The Herald’s Illusion is a mysterious side quest in Phantom Blade Zero.
This quest requires you to explore three different regions and find hidden magical doors that lead to the same mysterious location.
Each door takes you to a strange room where a Three-Eyed Puppet hangs from red strings.
Finding all three doors is essential to completing the quest and unlocking the next part of the story involving the Crimson Manor.
However, locating these entrances can be confusing, especially because some are hidden behind major boss encounters.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to complete The Herald’s Illusion quest in Phantom Blade Zero, including the locations of all three doors and the rewards you receive.
How to Start The Herald’s Illusion Quest
The Herald’s Illusion quest begins when you discover the first magical door in the Village of Lu.
You can find it near the Puppet Testing Grounds after progressing through the area and defeating Yuzan, the No. 3 Musician Puppet.
After defeating Yuzan, explore the nearby cavern and look for a glowing circular doorway surrounded by flames. Interact with it to enter the Herald’s Illusion.
Inside, you will find a strange chamber with shallow water and a Three-Eyed Puppet suspended from red strings. Interact with the puppet to open its first eye and officially begin the quest.
Your objective is to find and open all three doors leading to this mysterious chamber.
All Three Herald’s Illusion Door Locations
There are three magical doors scattered across the Village of Lu, Mandate Encampment, and Mountain of Imprisonment. You must visit each location and enter the corresponding portal to progress.
1. Village of Lu – First Door
Location: Puppet Testing Grounds
Nearest Bell: Puppet Testing Grounds
The first door is located in the Village of Lu, near the Puppet Testing Grounds. You will encounter this location while progressing through the area’s main story objectives.
First, make your way through the well and defeat Yuzan, the No. 3 Musician Puppet. Once the fight is over, explore the surrounding cavern and speak with the nearby puppet NPCs.
Look for a tunnel leading into a larger cavernous area. You should eventually spot a glowing circular entrance surrounded by flames and two pillars wrapped in red ropes.
Approach the entrance and interact with it to enter the Herald’s Illusion. You will find the Three-Eyed Puppet hanging in the middle of the room. Interact with it to open the first eye.
After completing this interaction, turn around and use the same flaming entrance to return to the Village of Lu.
2. Mandate Encampment – Second Door
Location: Training Grounds
Nearest Bell: Training Grounds Depths
The second door is located inside the Mandate Encampment, near the Training Grounds Depths Bell.
Progress through the Mandate Encampment until you reach the Training Grounds. You will eventually encounter Yubi, the No. 21 Swordfighter Puppet, near a large pavilion.
Defeat Yubi to proceed through the area. Once the boss encounter is complete, continue towards the Training Grounds Depths Bell.
The second magical door is nearby, approximately 16 metres from the bell. Look for another flaming circular entrance between two pillars.
Interact with the entrance to return to the Three-Eyed Puppet’s chamber. The puppet will open its second eye, confirming that you have successfully completed the second part of the quest.
Use the flaming entrance inside the chamber to return to the Mandate Encampment.
3. Mountain of Imprisonment – Third Door
Location: Puppet Cell
Nearest Bell: Puppet Cell
The final door is located in the Mountain of Imprisonment. Reaching this location requires more story progression than the previous two entrances.
First, continue through the Mountain of Imprisonment until you reach the Lady’s Shrine and defeat Huangxing, the area’s main boss.
After defeating Huangxing, you will obtain the Flying Guillotine Phantom Edge. This weapon allows you to interact with special mechanical devices.
Return to Huangxing’s hall and use the Flying Guillotine on the mechanism beneath the Lady’s statue. This will cause the floor to open, revealing a massive pit.
Jump into the pit and carefully descend through the platforms. Eventually, a cutscene will trigger, and you will encounter Inanis inside the Realm of Mirage.
From there, cross the shallow water towards the small flower-covered island, approximately 39 metres away. Interact with the glowing portal to reach the Puppet Cell.
Once you arrive, activate the Puppet Cell Bell. Look around the chamber for the familiar flaming circular entrance between two pillars.
Interact with the entrance to enter the Herald’s Illusion for the third time.
The Three-Eyed Puppet will now open its final eye, completing the main objective of the quest.
How to Complete The Herald’s Illusion Quest
After opening all three doors, you need to interact with the Three-Eyed Puppet one final time.
Unlike your previous visits, the puppet will now speak to you and reveal information about the Herald and the Crimson Manor.
Move towards the western side of the puppet and look towards its blue-eyed face. You should see an interaction prompt appear. Press the interact button to start the conversation.
The puppet will reveal that the Herald lives inside the Crimson Manor, a mysterious location beneath the tower. It will also tell you to give its tongue to the Mute, who guards the manor’s entrance.
After the conversation, you will receive two important quest items:
Puppet’s Tongue: A special key that allows you to open the entrance to the Crimson Manor.
Crystal Puppet Eye (Yin): One half of a pair of mysterious crystal eyes connected to another important quest.
With these items collected, The Herald’s Illusion quest is complete.
What to Do After Completing The Herald’s Illusion?
Your next destination is the Crimson Manor in Weeping Creek Valley. The Three-Eyed Puppet reveals that the Herald resides there and instructs you to give the Puppet’s Tongue to the Mute.
Travel to the Valley Sha-Chi Tower Base Bell and look for a cracked wall approximately 24 metres away. This provides an entrance to the Crimson Manor.
Inside, locate the Mute near the main entrance and use the Puppet’s Tongue to unlock the way forward.
You will also encounter another important objective involving the Crystal Puppet Eye (Yang), which forms a pair with the Yin eye obtained from the Three-Eyed Puppet.
Completing The Herald’s Illusion is therefore an important step towards uncovering the secrets of the Crimson Manor and progressing through Phantom Blade Zero’s hidden questlines.
Is The Herald’s Illusion Quest Mandatory?
The Herald’s Illusion is not part of the main story’s regular progression, but completing it is necessary if you want to access the Crimson Manor through this questline.
The Puppet’s Tongue is required to open the manor, while the Crystal Puppet Eye (Yin) is connected to the game’s other mysteries and ending-related objectives.
If you are interested in exploring Phantom Blade Zero’s hidden content, make sure you complete all three portal objectives rather than leaving the quest unfinished.
