One of the biggest draws to a good Soulslike is the feeling of progression it bestows. Players advance from a lowly soldier jumping at shadows to a powerful and cunning warrior, capable of bringing the gods themselves to their knees. Most Soulslikes feature many different progression systems to help players along this path, and one of the most common progression paths is weapon upgrades.
Through clever use of upgrade materials and modifications, a player in a good Soulslike can createa weapon that’s truly special.Some games feature combos and damage affinities that can lead to some deeply overpowered combinations. Here are Soulslikes with some of the best weapon upgrade mechanics on offer.
The Soulslike genre wouldn’t be where it is todaywithoutDark Souls. This iconic action RPG set the standard for the genre in many ways, including weapon upgrades. Players must collect titanite pieces to upgrade their weapons, with higher-level upgrades requiring larger and more exotic forms of the mysterious metal.
Players can also choose a specific upgrade path for their weapons to further modify them, adding special damage types like fire and magic. These additional properties make the game’s weapon system very intricate, but the downside is they can also be difficult for new players to figure out, leading players to waste valuable materials if they’re not careful in selecting how they want their weapon to develop.
2023’sLords of the Fallen, like its 2014 predecessor, is a love letter toDark Soulsand takes after the series quite closely. This is especially evident in its weapon upgrade system, which should be familiar to anyone who played the originalDark Souls. Once players have found the blacksmith NPC, they can trade her increasingly hefty chunks of the valuable mineral Deralium in exchange forimprovements to their weapons.
In lieu ofDark Souls' occasionally clunky upgrade paths,Lords of the Fallenopts for a more streamlined rune mechanic. By giving the blacksmith special tablets found throughout the world, players can slot runes into their weapons, granting them special abilities and damage types.
Dark Souls 2fell short of its predecessor in a few ways, but thankfully its weapon upgrade system remains solid. The basic mechanics of the game’s weapon upgrades remain largely unchanged; players still trade titanite to a blacksmith for upgrades. Divergent upgrade paths are now tied to consumable items as well.
One major change inDark Souls 2comes from boss weapons. In the first game, players had to max out a specific type of weapon to transform it into a boss weapon. InDark Souls 2, players must simply defeat the boss in question and trade its soul to one of two blacksmiths to receive the associated item.
Compared to some of its counterparts in the genre,Niohhas a very simple weaponupgrade system. Rather than worrying about gathering materials and finding a blacksmith, players upgrade their weapons through a mechanic known as Soul Match.
Using Soul Match, players can sacrifice a weapon to bring a different, less powerful weapon up to its level. This lets players stick to a weapon type they’re familiar with without making high-level weapons of a different type completely useless since they can always be sacrificed to keep a preferred weapon on the right track.
In many ways,Dark Souls 3is the ultimate culminationof the entire trilogy. This can certainly be seen in its weapon upgrade system, which streamlines things considerably from the first two. With fewer varieties of titanite to track down, players will much more reliably be able to upgrade any weapon in their arsenal. This makes it much easier to experiment with different weapon types without fear of running out of materials.
Another wayDark Souls 3streamlines things is by reducing the number of blacksmiths in the game. The first two games had three or four blacksmiths scattered throughout the world, each of which offers specialized services.Dark Souls 3features just one blacksmith located prominently in the hub, letting players easily manage all their weapons no matter where they are in the game.
While most Soulslikes remain firmly in the fantasy trappings of the series that started it all,The Surge 2follows its predecessor into a bold new future. This strange sci-fi Soulslike offers much more robotic foes thanDark Soulsfans will be used to, and the game’s weapon upgrade mechanics reflect this.
In order to upgrade a weapon inThe Surge 2, players will need to combine it with parts taken from their fallen foes. The game’s dismemberment system is key here, as players will need to physically remove the pieces they need from their foes in order to use them on their own gear.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis a considerable departure from the other Soulslikes in FromSoftware’s stable, namely because of how much it diverges from the previous games' RPG mechanics. Unlike theDark Soulstrilogy,Sekirodoes not have a large stable of swords, axes, and other fantasy weapons for players to choose from. Instead, it has a katana and a prosthetic arm.
Over the course of the game,Sekiro’s titular protagonist can unlock a variety ofupgrades for the tools concealed in his prostheticarm. The axe blade, shuriken, flame vent, and other tools hidden in this mechanical prosthetic complement Sekiro’s katana nicely, and knowing which tools to upgrade is key to success in this brutal action game.
The bizarre steampunk SoulslikeLies of Pborrows its fast-paced, high-energy combat fromBloodborne, but its weapon customization system is much more distinct. While weapon blades still follow a linear progression system familiar toDark Soulsfans, players can also dig into customizing weapon handles.
Altering a weapon handle grants the tool new properties and alters its grade, allowing for more in-depth customization of each part of P’s arsenal. Players can take this customization a step further by disassembling weapons entirely, mixing and matching blades and handles until they’ve created something truly unique.
FromSoft’s explosively popular open-world Soulslike takes a lot of mechanical inspiration from the previous games in the series, improving on them in scope and scale with a truly vast map for players to freely explore. The developer’ssignature linear weapon upgradesreturn, with a separate matching series of upgrade materials for the game’s new spirit summons.
Elden Ringtakes full advantage of the more streamlined mechanics seen in games likeDark Souls 3. The game uses Whetblades to determine damage affinities, and this also determines which Ashes of War can be granted to a weapon to customize it still further. These affinities can be freely and easily switched at any Site of Grace, letting players customize weapons on the fly wherever they go.
It’s hard to name a Soulslike that isn’t heavily focused on weapons, butBloodbornetakes these all-important tools of destruction to a whole new level. Each individual weapon inBloodborneis unique, with a varied moveset and a transformation ability that opens up even more options in the heat of battle.
Unlike theDark Soulstrilogy, which required different types of titanite for different weapons, every weapon inBloodborneis improved by the same set of bloodstones, making it much easier to keep preferred weapons up to date while also experimenting with new tools. Players can fortify their weapons even further with blood gems, which can be freely swapped around to add damage, affinities, and even new abilities. Players are freely allowed and even encouraged to constantly experiment with their arsenal, crafting whatever weapon will be perfect for putting down the next menacing beast.
