Guide: Weapon Fusion Mechanics - Guide for Kid Icarus: Uprising

Kid Icarus: Uprising
Weapon Fusion Mechanics
Authored by babyryoga at yahoo dot com
Version: 0.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Known as "BR" in game.

History:

0.9  (04/19/12) Misc corrections, more detailed explanation on how to make a 
     custom weapon outlined.

0.8  (04/13/12) Misc corrections and additional information added.

0.75 (04/07/12) Some revisions based on new observations.

0.7  (04/06/12) First release. Some theories need to be tested, some statistics
missing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contents:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. Forward
B. Fusion Mechanics
 I. Fusing Mechanics Explanation
 II. Building a Customizable Weapon From Scratch
 III. Resulting Combinations
 IV. Which Weapons are Found in Which Chapters?
 V. Attributes
 VI. Which Values and Attributes are Best Suited for My Weapon of Choice?
 VII. Special Thanks and Copyright Info


-------
Forward
-------

This guide is designed around maximizing weapon fusion to its fullest potential.
The main goal of any advice contained within always strives to achieve ONLY
this, and shouldn't necessarily be thought of as an end-all solution to
everything fusion related. Remember that most of the weapons and attributes
in this game are useful in some way, and play style can vary based on this.

Note: many of the ideas expressed in this guide are still not completely
confirmed, and there are no 100% reliable answers to some of the mechanics
found in this game as of yet. If you find anything that contradicts any of the
information found in this guide, or feel that I am wrong about something, feel
free to e-mail me.


I. Fusing Mechanics Explanation
-------------------------------

I tested out these rules by farming weapons with no attributes and attack
values in only one of either ranged or melee, and fusing them together in order
to build base weapons with attack values of my choosing, but no attributes.

Rules
1. A weapon's base value is 100.
2. Every weapon (or possibly every weapon type) has a slight multiplier that
   leans toward either ranged or melee. When you fuse two weapons together,
   the ranged and melee values are averaged out, then affected slightly by the
   multiplier of the resulting weapon, when an attack value is being augmented
   in the fusion. For all intents and purposes, the only time this is relevant
   is when a weapon needs to pass on something while fusing with another weapon
   but has no attributes to pass on. In this case, a small amount will be
   added to one of the attack values of the weapon.
3. The multiplier will have no effect on an attack value of 0, unless both
   attack values of the weapon are 0. If you have a weapon that ONLY has stars
   in ranged and you fuse it with another weapon that only has stars in ranged,
   the resulting weapon will never have any stars in melee, even if it's
   multiplier would otherwise be biased to melee.
4. Once a weapon has at least half a star in Ranged or Melee, it can NEVER be
   reverted back to 0 stars in that category.
5. If two weapons with similar values in only one stat are fused, the stat will
   rise. Example, a 2-star ranged and a 1 1/2 star ranged, both with 0 in melee,
   will make a 2 1/2-star ranged. This is assuming there are no attributes on
   either weapon.
6. If two weapons with 0 in both ranged and melee are fused, the result will be
   a weapon that has half a star in whichever multiplier wins out (providing
   that both of these weapons have no other attributes on them, IE are 100
   value).    
7. Every attribute and attack value has an amount that it adds to the overall
   value of the weapon. This amount varies from stat to stat, as well as
   point to point. The first point of any attribute or value is SLIGHTLY MORE
   expensive than any additional points in that particular attribute or value.
   Thus, this system slightly punishes having many attributes over having few.
   There might be a couple of few exceptions on weaker attributes.
8. When two weapons are fused, the game calculates the overall value of the new
   weapon, based on how close the overall values of the fused weapons are. If 
   they are close, there will be a slight gain in the new overall value. If
   they are too far apart, they will be averaged out (IE, the resulting weapon
   will take a loss in overall value).
9. As Overall values go up, the amount of overall value that can be gained from
   one fusion goes down. This is why it gets very difficult to gain value in
   the 300+ range. It gets really tight around 306 or so, and you'll need two
   weapons of pretty much the same value with probably a good selection of low
   value single point attributes to pass on to make it that high. I'm not sure
   you can even increase value past 307 (by ending on 306.9 and having a set
   of attributes that fall within the margin of leeway explained in the next
   rule) with two weapons of lower value. Weapons of higher value into the 320s,
   330s, 340s, etc will always be averaged down when fused. It might still
   be possible to lose no value or even go up a point if you use two weapons
   of the exact same value and the margin of leeway creeps into the next number.
10.The way attributes are passed on is as follows: The game calculates every
   possible combination of common factors in attack values and attributes that
   both weapons have, and chooses the combination that falls closest to the new
   overall value calculated as a result of the fusion. There is a certain
   margin of leeway (unknown how much) which the overall value of one of
   combinations must fall in for this to take place, or else one of the
   following will occur:
 10a.If there are no attributes or values to pass on that fit this criteria,
     the item of lower value will simply change weapon type. Example: 6 ranged
     0 melee Pandora Claws with Freezing +4, and 4 ranged 0 melee Ogre club with
     Overall Defense +8. The Defense attribute is way too expensive to pass on
     in this case, and the Ogre club is of higher overall value by 22, so the
     Freezing +4 is also too expensive to pass on. Furthermore, both weapons
     have only ranged, so the game can't average them out to form a new weapon
     with 4 1/2 or 5, because even that would be too expensive to pass on in
     this case. Since the overall values of the weapons in question are close
     enough that there would normally be a gain in value rather than a loss,
     nothing can be exchanged between the two. So, the result is A 6 ranged 0
     melee Crystal Bow with Freezing +4, and the same overall value as the
     Pandora Claws. 
 10b.Greyed-out attributes can be lost and assimilated into the attack values
     when fusing two weapons of vastly different overall value to reach a new
     overall value that falls within the margin.
 10c.Likewise, attack values can be assimilated into passing on more greyed out
     attributes when two weapons of vastly different overall value are averaged.
 10d.Fusing weapons sometimes results in something of lower value than both
     weapons used in the fusion. This most commonly occurs when the newly
     calculated overall value is closing in on the overall value cap, and the
     game cannot calculate a set of common factors that falls within both the
     cap and the safe amount of leeway from the new overall value, or when there
     is nothing to pass on.
 10e.There can never be bonuses that would end up stacking on the same weapon,
     even if they are different bonuses. Example, you cannot have Speed +4 and
     Running Speed +4, or Dash Ch. Shot +1 and Side Dash Ch. Shot +2. This goes
     for status effects as well; you can't have Poison and Freezing, or Shaking
     and Burning, etc. I don't think there is a special criteria for determining
     priority, the game simply uses which ever one results in a combination of
     attributes with a closer decimal value to the new overall value. 
11.The Overall value of a complete item is always rounded down, after all is
   said and done. Leftover decimals from the values of attributes are dropped
   entirely, but will of course still be calculated the next time that weapon
   is fused. 


