To get to Meigu Lake in Phantom Blade Zero, you need the Flaming Mane first: go to the Pavilion of Knowledge Crossroads in northeast Pangzhen, burn the brambles that block the way, cross the rooftops to the Dockside Warehouse, beat Soulclaimer, Elite Shadow Warden, and ring the Pangzhen Docks bell. From the docks, a boat carries you out onto the lake.
Meigu Lake is the story region that follows Pangzhen, a misty stretch of water dotted with islands, each with its own dock. Below is what to get before you set off, the full route to the boats, the optional fight worth taking on the way, and what waits at every dock once you are on the water.
Before You Go: Get the Flaming Mane
The route to the docks is sealed by damp brambles, and the only thing that clears them is the Flaming Mane, the lion-head Phantom Edge whose Burning Path ability burns them away. Burning Path works even when the Flaming Mane is not equipped, so you only need to own it.
You get it during The Heart’s Trail, a main story quest in Pangzhen. Beat Flame, the Lion Dance Grandmaster, in the Lion Dance Hall to collect the Dormant Flaming Mane, then take it to Lei Dang at Jingyang Hall and have it repaired. Our guide to how to get the Flaming Mane walks through that whole route, including the key that opens the hall.
Two other things are worth doing before you sail:
- The Mandate Encampment. This optional area opens partway through Pangzhen and holds six bosses, ending with Yubi, another of the Great Puppets. Its bosses drop weapons and Phantom Edges you can take onto the lake. Our guide to how to beat Yubi covers its last fight.
- Upgrades. The lake’s bosses come later in the story than Pangzhen’s, so spend your Remnant Dust at a bell first. Our guide to how to upgrade weapons explains what to spend it on.
Step by Step: Pangzhen to the Docks
- Go to the Pavilion of Knowledge Crossroads. This bell in northeast Pangzhen is where the route to the docks begins.
- Burn the brambles. Take the stairs on the left and interact with the wall of vines to burn it away with the Flaming Mane.
- Cross the rooftops. Follow the path up onto the roofs, climb the wall at the end, and cross the gap on the chain.
- Ring the Dockside Warehouse bell. This is your checkpoint before the boss, so rest and adjust your build here.
- Beat Soulclaimer, Elite Shadow Warden. He guards the way down to the water. He drops Parting Hooks when he falls.
- Ring the Pangzhen Docks bell. Go down the stairs past his arena and the bell is on your right. Before moving on, check the house by the water: a Sha-Chi Amber Fragment sits on its upper floor.
- Take a boat. The boats moored here belong to the Order and run on Sha-Chi. Interact with one to set out, and the Meigu Lake region begins.
Soulclaimer plays by the same rules as every boss in the game: parry the attacks that flash blue, dodge the ones that flash red, and save your big combos for when his Sha-Chi breaks. If the timing still feels off, our guide to how to parry covers it.
The Optional Stop at the Docks: Zhu Yuan
Before you take the boat, the docks also lead toward a Sha-Chi Tower, where Zhu Yuan, the Searing Blade, waits off the main route. He is one of the Two Blade Masters, and beating him drops Scorching Flames, one half of the Flaming Grip. The other half comes from a Long Pillar out on the lake, so it makes sense to fight him now and finish the set on the water. Our guide to how to get the Flaming Grip covers both fights and what the finished item turns into.
Every Dock on Meigu Lake
Once you are on the lake, the boat lets you choose where to land. These are the docks and what each one holds:
| Dock | What is there |
|---|---|
| Meigu Songhouse Dock | Yan Qiansui, the Zither Maiden, who drops Illusory Pipa Strings and Fanatic’s Fragment: Attachment |
| Pangzhen Sha-Chi Tower | A landing at the lower part of the tower where Zhu Yuan fights |
| Meigu Village West Dock | One of Quick Hand Zhang’s hideouts and the tale Quick Hand’s Request |
| Meigu Village East Dock | Acolyte Guhe, summoned at a scarecrow |
| Village of Lu Shallows Dock | Grief-Stricken Jin, a boss tied to the Pangzhen tale A Brother Once More, who drops the Rouge Box accessory |
| Lake Banyan Dock | The One-Eyed Archer, and the way to the Midlake Long Pillar, where beating the Gold-Masked One earns The Quenched Flaming Grip |
| White Serpent House Dock | A golden chest with the Treasure Basin, and Heartpiercer, Elite Shadow Warden, behind a locked door |
| Blackwater Crew Dock | Your second fight with You Loong, leader of the Blackwater Crew, who drops the Loong Trident |
The locked door at the White Serpent House needs two keys you collect elsewhere: one from the Black Serpent House in the Village of Lu and one from the Red Serpent House in the Crimson Forest. Heartpiercer drops the Sundering Dual Axes.
Three of these fights add up to a trophy. Beat You Loong, Yan Qiansui and the One-Eyed Archer for Master of the Misty Waters, which our trophy list covers along with the rest. The Long Pillar duel is part of the Bloodline Awakening tale, and our guide to how to beat the Gold-Masked One explains his moves and every pillar’s reward.
Where Meigu Lake Leads
You can visit the islands in any order. The north of the lake is where the region ends, and it leads on to the Mountain of Imprisonment, an optional region where Commander Bi Feng, the other Blade Master, waits. Beating both Blade Masters and finishing all five Long Pillars count toward the true ending, which our guide to how to get the true ending explains in full.
The lake also hides a fourth Long Pillar duel, reached through the Four Guardians’ Mirror bell once you hold all four Acolyte Masks, and the Blizzard Blademaster at the end of the Phantom Illusionist Ruins. Our list of every boss in order shows where each one fits, and every other guide is on our Phantom Blade Zero hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get to Meigu Lake in Phantom Blade Zero? Start at the Pavilion of Knowledge Crossroads bell in northeast Pangzhen, burn the brambles with the Flaming Mane, cross the rooftops to the Dockside Warehouse, beat Soulclaimer, and take a boat from the Pangzhen Docks.
Do you need the Flaming Mane to reach Meigu Lake? Yes. Damp brambles block the route to the docks, and only the Flaming Mane’s Burning Path clears them. You do not need it equipped.
Which boss guards the Pangzhen Docks? Soulclaimer, Elite Shadow Warden, fought right after the Dockside Warehouse bell. He drops Parting Hooks.
Where is the Pangzhen Docks bell? At the bottom of the stairs past Soulclaimer’s arena, on the right.
Which bosses are at Meigu Lake? You Loong (second fight), Yan Qiansui, the One-Eyed Archer, Heartpiercer, Grief-Stricken Jin, Acolyte Guhe, the Gold-Masked One at two Long Pillars, and the Blizzard Blademaster, plus Zhu Yuan at the Sha-Chi Tower by the docks.
Can you explore Meigu Lake in any order? Yes. The islands can be visited in any order; the north end of the lake is where the region finishes.