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A potentially contentious subject, to be sure. However, this guide only sets out to show four parameters: Tier, Material, and how Early in the game they can be performed, and combinations of the three. Especially rich chest contents are also shown; this is of course independent of Drop Rate as such, but multiple playthroughs (New Game Plus) require time expenditure that is comparable with farming drops.

TierMaterialEarlyUltimate WeaponsMaximum Tier List

Tier[]

See Best Loot

This is the most difficult assessment of weapon value. Tier is complicated by the fact that weapons have different numbers of Tiers. It can be observed that the top Tiers of all weapons combine well, as is intuitively appropriate. This is true even if the Tier total for that weapon is half that of another weapon; Great Axe and Staff have only six tiers, while Dagger, Polearm and Sword have twelve.

Maximum Tiers (Ultimate Design)

However, one might expect more of the twelfth Tier Polearm, Brandestoc, than the sixth Tier Destroyer or Sage's Cane, even though they are all their Design's highest Tier weapons. This is not borne out in reality. The system used for non-Same combinations is similar to the punitive Mismatch for Same combinations. In Mismatch, combinations that are close together but not consecutive have inferior results to combinations that widely spaced. In the case of non-Same combinations, equal or widely spaced combinations are superior, so weapons that have the same number of Tiers get the best results, at least in comparison to how high their Tier is.

About 30-40% of Maximum Tier (Ultimate) Combinations give Penultimate Tier results, but this is merely an incidental consequence of the real formula: the product of any two blades has a Tier at or usually below the lowest of the ingredients' tiers. The product tier is not directly tied to the ingredients tier, though; for example 8th Tier War Maul + 8th Crescent = 6th Halberd Ultimate; other results are 8th Penultimate Nodachi. The product tier can even exceed the ingredient tiers, in the case of products of the two six-tier weapon Designs, since there are no other Designs with that few tiers.

High-Tier combinations are often very weak, for example both 12th Tier + 12th combinations making 7th tier, but there are exceptions, for example one of the 12th + 11th Tier combinations making 11th tier.


Material[]

See Rare Combinations in Vagrant Story

Damascus is easy to create with both armor and weapons using the principle of Prevalence, but impossible with Shields. The most that can be done with Shields is to farm Wood shield drops, or run multiple playthroughs for the Damascus shield chest.

Early[]

In Temple of Kiltia, late in the first playthrough, Damascus Tabar Axes (and Shotel Swords)[1] drop at 16/255 in Those Who Fear the Light. Collect 4 Tabars, and the only thing standing in the way of an Ultimate Weapon is the affinities. For players used to grinding in MMORPGs, the only thing hard about that is maintaining HP below at 149 or lower. This combination of Damascus and first playthrough is hard to beat.

Ultimate Weapons[]

These are merely the blades of ultimates, requiring full Affinity and Class to be added to, expediently, three of their blade components

Damascus Jamadhar[]

Wicked Souls: [2]

"Requires:
(D) Shotel x8
(D) Tabar x8
(S) Baselard x12
  • <two fewer Tabars and one less Baselard for each Damascus Kris from the below sources>
Combinations:
(D) Tabar + (D) Tabar = (D) Bullova
(S) Baselard + (D) Bullova = (D) Kris
(S) Baselard + (D) Shotel = (D) Hatchet
(D) Kris + (D) Hatchet = (D) Khukuri
(D) Hatchet + (D) Khukuri = (D) Baselard
(D) Baselard + (D) Baselard = (D) Stiletto
(D) Stiletto + (D) Stiletto = (D) Jamadhar"
-by Wicked Souls[2]

Damascus Kris:

  • 13/255 7th Tier Damascus Kris: Four drop as loot in the Second Iron Maiden, one in a chest in Second Abandoned Mines*
  • With access to Godhands, Two Damascus Lug Crossbows combined to make a Siege Bow, combined with a Shotel of any material, makes a Damascus Kris.
  • In the second playthrough, the Ogre Zombie (with Death) in the Time Trials drops a Damascus Bastard Sword, combined with a Silver Siege Bow (or any material at Godhands), makes a Damascus Kris. Unfortunately, this still works out to at least three blades, because no Siege Bows drop

Damascus Crescent, War Maul, Halberd[]

From the first playthrough on, DAMASCUS Tabar 6th Tier Axes drop at 16/255 in Those Who Fear the Light. Collect four Tabars, and the only thing standing in the way of an Ultimate Weapon is the affinities. For players used to grinding in MMORPGs, the only thing hard about that is maintaining HP below at 149 or lower.

