While it may initially seem like the number ofweaponsavailable to the player inEmber Knightsis fairly limited, not only do each of them feature a wide array of unique modifications to choose from, but they also all have drastically different stats and abilities which can prove to be vital when trying to make a build that cansurvive a runwithout becoming overwhelmed by enemies.
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There are five weapons featured inEmber Knights, and while the Ember Blade is unlocked right from the start, each of the other four can be obtained by acquiring a certain amount of Ember which can be obtained quite easily by simply playing the game and defeating mini-bosses and regular bosses.
Players should also be aware that they won’t be able to upgrade their weapons right away, and will first need to defeat the Anville mini-boss before they are then able to chat to Marvin who will introduce the player to the weapon modification system.All weapons inEmber Knightsare viable and a ton of fun to use, but there are definitely a few that stand out for how well they fit into high-damage and reliable builds.
5Ember Blade
Base Stats:
The Ember Blade certainly isn’t a bad weapon, especially considering that it has an extremely high base damage stat and the fact that there is a 35% chance of hitting a crit on the third attack when equipping the Honed modification, but it’s much more of a hit-and-run weapon which is a little slower at clearing rooms compared to some of the others.
With that said though, it can still be great for shutting downtankier enemies and mini-bosseslike Oakbane and Rakknid who can deal a devastating amount of damage when the player gets too close, especially with the Thrust modification which grants the Dash Attack a bonus stun and knockback, making it extremely lethal for single targets with high HP pools. It should also be said that the Ember Blade can utilize the Stoicism modification in its Level 3 slot which can make the player invulnerable for 3 seconds once per World which can make using the weapon a lot less risky if it’s equipped.
4Nexal Staff
Definitely the most unique weapon in the game, the Nexal Staff can become utterly devastating when used in the correct way and with the appropriate upgrades, and while its base stats are still nothing to slouch at, it’s slightly limited in the fact that nearly all of its modifications are dedicatedtowards skill usage, so it is very specific in this way.
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For skill-based builds though, the Nexal Staff is a must-use since it can greatly enhance the damage and properties of certain abilities. Some of the best modifications that can be attached to the Nexal Staff include Connoisseur which grants a Bonus Choice in the Skill Selector, Skillful which increases skill damage by 20%, and Clairvoyance which is a third tier mod that allows the first skill used in a room to be completely free of charge. For those who love throwing out Phantom Spears, Chakram Discs, or any other deadly skill abilities, the Nexal Staff can make them much stronger and a lot more viable, but the lack of enhancements to the basic attacks does mean it lags behind its competitors a little bit.
3Razor Wind
The last weapon that can be acquired in the game after obtaining 2,200 Ember is the Razor Wind, asmall but deadly shurikenthat admittedly requires a good amount of precision to use effectively, but that can also make very quick work of smaller rooms in a matter of seconds. While the Razor Wind already has excellent base stats, the best part about it by far is the Charge Attack, especially since nearly every modification for the weapon is designed to make this attack as strong as possible.
When using modifications, players will be able to either slow the shuriken down, speed it up, or even increase its size when it lands. One of the greatest level III modifications for this weapon, and arguably one of the best in the entire game in terms of DPS, is the Serrated mod which debuffs any enemies that are hit with the charge attack, causing them to take much more damage from then onwards. Mix this with a modification like Proficiency which enhances the Charge Attack’s damage every time it hits an enemy, and it’s easy to see just howmany devastating combinationscan be made, especially when skills and relics are also thrown into the mix.
2Guardian Bow
Despite being unlocked fairly early on in the game, the Guardian Bow is actually one of the best weapons in the game in terms of damage output and overall utility, but it’s really in the weapon’s speed where it shines the most. While the base stats of the Guardian Bow already make it extremely fast, nearly every one of its modifications are dedicated to either slowing enemies down, or throwing out even more arrows to rack up damage.
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Spread Shot for example will allow the bow to fire out 5 arrows upon its third shot which can easily obliterate a small group of Scoggfirth or Weblings with ease, but there are also a few mods which allow the player to place traps,such as Decoywhich drops the first time the player is damaged in a room, and Stasis Trap which will stun enemies in place each time the player performs a dodge. Since the Guardian Bow is a ranged weapon, it not only makes it ideal for picking off smaller enemies, but also negates the risk of needing to get up-close-and-personal with mini-bosses like the Wightsbury and Scoggfirth.
1Rift Hammer
While it may a little slower than the other weapons, the Rift Hammer more than makes up for the lack of speed with thesheer amount of damageit can deal not just to a single enemy, but to an entire area. One modification that is essential to use for the Rift Hammer is Crush which will slow enemies to a crawl with each hit, alongside the level 2 mod Charge Engine which allows the player to charge up each of their attacks which can ramp up the total damage dealt tremendously.
All level 3 modifications are useful in their own ways, with Defiance inflicting mini-bosses with Weaken for 25 seconds, and Safeguard granting the player armor after defeating en enemy which can end up making them incredibly tanky, but the one that most players go with that is guaranteed to strike fear into their enemies is Detonate. When this mod is equipped, it means each time a stunned enemy is defeated, they explode and cause a significant amount of damage to anyone around them. While the Stun de-buff can be afflicted by certain skills like Rupture, it is also the only condition which can be afflicted without the need for a mod or relic, so it means that the Rift Hammer is constantly going to be dealing AOE damage.
Ember Knightsis available now on Nintendo Switch and PC.
