The Baishan Stormswords are a powerful dual-wield weapon in Phantom Blade Zero, combining fast melee combos, lightning damage, and devastating special attacks. Their real strength comes from building up the Wind Sword and Thunder Sword gauges and activating Baishan’s Blessing.
Once both gauges are full, your attacks become significantly stronger, allowing you to overwhelm groups of enemies and deal heavy damage to bosses.
This guide explains the weapon’s mechanics, how to charge its buffs, which abilities to prioritize, and how to get the most out of its special attacks.
Phantom Blade Zero Baishan Stormswords Guide – Dual-Wield Tips
The Baishan Stormswords use two separate gauges:
- Wind Sword: Builds through standard attacks and, at weapon level 15, successful parries.
- Thunder Sword: Builds through Shachi combos and can be charged directly with a special weapon action once the weapon reaches level 5.
Filling both gauges activates Baishan’s Blessing, a temporary damage-enhancing state that lasts 20 seconds initially.
Your goal is to activate this buff as efficiently as possible, then use the enhanced attacks and special abilities before it expires.
How to Charge the Wind Sword
The Wind Sword gauge is primarily filled by using your standard attack combo.
- Press Square repeatedly to perform basic attacks.
- Continue attacking enemies to build the Wind Sword gauge.
- At weapon level 15, successful parries also generate Wind Sword gauge.
This makes aggressive play particularly effective. Instead of relying entirely on attacking, you can build your gauge while defending against incoming strikes.
Tip: When several enemies are nearby, parry their attacks while continuing to attack a weaker target. This helps you charge the Wind Sword without wasting time waiting for openings.
How to Charge the Thunder Sword
The Thunder Sword gauge is built through Shachi attacks.
- Press Triangle to perform Shachi combos.
- At weapon level 5, hold Triangle to activate a special weapon buff that fully charges the Thunder Sword.
- Use this charge before entering combat whenever possible.
The ability to fully charge the Thunder Sword before a fight makes the weapon much easier to manage. You can then focus on building the Wind Sword through attacks and parries.
Baishan’s Blessing: The Weapon’s Main Buff
When both the Wind Sword and Thunder Sword gauges are full, Baishan’s Blessing activates.
During this state:
- Your attacks deal increased damage.
- The Wind Sword enhances the Shachi depletion caused by Square attacks.
- The Thunder Sword adds lightning buildup to Triangle attacks, potentially paralyzing enemies.
- You gain access to the Lightning Storm special attack.
At weapon level 25, Baishan’s Blessing lasts 30 seconds instead of 20, giving you more time to deal damage before rebuilding your gauges.
Lightning Storm: Your Powerful Area Attack
Lightning Storm is a special attack that consumes both active sword buffs.
To use it, press L1 and Triangle simultaneously while Baishan’s Blessing is active.
The attack unleashes a powerful spinning storm that can hit multiple enemies. Because it consumes your buffs, timing is important.
When to Use Lightning Storm
- Near the end of Baishan’s Blessing: Use the attack just before the buff expires to get additional damage from the remaining duration.
- Against groups of enemies: The attack is especially useful when enemies are clustered together.
- During Soul Tempering: Once the weapon is Soultempered, Lightning Storm pulls enemies inward and builds both gauges again whenever it hits.
The Soultempered effect makes Lightning Storm particularly valuable. Although it ends your current buffs, hitting multiple enemies can quickly rebuild both gauges and help you activate Baishan’s Blessing again.
Weapon Level Bonuses
The Baishan Stormswords become more effective as you invest in their weapon levels.
| Weapon Level | Upgrade Effect |
|---|---|
| Level 5 | Unlocks the ability to fully charge the Thunder Sword by holding Triangle |
| Level 10 | Increases Wind Sword and Thunder Sword gauge buildup |
| Level 15 | Successful parries generate Wind Sword gauge |
| Level 20 | Further increases both gauges’ buildup rates |
| Level 25 | Extends Baishan’s Blessing from 20 to 30 seconds |
| Level 30 | Greatly increases gauge buildup |
The gauge buildup improvements at levels 10, 20, and 30 make it easier to maintain your buffs throughout longer encounters.
Best Combat Strategy Against Groups
The Baishan Stormswords are especially effective against groups because their special attacks can hit multiple enemies and help rebuild your gauges.
Before Engaging
- Hold Triangle to fully charge the Thunder Sword.
- Approach the nearest enemy and begin using basic Square combos.
- Parry incoming attacks to accelerate Wind Sword buildup.
- Activate Baishan’s Blessing when both gauges are full.
During Combat
Once Baishan’s Blessing is active, use Triangle combos to apply lightning buildup and deal heavy damage.
If enemies are tightly grouped, use Lightning Storm to pull them together and hit multiple targets. With Soul Tempering, the attack can help rebuild both gauges while damaging the group.
Against enemies spread across the area, focus on one target at a time with Shachi combos, then move to the next enemy.
Best Combat Strategy Against Bosses
The weapon’s buff-management system is also effective against bosses, especially when you time your attacks around their guard.
Opening the Fight
- Hold Triangle before engaging to charge the Thunder Sword.
- Use basic attacks and parries to fill the Wind Sword gauge.
- Activate Baishan’s Blessing as soon as both gauges are ready.
Maintaining Pressure
During the buff, use Shachi combos to deal damage and build lightning buildup. If the boss is close to being guard-broken, continue attacking to push them toward the break.
Using Bishan Wind Thunder Slash
Bishan Wind Thunder Slash is the weapon’s Power Surge ability.
It is particularly effective while your weapon buffs are active, making it a strong choice when:
- The boss is close to being guard-broken.
- You want to extend pressure during a vulnerable phase.
- The boss is about to recover from a guard break and you need another attack to interrupt their recovery.
Using this ability during Baishan’s Blessing can help you maintain offensive pressure and create opportunities for follow-up combos.
The Baishan Stormswords are a rewarding weapon for players who enjoy aggressive combat and managing temporary buffs. Their mechanics are straightforward once you understand how the two gauges work, but mastering the timing of Lightning Storm and Bishan Wind Thunder Slash can greatly improve your damage output.
Keep the Thunder Sword charged, build the Wind Sword through attacks and parries, and make the most of Baishan’s Blessing whenever both gauges are full. With practice, this weapon can become a devastating choice for both crowd control and boss encounters.
