How to Get Tiger Cannon

Tiger Cannon is obtained late in Phantom Blade Zero by defeating Lei Dang at the Perfect Vessel Pond in Mirage Estate. Early rock walls that require it are meant to be revisited; the cannon is not hidden beside those first obstacles. The route contains late-story location spoilers, so continue only if you want the acquisition point revealed.

Why the early wall remains closed

You can discover a cannon-required rock barrier in the first region long before the weapon becomes available. The collected acquisition guide explicitly warns against assuming the tool must therefore be in Weeping Creek Valley or the next region. Make a note of the obstacle and continue the main route until Mirage Estate is accessible.

This is one of the clearest examples of the game's backtracking structure. The map can show a place worth revisiting without giving you every tool needed to finish it on the first visit. A locked passage is therefore not by itself evidence that your earlier exploration was incomplete or that a quest has failed.

Defeat Lei Dang at Perfect Vessel Pond

The published route identifies Lei Dang, the Tiger Cannon, as the boss who awards the Phantom Edge. It describes a two-phase encounter in Mirage Estate rather than a purchase from a merchant or a collectible taken from a minor enemy. Prepare your established loadout and use the boss name and Bell context to confirm that you are following the correct route.

The collected material establishes the acquisition clearly but does not provide a fully verified move-by-move Lei Dang strategy for this keyword. This page therefore does not invent a specific dodge sequence or a mandatory weapon combination. Use the general break-and-defense systems you have learned, and distinguish an acquisition guide from a claim to cover every attack in the fight.

Return for rock barriers and consider its combat role

After obtaining the cannon, revisit the earlier barriers associated with its destructive interaction. It also has a combat role, with the collected Phantom Edge overview distinguishing a quick burst from a more committed charged shot. Which action is useful depends on the enemy's recovery window and whether you are trying to damage or break a defense.

The same overview highlights its advanced counter-related behavior, but the exact action available depends on the item's state and instructions. Inspect the move list rather than assuming every function shown in late-game footage is part of the initial pickup. Keep the exploration reason for obtaining it separate from the decision to replace one of your regular combat Phantom Edges.

Recognize why earlier rocks can stay closed

Tiger Cannon is connected to later progress, so encountering its rock barriers before obtaining it does not mean you have failed to locate a nearby early-game key. Record those passages and continue the quest route that eventually makes the tool available. Returning with the right equipment is part of the connected-region structure described in the official overview.

Do not confuse that backtracking opportunity with an NPC reward deadline. A rock barrier can wait for the relevant Phantom Edge while a settlement interaction changes after a story boss. Resolve time-sensitive conversations when they are available, then use your exploration notes to revisit physical barriers after the cannon is obtained.

Upgrade the move set you actually use

Forge introduces equipment upgrades at the Outpost in Weeping Creek Valley. After that introduction, the upgrade function is available from Bells, so you do not need to travel back to her whenever you obtain another material. Main weapons and Phantom Edges use their own material categories; possession of a large pile of one material does not mean it can upgrade every item.

An upgrade can unlock an action or a passive effect, not just increase a displayed attack value. Check the equipment's advanced information and the next upgrade preview before deciding whether another level will change the way you fight. A recommendation that relies on an unlocked ability can perform very differently when you try it with the base weapon.

Weapons can be reverted to recover their investment, but later upgrade thresholds introduce reforge-talisman requirements. Read the refund screen before confirming, particularly when comparing a main weapon with a Phantom Edge, because they do not use the same reforge item. Do not extend this refund rule to accessory polishing: that is a separate system with different costs.

Return when your traversal tools change

A blocked route often means you need a later tool, not that you overlooked a nearby key. The Feather Bow can interact with certain hanging objects, Flaming Mane clears damp brambles, and the Tiger Cannon breaks the rock barriers associated with it. Their discovery order is part of the exploration structure, so an early map can legitimately contain a passage you cannot open yet.

The Illusory Pipa is another important example because its repair spans multiple regions. Once restored, it clears specified mist and wind barriers and opens access to further exploration, including the Mountain of Imprisonment route. Keep the name of the obstacle and the nearest Bell together in your notes so you can return with the right tool.

Opening a physical route and preserving a quest are separate concerns. A new Phantom Edge may let you revisit a chest later, while a story event can already have changed the NPC who would have given you a reward. Before advancing a major quest, check the journal and the relevant missable conditions instead of assuming that fast travel makes every unfinished objective recoverable.

Keep the later story checkpoint separate

The Mirage Estate warning concerns the larger mystery and ending route, not the earlier settlement change after Bai Chilian. Published ending guides recommend completing the available purple story quests before entering the estate. If the game warns about unfinished business, review the journal before continuing rather than assuming that the ability to fast travel makes the warning harmless.

The important connected threads include the Illusory Pipa, the Herald's Illusion and Secrets at the Heart of the Lake. These lead through optional regions, the Acolyte Masks and the Crystal Puppet Eyes, so progress can be blocked by a missing prerequisite somewhere else. A quest being marked optional means the main story can continue without it; it does not mean the quest is irrelevant to the ending you want.

Some objectives continue inside the estate, including later steps involving Long Pillars and Quick Hand Zhang. The practical rule is to finish every currently available prerequisite, then continue those ongoing objectives when the next area makes them accessible. Avoid turning a guide's shorthand about finishing everything first into an impossible demand to collect an item located beyond the checkpoint itself.