Weapons

**Weapons** are items that are used to fight Enemies in *Curse of the Dead Gods*. They can be acquired from killing enemies (looted on the ground), treasure chests, and Weapon Sanctuaries. Currently equiped **Weapons** are displayed at the bottom left of the screen, above the health bar.

Currently, there are 13 types of weapons that fall into four primary categories : **Main Weapons**, **Off-hand** (or **Secondary**) **Weapons**, and **Two-handed Weapons**, as well as **Torches**. Each weapon type has its own Attack Moves, but each individual weapon also has its own Ability and random Affixes that set it apart from others of the same type.

## Gameplay

### Weapon Categories and Attack Moves

The player character can equip up to four weapons at any given time : one **Main Weapon**, one **Off-hand Weapon**, one **Two-handed Weapon**, and one **Torch**. Excluding the Torch (which is more of a Light- and Fire-providing tool than an actual Weapon), there are four **Weapon Families** - or **Fighting styles** - per Weapon category.

Each weapon family comes with its own playstyle : some weapons deal ranged attacks, others are able to break walls and interrupt enemies, some deal high amounts of damage while others increase the Player's survivability, etc.

In general, weapons belonging to the same family share similar Attack Moves (combos, finishers, charged attacks, etc), but some weapons have their own unique movesets.

### Weapon Stances

While the Player can have four equipped weapons, they can not draw them all at once. They have to choose between three **Stances** that determine which Weapons are active.

* The **Torch Stance** allows the Player to use the Torch.
* The **Main Stance** allows the Player to use both their Main and Off-hand Weapons at the same time.
* The **Two-Handed Stance** allows the Player to use their Two-Handed Weapon.

Switching between Stances is not instantaneous : because of this, it is difficult to effectively perform combos with the Two-Handed Weapon and the Main- or Off-Hand Weapons. However, while constantly switching back-and-forth is usually not a good idea, it is perfectly possible to alternate between the Main and Two-Handed Stances depending on the situation, or on the contrary stick to one preferred Stance and not use the other during an entire run.

### Critical Hits

Most Weapons can deal Critical Damage under certain conditions, which increases their damage output by 50% (by default). These conditions are usually tied to their family and Attack Moves, but some weapon types have their own Critical Damage conditions.

### Weapon Modifiers

Each Weapon has a unique icon and **Ability** that set it apart from other Weapons of the same family. These **Abilities** provide specific gameplay bonuses, which can be quite powerful and give each Weapon its unique flavor.

Additionally, each Weapon can be modified by up to three random Affixes. While **Abilities** and **Affixes** designate different concepts and aren't interchangeable, they work similarly : they provide bonuses to your Weapon. Some increase the Weapon's damage under certain conditions, others will provide more defensive abilities, etc.

A Weapon's Ability and Affixes are only active when said Weapon is equipped and drawned - that is, when using the Stance associated with this Weapon. Players can benefit from the Abilities and Affixes of both their Main and Off-hand weapons by taking the Main Stance.

In addition, each individual Weapon is of a certain Level and belongs to a certain Rarity tier. The **Level** of a Weapon determines its base damage (the higher, the better), while its **Rarity** determines its maximum number of Affixes. It is possible to increase the Level of a Weapon by visiting an Upgrade Sanctuary.

### Utility Weapons

Some weapons have the ability to bash open cracked walls and access hidden areas of the map. Because of this, the Player may want to carry one, even if they don't use them in combat : weapons kept solely for that purpose are called **Utility Weapons**. Since the ability to bash walls is directly tied to the weapon's family or type, they do not need to be high-quality. Heavy Weapons and Bombs are the quintessential utility weapons, but a few other weapon types (like the Crossbow of the Condemned) also have the ability to blow up walls.

In addition, the Player may also want to carry weapons that do not actually help win fights, but still have a specific role to play in combat : for example, carrying a ranged weapon allows the Player to reset the Greed Kill timer easily (by firing a quick shot at an enemy) without having to close the distance, while weapons that heal on kill can be used to finish off enemies (and thus activate from the healing bonus) even though most of the damage has been dealt by the Player's primary weapon.

## Acquisition

Only unlocked weapons can appear during your Explorations. While some weapons are unlocked from the start, most of them must first be unlocked from the Forsaken Weaponry by paying Jade Rings. It is also possible to "banish" unlocked weapons (for free), which prevents them from appearing in subsequent runs. This allows you to control the pool of weapons that will be proposed to you during your runs.

Unlocked Weapons will be sometimes dropped by Enemies, Treasure Chests or Vault Chests. They can also be bought from Weapon Sanctuaries : here, the Level and Rarity of the desired Weapon determines its price.

Cursed Weapons are a sub-type of weapons with particularly disruptive Abilities and unique Affixes. Some of these weapons must be acquired by defeating Champions under certain conditions : after that, the Player will be able to unlock them at the Forsaken Weaponry.

## List of Weapons

### Main Weapons

**Main Weapons** fall into the first slot of your character's gear.

### Off-hand Weapons

**Off-hand Weapons** fall into the second slot of your character's gear.

### Two-handed Weapons

**Two-handed Weapons** fall into the third and final slot of your character's gear.

### Torches

**Torches** are items that are mainly used to provide Light in the game.