II. Building a Customizable Weapon From Scratch
-----------------------------------------------

*IIa. Points in Only One Attack Value*
Assume I had a weapon with 6 ranged 0 melee that I wanted to get a specific
attribute on. The way I could do this is to find a copy of that attribute on a
store bought or treasure box weapon that also only has stars in ranged, and
fusing that with another copy of a weapon that has only ranged and 0 melee. In
an example that I custom fused myself, I started with a 100 value weapons and
ended up with a blade, 6 ranged 0 melee, then successfully fused Recovery
Effect+4 on to it after about 60 fuses in total. Transferring the desired
attribute is best done in one fuse, with a bit of luck, but if you take a loss
in an attack value in doing so, you can recover it by combining with more
weapons that have only that one attack value. 

If you wanted to add Overall Defense +8 to this weapon in order to make the
ultimate 9.0 farming weapon, with those being the two most desirable attributes
for solo, based on the value added to the weapon from the attack values and the
one attribute already on it, you would think this would be impossible due to
the overall value cap. This isn't the case.

First off, how do you bridge the value gap? Since only the entire point value
for an attribute rather than single points can be transferred, there is no way
to add the whole +8 in one fuse. On the other hand, say I had a 6 ranged 0
melee weapon with Recovery Effect +4, a 6 ranged 0 melee weapon with Overall
Defense +1, another similar weapon with +2, +3, +4, and so on, I could fuse
them all in order in theory, and end up with a 6 ranged 0 melee weapon that
has 2 high attributes and still maintains its 6 attack value. This will always
work as long as the difference in overall value remains close enough to stay
within in alloted value increase for each fusion, otherwise one of the
attributes will fall off, or the attack value will decrease (which is actually
what  you want to happen as the value approaches the upper 280s and onwards,
due to rules number 3, 10d, and 11).

That is a lot of fuses, though. It took probably 20 runs through ch. 1 on 2.0
intensity with buying weapons that had no attributes and only 1 attack value
from the store in between to make that one weapon with one +4 attribute. It
would take hundreds of trips to make a set of weapons with increasing defense
values to fuse. And even after all that, it would be nearly impossible to get
the EXACT weapon you want in the end, it would just be luck of the draw unless
you do some extremely selective fusing while making each of the weapons.

So, 6 star ranged 0 star melee weapon of choice with 2 high attributes of
choice? You'll probably have to collect a few thousand weapons, with lots of
ones that you'll have to discard. It will also include specific 100 value
weapons (or higher value weapons with only one attack values but no attributes)
to some extent that will need to be gathered from the appropriate chapter, or
the store.

The obvious shortcut to getting a second or third attribute on there is to use
an extremely high value store bought or treasure box weapon that has only stars
in ranged and the attribute you want to copy. Such a weapon is likely to have
other attributes as well, so it would come down to some very tight math to
determine if you can fuse it while transferring only the desired ability, and
still keeping the custom abilities you added without a drop in attack values.
Therefore, it is beneficial to save any 320+ value weapon you come across that
has points in only one attack value, and an attractive attribute to see if you
can make it stick to something else at some point. 

