The Steam store page only says you can level up your weapons. Which ones evolve is not explained in the game, so players worked it out themselves. The rule they agree on comes from several separate people: on Steam, Donland wrote "Any weapon that says 'Rusted' will evolve. The wooden club also evolves", Klezzon and Sylvartas said the same, and on Reddit R3conz12 wrote that "generally any 'rusty' can evolve".
Which weapons evolve?
| Base weapon | Where to find it | Evolves into (level 10) |
|---|---|---|
| Rusted Short Sword | Soldier at the first campfire | Sipeha's Twisted Heart |
| Rusted Spear | Chest in the ruined tower near the start | Jigeki's Serpent Thrust |
| Wooden Club | Chest in the island's crypt | Puwema's Blessed Orb |
| Rusted Longhammer | Secret beneath the island cemetery (Digitol) | Sipeha's Void Maul |
| Rusted Greatsword | Blood treasure vault, Tower of Knowledge basement | Wodaso's Holy Lightning |
| Rusted Great Morning Star | Velvet treasure vault under the Neasied wing altar | Jigeki's Rot |
| Rusted Leaf Blade | Jade treasure vault, Deimpo Mausoleum | Puwema's Leaf Blade |
| Holy Sword Endu | Endu Shrine | Soul Bound Endu |
The first four results were shown on video by Kripsu. The three vault weapons come from Arceil's Treasure Room guide; for how to open the vaults, see Keys. R3conz12 and Sharkinbear also mention a rusted greataxe; we have not found where it is or what it becomes, so it is to be confirmed.
Digitol's guide lists the Wooden Club as only unlocking the Hard Wooden Club, and places Puwema's Blessed Orb elsewhere. Kripsu's video shows the club itself turning into Puwema's Blessed Orb, so we go with the video.
What are the evolved weapons' stats?
Kripsu read these numbers out on screen, and they match the weapon table in Digitol's guide:
| Evolved weapon | Damage type | Power | Speed | Notes from Kripsu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sipeha's Twisted Heart | Physical | 14 | Average | Physical rather than Slash, so it works on most enemies |
| Jigeki's Serpent Thrust | Pierce | 11 | Fast | Poisons; Kripsu rates it above the late-game Plasma Spear (10) |
| Puwema's Blessed Orb | Impact | 18 | Slow (Digitol) | Fully charged special heals about 150 HP over time |
| Sipeha's Void Maul | Impact | 12 | Average | Three special charges that fire an orb |
For comparison, the base Rusted Short Sword is Slash 7 and the Rusted Spear is Pierce 5 (Digitol's table). The evolved Blessed Orb's 18 is the highest melee number we have seen confirmed.
What unlocks in the shop after an evolution?
Evolving a weapon adds an upgraded copy of its base form to the shop. Sharkinbear on Steam says every evolving weapon does this, and Kripsu's video shows four new items after evolving the four rusted weapons: Ancient Short Sword, Common Spear, Hard Wooden Club and Silver Long Hammer, each the old weapon with slightly better stats.
Arceil lists the vault weapons' shop unlocks: the Scaled Greatsword (10 Ancient Coins), the Bronze Great Morning Star (10 coins), and for the Leaf Blade both the Gilded Leaf Blade (10 coins) and the Ring of Wind throwing weapon (30 coins).
Are evolutions worth it?
Players disagree. Sylvartas on Steam thinks the club and the greatsword are worth evolving and the others are "meh". Sharkinbear evolved most of them and was not impressed. Kripsu, on the other hand, calls the evolved spear better than the late-game spear and the Blessed Orb's damage "insane".
Two things are not in doubt: the evolutions count toward completing your collection, and the Holy Sword's evolution is required for the Akunra ending (see Endings).
Do other weapons do something at max level?
Some weapons break into an item instead of evolving, Donland notes. Sharkinbear says the Trident breaks at level 5 and gives a key item, so level it. The Pandora Blade does not evolve but keeps leveling: Donland says its damage bonus goes up to +300%.
Where can you level weapons fast?
Talamarie on Steam explains that weapon experience is based on hits, not damage, and that hitting several enemies with one swing counts each of them. So the trick is lots of weak enemies near a save point.
- The numbered gargoyle puzzle in the Tower of Knowledge. Hitting the wrong gargoyle spawns about five or six Book Bugs, next to a save point once its shortcut is open (horrid little goblin and Unovalocity on Steam; Kripsu uses the same spot). Details on our gargoyle puzzle page.
- The skeletons just inside the Tower of Knowledge, next to the save point, for Impact and Pierce weapons (MrSmiley, and Kripsu again).
- Fish men by the four-key door at the entrance of Obmuer Temple, for Pierce weapons (Skulb).
Kripsu also used Spirit Oil to push weapons from level 9 to 10.