Phantom Blade Zero Difficulty Modes Explained (Wayfarer to 66 Days)

Phantom Blade Zero asks you to choose a difficulty before you take a single swing. The choice appears as soon as you start a new game on PC through Steam. Four modes are listed, but only three are open on your first run.

Quick answer: Pick Wayfarer for story, Pathbreaker (the default) if you know action games, or Hellwalker for the hardest fight. 66 Days unlocks after one completed run and caps you at 66 deaths.

Mode	On-screen description	Who it suits	Availability
WAYFARER	“A gentler path through the Wulin. Focus on the story, take in the world, fight at your own pace.”	Story-first players	From the start
PATHBREAKER	“A true test of skill. For those who’ve swung a blade before and are ready for a real fight.”	Players with action-game experience	From the start (pre-selected)
HELLWALKER	“The ultimate trial. Enemies strike without mercy, adapt without warning, and hold nothing back.”	Players who want the hardest regular mode	From the start
66 DAYS	“Same difficulty as ‘Hellwalker,’ but deaths are limited to 66 times. Unlocked after completing the game on any other difficulty.”	Players chasing a post-completion challenge	After finishing the game once

How to pick a difficulty in Phantom Blade Zero

The difficulty screen is part of starting a new game. The title-screen Settings menu has no difficulty option, but you can switch modes later from the in-game Settings.

On the title screen, select NEW GAME. The menu shows three entries: NEW GAME, SETTINGS, and QUIT GAME.

Move the cursor through the four modes. The cursor starts on PATHBREAKER. The description line under the list updates to match whichever entry is highlighted.

Select the mode you want. On your first run, 66 DAYS is greyed out, so your options are WAYFARER, PATHBREAKER, and HELLWALKER.

Sunlit bamboo grove and temple with two wooden swords and a white dove, difficulty options listed at left. — Wayfarer highlighted on the Phantom Blade Zero difficulty menu, described as a gentler path through the Wulin that focuses on the story.

The selected option also determines the backdrop, making it easy to verify your choice. Pathbreaker features a shadowy nighttime view of two crossed swords, while 66 Days washes the entire display in red.

Wayfarer vs Pathbreaker vs Hellwalker

Wayfarer is the game’s own pick for players who care most about the story. Its pitch is about taking in the world and fighting at your own pace, rather than proving anything.

Pathbreaker is where the game expects most people to land. It’s pre-selected when the screen opens, and its description speaks to anyone who has played action games before and wants a real fight.

Hellwalker is the hardest of the three modes open from the start. The game describes enemies that attack without mercy and adapt without warning. If you want the toughest regular run, this is it.

Dark rainy temple courtyard with two crossed swords stuck in rocks, difficulty options listed on the left. — The difficulty selection menu in Phantom Blade Zero with Pathbreaker highlighted, alongside Wayfarer, Hellwalker and 66 Days.

How to change difficulty in Phantom Blade Zero

Your New Game choice is not locked in. Once you are playing, the Game tab of the in-game Settings gains a Difficulty section with a Select Difficulty row above the HUD options.

Open the menu during play and go to Settings.

On the Game tab, highlight Select Difficulty and use the left and right arrows to pick Wayfarer, Pathbreaker or Hellwalker. The panel on the right repeats each mode’s description.

Phantom Blade Zero in-game Settings Game tab with the Select Difficulty row set to Pathbreaker — The Select Difficulty row in the Game tab of Phantom Blade Zero’s in-game Settings, with all four modes described on the right

How to unlock 66 Days

66 Days becomes available once you complete the game on any other difficulty. Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, and Hellwalker all count. Until then, the entry sits greyed out at the bottom of the list.

The mode uses Hellwalker’s difficulty and adds a hard limit of 66 deaths. That makes it a second-run challenge built on top of the game’s hardest regular setting, not a separate tier of enemy difficulty. Before your first fight, check the default controls for block, dodge and lock-on.