Regardless of if you use this as a shortcut, or do it the long way, the final
steps in creating the perfect custom weapon will always be fusing in the highest
level weapons you can find that will copy over an attribute you want, keep the
ones you have on the base weapon, and get the value as close to (or even
slightly higher than) the overall value cap as possible. When I made my weapon,
it basically went like this: 
1. Started With 100 value first blade
2. Dozens of fuses later, 6 / 0 weapon with nothing on it
3. One or two fuses later, 6 / 0 weapon with Recovery Effect +4
4. Several fuses later, 3 1/2 / 0 weapon with Recovery Effect +4 and Overall
   Defense +8
5. One fuse later, 5 / 0 weapon with Recovery Effect +4 and Overall Defense +7,
   at this point, weapon is at 301 value and can only be further augmented by
   averaging it with store bought or treasure chest weapons of high value.
6. One fuse later, 5 1/2 / 0 weapon with Recovery Effect +4 and Overall Defense
   +7
7. One fuse later, 6 / 0 weapon with Recovery Effect +4 and Overall Defense +7
8. The final fuse, 6 / 0 weapon with Recovery Effect +4 and Overall Defense +8*

As you can see, I had to go back and forth, sacrificing points at a time in
order to get everything to line up. During the final fuses, you will need to
collect lots of weapons before you find one that will work without adding any
other attributes, and still raising the value.
*As of this update, I haven't completed step number 8 yet, but there is no
reason that it wouldn't work, based on the fact that 5, 6, and 7 worked out
perfectly. I'm still in the process of farming a bunch of weapons from 9.0s
and the store until I find one that works. 

*IIb. Points in Both Attack Values
As mentioned previously, when a weapon has points in both attack values, the
resulting values are determined by averaging the values of both the weapons used
in the fusion, and treating the result with the multiplier of the weapon that
comes up. If you want to build a base weapon with no attributes and points in
both attack values, you can do so by building it one-half point at a time; fuse
four 100 value weapons into a half star melee and a half star ranged weapon, and
fuse those two weapons together. Continue fusing weapons with the same values
together, and eventually you'll end up with your 6/6 weapon. 

The same that is true of weapons with points in only one attack value should
in theory apply to weapons with two values as well, but note that the number
of fuses to create a 6/6 weapon will be double that of a 6/0 one. Also note
that having both attack values high will severely limit the amount of space
you have to add other attributes. There will probably only be room for one +4,
even after you stack a negative on.

*IIc. Additional Misc. Fusing Tricks

- If you choose to go about it the long way and farm for low level weapons, 
you can hold on to weapons that have attributes, and try to fuse those
together in separate fusions from the ones that don't have attributes. Do this
in the same way you would fuse attributeless weapons to raise their attack
values, and try to make the attributes in question fall off over time. Never
fuse something if it will result in more than 3 attributes, 2 or 1 being ideal
for later removal as the weapons get higher. You can even start off your
custom weapon in this manner, if you can start with or end on one of the 
stats you want on your final weapon, IE Overall Defense +1, Freezing +1, etc.
This could even save you some trouble later on if you intend go up the ladder
in themid 200s one rung at a time. 

- The game saves your data whenever the system is powered down, or when you
change menus. If you eject the game card while the system is still on, it
will be unable to save on the fly. Here's what you can and can't do with this:
1. CANNOT buy weapons from the store (IE 305+ weapons) to see if they result
   in a fuse favorable to completeing the final steps of a custom fusion, or
   any fusion of choice. This is due to the fact that the game saves between
   exiting the store and entering the fusion menu.
2. CAN eject after you fuse two weapons together, in order to see if one of
   those resulting weapons would be favorable in fusions. This works as long
   as you don't leave the fusion menu, and I believe it works for an
   indefinite number of fuses as long as you don't go back. I have only
   personally tested it with one fuse, though.
3. CAN eject after you bet hearts to raise the intensity of a chapter in solo
   mode. If you power off, the hearts will be gone. If you eject, it will be
   as if you never made the choice to attempt the level. I don't know if this
   is still possible once you reach the game over screen. 

III. Which Weapons Are Found in Which Chapters
----------------------------------------------

If you do decide to farm from scratch, buying weapons from the store is a good
source for obtaining weapons with no attributes, but is completely random. Each
chapter has certain weapons that will drop at high rates during that chapter,
with other weapons dropping at really low rates. Zodiac weapons can be found
in any chapter once they have been discovered, at a slightly higher rate than
non-chapter specific weapon drops. IE, when you find a weapon in a normal
treasure box, the likelyhood is as follows, in order of most likely to least:
1. Chapter specific weapons, including specific Zodiac weapons
2. All other Zodiac weapons
3. All other weapons

*CH1*
First Blade
Fortune Bow
Violet Palm
Twinbellows Cannon

*CH2*
Insight Staff
Ore Club
Crusher Arm
Sagittarius Bow
Gaol Blade

*CH3*
Tiger Claws
EZ Cannon
Standard Orbitars
Hewdraw Club

*CH4*
Flintlock Staff
Darkness Bow
Ball Cannon
Taurus Arm
Great Reaper Palm

*CH5*
Viper Blade
Atlas Club
Bomber Arm
Pandora Claws

*CH6*
Silver Bow
Ogre Club
Gemini Orbitars
Dark Pit Staff

*CH7*
Meteor Bow
Eyetrack Orbitars
Volcano Arm
Poseidon Cannon
Thanatos Staff

*CH8*
Royal Blade
Knuckle Staff
Needle Palm
Cancer Claws
Kraken Arm

*CH9*
Bear Claws
Cursed Palm
Halo Club
Palutena Blade

*CH10*
Wolf Claw
Burning Palm
Leo Cannon
Phoenix Arm

*CH11*
Crusader Blade
Rose Staff
Divine Bow
Pad Paw Orbitars
Cragalanche Cannon

*CH12*
Brawler Claws
Skyscraper Club
Fireworks Cannon
Electroshock Arm
Virgo Palm

