Blessed weapon

Version 0.15: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Blessed weapons are powerful weapons that have been enhanced by the will of the Shining One. They always bear a holy wrath brand, and always have slightly better base stats than their non-blessed counterparts.

Types

Most types of blessed weapons are blessed blades, that is, long blades that have slightly enhanced stats and a holy wrath brand. In addition, there are also trishulas and sacred scourges, which are the blessed versions of, respectively, demon tridents and demon whip. Also, the blessed version of a demon blade is not called a "blessed demon blade" but a eudemon blade

Obtaining

Blessed blades (as well as scourges and trishulas) are never found as random loot, but can be acquired in two ways:

The Shining One

Once you've achieved ****** piety with the Shining One, he gives you the option to have a single weapon blessed at his altar. Such a weapon will have its existing brand (if any) replaced with a holy wrath brand, and is also affected as though you'd just read a scroll of enchant weapon III. Additionally, any demonic weapon you bless will become its holy counterpart:

• Demon blade -> Eudemon blade
• Demon whip -> Sacred scourge
• Demon trident -> Trishula

Finally, if the blessed weapon is a long blade, it will have its base stats enhanced as it becomes a blessed blade. The weapon will have the "blessed" prefix attached to it, turning it into, for example, a "blessed scimitar of holy wrath."

Holy Monster Drops

You can also find blessed blades by killing certain holy monsters. Angels have a 25% chance to be generated with a scared scourge, while daevas and Mennas will carry either a eudemon blade, a blessed scimitar, a blessed long sword, or a blessed falchion. No other monster can generate with any type of blessed weapon. Notably, this means trishulas will never naturally appear anywhere in the dungeon: they must be created by blessing a demon trident.

Blessed Blade Stats

Blessed blades are generally superior to the weapons they are created from, though the loss of the original brand may be undesirable for certain situations. The stats of all possible blessed blades are shown in the table below. The final stats of the blessed blade are shown, with the blessing adjustments on the base stats shown in parentheses (if any).

Long Blade	Damage	Accuracy	Delay	Min Delay
Falchion	9 (+1)	+2	120% (-10%)	60%
Long sword	11 (+1)	+0 (-1)	130% (-10%)	60% (-10%)
Scimitar	13 (+1)	-1 (-1)	130% (-10%)	60% (-10%)
Demon blade (Eudemon blade)	14 (+1)	-2 (-1)	120% (-10%)	60%
Bastard sword	16 (+1)	-2 (-1)	140% (-10%)	70%
Great sword	17 (+1)	-4 (-1)	150% (-10%)	70%
Claymore	20 (+1)	-5 (-1)	180% (-10%)	70%

Two of these weapons in particular stand out:

• A blesssed scimitar has the same stats as a demon blade, making it a respectable one-handed weapon, especially considering how useful the holy wrath brand can be in the extended endgame. Obviously a eudemon blade is better, and any TSO worshiper planning to make a one-handed holy long blade should bless a demon blade. However, a blessed scimitar dropped by a daeva or Mennas is a very nice find for a non-TSO worshiper who wishes to tackle the extended endgame.
• A blessed claymore has the highest base damage of any weapon wieldable by normal sized races. It does as much damage as a giant club, not to mention the holy wrath brand. Unfortunately, it will never be found randomly, as no holy monster will drop one. It is a very worthwhile thing to make for a shields-free TSO worshiper, however.

Destroying Blessed Weapon

You can convert any blessed blade (or TSO-blessed demonic weapon) back into its non-blessed counterpart by having Kikubaaqudgha or Lugonu "bless" it at their altars. This is rarely, if ever, a good trade.

When to Make a Blessed Weapon

Despite what one might think, it is not always best for a TSO player to choose a long blade or a demon weapon to bless at an altar. Those who do not use long blades, polearms, or maces and flails will most likely want to bless a good weapon in whatever category they use (likely an executioner's axe, lajatang, or quick blade). Even those who use maces and flails or polearms may want to consider blessing a giant spiked club/great mace or bardiche instead. Even though their base stats won't be enhanced, the greater damage from these two-handed weapons is often a better choice, especially in view of the fact that many late-game threats (such as torment and hellfire) bypass shields entirely.

Characters who are likely to choose to bless a demon weapon include some types of magic-melee hybrids, and of course small characters who cannot effectively wield larger weapons anyway. Also, characters who have yet to find a better weapon in their school (most likely long blades users who have yet to find a claymore) may want to go ahead and bless a demon weapon.

History

In 0.16, blessed blades with enhanced stats will be removed. The Shining One will still convert demonic weapons to their holy counterparts, however, and can apply the holy wrath brand to anything else.