Overview
Metal is one of the four active attack elements in the Elemancer system. It bridges traditional Elemancer abilities and Zhou's steampunk technology, specializing in conjured metal weapons, stance-breaking attacks, and hybrid tech tools. Metal provides Cheng with the broadest weapon variety of any element.
Abilities
Conjured Weapons shape Qi-infused metal into blades, spears, and other melee weapons mid-combat
Stance Breaking Metal attacks break enemy stances, staggering them and opening windows for follow-up damage
Conductive Wires deploy metal wires that conduct elemental energy across distances, enabling trap-like setups
Hybrid Tech Tools combine Metal Qi with Zhou's steampunk technology to create improvised gadgets
Metal Projectiles launch sharpened metal fragments at high velocity for piercing ranged attacks
Combo Finisher
Metal frequently appears as a combo finisher in element-swap sequences. The gameplay trailer at around 2:20 showed Cheng chaining Fire to Water to a Metal finish, with the Metal strike breaking the enemy's stance after the other elements softened them up. This makes Metal a natural closer in multi-element combos.
Enemies sometimes drop guns, though whether these firearms are usable by the player has not been confirmed.
Elemental Interactions
Metal + Water electricity conducted through water damages all soaked enemies in the area
Metal + Fire heated metal weapons deal additional thermal damage
Metal + Earth metal reinforces earth constructs for increased durability
Conductive wires combined with elemental sources create persistent area hazards
Environmental Influence
Metal's strength is not tied to specific terrain types as strongly as other elements. Instead, Metal thrives in urban environments where manufactured materials are abundant. Industrial districts, factory floors, and constructed infrastructure throughout Zhou provide ample metal to work with.
Combat Role
Metal offers the most weapon variety, effectively giving Cheng access to different melee fighting styles depending on the conjured weapon type. Its stance-breaking capability makes it particularly effective against armored or guarding enemies. In combination with other elements (particularly Water for electrical conductivity), Metal creates some of the most devastating area-of-effect combinations in the game. Its hybrid tech tools also support stealth gameplay with distractions and traps.