How to Upgrade Weapons in Phantom Blade Zero

TL;DR

Meet Forge at the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost to unlock weapon upgrades.
After that, upgrade at any Bell using the Upgrade Equipment option.
Main weapons need a metal ingot (matching weapon type) + Solvent + Remnant Dust.
Phantom Edges use their own material categories — Martial, Destruction, Artifice, Ranged, or Summon.
New perks unlock at levels 5, 10, 15, and 25.
Upgrades up to level 10 can be reverted for free. Level 11 and above needs a Reforge Talisman.
Soul Temper is unlocked later through Myst in Pangzhen and permanently enhances specific weapons.

Upgrading weapons in Phantom Blade Zero is how you stay ahead of tougher enemies. The system isn’t complicated, but it has a few layers — different materials for different weapon types, perk milestones, a revert system, and later a Soul Temper option on top. This guide walks through all of it in plain terms.

Table of Contents

How to Unlock Weapon Upgrades – Meet Forge

You can’t upgrade weapons right away. The upgrade system unlocks about an hour into the main story, when you reach the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost during the Against the Flow quest.

There you’ll meet an NPC named Forge. Talk to her once, and after that initial conversation, her menu will include the Upgrade Weapons option. The good news is that once Forge unlocks the system, you don’t have to keep coming back to her. You can upgrade from any Bell in the game by selecting Upgrade Equipment.

Bells are spread throughout every region, so you’ll rarely be far from an upgrade point. They also restore your HP and serve as save points, so you’ll be visiting them often anyway.

How to Upgrade Weapons at a Bell

Walk up to any Bell and interact with it. Select Upgrade Equipment from the menu. You’ll see two tabs: Main Weapons and Phantom Edges. Use these tabs to switch between upgrading your primary blades and your secondary weapons.

Select the weapon you want to upgrade. The screen shows you the weapon’s current level, its upcoming level, the damage and status effect changes at each tier, and the exact materials and Remnant Dust cost. If you have everything required, confirm and the upgrade goes through immediately.

Each weapon levels up individually. Upgrading one weapon doesn’t affect the others — so your upgrade investment is always tied to a specific blade or Phantom Edge.

How to Upgrade Weapons in Phantom Blade Zero

Weapon Upgrade Materials – What You Need

Main Weapon Materials

Every main weapon upgrade requires three things: a type-specific metal ingot, a Solvent, and Remnant Dust.

The metal ingot changes based on your weapon’s archetype:

One-Handed weapons — Forged Metal
Two-Handed weapons — Broadplate Metal
Dual-Wielded weapons — Twinned Metal

The Solvent is universal — all main weapons use it. There are three tiers of Solvent, and the game will tell you which tier is needed in the upgrade menu:

Levels 1–10 — Tier 1 materials (Sell price: 100 each)
Levels 10–20 — Tier 2 materials (Sell price: 1,000 each)
Levels 20–30 — Tier 3 materials (Sell price: 10,000 each)

The maximum weapon level is 30. Always check the upgrade screen before going to farm — the material tier shown there tells you exactly what you need for the next level.

Phantom Edge Upgrade Materials

Phantom Edges don’t use metal ingots or Solvent. They have their own material system based on the Phantom Edge’s combat category. There are five categories:

Martial — uses Exotic Copper Ingot
Destruction — uses Darkfire Charcoal
Artifice — uses Mechanical Gear
Ranged — uses Ancient Timber
Summon — uses its own category material

Like main weapons, each Phantom Edge category has three material tiers matching the same level brackets: 1–10, 10–20, and 20–30. Remnant Dust is still required on top of these.

Want to see every Phantom Edge in the game? Check our Phantom Blade Zero all Phantom Edges list.

How to Upgrade Weapons in Phantom Blade Zero 1

Weapon Perk Levels – What Unlocks at Each Milestone

Upgrading a weapon isn’t just about raw damage. At specific level thresholds, weapons unlock new perks and techniques that change how they actually play:

Level 5 — First technique unlock (unique per weapon)
Level 10 — Second technique or passive unlock
Level 15 — Third enhancement unlock
Level 25 — Fourth enhancement unlock

For example, the Jagged Steel unlocks Blood Blade at level 5 — a slash triggered on guard-broken enemies — and Relentless Bleed at level 10. The Scarlet Wraithblade gets Scarlet Field at level 5 and Hidden Thorns at level 10, which boosts explosion damage and Sha-Chi depletion. Every weapon has its own perk path, so it’s worth checking what you’re working toward before you start investing heavily.