A single Tabar can be combined in the "Metal Works" Workshop with a Silver Khukuri to make a Damascus War Maul. In the second playthrough, at the Godhands Workshop, any material of dagger can be used, as Dagger has a lower Prevalence than Axe, but Silver daggers are an easy drop from the ubiquitous Shriekers and Quicksilvers; to get full Affinity and Class, put one set on the Tabar, and the other two on a Kris and Hatchet to make the required Khukuri (see Dagger with Axe for other possible results).

Adding another Khukuri to the War Maul makes a Halberd. This time, the two Khukuris can be obtained as is, rather than as separate Kris and Hatchet.

Damascus Wakizashi[]

Four of the Damascus Shotel 5th Tier swords, also from Those Who Fear the Light in Temple of Kiltia, is even easier, as getting over 150 HP before entry is effortless compared with remaining under. Four Falchions are also required to get to a Wakizashi, from eight DAMASCUS Lug Crossbows and four Hatchets of any material (only Silver in the first playthrough, without Godhands). Lug Crossbow + Lug Crossbow = Siege Bow; Hatchet + Siege Bow = Falchion.[2] This is the only way to get Damascus Falchions, as all combinations are either with Polearms, that have greater Prevalence and are the rarest in Damascus, or are Devolutions of higher-Tier swords. Falchion + Shotel = Khora, Khora + Khora = Khopesh, Khopesh + Khopesh = Wakizashi


Damascus Arbalest, Runeblade[]

A DAMASCUS Arbalest can be easily made from four of the Lug Crossbows that drop from Gremlins in the Limestone Quarry; specifically Where the Serpent Hunts and Atone for Eternity.

In the first playthrough, (Damascus Arbalest + (1st play-silver) Baselard = Damascus Nodachi) x 2 = Damascus Runeblade from ten blades.

The Azalea Sigil found in the Second Iron Maiden Dungeon opens up the Death + Ogre Zombie Time Trial in the The Keep, which offers a repeatable 13/255 chance of a DAMASCUS Bastard Sword. Collect four, combine two, combine two again, combine the resulting Nodachis to make a Damascus Runeblade.


Damascus Sage's Cane[]

In the second playthrough, the way to get the highest-tier DAMASCUS Sage's Cane with the lowest number of blades is to kill Deaths until two penultimate Damascus Bishop's Crosiers drop at 13/255. This is actually only two blades, and so a Baselard of any material, or another blade, can be combined with one of the Sage's Canes to get Three Blade Affinity and Class. This is easy enough that it can become a strategy to create other weapons with, see Best Combinations. Only Daggers can be combined with the Staves and still retain the Damascus, as per Design Prevalence.

Damascus Destroyer[]

In the first playthrough, DAMASCUS Tabar can be combined with daggers and a staff (all lower Prevalence, and thus of any material, but only Silver at the Metal Works Workshop in the first playthrough) to make a Destroyer of four blades thusly: Tabar + Khukuri = War Maul, + Khukuri = Halberd, + Sage's Cane = Destroyer.
There are other useful dagger+staff combinations:

  • Twelve-blade Wakizashi + Sage's Cane = Destroyer.

Damascus Brandestoc[]

The Holy Grail of Vagrant Story crafting (or perhaps the Questing Beast, with the Holy Grails being Holy Win and Rhomphaia?), DAMASCUS Brandestoc can be made, in the second playthrough, of 42 blades, 34 less than described elsewhere (for each Voulge from the Mining Regrets chest that is used, 9 fewer blades are needed, for a minimum of 24 blades). In the first playthrough, without the helpful Blood Lizards to drop Damascus Fauchards, it takes 104 blades, which is 68 blades less than elsewhere.

