Peng Meng, the Axemaster is the lumbering creature who guards the lake right outside the Mandate Outpost near the end of the Against the Flow main quest. He is built like a mountain, covered in scrap metal, and swings an executioner’s axe that will flatten your health bar if you mistime a roll. Since he’s the second main boss you encounter in Weeping Creek Valley, a few good strategies will help you easily take him down.
How to Defeat Peng Meng, the Axemaster in Phantom Blade Zero
Going into this fight, bring Jagged Steel upgraded to Level 2 or Level 3 at Forge. Peng Meng strikes hard and shakes off damage easily, but he’s completely vulnerable to status effects, particularly Bleed.
Jagged Steel inflicts Bleed buildup on every clean strike. Stacking this triggers Blood Loss, which chunks away a big percentage of boss health. When you drain Peng Meng’s Sha-Chi to nil and drop him to his knees, immediately trigger Jagged Steel Rampage. The multi-hit skill quickly maxes out the Bleed gauge before he can recover to his feet.
Peng Meng, the Axemaster Attacks List & Counter Strategies
| Attack | Visual Tell | Flash & Type | Can It Be Blocked? | Can It Be Parried? | How to Counter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Heavy Swings | Slow, heavily telegraphed vertical chops or horizontal slashes (1 to 3 hits). | None (Standard Attack) | Yes | Yes | Parry on impact to whittle down his Sha-Chi meter. |
| Blue-Flash Vertical Slam | The Axemaster delivers an initial foot stomp, then raises his axe, and slams it down with a bright blue glint. | Blue Flash (Brutal Move) | Yes (drains high Sha-Chi) | Yes (Ghoststep) | Parry right when the axe is about to fall. Triggers Ghoststep and teleports Soul behind him. |
| Axe Spin Combo | Right-to-left sweep → 360° torso spin into second sweep → downward stab → long windup pause that ends in a spinning move. | Blue Flash (Combo Finisher) | Partial (first 3 hits) | Yes (all swings, 4th triggers Ghoststep) | Parry the first three hits. Delay your timing on the 4th one until the blue flash, then parry. |
| The Ground-Drag Charge | Quick slash → off-hand elbow strike → buries axe head into the dirt and sprints forward, plowing mud toward you. | Blue Flash (Multi-Hit Rush) | Yes (heavy chip) | Yes (quick parry) | The charge hits up to 4 times in quick succession. Keep tapping the block button (L1 / LB) to deflect the charge. |
| Rising Floor Cleave | Delivers a forward kick → upward scoop → downward slam → levers axe out of the ground with an upward sweep. | Blue Flash (Combo Finisher) | Partial | Yes (on rising flash) | Block or dodge the kick and slam; wait out the slight delay while the axe is in the floor, then parry the rising blue flash. |
| Two-Handed Shoulder Swing | Peng Meng rests the axe across his shoulders with both hands, turns his back slightly, and pivots forward in a sweeping arc. | Blue Flash (Single-Hit Brutal) | Yes (high posture cost) | Yes (Ghoststep) | Watch his shoulders rotate. Parry when you see blue flash just before the blade sweeps forward. |
| Red-Flash Lunging Grab | Torso ignites with a Red glow; lunges forward with his empty off-hand to grab and slam Soul. | Red Flash (Killer Move) | No | No | Must dodge. Dodge laterally (R1 / RB) through the lunge to end up at his flank for a free punish chance. |
| Black Flash Ground Stomp | The screen briefly gets dark, and The Axemaster raises his leg high and drives his foot down, creating a wide shockwave. | Black Flash (Power Surge) | No (Wipes 100% Sha-Chi) | No | Dodge backward or sideways away from the falling foot. If accidentally blocked, swap weapons immediately to refill your Sha-Chi. |
| Leaping Body Slam / Belly Flop | Crouches low, leaps high into the air, and crashes down flat on his stomach. | Black Flash (Unblockable AOE) | No | No | Double-dodge away the moment he is airborne. He stays grounded for a few seconds after landing, so use this window to unload heavy combos. |
| Battle Cry (Roar) | Throws his head back and roars, pushing Soul back with a concussive dust ring. | Utility (Pushback / Disengage) | Yes | No | Hold block to reduce knockback. Never sprint in immediately because he follows the roar with an unblockable stomp, belly flop, or Red Grab. |
| QTE Finisher | Triggers under ~5% HP. The screen shifts to cinematic monochrome while he delivers one last desperate swing. | Quick-Time Event | N/A | Scripted Counter | Press the on-screen prompt (△ / Y) to trigger the decapitation and end the battle. |
Peng Meng Boss Strategy
Keep the fight anchored in the open center of the lake. Backpedaling toward the shoreline traps you against broken docks and huts where the camera gets caught on geometry, which makes boss swings hard to read. Circle his flanks instead of retreating in a straight line. Stay glued to Peng Meng hips, keep swinging to maintain offensive pressure, and parry on reaction as you see his weapon shaft shift. You set the pace, not him.
When you break the beast’s posture and put him in the mud, don’t waste your Power Surge right away. He’s already helpless in the downed state, so standard attack strings will easily rack up free damage and build toward a Bleed proc. Instead, buffer Power Surge the exact instant his torso lifts off the ground to stand back up. Landing an unblockable special right as he recovers wipes out a huge piece of his Sha-Chi meter.
Once The Axemaster’s health falls below half, dial your aggression back. His attack rhythm gets messy in the second half of the fight: predictable combo endings happen less often, and he relies more on sudden lunges and unblockable leaps. Cut your combo chains down to quick two- or three-hit pokes, keep your thumb ready to dodge on reflex, and let his heavy attacks create punish windows.
If you miss a block and your Sha-Chi breaks, his tracking will catch you out of the water every time. Swap weapons immediately to break your stagger animation and refill Sha-Chi meter to 100%, resetting your defense on the spot. Finally, when The Axemaster’s health drops below 5%, keep your distance until the screen goes black and white, then execute when prompted to end the battle.
Peng Meng Rewards
- Dread Axe (Phantom Edge)
- Remnant Dust
- The Axemaster’s Final Request
- The Axe’s Grudge trophy or achievement
Dread Axe is Soul’s first secondary Phantom Edge unlock in the game. Equipped alongside your main weapons, it plays its part as a heavy, charged two-handed strike weapon. More importantly, Dread Axe permanently grants the passive ability to smash the heavy Iron Chains that block caves and side-paths across Weeping Creek Valley, unlocking hidden loot caches and the Festering Secret quest.