*CH13*
Samurai Sword
Lancer Staff
Midnight Palm
Aurum Orbitars

*CH14*
Earthmaul Club
Dynamo Cannon
Shock Orbitars
Bowl Arm
Phosphora Bow

*CH15*
Aurum Blade
Artillery Claws
Cutter Palm
Aurum Club
Jetstream Orbitars

*CH16*
Optical Saber
Aurum Palm
Rail Cannon
Aurum Orbitars
Scorpio Staff

*CH17*
Laser Staff
Raptor Claws
Aurum Bow
Compact Arm

*CH18*
First Blade
Guardian Orbitars
Angel Bow
Bullet Blade
Palutena Bow
Magnus Club

*CH19*
Babel Club
Centurian Orbitars
Ninja Palm
Ancient Staff
Aurum Bow

*CH20*
Doom Cannon
Angel Bow
Drill Arm
Burst Blade
Capricorn Club

*CH21*
Viridi Palm
Crystal Bow
Hedgehog Claws
Upperdash Arm
Electroshock Arm
Lancer Staff
Fireworks Cannon
Ancient Staff
Viper Blade

*CH22*
Kraken Arm
Viridi Palm
Pandora Claws

*CH23*
Phoenix Arm
Black Club
Beam Claws
Aquarius Blade

*CH24*
Predator Cannon


IV. Resulting Combinations
--------------------------

*IVa. Finding the Results*
The resulting weapon when any two weapons are fused together is fixed, based on
the following conditions, taken from the wiki linked at the end of this guide.

First, find the resulting type of weapon by matching the types in the XX column
vertically and horizontally:

BL. Blade
ST. Staff
CW. Claws
BO. Bow
PA. Palm
CL. Club
CA. Cannon
OR. Orbitars
AR. Arm

=================================================
 XX | BL | ST | CW | BO | PA | CL | CA | OR | AR 
-------------------------------------------------
 BL | CW | CW | CL | PA | AR | ST | ST | PA | BO
-------------------------------------------------
 ST | CW | CA | AR | AR | CA | CW | BL | CL | OR
-------------------------------------------------
 CW | CL | AR | CL | CL | AR | BO | BO | ST | ST
-------------------------------------------------
 BO | PA | AR | CL | CA | CL | PA | OR | CA | BL
-------------------------------------------------
 PA | AR | CA | AR | CL | AR | BL | BL | BO | OR
-------------------------------------------------
 CL | ST | CW | BO | PA | BL | OR | OR | CW | BL
-------------------------------------------------
 CA | ST | BL | BO | OR | BL | OR | PA | CW | ST
-------------------------------------------------
 OR | PA | CL | ST | CA | BO | CW | CW | CA | PA
-------------------------------------------------
 AR | BO | OR | ST | BL | OR | BL | ST | PA | BO
-------------------------------------------------

Then, figure out what the exact result will be by adding the numbers of each
of the weapons used in the fusion. Add the numbers of the two weapons together,
and the result will be your combination, within the weapon type found above.

Example: Blade 2 + Blade 3 = Claws 5; Burst Blade + Viper Blade = Stealth Claws

If the result sums up to more than 12, use the remaining amount. There are some
exceptions to this rule, explained below.

Example: Blade 10 + Staff 7 = Claws 5; Aurum Blade + Flintlock Staff = Stealth 
Claws; 10+7=17, 17-12=5. 

Blades
1.  First Blade
2.  Burst Blade
3.  Viper Blade
4.  Crusader Blade
5.  Royal Blade
6.  Optical Blade
7.  Samurai Blade
8.  Bullet Blade
9.  Aquarius Blade
10. Aurum Blade
11. Palutena Blade
12. Gaol Blade

Staves
1.  Insight Staff
2.  Orb Staff
3.  Rose Staff
4.  Knuckle Staff
5.  Ancient Staff
6.  Lancer Staff
7.  Flintlock Staff
8.  Somewhat Staff
9.  Scorpio Staff
10. Laser Staff
11. Dark Pit Staff
12. Thanatos Staff

Claws
1.  Tiger Claws
2.  Wolf Claws
3.  Bear Claws
4.  Brawler Claws
5.  Stealth Claws
6.  Hedgehog Claws
7.  Raptor Claws
8.  Artillery Claws
9.  Cancer Claws
10. Beam Claws
11. Viridi Claws
12. Pandora Claws

Bows
1.  Fortune Bow
2.  Silver Bow
3.  Meteor Bow
4.  Divine Bow
5.  Darkness Bow
6.  Crystal Bow
7.  Angel Bow
8.  Hawkeye Bow
9.  Sagittarius Bow
10. Aurum Bow
11. Palutena Bow
12. Phosphora Bow