This makes an Awl Pike, and with another Trident, a Boar Spear

Added, makes a Voulge, and another Fauchard to make a Pole Axe. It may seem anticlimactic to know that this is only a quarter of the way to the Brandestoc, but consider that one of the shortest other non-chest recipes for Pole Axe is forty-one blades, and this is only eight, or more if the Iron Shamanic Staff recipe is used.

  • Another Pole Axe can, of course, be made from a dropped or crafted Fauchard and the Damascus Voulge found in the Mining Regrets room in the First Abandoned Mine, which room is available after the Temple of Kiltia.

Altogether, this is a Bardysh and a Voulge by the second playthrough, with just three Fauchard drops, some drops from Deaths near the Godhands Workshop, and chest items, for a total of eleven blades. There are other ways, too, even on the first playthrough.

  • A Crescent see above, first playthrough, four blades) plus a Destroyer (see above, four blades) makes a Boar Spear of eight blades
    • Fauchards from the 2nd play makes Pole Axe again, and this can be used to make a Brandestoc on the second playthrough. This is nine blades per Pole Axe, one more than the above chest Double Blade recipe
    • Alternatively, a Nodachi (see above, five blades, or two on the second playthrough) plus a Destroyer of four blades (see above) makes a Fauchard of nine blades in the first playthrough (and six in the 2nd, but Fauchards drop whole then).

So a Pole Axe can be made of 26 blades in the first playthrough, and nine in the second, for Brandestocs of 104 blades first playthrough, and 36 blades in the second. If the Voulges in each playthrough are used, this is shortened to 80 blades in the first playthrough and 24 in the second.

There are other possibilities in the Rare Combinations which may require fewer blades or make use of existing resources, such as chests.

Four Fauchards, each added to one of four Voulges: Six Damascus Fauchards from drops, total-the remaining two are used to craft Voulges. Two Voulges from chests, and two crafted. The Voulges are crafted of two Fauchards and two Boar spears, each made from a Crescent and a Damascus Destroyer. Silver Tabars drop at over 10% from a Crimson Blade Jackboot in Rue Crimnade in the Town Center East; four make a Crescent. The Destroyer: Damascus Tabar, each with two Khukuri added one by one, and a Sage's Cane added to each afterwards. The second-playthrough recipe list in full (for the first playthrough, all ingredients that are not Damascus must be Silver, but they can be any material once Godhands is opened in the second playthrough): two DAMASCUS Voulges from the same chest, six DAMASCUS Fauchards, eight Tabars, two DAMASCUS Tabars, four Khukuris, two Sage's Canes. For each Voulge that does not come from the chest, add another two Damascus Fauchards, four Tabars, one Damascus Tabar, two Khukuris, and a Sage's Cane


Ultimate Tier List[]

Some of the following combos are not even Morphs, but instead Mismatches

  • 12th Tier + 12th: Jamadhar + Brandestoc = 7th of 8 Penultimate Tier Siege Bow (Silver Polearm + 1st Hagane Dagger 2nd = Damascus)
  • 12th Tier + 11th: Jamadhar + Wakizashi = 7th of 8 Bullova
  • 12th Tier + 11th: Brandestoc + Wakizashi = 11th of 12 Stiletto! Penultimate, very high
  • 12th + 9th: Jamadhar + Rune Blade = 9th of 12 Khukuri. Ultimate & Penultimates lower in Dagger + Great Sword
  • 12th + 9th: Brandestoc + Rune Blade = 9th of 12 Voulge. Penultimates lower in Polearm + Great Sword (Silver Great Sword 1st + Iron Polearm 2nd = Damascus)
  • 12 + 8: Jamadhar + Crescent = 8th of 12 Hatchet. Interesting Morphs lower down in Dagger + Axe
  • 12 + 8: Brandestoc + Crescent = 6th of 8 Tabar. (Hagane Axe 1st + Silver Polearm 2nd = Damascus)
  • 12 + 8: Jamadhar + Arbalest = 8th of 12 Hatchet. Penultimates lower in Dagger + Crossbow
  • 12 + 8: Brandestoc + Arbalest = 7th of 8 Siege Bow
  • 12 + 8: Jamadhar + War Maul = 8th of 12 Hatchet (Ultimate & Penultimate lower down in Dagger + Mace)
  • 12 + 8: Brandestoc + War Maul = 7th of 8 Bec de Corbin (Hagane Mace 1st + Silver Polearm 2nd = Damascus)
  • 12 + 7: Jamadhar + Destroyer = 6th of 12 Shamshir
  • 12 + 7: Brandestoc + Destroyer = 6th of 12 Cinquedea
  • 12 + 6: Jamadhar + Halberd = 6th of 6 Sage's Cane
  • 12 + 6: Brandestoc + Halberd = 6th of 12 Awl Pike
  • 12 + 6: Jamadhar + Sage's Cane = 7th of 7 Destroyer (Hagane Dagger 1st + Silver Staff 2nd = Damascus, therefore Damascus Destroyer; as a Heavy Mace, turning all other Designs into Damascus)
  • 12 + 6: Brandestoc + Sage's Cane = 6th of 8 Lug Crossbow