Checking the level 5 and level 10 perks before committing to a weapon is smart. You can upgrade to level 10 and back out for free if a weapon’s perk path doesn’t suit your build — more on that below.

Looking for weapons with strong upgrade paths? See our Phantom Blade Zero all weapons list for the full breakdown.

How to Get Upgrade Materials

You’ll find materials through a few different sources:

Chests — found throughout every region during exploration
Enemy drops — many standard and elite enemies drop metals and Solvents
Shops — the Peddler at the Weeping Creek Outpost and other merchants sell upgrade materials for Remnant Dust
Quick Hand Zhang’s hideouts — he stocks upgrade materials across his locations in Crimson Forest, Village of Lu, Pangzhen, and Meigu Village

Remnant Dust itself comes from defeating enemies and looting the environment. It’s the main currency used in almost every transaction in the game, so keeping a solid stock is always useful.

Note that enemies in Phantom Blade Zero do not respawn infinitely, so if you run low on materials from enemies, lean on shops and chests to top up.

How to Upgrade Weapons in Phantom Blade Zero 2

How to Revert Weapon Upgrades – Getting Materials Back

Upgraded the wrong weapon? You can get your materials back. In the Upgrade Equipment menu, select the weapon and open the Revert option. The refund rules depend on what level the weapon is currently at:

Levels 2–10 — completely free to revert. All materials and Remnant Dust are returned.
Levels 11–20 — requires a Weapon Reforge Talisman (for main weapons) or a Phantom Reforge Talisman (for Phantom Edges).
Levels 21–30 — check the in-game Revert screen for the specific talisman requirement at that level.

This free window through level 10 is a useful safety net. It means you can test a weapon’s level 5 perk without permanently committing your materials to it. Once you decide you like the weapon’s direction, push past level 10 with confidence.

The two talisman types are not interchangeable. A Weapon Reforge Talisman only works on main weapons. A Phantom Reforge Talisman only works on Phantom Edges. Don’t buy the wrong one.

Also worth knowing: Soul Temper upgrades are irreversible. Reverting a weapon’s regular upgrade levels does not undo any Soul Tempering already applied.

Soul Temper – The Advanced Upgrade System

Soul Temper is a second layer of weapon enhancement that becomes available later in the game. You unlock it by reaching Pangzhen around Chapter 4 and speaking with an NPC named Myst in her tavern.

After that first conversation, Soul Temper is accessible from any Bell under the Upgrade Equipment menu — no need to return to Myst each time.

Here’s how Soul Temper differs from regular upgrades:

Each Soul Temper requires a unique material tied to that specific weapon — not a general-purpose resource. Finding the material for one weapon doesn’t help any other.
Cost is 5,000 Remnant Dust per Soul Temper upgrade.
Effects are permanent and cannot be reversed.
Some Soul Tempers actually transform the weapon into a stronger version with new perks and higher damage output.

Soul Temper applies to both main weapons and Phantom Edges, but not accessories. Think of it as the final tier of commitment for a weapon you’ve decided to build around.

Because these upgrades are irreversible, make sure you’ve tested the weapon thoroughly and like its perk path before using a Soul Temper material on it.

Which Weapons Should You Upgrade First?

A few practical tips to help you spend materials wisely:

Upgrade your main weapon first before spreading resources thin. A level 20+ primary blade makes a bigger difference than four weapons at level 5.
Check the level 5 and level 10 perks of a new weapon before committing beyond the free-refund threshold. If the perk doesn’t fit how you play, swap to something else.
Don’t neglect your Phantom Edge. A higher-level Phantom Edge can cover gaps in your main weapon’s reach or damage type, especially against certain bosses.
Save Reforge Talismans until you’re sure you want to redirect materials. They’re useful but not infinite early on.

For guidance on specific weapons, check out individual weapon guides like the Sanguine weapon guide, Scarlet Wraithblade guide, White Serpent and Crimson Viper guide, and the Outlaw Warblade guide. For Phantom Edges, see the Feather Bow guide, Dread Axe guide, and the Bastion guide.

More Phantom Blade Zero Guides

Now that your weapons are leveling up, here’s more to explore:

Phantom Blade Zero is available on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Visit the official site at pbz.s-game.com.