Phantom Blade Zero Jing Ye, the Outlaw Boss Guide: Mounted Phase, Shield Phase, and the Outlaw Warblade

Before the fight, grab the Cavalrybane accessory from a golden chest at the end of a cave near the Outlaw Trap area (25% more damage to mounted enemies) and the Shieldbreaker Talisman from a chest on the Abandoned Main Road (50% more shield-break damage). On horseback, keep just outside his sword reach, dodge his blood knives sideways, and parry his close strikes to break his guard. When the horse kneels, punish hard until he is knocked off. On foot, do not waste normal attacks on his spiked shield: hit him with a fully charged Dread Axe (level

5) to break it, then finish him with your sword. His heavy attacks drain your Sha-Chi, so switch weapons to refill it, and never get caught by his grab: it heals him.

Jing Ye waits on a wide sandy track east of the Outlaw Trap bell in Crimson Forest, lined with red-leaved trees and boulders, a dead horse lying beside a rock where the path opens up. He sits on his bone-plated warhorse further along, and the fight starts as soon as his name bar appears. The nearest bell is Outlaw Trap; rest there, upgrade, and stock up before walking in.

Two accessories change this fight more than any weapon upgrade. Cavalrybane increases damage to mounted enemies by 25%; it sits in a golden chest at the end of a cave in the Outlaw Trap area. The Shieldbreaker Talisman increases shield-break damage by 50%; it is in a chest on the Abandoned Main Road in Crimson Forest, on the road before the bridge at the start of the region. Equip both before you walk in.

The mounted phase lasts until he has lost about 40% of his health, around 26,400 HP left of 44,083. Keep just outside his sword reach: close enough to punish his blue and red flashing melee attacks, far enough to step back from his ranged attack. His most dangerous move is the blood knives, which come in three different animations. When the horse whinnies and rears back, the knives rush at you and home in as soon as its front hooves hit the ground. Dodge to the side, not forward or backward, whichever animation plays. Blocking does not stop the bleed buildup from his Red Threads, so do not sit behind your guard during the volley. Parry his mounted strikes and perfect-dodge the horse’s leap and air charge, then counter. When his guard breaks, the horse kneels: hit him hard. Repeat until his health drops to the dismount point and a prompt knocks him off the horse.

On foot he fights with a long blade and a large round shield covered in spikes. Ordinary attacks are blocked by the shield, so do not waste your combos on it. The answer is the Dread Axe: bring it to at least level 5 so you can use the instant full-power charge, and unleash a fully charged attack the moment he is knocked off, then again whenever the shield is up. With the Shieldbreaker Talisman equipped, the shield breaks far faster. Once the shield is gone he fights on as a swordsman, more aggressive but without the wall in front of him. Two things to watch: his heavy attacks drain your Sha-Chi, and if it empties you cannot parry or block, so switch main weapons to refill it; and his grab attack heals him if it lands, so dodge it every time.

Beating Jing Ye gives you the Outlaw Warblade, a two-handed weapon with 240 Damage and 106 Guard Break. Its trick is a trade: you spend your own HP to unleash powerful attacks, and the damage you take that way is recoverable by landing hits. It was one of the most used early weapons in the first week after launch, and it carries you well into the next region. Winning also opens the road deeper into Crimson Forest.

His spiked shield blocks ordinary attacks. Use a fully charged Dread Axe (level

5) with the Shieldbreaker Talisman to break it, then attack.

Cavalrybane is in a golden chest at the end of a cave near the Outlaw Trap area; the Shieldbreaker Talisman is in a chest on the Abandoned Main Road in Crimson Forest. Both are before the fight.

Yes. Jing Ye has no phase checkpoint: every death sends you back to the mounted phase.

Dodge to the side. The knives home in, and blocking does not stop their bleed buildup.