How to enter the Crimson Manor in Phantom Blade Zero

Though you find it early on, the Crimson Manor is actually a bit of endgame area in Phantom Blade Zero that you’ll be able to open later on.

You need the Puppet’s Tongue item to unseal the door, which comes from completing The Herald’s Illusion quest, finding three portals into a strange realm with a hanging puppet. Each portal opens an eye—once you have all three, he’ll give you his tongue. Here’s where to find each portal:

1. The first portal is by the Puppet Testing Grounds bell in the Village of Lu (the game’s 3rd region). This is at the end of the area, after you go down the well, though it’s basically impossible to miss.
2. The second portal is at the end of the Mandate Encampment area after the region boss. You’ll need a key from Pangzhen to open the gate to this region near the entrance to the Village of Lu (details in the linked guide).
3. The third portal is at the end of the Mountain of Imprisonment area, again, after the region boss. To access this area, you need to repair the Illusory Pipa and unlock the barrier in the northeast of Meigu Lake.

Once you head through the third portal, speak to the hanging puppet, and he’ll give you his tongue to unlock the Crimson Manor, plus his Yin eye, which is related to another quest. Now, you can get inside the manor and fight the fourth acolyte for the Secrets at the Heart of the Lake quest.