Eternal Spear

**Varatha, the Eternal Spear** is an Infernal Arm that can be unlocked for 4 Chthonic Keys.

## Codex entry

'*...It must have been a sight when Lord Hades wielded Varatha the Eternal Spear versus the Titans, driving back those fiends into the depths, together with the help of his Olympian brothers and sisters. The Master since has traded in that terrifying weapon for an even larger two-pronged fork he likes to brandish in threat, noting sometimes its superiority to the trident of Lord Poseidon, which he insists is a mere copy. Varatha, meanwhile, has seen better days -- but, it is a weapon built for war. And war shall always find it, I suspect. After all, it now lies in the hands of the Lord Hades' heir, in whose command it much resembles the two-pronged fork Lord Hades came to favor since that time. Father and son are much alike at least in this. Something troubles me about it, though, this Varatha. As I transported it, I felt as though it once were mine! Absurd, yet there it was: the touch of a familiar friend. The thought is barely worth making a note of, but it made me wonder whether there are aspects of the weapon well beyond my understanding.*'

## Fighting style

The spear delivers repeated long-range stab attacks that can be charged to unleash a spin attack dealing high damage in a wide radius. The special throws the spear, which will damage enemies along its path until it stops. Activating the special again recalls the spear, which will deal damage on the way back. It can also be picked up manually by running over it, and will automatically return if leaving the room.

### Charging Spin Attack

The Spin Attack of the spear needs to be charged before released to deal damage. It has three stages of charges:

 Second
 Third (also max charge)

## Statistics

 Combo
2nd / 3rd Strike: 30 Damage
 Dash Attack
 Spin Attack
2nd Charge: 50 Damage
Max Charge: 100 Damage
 Throw
Return: 25 Damage
* Zagreus cannot **Attack** before the spear is recalled

## Aspects

The Eternal Spear has 4 Aspects: Zagreus, Achilles, Hades, and Guan Yu. Like all other weapons, each Aspect has 5 levels that can be unlocked by spending Titan Blood. The higher the level of the Aspect, the more effective its improvement is. Reaching the highest level in all Aspects requires 51 Titan Blood. An Aspect will not only change the appearance of the Eternal Spear, but will also improve its attacks. The Aspect of Guan Yu has a unique move-set which changes the fighting style of the Eternal Spear.

*Its shape reflects its bearer's true self, hiding its own all the while.*
(+10% / +14% / +18% / +22% / +25%)
(Total: 5)
*The greatest of the Greeks was peerless in battle, up close and from afar.*
(+50% / +75% / +100% / +125% / +150%)
for next 4 Attacks / Casts
* Not listed: decrease **Special** range by 10%.
* **Special** is charged now. The longer you hold it the farther it'll go.
(Total: 15)
*The god of the dead discarded the eternal spear for a larger counterpart.* (Curiously, this form is a trident, even though the trident is Poseidon's weapon - in Greek mythology, Hades carried a Bident, i.e. the Zagreus and Achilles forms of this weapon.)
(+30% / +60% / +90% / +120% / +150%)
for Attack / Special for **10 Sec**.
* Also increases Spin Attack radius
* Punishing Damage Bonus does **NOT** apply to **Spin Attack**
(Total: 16)
Aspect of Guan Yu
*A mighty general shall battle with unmatched ferocity to unite his people.*
(-70% / -65% / -60% / -55% / -50%)
(Total: 15)

\*See below for Frost Fair Blade's alternate moveset.

### Revealing the Aspect of Guan Yu

Reveal the Aspect of Guan Yu by meeting the following requirements:

* Purchase the Fated List of Minor Prophecies from the House Contractor
* Reach the final boss (defeating the boss is not required)
* Unlock any 5 non-Zagreus aspects for any weapon using Titan Blood
* Talk to Achilles (with any weapon equipped) until he gives you the waking-phrase (*"I see you through the eyes of the crimson phoenix")*
* Equip the Spear at the House and then interact with its placeholder to reveal the Aspect of Guan Yu

To meet the Titan Blood requirement while spending the minimal amount, invest 5  into 5 different weapons with 1  each in non-Zagreus aspects (eg. Nemesis Sword, Achilles Spear, Chaos Shield, Chiron Bow, and Talos Fists). It's also possible to reveal Guan Yu with 3 or 4 weapons but this involves spending more Titan Blood (minimum of 7  for 3 weapons or 6  for 4 weapons).

**Why is Achilles taking so long to talk about Guan Yu?**

Achilles has a "dialogue pool" containing the conversation about Guan Yu and everything else he has a comment about but you haven't heard yet. His dialogue about Guan Yu will happen randomly from that pool, so if you have large dialogue pool it could take a while for Guan Yu to come up. If you've exhausted his dialogue options (you visit him and he has no "!") before meeting Guan Yu's requirements, he will very likely talk to you about it after the very next run.

**Is it possible to trigger this conversation faster?**

If you don't mind doing suicide runs (letting yourself die in the first or second rooms and talking to Achilles afterwards), you can quickly cycle through his available dialogue options so Guan Yu comes up faster. To do this quickly, reset your mirror and in the Pact of Punishment put a point into Heightened Security and max Hard Labor.

If you play normally, keep in mind that you will add to his dialogue pool if you do things that he has something to say about (like beating the final boss and advancing the storyline).

### Aspect of Guan Yu Moveset

 Combo
Pause before each 3rd strike is longer.
*\* Dashes can be performed between the **Attack** inputs without interrupting the combo*
2nd strike: 60 Damage
3rd strike: 100 Damage
 Dash Attack
 Serpent Slash
2nd charge: 30 Damage / 0.5s
Max charge: 50 Damage / 0.5s
 Crackling Skewer