Weapon Types

Echoes of Aincrad has six weapon types. Four of them are one-handed and can be paired with a shield. Two are two-handed and give up shield use in exchange for reach or crushing damage.

The Six Types

One-Handed Plus Shield

Any of the four one-handed weapons can be equipped with a shield, which changes the moveset and opens up blocking options that two-handed weapons lose. Shield choices are covered in their own article.

Proto-Elucidator Series

Pre-orders for the standard edition grant the Proto-Elucidator Series, a set of six early-game weapons with one entry for each type. They are intended as starter gear for any build.

Loadout and Dual Wielding

A character equips one weapon at a time, three pieces of armor, and, when that weapon is one-handed, a shield. Two-handed options trade that shield slot for reach or crushing impact. Dual wielding is intentionally absent from this entry. Series producer Yosuke Futami has said it would not make sense for the ability to show up this early in the overall story, so both hands wielding separate weapons is reserved for later in the Aincrad arc.

Visual Subcategories Within Each Type

The six categories group weapons by move set rather than strict silhouette, so the visible weapon model can vary a lot within a single type. One-handed axes and one-handed hammers sit inside the mace bucket, while two-handed hammers sit inside the battleaxe bucket. A player running a mace build might wield something that looks like a heavy single-hand hammer but still uses the mace animation family. The developers have hinted that these visual subcategories may carry their own distinct move sets, though that has not been fully confirmed.

Weapon Proficiency

Every weapon type has its own proficiency level that rises as you attack enemies with weapons of that type. Swinging a greatsword raises greatsword proficiency only; switching to a different type means starting that type's proficiency over at the low end. A proficiency system from earlier entries in the series has returned in some form for Echoes of Aincrad. It is not yet confirmed whether crossing specific proficiency thresholds is what unlocks additional sword skills for a given type, but the mechanic exists, rewards continued use of one category, and discourages casual weapon hopping.

Sword Skill Loadout Per Type

Roughly ten sword skills exist for each weapon type, but only two can be equipped at any moment. The two slotted skills are bound to the right trigger and the right bumper and show on the HUD. The action-shift input does not surface a third sword-skill slot; instead it opens the partner's Support Skill and Combination Skill. Switching weapon types means rebuilding the skill loadout, since the available pool is tied to the category you are wielding.

Drops, Stat Rolls, and Farming

Weapon drops are frequent across normal combat, but every drop has randomized stat rolls layered on top of its base archetype. Two one-handed swords with the same name can differ in their bonus stats, so hunting a specific enemy over and over until the roll lines up with your build is expected to be a core loop. Rare weapon drops exist as well, and these high-end pieces also carry randomized aspects, so chasing the perfect copy of a named rare is not unusual behavior for later-game builds.

Weapon Levels and EX Mod Slots

Each weapon can be leveled up to improve its base stats, and every weapon also ships with four EX Mod Slots. Those slots hold traits that further enhance the weapon beyond its baseline numbers, letting two copies of the same weapon play very differently depending on what gets slotted. One confirmed example is the Mithril Blade, which applies freeze stacks to enemies it hits and reduces sword-skill cooldowns whenever the wielder is near frozen targets. That combination creates a self-sustaining loop where the blade's own on-hit effect feeds its own cooldown reduction.

Upgrading at the Blacksmith

Unwanted weapons and a material called Tempered Steel are the two main inputs at the blacksmith. Feeding duplicate or outdated drops into the forge, together with Tempered Steel, raises the level and quality of the weapons you want to keep. Full details on the forge flow, materials list, and enhancement stages live in the Smithy and Gear Enhancement article.

Partner Shows by Category

Four of the six weapon categories have a named partner in the story who shows that style in combat. The remaining two categories do not yet have a confirmed partner show.