Arcane Bladeweaver – Elemental Melee Master
Arcane Bladeweavers focus on dealing weapon damage with a twist: Their damage is converted to an elemental damage type based on the first Bladeweaver skill they use in a turn. They Flow between elements each turn and enter a Form depending on which Flows they’ve used. On top of Flows and Forms, Arcane Bladeweavers also have a resolution, which further affects what their Bladeweaver skills can do. Ultimately they are the master of their skills and effects, able to adapt to any situation on a turn by turn basis.
Managing the Arcane Bladeweaver’s various mechanics adds a level of complexity to the class that can separate Masters from Novices.
Flows
When an elemental Bladeweaver skill is used, they Enter a Flow. This flow will convert all of their melee weapon damage to the Flow’s Damage Type. This includes regular attacks and any weapon skills like Crippling Blow, but will convert the damage of other elemental Bladeweaver skills (Entering Lava Flow then using Icy Grasp will result in Fire Damage).
This status lasts one turn if gained outside of combat, or until the end of your turn if gained during combat. After your turn is finished, your weapon’s normal damage type will be used again.
There are 4 Flows: Lava (fire), Glacial (water), Tectonic (earth), and Typhoon (air).
Forms
When a Flow is entered, the Bladeweaver also enters a Form. The three Forms are mutually exclusive. The initial Form has no benefits, so Forms aren’t immediately impactful. Forms have an element attached to them and will be the same as the Flow you entered.
Initial Form: When entering a Flow with no Form active, you gain the Initial Flow. It provides no benefits.
Weaving Form: When entering a Flow with any Form active, if your Flow is a different Element from the Form you were in, you gain Weaving Form. Weaving Form increases attributes: Strength, Finesse, Intelligence, and Wits. The benefits of this Form will increase with your level.
Fixed Form: When entering a Flow with any Form active, if your Flow’s element matches your Form, you gain Fixed Form. This Form doesn’t provide attribute bonuses, but instead reduces the cooldown of Bladeweaver skills who’s element match. If you enter Fixed Form: Fire, and Flame Vortex has 2 turns of cooldown left, it will now have 1.
Resolutions
Resolutions are mutually exclusive, permanent status effects they can choose between. These affect the additional effects their skills could apply, and if the skill is unmemorized, the status effect will be removed.
Affliction : The base Resolution and most in line with the main game’s skills. Affliction adds status effects your Bladeweaver skills will apply to targets hit. With Affliction on, Flamestrike will apply Burning on hit.
Inspiration : Inspiration reduces the damage of Bladeweaver skills – but notably NOT other skills – by 20%. Inspiration is for the frontline Bladeweavers, and makes their skills give them various status effects: from damage-increasing Might or Fury, to protective effects like the Guardian Angel aura. Inspiration Bladeweavers are the most versatile and survivable.
Termination: Termination Bladeweavers have one goal in mind: Eliminate enemies. Most Bladeweaver skills when used in this Resolution will deal more damage or deal damage in an area instead of single target.
Bladeweaver skills can be purchased from your friendly neighborhood Warfare merchants and are also available from Cleric the Cleric.
The Resolution skills are available at start, level 4 and level 9.
Four base elemental skills are available at start, level 4, level 9, and level 16 – one skill for each element.
Source skills are available at level 9, 13, and 16.
***AT CHARACTER CREATION: Invest a point into Warfare and the elemental Bladeweaver skills will show up as if you had points in the elemental types, this is so those skills will work with Elemental Affinity. They require no points invested in Elemental Abilities and this implementation also means that a Class Preset doesn’t function properly. Be sure to manually choose your skills and confirm they are selected properly before starting the game!
Check out the full Skill List [docs.google.com] here!
Tips & Tricks
- Bladeweaver skills are ONLY concerned with weapon damage. For that reason, a Bladeweaver using dual swords should focus on Strength, Warfare and Dual-Wield. Pyrokinetic or other elemental abilities will not matter. In contrast, a Fire Staff-wielding Bladeweaver will need to focus on Intelligence, Pyrokinetic, and Two-Handed. Bladeweaver skills work with ANY melee weapon.
- Especially early on, rounding out the Bladeweaver’s arsenal with warfare skills will allow them to enter Flows and Forms each turn. Running out of Bladeweaver skills means not being able to convert damage to elemental types! Later on, Bladeweavers who are focusing on single elements will want the skills so they don’t blow through all the elemental ones.
- Mono-element Bladeweavers may not work well until later in the game, as you only gain access to one skill of an element at each skillbook tier.
- Bladeweaver skills can be used on regular physical attackers to rapidly convert damage when needed in a mixed-damage party.
- All regular Bladeweaver skills cost 2AP and benefit from Elemental Affinity. Torturer works with all damaging statuses applied by their skills. These two talents can certainly be a boon on a melee build that otherwise might not be able to utilize them! Furthermore, a Bladeweaver with a two-handed weapon and Ambidextrous can use grenades to create surfaces for themselves!
- Bladeweavers have access to multiple area of effect and movement skills, but keep in mind Flows and Forms when using them!
If you need more Warfare damage buttons, check out my Warfare Expanded mod!
If you want a good companion for your Lone Wolf duo, the Arcane Archer comes to mind!
Full four man magic party? Elementalist, Arcane Archer, and Thaumaturge would make excellent friends!
Spears and Staves might be weak, but I have mods for them as well: Spears on Par and Staves on Par
Credits and Thanks:
Credits for Icons: All icons come from game-icons(.)net authors: Lorc, Delapouite, DarkZaitzev, sbed, and Skoll.
Thanks especially to Norbyte and Laughing Leader for the tools I used to make the mod work and to Laughing Leader again for answers and assistance with endless questions!
Required items:
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LeaderLib - Definitive Edition — Steam Workshop
Cleric - Shared Resources — Steam Workshop
