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Guide to Weapon Imbues

There are a total of ten offensive Weapon Imbues in Asheron's Call. Knowing which imbue to use on which weapon is key to optimizing your damage output and the speed with which you kill enemies.

This guide is focused almost exclusively on non-PK content.

There is no one best imbue for all circumstances. A good player will have a variety of different weapons suitable for the different circumstances where that weapon is the most effective.

Physical Damage Weapons

I will use Swords as an example for physical damage, but almost everything here will be applicable to all weapons that deal physical damage, whether it be another melee weapon or a missile weapon.

Resistance Rends

Resistance Rends (commonly called "Rends") are elemental imbues that act as a built-in vulnerability spell. The effect is permanent and is based on your base weapon skill. The effect of rends maxes out at 400 base melee weapon (360 base missile weapon) skill, with an additional 150% damage. This is equivalent to a level VI life vulnerability spell.

There are seven different types of rends that correspond to the seven elemental damage types.

• Slash Rending - Salvaged Imperial Topaz
• Pierce Rending - Salvaged Black Garnet
• Bludgeon Rending - Salvaged White Sapphire
• Cold Rending - Salvaged Aquamarine
• Fire Rending - Salvaged Red Garnet
• Acid Rending - Salvaged Emerald
• Lightning Rending - Salvaged Jet

Rends are the most commonly-used weapon type for nearly all characters. Though the effect is less than a level 7 or 8 vulnerability spell, the time saved by not having to cast a vulnerability spell is well-worth it when facing creatures that don't have a great deal of health. For reference, it takes about 3.5 seconds to cast a level 8 spell, during which time a melee or missile character can perform almost two full power attacks. If a monster dies in four full power swings, it will almost never be worthwhile to cast a vulnerability spell on it.

By far the most effective way to utilize rends is with an Imperil spell. A Imperil plus a rending weapon will do much more damage than most other combinations of weapons and spells, and there are several additional ways to Imperil a target, including Alchemical Throwing Phials, the Incomparable Lense, and Royal Runed Weapons.

Critical Strike

Critical Strike (commonly called "CS") is an imbue that increases the percentage chance of a critical hit. Like all imbues, it is based on the user's base weapon skill, and maxes out at 400 base skill. Physical damage skills have a 10% chance to land a critical hit, and CS can push this just above 50% at its maximum effectiveness.

CS is not typically an effective imbue for physical damage weapons. Used by themselves, a rend will always outperform an equivalent CS weapon. With an Imperil added, the rending weapon becomes even more effective than the CS weapon. The only situation where a CS weapon outperforms a rend is when the target is Imperiled and Vulned, and in that circumstance Crippling Blow and especially Armor Rending are nearly always more effective options.

There are a few specialized uses for CS weapons, including PvP (for some weapon types), and certain quests (such as the Burun Kings).

Crippling Blow

Crippling Blow (commonly called "CB") is an imbue that greatly increases the damage done by each critical hit. The effect maxes out at around 7 times the weapon's maximum damage (where a normal critical hit is 2 times the maximum).

CB weapons are quite effective, though against most content Armor Rending is more effective. Like CS, CB is less effective than a rend unless the target is Vulned. With an Imperil and Vuln, however, CB crits can be devastating.

CB is the primary imbue used by physical-damage-dealers in PvP.

Armor Rending

Armor Rending (commonly called "AR") is an imbue that ignores a portion of the target's physical armor, including shields.

An AR-imbued weapon combined with an Imperil and Vulnerability spell does the most damage over time of all the weapon imbues. There are some important exceptions, however.

Some monsters have a low (or zero, in a lot of cases) natural armor level, and an Imperil spell causes their natural armor level to go below zero to a negative number. Having a negative natural armor level causes a huge increase in damage. AR does not distinguish between positive and negative armor levels, so it will ignore a portion of the damage-increasing negative armor level, causing an AR weapon to do less damage than a non-AR weapon would against the same enemy. In these circumstances, use a rend, CS, or CB weapon for maximum damage.

Examples of low/zero armor level creatures:

• Gurog
• Moarsmen
• Moars
• Wisps

Overall

I will order each combination of spells and imbue types from most damage to least. Note that there are exceptions (as described above plus some others) to this general rule.

• Imperil + Vuln + AR
• Imperil + Vuln + CB
• Imperil + Vuln + CS
• Vuln + AR
• Imperil + Vuln + Rend
• Imperil + Rend
• Vuln + CB
• Vuln + CS
• Rend
• CB
• CS