Aureate skills and upgrade unlocks
Aureate has 8 listed skills and upgrade unlocks in the game’s text, including Strategist: Ranged Assault, A Thousand Blades Lv. 1 / Lv. 2 / Lv. 3, Strategist: Formation Breaker, Strategist: Iron Wall, Golden Lóng Sword.
| Skill | Unlock tier | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Strategist: Ranged Assault | Level 5 | Press L1 + Heavy Attack to enter [Grand Design] stance. If activated just before an incoming attack, you will Teleport backward and summon [Floating Swords] to counterattack. Hold L1 to maintain [Grand Design]. Sha-Chi is gradually consumed while in this stance. If attacked while in [Grand Design] stance, all remaining Sha-Chi is consumed to negate the damage and dodge backward, ending [Grand Design]. [Grand Design] does not interrupt your current combo. While in [Grand Design] stance, press Light Attack to consume a set amount of Sha-Chi and summon Phantom Firearms to attack enemies. Can only be used once per [Grand Design] stance. |
| A Thousand Blades Lv. 1 / Lv. 2 / Lv. 3 | Level 10 | Enemies with embedded [Sword Energy] take slightly increased / moderately increased / greatly increased damage from all sources. |
| Strategist: Formation Breaker | Level 15 | While in [Grand Design] stance, press Heavy Attack to consume a set amount of Sha-Chi and summon a phantom great hammer to attack enemies. Can only be used once per [Grand Design] stance. |
| Strategist: Iron Wall | Level 25 | While in [Grand Design] stance, press Execution (R1) to consume a set amount of Sha-Chi and summon a phantom iron umbrella that attacks enemies while defending. Can only be used once per [Grand Design] stance. |
| Golden Lóng Sword | Special Trait | Switching to this weapon or parrying an enemy's Blue-flash Attack summons a massive [Golden Lóng Sword] to strike the enemy. |
| Living Sword | Passive / Skill | When a Heavy Attack attack within a combo hits an enemy, a [Living Sword] is summoned. After seconds, it automatically strikes the enemy. If the strike is not blocked, the sword remains embedded for several seconds. When swords are embedded, they trigger a [Sword Energy Burst]. |
| The Grand Design | Soul Tempering | After triggering [Sword Energy Burst], gain [Grand Design Empowerment], greatly empowering the phantom weapon summoned by the next [Grand Design] skill: Phantom Firearms: Increases the number summoned to. Phantom Great Hammer: Becomes a flaming great hammer, creating a burning area on impact. Phantom Iron Umbrella: Fires homing darts in four directions. |
| Radiant Lóng Sword Formation | Weapon Skill (L2) | L2 Consumes 1 to summon numerous [Living Swords] to strike enemies. This attack is unblockable. |
How to get Aureate and Soul Tempering
Primary weapon · Weapon_011
Aureate
In the launch game’s weapon list, Aureate is described as: “A pure-gold longsword, smooth as silk, once wielded by Zuo Shang.” You Soul Temper Aureate at the forge using Broken Lóng Body.
| Weapon name | Aureate 紫冥剑 |
|---|---|
| Category | Primary weapon (carried in one of two Primary Weapon slots; upgraded to level 30) |
| Wielder & origin | A pure-gold longsword, smooth as silk, once wielded by Zuo Shang. · Zuo Shang fight page |
| Soul Tempering item | Broken Lóng Body — Used to Soul Temper Aureate. |
| Level 1–30 upgrades | Upgrades in three tiers (Lv. 1–10 with Twinned Metal & Solvent, Lv. 11–20 with Polished Twinned Metal & Concentrated Solvent, Lv. 21–30 with Flawless Twinned Metal, Universal Solvent & Blackstone). A Reforging Talisman resets the level to 1 and refunds 100% of materials. Counts toward A Tempered Ten & Overwhelming Force. |
Broken Lóng Body item lore: “A fragment from Zuo Shang's "Sacred Lóng Vessel." Cunning, strength, the Golden Sword Energy he was born with, and the "Sacred Lóng Vessel" bestowed upon him by the Herald. Zuo Shang has always excelled at making use of everything within his reach... Unlike that old friend who was every bit as gifted, yet always took life as it came and had little desire to contend with others. And yet, that very man became the greatest variable in all of Zuo Shang's schemes.”
In-game description and combat role
“A longsword forged from pure gold, its blade smooth as silk. With it, one can imitate Zuo Shang's unique Golden Sword Energy.”
In-game weapon text for Aureate, Phantom Blade Zero launch build
Aureate is a primary weapon in the launch build of Phantom Blade Zero. A gold longsword that copies Zuo Shang’s golden sword energy.