Introduction: Understanding Weapon Mechanics

It's important to note that information regarding a 'Tales of Berseria Remastered' does not appear in available search results. This guide is based on the original 'Tales of Berseria' and its weapon mechanics.

In 'Tales of Berseria', weapons are crucial for boosting character stats and unlocking powerful skills. Each character utilizes a unique set of weapon types, and their effectiveness is determined not just by base stats, but also by Master Skills, Enhancement Bonuses, and Random Skills.

Velvet's Best Main Game Weapon

For Velvet, the protagonist, the Adamantine Blade is considered the strongest main game weapon available. It boasts the highest Attack stat among her main game weapons. Its Master Skill and Enhancement Bonus are powerful enough to make it superior even to her initial two post-game weapons. The Adamantine Blade also provides a respectable Defense boost. However, acquiring it during the main game, specifically by reaching Katz Island, can be a challenging endeavor. Given Velvet's equal Attack and Artes Attack stats and her lack of Malak Artes, Blades that prioritize Attack are generally more desirable for her.

The 'Best' Weapons: Post-Game and Customization

While some of the 'best' equipment, including weapons, can be found in the EX dungeon, defining a single 'best' weapon is subjective in 'Tales of Berseria'. The ideal weapon set depends on a player's preferred build and stat prioritization. For instance, a player might opt for weapons that provide a large amount of attack damage, even if it means foregoing defenses.

Weapon Enhancement System Explained

The game heavily relies on its upgrading system to make weapons powerful. Enhancing gear allows even low-rarity items to become valuable due to the significant stat gains and special enhancement bonus skills conferred. These enhancement bonuses dramatically improve a character's performance and are universal among all items within the same category, growing stronger with each enhancement level. For example, all weapons gain a bonus to stun damage with each upgrade level.

The maximum enhancement level for equipment is gated by story progression and requires specific Acerites.

Dismantling and Materials

To upgrade weapons, you'll need various materials obtained primarily by dismantling other equipment. This process is introduced early in the game by Rokurou. When dismantling, items yield different materials depending on their enhancement level. Tempering powders (course, standard, fine) are crucial for upgrades and are acquired by dismantling equipment at specific enhancement levels.

It is generally recommended to enhance equipment to at least +1 before dismantling, as this yields more materials (two main ingredients and a course tempering powder) compared to dismantling unenhanced gear (one fragment/scrap).

Enhancement Bonuses and Master Skills

Beyond raw stats, weapons possess Master Skills and Enhancement Bonus skills. The first Enhancement Skill is fixed based on the weapon's class (e.g., Blades, Daggers). These skills, along with armor and ring skills, are powerful and can make almost any piece of equipment effective. Across the game, players also acquire ten Acerites that grant combat bonuses based on the cumulative enhancement level of a character's equipment. A full set of +10 equipment provides bonuses such as +3 Max BG, +3 Max Souls, +2 Initial Souls, reduced SG consumption, and fast HP regeneration while in reserve.

Random Skills and Equipment Maximization

Weapons can also come with up to three additional Random Skills. These skills are influenced by Glacites, which determine which Random Skills can appear and how many can be generated on a weapon. Obtaining gear with desirable random skills is often considered the most challenging aspect of optimizing equipment.

Equipment maximization involves crafting the strongest combinations of +10 equipment with three Rank 4/Sovereign Random Skills that work synergistically. While highly effective, achieving this can be extremely difficult due to the randomness involved in acquiring specific gear with specific random skills and ranks.

It's also beneficial to master the skills of every new piece of gear, as these mastered skills become permanent passive bonuses for the character.

Character-Specific Weapon Strategies

When considering weapon choices, individual character strengths and playstyles are key. For Velvet, prioritizing Attack and Focus (which influences stun/status application) with titles like Empress Claw can lead to a constant stream of souls and stuns, making her highly effective. While her hidden artes use the lower of her attack and magic attack, it's often more efficient to "stat gouge" attack and focus on martial artes. For characters like Magilou, focusing on Magic Attack is more effective.

Weapons that are upgraded higher should be prioritized, as each upgrade level increases stun damage by 10%.