Palms
1.  Violet Palm
2.  Burning Palm
3.  Needle Palm
4.  Midnight Palm
5.  Cursed Palm
6.  Cutter Palm
7.  Pudgy Palm
8.  Ninja Palm
9.  Virgo Palm
10. Aurum Palm
11. Viridi Palm
12. Great Reaper Palm

Clubs
1.  Ore Club
2.  Babel Club
3.  Skyscraper Club
4.  Atlas Club
5.  Earthmaul Club
6.  Ogre Club
7.  Halo Club
8.  Black Club
9.  Capricorn Club
10. Aurum Club
11. Hewdraw Club
12. Magnus Club

Cannons
1.  EZ Cannon
2.  Ball Cannon
3.  Predator Cannon
4.  Poseidon Cannon
5.  Fireworks Cannon
6.  Rail Cannon
7.  Dynamo Cannon
8.  Doom Cannon
9.  Leo Cannon
10. Sonic Cannon
11. Twinbellows Cannon
12. Cragalanche Cannon

Orbitars
1.  Standard Orbitars
2.  Guardian Orbitars
3.  Shock Orbitars
4.  Eyetrack Orbitars
5.  Fairy Orbitars
6.  Paw Pad Orbitars
7.  Jetstream Orbitars
8.  Boom Orbitars
9.  Gemini Orbitars
10. Aurum Orbitars
11. Centurian Orbitars
12. Arlon Orbitars

Arms
1.  Crusher Arm
2.  Compact Arm
3.  Electroshock Arm
4.  Volcano Arm
5.  Drill Arm
6.  Bomber Arm
7.  Bowl Arm
8.  End-All Arm
9.  Taurus Arm
10. Upperdash Arm
11. Kraken Arm
12. Phoenix Arm

Exceptions:
Samurai Blade + Earthmaul Club = Arlon Orbitars
Rose Staff + Eyetrack Orbintars = Samurai Blade
Knuckle Staff + End-All Arm = Gaol Blade
Somewhat Staff + Virgo Palm = Upperdash Arm
Dark Pit Staff + Fortune Bow = Palutena Blade
Stealth Claws + Violet Palm = Rail Cannon
Hedgehog Claws + Ogre Club = Great Reaper Palm
Angel Bow + Phosphora Bow = Viridi Palm
Angel Bow + Drill Arm = Centurion Orbitars
Cursed Palm + Ball Cannon = Black Club
Pudgy Palm + Fireworks Cannon = Phoenix Arm
Ogre Club + Rail Cannon = Dark Pit Staff
Shock Orbitars + Volcano Arm = Dynamo Cannon

*IVb. Loops*
Loops are combinations of fusions that will lead you back to the starting
weapon type, which are useful if you want to strengthen a particular weapon and
end up back on the same type of weapon, as posted on a Japanese BBS. This is
not a complete list.

Blades
Blade + Club or Cannon = Staff + Cannon = Blade
Sword + Claw = Club + Palm or Arm = Blade

Staves
Staff + Claw or Bow = Arm + Claw or Cannon = Staff
Staff + Orbitars = Club + Blade = Staff

Claws
Claw + Claw or Bow or Blade = Club + Orbitars = Claw
Claw + Orbitars or Arm = Staff + Blade or Club = Claw

Bows
Bow + Claw or Palm = Club + Claw = Bow
Bow + Blade or Club = Palm + Orbitars = Bow

Palms
Palm + Sword or Claw or Palm = Arm + Orbitars = Palm
Palm + Club or Cannon = Blade + Bow or Orbitars = Palm

Clubs
Club + Palm or Arm = Blade + Claw = Club
Club + Staff or Obitars = Claw + Blade or Claw or Bow = Club

Cannons
Cannon + Bow or Club = Orbitars + Bow or Orbitars = Cannon
Cannon + Blade or Arm = Staff + Staff or Palm = Cannon

Orbitars
Orbitars + Blade or Arm = Palm + Arm = Orbitars
Orbitars + Bow or Orbitars = Cannon + Bow or Club = Orbitars

Arms
Arm + Bow or Club = Blade + Palm = Arm
Arm + Claw or Cannon = Staff + Claw or Bow = Arm


V. Attributes
-------------

Each point in an attribute adds to the overall value of an item by an amount
that differs based on the attribute, as well as how many points are in that
attribute. Generally, the amount is nearly the same for each point with the
exception of the very first point being added, which is about 50% more
expensive. Thus, as explained in the first section of this guide, when you have
more attributes on a single weapon, you tend to lose some potential. There are
some exceptions to this rule, on weaker attributes.

The total value of a weapon after all factors have been calculated is always
rounded down. The approximate values are taken from data collected on a wiki
site, which can be found via a link cited at the end of this guide.

