Weapon families
Every weapon in KEKRUNE belongs to a family, and each family fights in its own way. A sword and a mace can hit just as hard, but they don't feel the same. Pick the one that suits the fight.
| Family | What it does |
|---|---|
| Blades (swords, knives, daggers) | Quick return: when a swing misses or glances off armour, the next one comes 30 % sooner. |
| Axes | Second bite: a hit can also bite the weakest creature standing beside you, for 60 % of the blow (its own armour still counts). Good against packs and herds. |
| Clubs and hammers | Stagger: a hit can stagger the creature (a critical hit always does). Its next blow comes 1.5 s late and it walks slower for 2 s. Bosses shrug off half of that, and a creature can't be staggered again for 4 s. |
| Thrown and slung | Long shot: +20 % damage from 3 tiles or more, and 6 % less when the target is right next to you. |
| Staves and wands | Focus: the spell or heal % printed on the staff or wand really does lift your spells and heals. |
Home families
Each class is at home with some families. With any other weapon you fight in unfamiliar hands: 30 % less damage, no family effect, and no mastery.
| Class | At home with |
|---|---|
| Knight | blades, axes, clubs |
| Rogue | blades, thrown |
| Mage | staves and wands |
| Shaman | staves and wands |
Weapon mastery
Every kill you make with a home-family weapon in your main hand counts toward that family's mastery. A boss counts as five kills. Creatures more than four levels below you count for nothing. Your mastery shows in the character window (C), under Mastery.
| Step | Kills | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | a title |
| 2 | 75 | a title and a small boost, once Mabry Fenn in the Kindling Grove seals it (30 copper) |
| 3 | 175 | a title and a boost, sealed by Mabry (80 copper) |
| 4 | 350 | a title and a boost, sealed by Brask Hammerfoot in Khemenu (200 copper) |
| 5 | 600 | a title and the last boost, sealed by Brask (500 copper) |
You get the title as soon as you've made the kills. The boost only works once the step is sealed, so take the weapon to the smith and ask about a lesson. The boosts are small: a mastered family is a few percent better at its own job, never a new tier of power.
| Step | Blades | Axes | Clubs | Thrown | Staves and wands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reed-nicker | Log-biter | Knocker | Pebble-flicker | Dew-reader |
| 2 | Quickfin | Stump-splitter | Bell-ringer | Long-tongue | Spark-keeper |
| 3 | Ripple-edge | Two-at-a-bite | Bog-thumper | Far-croaker | Mist-caller |
| 4 | Heron's Match | Fell-water | Stonefall | Dragonfly-catcher | Moon-pond |
| 5 | Reedblade | Heartwood | Thunder-toad | Sky-snapper | Old Water |
| Family | Boost by step (0-5) |
|---|---|
| Blades | quick return 30, 30, 35, 35, 40, 40 % |
| Axes | second bite chance 50, 50, 53, 53, 56, 60 % |
| Clubs | stagger chance 35, 35, 37, 37, 40, 40 %; blow delayed 1.5 s, rising to 1.8 s at step 5 |
| Thrown | long shot +20 % rising to +25 %; up close -6 % easing to -3 % |
| Staves and wands | spells and heals at least +0.5 % from step 2, +1.5 % at step 5 |
A Knight who carries a sword, an axe and a mace has the right tool for each fight, and fills three mastery tracks.