Phantom Blade Zero has a vast, vast array of build options. 30 weapons are accompanied by a further 30 Phantom Edges, with a bunch of accessories and medicines to really spice things up. 30 is the magic number, as on your first playthrough, you can upgrade your weapons and Phantom Edges to level 30.
There’s always a fear that, when you start a second playthrough, weapon and equipment levels stay capped. Thankfully, that’s not the case in Phantom Blade Zero, but you still have a unique hurdle to clear if you want to upgrade weapons past their cap in New Game+.
You Can Upgrade Phantom Blade Zero’s Weapons Past Their Level Cap In NG+
I’m lucky enough to have had the game for a while now, scoring it a 5/5 in my review. I’ve completed it twice and am now confident in what I feel are the game’s 10 Best Weapons and 10 Best Phantom Edges. It wasn’t until I was a little way through my second playthrough, though, that I realized that they could be upgraded past their level 30 cap.
I began my second playthrough using the Crescent Blade, my favorite weapon in the game, and the Blazing Edge, the Soul Tempered version of the Sanguine Reach. I checked at the first Bell to see whether I could upgrade them—I couldn’t—so I continued my adventure expecting that, in the later stages, I might feel a little underpowered.
I eventually reached the first Mandate Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley, spoke to the blacksmith, and collected another version of the Sanguine Reach, so I decided to check the weapon upgrade screen again. This time, I could upgrade my Blazing Edge. It turns out you can upgrade your weapons and Phantom Edges on NG+ after you’ve found them on your second playthrough.
I quickly realized I could upgrade any accessory I found again by +1. This often kept their base bonus the same, adding a 3% boost to a random stat like attack power or total Sha-Chi. Unfortunately, Medicines are the only items whose first-playthrough cap carries over into NG+.
These upgrades are easily missed, but can certainly help you turn the tide on the Maskwalkers in any subsequent playthroughs.