A. Attack Value
Ranged: Each half-star increases all ranged damage you deal by approx. 15%
0.5 - 14.9
1.0 - 23.2
1.5 - 31.5
2.0 - 39.8
2.5 - 48.1
3.0 - 56.4
3.5 - 64.7
4.0 - 73
4.5 - 81.3
5.0 - 89.6
5.5 - 97.9
6.0 - 106.2

Melee: Each half-star increases all melee damage you deal by approx. 15%
0.5 - 9.4
1.0 - 15.2
1.5 - 21
2.0 - 26.8
2.5 - 32.6
3.0 - 38.4
3.5 - 44.2
4.0 - 50
4.5 - 55.8
5.0 - 61.6
5.5 - 67.4
6.0 - 73.2

B. Charged Shots
Standing Ch. Shot: Increases charge shot damage dealt by you while standing by
roughly 12.5% per point
+1 - 10
+2 - 
+3 - ~22.3
+4 - 31
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Dash-Ch. Shot: Increases all dash charge shot damage dealt by you by roughly
12.5% per point
+1 - 
+2 - 27
+3 - 35
+4 - 45
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Fwd-Dash Ch. Shot: Increases damage dealt by your forward dash charge shots by
roughly 12.5% per point
+1 - 
+2 - 19
+3 - 
+4 - 35
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Side-Dash Ch. Shot: Increases damage dealt by your side dash charge shots by 
roughly 12.5% per point
+1 - 
+2 - 
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Bkwd-Dash Ch. Shot: Increases damage dealt by your back dash charge shots by
roughly 12.5 per point
+1 - 10
+2 - 18
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

C. Continuous Fire
Standing Cont. Fire: Increases cont. fire damage dealt by you while standing
+1 - 9
+2 - 13
+3 - 15
+4 - 23
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Dash-Cont. Fire: Increases all dash cont. fire damage dealt by you
+1 - 10
+2 - 17
+3 - 26
+4 - 35
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Fwd-Dash Cont. Fire: Increases damage dealt by your forward dash cont. fire
+1 - ~8
+2 - 
+3 - 18
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Side-Dash Cont. Fire: Increases damage dealt by your side dash cont. fire
+1 - ~8
+2 - 13
+3 - 21
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Bkwd-Dash Cont. Fire: Increases damage dealt by your back dash cont. fire
+1 - ~8.7
+2 - 
+3 - 19
+4 - ~32.9
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

D. Melee Strikes
Melee Combo: Increases damage dealt by your melee combo attacks
+1 - 
+2 - 
+3 - 21
+4 - 30
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Melee Dash Attack: Increases damage dealt by your melee dash attacks
+1 - ~7.6
+2 - 17
+3 - 
+4 - 23
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

E. Special Attacks
Item Attack: Increases damage dealt by items you use
+1 - 16
+2 - 28
+3 - 
+4 - 54
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Power Attack: Increases damage dealt by powers you use by ~30% per point
+1 - 
+2 - 41
+3 - 55
+4 - 74
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

F. Defense
Health: Increases max health
+1 - 12
+2 - 
+3 - ~27.8
+4 - 37
+5 - 48
+6 - ~55.8
-1 - -12
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 -
-5 -
-6 - 

Shot Defense: Decreases damage you receive from shots
+1 - 
+2 - ~29.4
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Melee Defense: Decreases damage you receive from melee attacks
+1 - 9.9
+2 - ~18
+3 - 
+4 - 32
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Knockback Defense: Decreases the chance you will be knocked back
+1 - ~7
+2 - 
+3 - 19
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Knockback Recovery: Increases the chances of automatically landing safely
+1 - 10
+2 - 
+3 - 
+4 -

Status Resistance: Decreases the chance you will be afflicted by a status change
+1 - 11
+2 - 
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - -7.2
-3 - 
-4 - 

Overall Defense: Decreases all damage you receive
+1 - 14.9
+2 - ~25.6
+3 - ~36.5
+4 - 48
+5 - ~59
+6 - 69
+7 - ~80
+8 - 90
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

G. Movement
Stamina: Increases how long you can run without tiring out
+1 - 12
+2 - 17
+3 - 20
+4 - 23
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Speed: Increases overall movement speed
+1 - 9.1
+2 - 18
+3 - 26
+4 - ~33.1
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Running Speed: Increases running speed
+1 - 7
+2 - 
+3 - 19
+4 - 26
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Walking Speed: Increases walking speed
+1 - 7
+2 - 11
+3 - 14
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Evasion: Increases invincibility period slightly after dodging an attack
+1 - ~10.5
+2 - 18
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

H. Effects
Recovery Effect: Increases health recovery from items (and powers?)
+1 - 16
+2 - 21
+3 - 26
+4 - 32
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Effect Duration: Increases the amount of time effects (and powers?) last
+1 - 10
+2 - 20
+3 - 
+4 - 39
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

I. Status
Poison: Increases the chance of inflicting poison with your attacks
+1 - ~6.4
+2 - 
+3 - 
+4 - 28
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Paralysis: Increases the chance of inflicting paralysis with your attacks
+1 - 7
+2 - 14
+3 - 
+4 - 27
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Weakness: Increases the chance of inflicting weakness with your attacks
+1 - 10
+2 - 17
+3 - 23
+4 - 30
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Petrification: Increases the chances of inflicting petrification with your atks
+1 - 
+2 - 22
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Shaking: Increases the chance of inflicting shaking with your attacks
+1 - 7
+2 - 
+3 - 21
+4 - 28
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Confusion: Increases the chance of inflicting confusion with your attacks
+1 - 7
+2 - 
+3 - 25
+4 - 28
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Burning: Increases the chance of inflicting burning with your attacks
+1 - 7 
+2 - 13
+3 - 
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

