How to Get Remnant Dust in Phantom Blade Zero (and What to Spend It On)

Quick answer: Defeat enemies and press E on white smoke swirls to earn Remnant Dust. Spend it on Train Abilities at any Bell or at Quick Hand Zhang’s shop.

In Phantom Blade Zero, Remnant Dust is the currency. The details here cover Chapter 1 (“AGAINST THE FLOW”) at Weeping Creek Valley, with PATHBREAKER set as the default difficulty.

You can check your balance in the top-right corner of the screen, next to a small sparkle icon. The total appears whenever it changes, and on menu screens like Train Abilities and Items. Each time you earn some, a short “+N” figure appears just above the total.

How to get Remnant Dust

Defeating an enemy earns Remnant Dust. A more formidable thug wielding a pair of hoes awards +340; she also drops a Sha-Chi Amber Shard at that moment. The counter displays “+ 340” above the new total of 11,256.

Remnant Dust gain shown above the total after a kill in Phantom Blade Zero — +340 Remnant Dust from the twin-hoe thug

Enemies that die near you count too: you don’t need to land the final blows for their deaths to count. In the Jagged Steel boss arena, the boss faces a Gold Mask and an Iron Mask. When he defeats them, your total increases by 1,114.

Spot white smoke spirals on the ground and press E to pick them up. A spiral displaying an E prompt marks a Remnant Dust pickup. Collecting it makes the swirl vanish and boosts your total. One is next to a twisted tree where a wooden plank trail ends, on the plateau above Rustblade Pavilion. The +898 reward takes the total from 11,257 to 12,155.

A white smoke swirl Remnant Dust pickup with the E prompt in Phantom Blade Zero — A Remnant Dust swirl with the E prompt

Remnant Dust total after picking up a swirl in Phantom Blade Zero — After the pickup the total reads 12,155

Equip the Treasure Basin accessory if you own it. This pre-order bonus increases the Remnant Dust you earn by 10%.

Do you lose Remnant Dust when you die?

On PATHBREAKER, your total doesn’t change after death. Across several separate Chapter 1 deaths, the amount at the Bell after respawning matched the balance from before each death. In one case, it remained 10,682 before and after. For details on respawning, see the death and respawn guide.

What to spend Remnant Dust on

Use	Example cost	Where
Train Abilities (Flowing Chi)	10,000	Any Bell
Traversal Talisman	2,000	Quick Hand Zhang’s shop
Forged Metal	1,040	Quick Hand Zhang’s shop
Traverse between Bells	Free	Any Bell

Quick Hand Zhang sells items for Remnant Dust, including Forged Metal. Fast travel with Traverse doesn’t cost any Remnant Dust.

Train abilities at a Bell

Rest at a Bell. The Bell menu lists Traverse, Train Abilities, Save, and Leave.

Open Train Abilities and select the ability you want. Each ability’s Remnant Dust cost appears in its prompt. For Flowing Chi, the prompt reads “HOLD Space TO TRAIN 10000”.

Flowing Chi in Train Abilities costing 10,000 Remnant Dust in Phantom Blade Zero — Flowing Chi costs 10,000 Remnant Dust

Hold Space to train the ability. The screen shows “TRAINING COMPLETE”, and the cost is subtracted from your balance. Training Flowing Chi lowers the total from 12,155 to 2,155.

Flowing Chi training complete with 2,155 Remnant Dust left in Phantom Blade Zero — Training complete: 12,155 down to 2,155

If you want to try a different setup, press P on the same screen. This resets all of your abilities and gives back the Remnant Dust you spent on them. You’ll find more detail in the ability training and respec guide.