11th

  • 11 + 8: Wakizashi + Crescent = 8th of 12 Shotel (Ultimate & Penultimate lower down in Sword + Axe)
  • 11 + 8: Wakizashi + Arbalest = 8th of 12 Shotel
  • 11 + 8: Wakizashi + War Maul = 8th of 12 Shotel (Penultimate lower down in Sword + Mace)
  • 11 + 7: Wakizashi + Destroyer = 6th of 12 Shamshir
  • 11 + 6: Wakizashi + Halberd = 6th of 6 Sage's Cane
  • 11 + 6: Wakizashi + Sage's Cane = 7th of 7 Destroyer

9th

  • 9 + 8: Rune Blade + Crescent = 8th of 8 War Maul
  • 9 + 8: Rune Blade + Arbalest = 7th of 8 Bullova (Hagane Crossbow 1st + Silver Great Sword 2nd = Damascus)
  • 9 + 8: Rune Blade + War Maul = 6th of 6 Halberd
  • 9 + 7: Rune Blade + Destroyer = 7th of 8 Siege Bow
  • 9 + 6: Rune Blade + Halberd = 5th of 6 Double Blade
  • 9 + 6: Rune Blade + Sage's Cane = 5th of 6 Bishop's Crosier

8th Tier

  • 8 + 8: Crescent + War Maul = 6th of 6 Halberd
  • 8 + 8: Crescent + Arbalest = 8th of 9 Nodachi
  • 8 + 8: War Maul + Arbalest = 8th of 9 Nodachi
  • 8 + 7: Crescent + Destroyer = 7th of 12 Boar Spear
  • 8 + 7: War Maul + Destroyer = 7th of 12 Boar Spear
  • 8 + 7: Arbalest + Destroyer = 7th of 9 Bastard Sword
  • 8 + 6: Crescent + Sage's Cane = 6th of 12 Awl Pike (Silver Axe 1st + Hagane Staff 2nd = Damascus)
  • 8 + 6: War Maul + Sage's Cane = 6th of 12 Awl Pike (Silver Mace 1st + Hagane Staff 2nd = Damascus)
  • 8 + 6: Arbalest + Sage's Cane = 6th of 9 Schiavona
  • 8 + 6: Crescent + Halberd = 6th of 7 Griever
  • 8 + 6: War Maul + Halberd = 6th of 7 Griever
  • 8 + 6: Arbalest + Halberd = 6th of 9 Nodachi (Silver Great Axe 1st + Hagane Crossbow 2nd = Damascus)


7th

  • 7 + 6: Destroyer + Sage's Cane = 6th of 12 Cinquedea
  • 7 + 6: Destroyer + Halberd = 7th of 7 Destroyer

6th

  • 6 + 6: Halberd + Sage's Cane = 7th of 7 Destroyer (Iron Staff 1st + Silver Great Axe 2nd = Damascus)


Citations[]

  1. Four of the Damascus Shotels is even easier, as HP 150 or over is no problem. But they require four Falchions too to get to a Wakizashi
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 VAGRANT STORY DAMASCUS WEAPONS AND ARMOR FAQ v1.2, By Wicked Souls
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