Freeze: Increases the chance of inflicting freeze with your attacks
+1 - ~19.9
+2 - 26
+3 - 31
+4 - 38
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

J. Shot Attributes
Shot Range: Increases the range of your shots by ~12.5% per point
+1 - 15
+2 - 23
+3 - 34
-1 - ~-5
-2 - 
-3 - 

Shot Homing: Increases the ability of your shots to zone in on a target
+1 - 12
+2 - 20
+3 - 27
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 

Shot Cancellation: Increases the ability of your shots to cancel other shots
+1 - 39
-1 - 


K. Self
Self Damage: Causes some damage to your health every 5 seconds
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 

L. Life Bar Status
Full-Health Boost: When at full health, your attack power and speed increase 
+1 - 8.9
+2 - 
+3 - 
+4 - 
+5 - 
+6 - 29
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

In-Peril Auto-dodge: When life falls below 1/3rd, auto dodges can occur
+1 - 7
+2 - 
+3 - ~23.5
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

In-Peril Attack Boost: When life falls below 1/5th, attack power increases
+1 - 
+2 - 22 
+3 - 29
+4 - 37
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 

M. Hearts
Heart Boost: Increases the number of hearts you receive from enemies
+1 - 7
+2 - 14
+3 - 26
+4 - 
-1 - 
-2 - 
-3 - 
-4 - 


VI. Which Values and Attributes are Best Suited for My Weapon of Choice?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
It depends on your personal preference. Given the high value of attack values
and the limited space you are given to work with, it is probably better to
work toward whatever the particular weapon you are trying for does best. Most
weapon types are geared for one stat, and won't really benefit from having
both attack values. Here are some tips:

- Bow, Cannon, Orbitar, Most clubs, Staves should have Ranged only.

- Claws should have Melee, or both.

- Blades and Palms should have both.

- Arms I haven't had much experience with yet, but the ones I have used had
rather limited shot capabilities. not sure what to say here, other than they
do high Melee damage, and have gimmicky Ranged shots.

- Some Clubs (depending on play style) COULD have both. Keep in mind that while
melee attacks from a club can be devastating, their charge shots are where they
truly shine. If anything, Melee value will be more useful in solo play on a
club, than in multiplayer.

- Specific defensive stats should be avoided if possible. For solo play,
sticking to health and overall defense is ideal. Recovery Effect is also very
useful for higher intensities. The perfect weapon for tackling chapters on 9.0
would include a high Ranged attack value, some Overall Defense, and Recovery
Effect. If you find yourself dying too much in the air phases of stages, maybe
Overall Defense AND Shot Defense might be the way to go.

- For ranged weapons in general, gear toward whatever attack you like the most.
Much of the time, Standing ch. Shot or Dash ch. Shot will be the best option.
Continuous Fire is much more useful in solo than multiplayer, so I would
personally tend to avoid it if possible except for solo weapons.

- Speed is good to offset the slowness of clubs. Stamina could be useful in
theory if you find yourself playing extremely offensively with clubs or other
weapons, or find yourself tiring out a lot. 

- You shouldn't play around health-related boosts; they are too unpredictable.
Item attack isn't very useful unless you tend to run with Item Vacuum in your
setup, and Power Attack is one of the more expensive value attributes, so it
is definitely best to avoid when possible. Even offensive powers like Black
Hole and Explosive Flame are better for pressuring and trapping opponents
into taking charged shots head on rather than directly dealing damage. Only
if you use both Meteor Shower and Mega Laser heavily should you consider it.
Remember though, the cost you are paying for having it on a weapon is cutting
in to something else.

- The usefulness of status defects generally falls into 4 tiers, which are
ordered from most useful to least useful:
---------
Freeze: Target cannot act or move for short period, takes full damage
Petrify: Target cannot act or move for longer period, takes half damage
---------
Weakness: Target takes twice as much damage
Paralysis: Target cannot move as quickly, or dodge as easily
---------
Shaking: Target loses control of their aim
Confusion: Target loses control completely, will act randomly
---------
Burning: Target slowly takes damage over a quick period of time
Poison: Target slowly takes damage over a longer period of time
---------
Keep in mind that status effects seem to be applied after X shots, rather than
a percentage. IE, with Freezing +4, it takes around 30 standing cont. shots
for it to occur, after it has already occured one time.

- Most important of all, each weapon has something it does BEST, and it may not
always be obvious what that is. Think carefully before you jump to conclusions.
Since the amount of fusing that goes in to customizing a specific weapon is a
bit excessive, you'll want to know exactly what a weapon is capable of before
you jump in, and have a strategy and power set that will work well with your
desired result in mind beforehand.

Here are a few examples of what you should aim for when creating a weapon
from scratch. These are some of the ones that I tend to use in multiplayer and
do well with, that I don't really see other people use to the fullest extent.
Lastly, I'll close it out with a good solo weapon.

