Zuo Shang is the first real test in Phantom Blade Zero, and you face him twice before the prologue ends. The first time is a sparring match right after the combat tutorial. The second is a duel on a rain-soaked battlefield against Zuo Shang, the Order’s Shadow Sovereign. Both fights run on the same loop. You drain his guard, punish the break, and never try to block a red attack.
Quick answer: Break his guard with Sha-Chi Combos (F F F, or Left Mouse then F F). Tap Right Mouse to parry his normal attacks, dodge Red-flash attacks with Left Shift, and heal with R when your health runs low.
Default PC controls and difficulty for the Zuo Shang fights
These are the default PC keys, which you can find under Settings > Controls (full list in our Phantom Blade Zero controls guide). Every step below uses them.
| Action | Default key |
|---|---|
| Light Attack | Left Mouse |
| Heavy (Sha-Chi) Attack | F |
| Block / Parry | Right Mouse |
| Dodge | Left Shift |
| Power Surge | Q |
| Heal (Healing Flask / Medicine) | R |
| Lock On | Mouse wheel click |
PATHBREAKER is the standard setting, and both fights can be cleared at that level. For a more forgiving challenge, select WAYFARER: enemy attacks deal x0.7 damage, hits drain your Sha-Chi bar at x0.33 strength, and the parry window is at its widest. Boss health is identical on every difficulty, so lowering the setting won’t reduce Zuo Shang’s health. It just makes his attacks hurt less.
Set the difficulty under Settings > Game > Select Difficulty before a fight starts. If you try to change it mid-fight, the game blocks you with “Cannot perform this action during combat”.
Zuo Shang fight 1: the sparring match
The sparring match starts as soon as the combat tutorial ends. You fight in the same bamboo-ringed stone yard with a small pavilion, against the same opponent who ran you through the tutorial tasks. The boss bar reads “ZUO SHANG,” and the objective reads “Defeat Zuo Shang!”
Sparring match attacks and how to answer them
| Attack | Tell | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Forward lunge | Not red | Parry or dodge away |
| Red-flash thrust | Red streak across the screen | Dodge (Left Shift) |
| Leaping flying kick | Not red | Parry or dodge away |
| Low sweep | Not red | Parry or dodge away |
Red-flash attacks cannot be blocked or parried. Press Left Shift just before the thrust lands (how to dodge). The game sums up the whole fight in one line, “Parry blue and dodge red. Keep this in mind and you’ll go far.”
Zuo Shang fight 2: the Order’s Shadow Sovereign
The duel opens with a cutscene in which Zuo Shang says, “You’re late. Let’s get started already!” From here you play the adult Soul, and the gourd holds four Medicine uses. The fight takes place at night on a ruined, rain-soaked battlefield with spears and banners planted in the ground. Three prompts appear as it begins. They read “Give it all you’ve got! Use combos to break Zuo Shang’s guard!”, “Press [Left Mouse] repeatedly to perform Standard Attacks”, and “Press [F] repeatedly to perform Sha-Chi Attacks”.
Shadow Sovereign attacks and how to answer them
- Golden sweeping slash: a wide arc that sweeps around the arena.
- Heavy strikes: parry them. A clean parry throws red sparks.
- Red-flash spin: leaves a red ring on the ground around him. Dodge out of it and don’t block.
- Close-range Red-flash strikes: dodge with Left Shift.
During his big moves, verse-like lines appear on the left side of the screen, such as “Great is Heaven’s origin; all things begin from it”.
How the Zuo Shang fights end
Neither fight ends with a result screen, so don’t wait for one. In the sparring match, a cutscene takes over once his health is low. That cutscene is your sign that you won.
A cutscene also brings the duel to a close while his health bar still has some left. Soul says, “One more move. After that… It’s over.” Zuo Shang replies, “So be it. I have nothing left to say.” Reaching this exchange means you’ve won both of Zuo Shang’s prologue fights.
