Phantom Blade Zero Trophy Guide
Short answer: the platinum is “Defy Destiny” and it is one of the friendlier ones in the genre — 4/10 difficulty, 30–40 hours, one playthrough on the easiest setting is enough. There are 36 trophies (1 platinum, 3 gold, 14 silver, 18 bronze), no online requirements, and 7 missables you need to plan around.
The numbers
| Total trophies | 36 (1 platinum · 3 gold · 14 silver · 18 bronze) |
|---|---|
| Hidden trophies | 19 |
| Online trophies | 0 — the game is single-player only |
| Difficulty-specific trophies | None. Easiest mode is fine |
| Estimated difficulty | 4/10 on Wayfarer, 6/10 on standard |
| Estimated time | 30–40 hours for the platinum |
| Minimum playthroughs | 1, if you finish the true-ending route |
| Steam equivalent | 66 achievements on PC |
The whole list is obtainable in a single run because nothing is gated behind difficulty and there is no NG+-only trophy. The trade-off: the true ending requires finishing the purple-icon journal quests, which is where most completionists lose their platinum.
What the golds are
| Trophy | Rarity | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Defy Destiny | Platinum | Earn every other trophy |
| With Heart and Blood | Gold | Complete all purple-icon journal quests in the Illusory Realm, then defeat Zhu Yuan and Bi Feng — this is the true-ending chain |
| All Dreams Must End | Gold | Story-related gold; exact unlock step is documented in the full list |
| The Four Freed | Gold | Story-related gold; hidden until earned |
The 7 missables — plan around these first
Missable trophies are the only reason this list needs a roadmap. The pattern to watch for is regional: once a region's story beat advances, its side content can close. Before pushing the main path in any of the eight regions:
- Finish every purple-icon journal quest you can see.
- Complete NPC requests in the region you are standing in, not later.
- Do not skip optional encounters that appear on the map — some feed the journal chain.
- Keep a manual save before each region's boss, so a missed quest is recoverable.
The single most-missed trophy is With Heart and Blood, because it sits at the end of a journal chain rather than on the main story path. If you are chasing the platinum, treat the journal as the main quest and the story as the side quest.
Route that avoids a second playthrough
- Play on Wayfarer. Nothing is locked behind difficulty, and the lower parry pressure makes journal quests faster to clear.
- Clear each region fully before its boss. Journal quests, optional encounters, Memory Flowers and Phantom Edges. This is also how you get permanently stronger, so it is not wasted time.
- Upgrade one Phantom Edge to max level (30). That is a separate trophy and easy to leave until the end, when materials are scarce.
- Take the true-ending branch. Finish the journal chain, then beat Zhu Yuan and Bi Feng. Both gold trophies and the platinum land here.
- Mop up combat trophies in the post-game. Enemies do not respawn, so any “defeat X with Y” trophies are easiest before you finish a region, not after.
Things that will not block you
- No online or co-op trophies — the game has no multiplayer at all.
- No difficulty trophies, so Hellwalker and 66 Days are optional.
- No DLC-dependent trophies; the platinum is achievable on the base game.
- No collectible trophy tied to a specific edition or pre-order bonus.