*The Trap Artist*
Black Club
6 Ranged
0 Melee
Good Attributes: Standing Ch. Shot, Shot Range, Shot Homing
Good Powers: Black Hole, Autoreticle, Quick Charge, Energy Charge, Invisible
Shots, Homing Boost
I have one of these with range +3 and homing +2 that dominates in LvD. Use
Energy Charge and Autoretcile, and shoot from behind cover since the Standing
Ch. Shot goes through walls (and more importantly, the ceiling). On some maps,
you can even hide shots entirely within walls, only to have them curve out
and smack someone for 300 damage. It's best not to play aggressively with this;
be sneaky, don't be seen. Especially if you have a homing boost of 2 or 3. If
someone comes at you head-on, don't aim for them directly; aim to the side.
The Standing Ch. Shot has a huge hit radius, travels fast, and people won't
expect it to curve toward them since not too many people are clever enough to
put Shot Homing on this.

*The Aggressor*
Angel Bow
6 Ranged
0 Melee
Good Attributes: Standing Ch. Shot, Dash Ch. Shot, Paralyze
Good Powers: Slip Shot, Transparency, Warp, Reflect Barrier
Fairly good range and homing on this inherently, but it might benefit a bit from
one more point in range. Because of it's homing, you can activate Slip Shot
when you know someone is nearby, and do some big damage. You also shouldn't
aim directly at a person, unless you are extremely close. Instead, maintain
a distance of about 20-40m and aim to the side or upward. Once you know how
your shots will curve, you can shoot around corners and over objects in this
way, too. Warp and transparency are for mobility and the essence of surprise,
or an escape if a melee spammer is too close, but otherwise, you shouldn't feel
too pressured, as this can be a comfortably aggressive weapon. Another good
strategy is to hide your Slip Shots in the ground so that people won't see
them coming to dodge. Other bows will vary in projectile speed and damage, but
another really good one for pressure that will fire difficult to dodge shots
at lightning speed is Phosphora's Bow. 

*The Sniper*
Flintlock Staff
6 Ranged
0 Melee
Good Attributes: Standing Ch. Shot, Shot Range
Good Powers: Energy Charge, Quick Charge, Warp, Transparency, Reflect Barrier
Autoreticle won't work; so don't even try it. Neither will the shot homing
attribute. Stay as far away as possible and go for those big damage charge
shots from 100+ yards away; when you land a shot from that far with Energy
Charge active, it's likely to kill. This time, Warp and Transparency will let
you keep your distance. A Laser Staff would work well here too, with a few
added advantages: it's easier to hit with, and the continuous fire and dash
fire is better. It won't do quite as much damage as the Flintlock, but it
has slightly more range, and should still probably get kills when coupled
with Energy Charge.

*The Berserker*
Claw of Choice (Pandora, Tiger, Brawler, etc), Arm of Choice (Taurus is best)
? Ranged
6 Melee
Good Attributes: Melee Combo, Effect Duration, Speed, Stamina, Overall Defense
Good Powers: Super Armor, Ares Armor, Libra Sponge, Heavenly Light, Bumblebee,
Counter Attack, Jump Glide
Melee Spammer build. Just pop Ares Armor and Libra Sponge and look away from
the game screen while pressing attack as fast as you can, and you'll win FFAs.
For extremely aggressive play, you can pop Jump Glide to fly across the map
at light speed, but don't go flying into any pits. Bumblebee and Counter
Attack are good ways to deal with other Melee Spammers, as is Heavenly Light,
but you'll need to drop Ares Armor and possibly Libra Sponge to work them in. 

*The Salty Sea Dog*
Cannon, Club, Etc. of Choice
? Ranged
? Melee
Good Attributes: Item Attack, Overall Defense NEGATIVE, Health NEGATIVE
Good Powers: Item Vaccum, Double Item, Throwing Boost, Spite
Once, I had a line of 4 medusa heads and 2 sentry guns all firing together
with this setup. While Item Attack is generally not too useful, it DOES hurt
quite a bit when you stack it with double items, vaccum, and an FFA game where
you'll die every 20 seconds or so. 

*The 9.0 Specialist*
Staff of Choice (Laser, Rose are good choices)
6 Ranged
0 Melee
Good Attributes: Overall Defense, Recovery Effect, Heart Boost, Health
Good Powers: Super Armor, Health Recovery, Crisis Recovery, Pisces Heal, Ares
Armor, Heart Booster
Your standard solo setup. It has the punch to defeat enemies quickly from a 
distance, even on 9.0, and enough defensive abilities to vastly increase the
amount of mistakes you can make before being finished. Staves have very few
weaknesses in solo, so this is a good all-around choice for now until each
weapon is explored in depth, and the extremely overpowered ones clearly stand
out. 


VII. Special Thanks and Copyright Info
--------------------------------------
The wiki found at:
http://shinparu.wiki.fc2.com/wiki/%E5%BC%B7%E3%81%95%E3%81%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AD%
E3%83%AB
for much of the information regarding values and weapon combination results
contained in this guide, as well as the loop information.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This document is copyright 2012, Kelly Mower ([email protected]) and should
not appear on any website without proper credit. It should not be sold under
any circumstances. If you wish to host this guide, you may do so only with the
advance written permission.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their 
respective trademark and copyright holders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------