Quick answer: Of the choices listed here, two can cost you something: agree to Old Man Gen’s request to keep The Journey Home alive, and read Inanis’ warning before crossing the bridge. Two story quests decide the ending, not dialogue.
Dialogue choices at a glance
| Where | Options | What it changes | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Man Gen, Village of Lu | At the opening prompt, pick “Immediately agree to Old Man Gen’s request” or “Not interested”. When prompted again, choose “Agree to Old Man Gen’s Request” or “Refuse Old Man Gen’s request”. | Agreeing gives Old Man Gen’s Brass Key | The Journey Home |
| Inanis, Mirage Estate bridge | “There’s still unfinished business. Return later.” / “No turning back now. Forward it is!” | Crossing switches off a set of Crimson Forest bells. | Missables |
| Yu’er’s father, Pangzhen backstreet | “She’s no longer with us” / “She’s still alive, but hiding” | A few lines | Yu’er’s father |
| Chen Zhu, Mountain of Imprisonment | “This won’t absolve you of your sins.” / “Never mind. Leave him be.” | Fight or he walks away; same rewards | Bai Xue |
| Lan Shaodi, Young Master Lan | “Then it’s settled” / “Thirty percent is too little” | Haggling sends Soul to Pangzhen first | Lan Shaodi’s proposition |
| Wounded Thief, Village of Lu | “Any Other Requests?” / “Leave” | Starts the tale, or ends the talk without it | Leave None Alive |
| Gentle Thief, Thieves’ Camp | Three-question quiz | Wrong answer ends the talk | Honor Among Thieves answers |
| Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend | “Start sparring!” / “Not ready yet” | Starts the spar, or holds it off | Use It Against Them |
| End of the prologue | No choice screen | Soul gets the Tainted Heart | Hollow or Tainted Heart |
| Senior Sister Ju, Crimson Forest camp | “It was you who killed her!” / “The dead cannot return. Mourn, and let go.” | She turns hostile at once, or holds off and turns later | Secrets of the Baishan Sect |
Choices that can cost you something
Old Man Gen and The Journey Home
Old Man Gen is in the Village of Lu, and his request starts The Journey Home. The conversation comes in two rounds. First you pick between “Immediately agree to Old Man Gen’s request” and “Not interested”. Later the menu offers “Agree to Old Man Gen’s Request” and “Refuse Old Man Gen’s request”.
Agreeing hands you Old Man Gen’s Brass Key, and the quest carries on into the Pangzhen backstreet. Having that key is how you know the quest is still on track. If you reach the Pangzhen backstreet while the quest is still on its opening step, it fails, and you lose these rewards:
- The War Wagon
- Old Man Gen’s memory flower
- The achievement Together Till the End
Inanis at the Mirage Estate bridge
In the Pangzhen backstreet, Inanis stops you at the Mirage Estate bridge, but only if Secrets at the Heart of the Lake is still unfinished. The two options are “There’s still unfinished business. Return later.” and “No turning back now. Forward it is!”
The first choice sends you back without changing anything, making it the safe option if you have unfinished tasks. If you cross the bridge, several bells in Crimson Forest are disabled.
Senior Sister Ju at the Crimson Forest camp
This is the talk many players look up as accusing Ju, though no option uses that word. “It was you who killed her!” turns her hostile straight away, and she can drop her loot. “The dead cannot return. Mourn, and let go.” avoids the fight for now; she turns later, after the Ambush Forest step, and you can talk to her again until then. If Leave None Alive has already turned the camp, she is a monster there.
Choices that only change a few lines
Some choices start or end a tale or conversation.
- Yu’er’s father: either answer changes a few lines and nothing more.
- Chen Zhu (Ledger of Atonement): “This won’t absolve you of your sins.” starts a fight, and “Never mind. Leave him be.” lets him go. Both paths give the Bloodstained Necklace, a Sha-Chi Amber Shard and the Backstreet Courtyard Key, and Bai Xue stays completable.
- Lan Shaodi: Select “Thirty percent is too little” to have Soul reject the offer. Lan Shaodi dispatches him to Pangzhen to check the goods, after which they will discuss the terms again.
- Wounded Thief (Leave None Alive): “Any Other Requests?” starts the tale. “Leave” ends the talk without it.
- Gentle Thief (Honor Among Thieves): a wrong quiz answer ends the conversation with no penalty.
- Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend: choose “Start sparring!” or “Not ready yet”.
- The two hearts: no choice screen appears at the end of the prologue. The scene gives Soul the Tainted Heart.
What is not decided by dialogue
Some of the biggest outcomes in Phantom Blade Zero never show up as a dialogue option.
- Endings: Secrets at the Heart of the Lake and Bloodline Awakening decide the ending, and it locks in when the Leng Tu fight starts.
- The Undying Heroic Spirit: Your dialogue choices have no effect; what matters is whether you kill each master as he kneels.
- Bai Chilian: beating her closes Honor Among Thieves, A Healer’s Mercy, Purge the Sect and Festering Secret .
