The best accessories to upgrade in Phantom Blade Zero are the Reflex Device and the Ancient Armor Fragment, the two staples that take a second polish, followed by the Counterstrike Bracers and the Rouge Box. Polishing unlocks once you meet Jewel at her shop in the Village of Lu, and from then on you can polish at any bell, under Upgrade Equipment.
Crystals are scarce early, and polishing cannot be undone, so where you spend the first few matters. Below is how polishing works, the four accessories worth your crystals first with their numbers before and after, what to leave alone, and where to find more crystals.
How Polishing Works
- Unlock it through Jewel. You meet her at her cliffside shop in the Village of Lu during Snake’s Reflection, the main story quest that follows the Crimson Forest. Talking to her unlocks polishing.
- Polish at any bell. Rest, open Upgrade Equipment, and pick the Accessories tab.
- Two crystals, two levels. The in-game text says the Tainted Crystal Shard is “Required to polish an accessory for the first time” and the Refined Indigo Crystal is “Required to polish an accessory for the second time.” Each polish also costs Remnant Dust.
- Most accessories stop at +1. Only some take a second polish, which is why the two that do sit at the top of this list.
- No refunds. Weapon upgrades can be reverted to get your materials back, as our guide to how to upgrade weapons explains. Polishing cannot, so every crystal is a permanent choice.
The Four Accessories to Polish First
| Accessory | Base effect | Polished +1 | Polished +2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflex Device | Parry and Perfect Dodge windows 15% wider | 20% wider (Tainted Crystal Shard, 5,280 Remnant Dust) | 25% wider (Refined Indigo Crystal, 7,920 Remnant Dust) |
| Ancient Armor Fragment | Up to 20% damage reduction at full HP | Up to 30% (Tainted Crystal Shard, 5,280 Remnant Dust) | Up to 40% (Refined Indigo Crystal, 7,920 Remnant Dust) |
| Counterstrike Bracers | 20% more damage for 2 seconds after a Parry | 30% more damage for 3 seconds (Tainted Crystal Shard, 14,688 Remnant Dust) | Maxes at +1 |
| Rouge Box | Halves the delay before Sha-Chi starts to regenerate | Cuts the delay by 90% (Tainted Crystal Shard, 17,856 Remnant Dust) | Maxes at +1 |
1. Reflex Device
The first crystal goes here. It is the accessory that helps in every fight, with every weapon, because Phantom Blade Zero’s bosses are built around blue attacks you parry and red ones you dodge. Two polishes take its bonus from 15% to 25%, and it is also the cheapest polish of the four. Our guide to how to get the Reflex Device covers where it is, and our guide to how to parry explains the timing it widens.
2. Ancient Armor Fragment
Doubling its cap from 20% to 40% damage reduction at full health makes it the strongest defensive polish in the game, and at the same price as the Reflex Device it is an easy second pick. It works best with a healing weapon such as the Outlaw Warblade, the reward from our guide to how to beat the Outlaw, which keeps your health near full. It sits in the yard outside Crimson Manor in Weeping Creek Valley.
3. Counterstrike Bracers
One polish improves both halves of its effect: more damage, for longer. With the Reflex Device making parries easier, the Bracers turn every one into a damage window, and the extra second at +1 gives you more time to cash it in. They come from the first Gold-Masked One duel, which our guide to how to beat the Gold-Masked One covers.
4. Rouge Box
The best pick for anyone whose build burns through Sha-Chi, which powers your guard, your Sha-Chi combos and your blocks. At +1 it nearly removes the pause before Sha-Chi starts to refill. It costs the most of the four, so polish it once the first three are done. It drops from Grief-Stricken Jin at the Village of Lu Shallows Dock on Meigu Lake, part of the Pangzhen tale A Brother Once More. Our guide to how to get to Meigu Lake has the route there.
What to Polish Next, and What to Skip
Once the core four are done, polish whatever accessories your build wears full-time. The Sha-Chi Headscarf, which speeds up Sha-Chi recovery, and Battleforged, which blocks a hit after a stretch without taking damage, both take a polish, and both are the kind of accessory you leave on.
Skip anything you only swap in for one fight. Flameward, Frostward, Thunderward and the Preservation Jar are worth a slot against the right boss, but a crystal spent on them is a crystal that could have gone on something you wear every fight. The same goes for an accessory you are trying out: since polishing cannot be refunded, wear it for a while before you commit. The A Puppet’s Wooden Heart summon accessory from our guide to where to find Pei is a good example: great if summons are your build, a waste of a crystal if they are not.
Where to Get More Crystals
- Quick Hand Zhang’s shop. The shop at the bells sells both the Tainted Crystal Shard and the Refined Indigo Crystal, and its stock grows as you find more of Quick Hand Zhang’s hideouts, one region at a time.
- Exploration. Crystals turn up in chests across every region, including the cracked, glowing wooden chests.
More polished accessories only help if you have the slots to wear them. You start with two, unlock up to six through the Boundless Capacity nodes in the skill menu, and can wear no more than three from one category. Our guide to the best accessories covers which ones earn those slots, and our guide to the best build shows how they fit together. Every other guide is on our Phantom Blade Zero hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best accessory to upgrade in Phantom Blade Zero? The Reflex Device. It helps in every fight, it is the cheapest of the top polishes, and it takes two polishes.
How do you upgrade accessories in Phantom Blade Zero? Meet Jewel at her shop in the Village of Lu during Snake’s Reflection, then polish at any bell under Upgrade Equipment, in the Accessories tab.
What do you need to polish an accessory? A Tainted Crystal Shard for the first polish and a Refined Indigo Crystal for the second, plus Remnant Dust each time.
Can you get polishing materials back? No. Unlike weapon upgrades, polishing cannot be reverted, so choose carefully.
How many times can you polish an accessory? Most accessories stop at one polish. A few, such as the Reflex Device and the Ancient Armor Fragment, take a second.
Where do you get Tainted Crystal Shards? From chests across every region and from Quick Hand Zhang’s shop at the bells.