levels.
Walk slowly toward each portal individually. Don’t rush or stand in the middle — you need to be close to the portal for the sound to register clearly.
The correct portal sounds like a woman sobbing or crying. It’s distinct once you hear it; wrong portals will sound different or silent.
If you step through a wrong portal and loop back, nothing is lost — you just repeat the sequence from that step. No penalty, no punishment.

Quick Reference – Portal Solutions

Area 1: Left → Middle → Right
Area 2: Right → Left → Middle

More Phantom Blade Zero Guides

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