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Phantom Blade Zero has many boss fights that you will encounter along your journey. One such fight that you'll more than likely face somewhat early on while working to complete the Four Fierce Axes quest is Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic, who blocks a bridge once you start heading through the Crimson Forest area.
Hua Qianxiao has some powerful attack combos that can do a brutal amount of damage and feel like the first step up from the initial bosses you've previously faced. If you're wondering how to beat Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic, and unlock his weapon, the Fanatic's Blade, then this guide has all of the information you'll need.
Quick Links
- Where to Find Hua Qianxiao, The Sword Fanatic
- How to Beat Hua Qianxiao, The Sword Fanatic
- Boss Rewards - The Fanatic's Broken Blade
Where to Find Hua Qianxiao, The Sword Fanatic
Hua Qianxiao can be found in the Crimson Forest location, at Pangzhen Bridge Overlook. He will be standing on the bridge, blocking you from progressing any further, so he's rather difficult to miss.
How to Beat Hua Qianxiao, The Sword Fanatic
Hua Quianxiag is a very aggressive fighter, and he has an annoying kit including rapid-fire combos, a grapple, and some of the fastest stagger recovery you've faced yet.
To ensure you're properly set up for the fight, you'll want to go with the loadout of Jagged Steel / Sanguine Twin / Dread Axe / Hunter's Chain Sickle, and also make sure that you've fully leveled all of these weapons as far as possible at the nearest bell.
Best Loadout for Facing The Sword Fanatic
- Weapon 1: Jagged Steel
- Weapon 2: Sanguine Twin
- Phantom Edge 1: Dread Axe
- Phantom Edge 2: Hunter's Chain Sickle
Jagged Steel is the choice you'll want to go with for your main weapon. Then, keep Sanguine Twin as your swap for quick combos once you've depleted Hua Quianxiag's stagger gauge. You can also weave in hits with Hunter's Chain Sickle for more impact damage, or use it to set up your next combo, as it can latch onto an enemy and pull them to you, so it works really nice here.
The most important part of this setup by far, though, is the Dread Axe. Hua Quianxiag has a charged drinking attack that surrounds him with a bubble before unleashing powerful two hit attack with knockback, before leading into more aggressive attacks.
The Dread Axe can be used to completely break through the bubble and interrupt this move, making this one of the main advantages you'll have throughout the fight.
Tips for The Sword Fanatic Fight
- Hua Quianxiag uses combos composed from rapid-fire strikes, so you'll need to use up all of your parries and swap between your weapons frequently. The best chance you have is to interrupt him once he's staggered and chain off as many combos as possible before you let him get another hit in.
- Use the Dread Axe to interrupt his charged drinking attack - this will go a huge way. He starts the fight with this move, so go straight for the axe!
- He also has an annoying grounding attack where he pins you underneath him, leaving you unable to react for a moment, while also recovering stagger. Following this, be prepared to dodge immediately, as he will try to hit you with a follow up attack that has heavy impact.
- Take your time and wait for an opening with a red or blue flash for the best window to initiate your counterattack.
- Start chaining hits from the very first strike, swap weapons, and keep the combos flowing to rip away as much of his HP as possible before he recovers. Then stay patient and absorb those hits with your block until his stagger is gone again, rinse, and repeat.
Boss Rewards - The Fanatic's Broken Blade
After beating Hua Quianxiag, you will gain his weapon as a reward: The Fanatic's Broken Blade. It's a main weapon that has the ability to become a ranged weapon as a sword, but these effects only awaken after drinking.
Luckily, drinking is not something you need to seek out but rather an ability tied to the sword, triggered by pressing L1 + Triangle and lasting 15 seconds. You can use this to release an unblockable attack and become Tipsy or press L2 to become drunk.
When Drunk, you will have much less mobility and lose your block but boost your flying sword damage and auto-dodge any incoming attacks, making it a powerful asset. In other words, the Fanatic's Broken Blade is not only strong, but also a lot of fun to play.
