The smithing bench, already paid for
A first-cycle save at the opening Bell with maximum smithing ore, tempering stock and full gourds, for the part of the game where the material grind, not the combat, is what stops you.
PBZSaveGame-Cycle1-MaxResources-51KB.sav
9689ccb09874afcc0c2de98ba6afe2a6ac8173907a3ee921aaa0e08e1952af7f SHA-256 of this exact file. Verify it after downloading. What is in this file
- The publisher lists smithing ore and tempering stock at their maximum at the first Bell checkpoint.
- Gourds and healing items are listed as full.
- The file holds 5 slots, positioned early rather than at the end of the game.
- Cycle 1, no New Game Plus state is required to use it.
To check the download arrived intact, run certutil -hashfile PBZSaveGame.sav SHA256 in the folder
you downloaded to and compare the result against the string above. A truncated download is the commonest cause
of a save the game calls damaged.
How to install it
- Close Phantom Blade Zero completely. A running game overwrites the file on exit.
-
Back up your whole save folder, the 17-digit SteamID folder and not only the
.sav, somewhere outside the game directory. -
Drop the download in as
PBZSaveGame.sav, replacing the existing file. The path is in the save location guide. - Start the game and load the slot at the Bell. If nothing appears, work through the fixes page before deciding the file is bad.
What “max” means in a save file
Material quantities inside a PBZS v3 save are plain 32-bit signed integers. There is no separate sanity check the game runs on them when loading, which is why a stacked save loads at all. The practical ceiling is the field width, not a design cap, and the editor clamps writes to each item's declared maximum rather than letting a value wrap.
Where materials actually go
Smithing ore feeds weapon upgrades; the tempering line feeds soul-tempering, which is what pushes a weapon past the first-cycle grade ceiling once New Game Plus opens. Loading this save early means you can carry a single weapon all the way to +7 as soon as the game lets you, instead of farming the route between Bells.
If you would rather not replace your save
The save editor raises material quantities on the file you are already playing, which keeps your quest state and position intact, that is the better option if you are mid-run. Replacing the file entirely is for people starting fresh.
Questions people ask about this file
Do I need this if I already use the all-weapons save?
They solve different halves of the grind. The all-weapons save gives you the weapons; upgrades still cost materials. This one starts you with the bench paid for. Load one, or use the editor to top up materials on whichever save you keep.
Will max materials break weapon progression?
You can upgrade faster than the game expected, which is the point, but it does not change grade caps: main weapons and Sha-Chi armaments still stop at +7 in the first cycle. Materials let you reach the cap quickly, not pass it.
Can I set materials to a specific number instead of the maximum?
Yes. The save editor writes an arbitrary 32-bit quantity into a material record, so you can pick a number that feels reasonable rather than the ceiling. This file is for people who would rather not open an editor at all.
Are the counts in this file safe for the game to load?
Material quantities in a PBZS save are plain 32-bit integers with no separate validation pass, so a large number is structurally fine. The editor still clamps to the field’s declared maximum and only rewrites fields you changed.