Phantom Blade Zero Gold-Masked One: how to find him and beat the boss

You can finish the game without him. The Perfect ending is the reason not to, because it wants all five Long Pillars cleared and this is the first. The fight also works as a drill for the whole game, since it gives you the parry and dodge rules and nothing else to lean on.

How to unlock the Gold-Masked One

First you need into Creek Valley Plains. The gate is opened by the Sha-Chi Tower Base Camp Gate Key, which belongs to the Deep in the Valley quest. It sits on a rooftop ledge at the top of the Sha-Chi Tower. Swing across to it with the Hunter’s Chain Sickle, the item you get for beating The Hunt.

1. Reach Long Pillar Overlook. Follow the eastern main road through Creek Valley Plains to the house with the crane bell.
2. Open the chest. The Rusted Loong Key is inside the house.
3. Use the key. The locked door is in the caves northeast of the overlook.
4. Walk to the pillar. Follow the cave path to the Long Pillar and interact with it. That kicks off Bloodline Awakening and the fight.

How the fight works

Regular hits do nothing to him. His Sha-Chi gauge has to drop to zero first, and only defending successfully brings it down. Blue-flash attacks are the ones you parry. Red-flash attacks cannot be blocked or parried, so you perfect dodge them. The game puts a reminder on screen for the whole fight.

Holding block still stops a blue attack, but it burns your own Sha-Chi and leaves his alone. Tap the parry instead. When the gauge breaks he is staggered and takes real damage, so use your biggest combos then and go straight back to defending. It takes several rounds. The fight is a long grind more than a damage race.

His moves and how to answer them

Kick and sword strings up close

He rushes in with quick kicks and tight sword swipes. If he starts strafing in the middle of a string, he is setting up a red grab. That grab cannot be blocked and takes off a large share of your health, so dodge the moment it flashes.

The jump and sword spin

He leaps, spins his sword in the air and lands with a red strike. Ignore the spin and watch for the red flash on the way down. Dodge it there.

Sword slashes from range

At a distance he powers up his sword in red and fires slashes across the arena. These can be blocked normally. Then he rushes in with a blue strike, so be ready to parry as soon as he arrives.

Rewards and what comes next

Beating him gives you the Counterstrike Bracers, an accessory that adds 20% damage for two seconds after a successful parry. The pillar crumbles, and the second Long Pillar challenge opens in Crimson Forest. If he is beating you, leave and come back after upgrading your main weapon.

Why the Perfect ending needs him

The Long Pillars belong to Bloodline Awakening, and the Perfect ending asks for all five. They sit in Weeping Creek Valley, Crimson Forest, Meigu Lake East, the Phantom Illusionist Realm and Mirage Estate in Pangzhen. This fight is the earliest of them, which makes it the easiest to get out of the way.