History Main / EvolvingWeapon

* Weapons in ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' can be leveled up by killing enemies, indirectly. The enemies drop little triangles which can be collected to level up your weapons. On the other hand, getting injured can de-level the weapon you're using. It's inverted for [[LethalJokeItem one powerful end-game weapon which gets weaker when leveled up]], so you have to avoid collecting energy triangles while wielding that weapon. Considering you've now got half a game of [[DamnYouMuscleMemory muscle memory]] telling you to grab the triangles, that's not so easy.
** Averted with another end-game weapon, as you don't have to level it up. It's always at the max power of the Polar Star (the gun you get at the beginning of the game) no matter what you do, but you CAN hold the shoot button and level it up to max (it doesn't level up like any of the other guns, surprisingly) for a supremely powerful laser burst.... Not that you'd need it.

** The Sequencer in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' gets more powerful each time you get an Opportunity command.

** The Daemon Prince of [[WarGod Khorne]], Mazarall TheButcher from ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' wields [[NamedWeapon Harrow Meat]], a [[AnAxeToGrind mighty axe]] that hungers for the souls of its victims, becoming permanently more powerful for every enemy it kills during battle.
** [[NamedWeapon The Blade of the Relentless]] used by Kranon, Lord of the Crimson Slaughter from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', feeds upon the blood and souls of those it kills during battle. At the beginning of a battle the Blade is no more powerful than any other [[AbsurdlySharpBlade power sword]] but if enough foes fall before its might, it is capable of cutting through any armour and killing with the slightest scratch.
** In the 1st and 2nd Editions of ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'' The [[PoweredArmour suits]] and equipment used by the Spyre on their [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame hunts]] in the underhive are designed to increase in power and unlock more abilities as the wearer gains experience. This was represented in a manner similar to how normal gang fighters gained skills, only effecting the Spyre's weaponry instead of the fighters themselves.

*** In ''Legacy of Kain'', it used 1 mana rune per swing, but basically 1-shotted whatever it hit and had a pretty wide hit box so you could wipe out several enemies per swing (without mana it was only as strong as the starting iron sword). Was 2hded and prevented spellcasting. In Soul reaver 1, it was simply 3 times as strong as claw attacks and could be used to finish enemies and maintained your life bar in the physical realm, but could only be manifested at full health or in always in the spectral realm. In Defiance it was just an attack and didn't evolve per say (though you could unlock other elements/abilities by collecting crest pieces (Blood Reaver) or elemental spirits (Soul Reaver)).

* DoubleSubverted with the Keyblade form the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, while the weapon doesn't grow itself, you can attach various keychains (or gears in ''Days'') to it in order to alter its form and properties such as strength and magic bonuses in (almost) all the games, extra abilities in II, days and Birth by Sleep, attack patterns in Days and Clock gauges in Re:coded. The double subversion in this example, is that the keychains used to modify the keyblade are essentially memories of people and locations used to modify the [[EmpathicWeapon keyblade's form]], the keyblade itself doesn't change, only its form.

* DoubleSubverted with the Keyblade form the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series, while the weapon doesn't grow itself, you can attach various keychains (or gears in days) to it in order to alter its form and properties such as strength and magic bonuses in (almost) all the games, extra abilities in II, days and Birth by Sleep, attack patterns in Days and Clock gauges in Re:coded. The double subversion in this example, is that the keychains used to modify the keyblade are essentially memories of people and locations used to modify the [[EmpathicWeapon keyblade's form]], the keyblade itself doesn't change, only its form.

Alternatively, there is a second way this works. Instead of the power gain being permanent, sometimes it is only temporary. Maybe it unlocks some of the weapon's hidden abilities, or there might have been something special about what was just killed. Subtrope of EmpathicWeapon. Can serve as a FullPotentialUpgrade or keep that trope from occurring in the first place.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', the legendary demon slayer who once made the originator of all demons quake in fear had a black blade like the protagonist Tanjiro does, but unlike all normal demon slayers who permanently enhance the color of their blades due their Breath affinity for the first time they touch it, Yoriichi could make his black blade turn red at will when he engaged in battle, showcasing his Breath of the Sun skills.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/SecretOfMana https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/msword_3.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:From Rusty Sword to Dragon Buster in eight easy steps.]]

* In ''Manga/ArataKangatari'', Hinohara's Hayagami, Tsukuyo, gains the ability to transform from its initial dagger form to a longsword. It reverts back to the dagger form when it's not in active use.

* The Oni weapons in each ''VideoGame/{{Onimusha}}'' game, along with your armor and gauntlet, can be upgraded by absorbing enemy souls. There are three levels of evolution before they MAX out. The weapons, already [[ElaborateEqualsEffective covered in bling]], get increasingly spiky and ornate with each evolution.

* In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'', weapons with at least 50 kills gain the critical ability, with the chance of getting a critical increasing with each additional kill up to 100.

* The ''Dawnguard'' expansion for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' adds the Dawnguard Rune Axe, which inflicts bonus damage proportional to the number of undead it has been used to kill since the last sunrise.
** ''Skyrim'' also has the Ebony Blade, which increases in power as you kill allies with it.

* In Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick, the "Weapon of Legacy" as noted above comes into play with TheLeader and BadassNormal Warrior Roy Greenhilt. Named after his ancestral family greatsword (made famous by his grandfather Horace), it means deeply to him. Earlier in the comic it was reforged with starmetal, making it harder in hitting undead enemies and he has become learning the various feats of Weapon of Legacy, including summoning green etheral flaming energy around the sword and being able to call it back to his hand. Still no ranged attack yet though (unless you count him [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throwing his sword before recalling it to his hand to throw again.]]

* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' games, there are two BattleChips (a.k.a. weapons programs useable once per battle per chip) that you can gain, both swords, called the Custom Sword (CustSwrd) and the Muramasa, respectively, that gain power due to a special condition -- in the Custom Sword's case, its power is determined by the 'custom gauge' at the top of the screen (it can get to around 200 maximum, but when the bar maxes out the power immediately drops to 0), but in the Muramasa's case, it will hit the two panels in front of Mega Man for an amount of damage equal to the HP HE'S LOST. Capped at 999, sure, but 999 in ONE ATTACK (when most Mooks will have phenomonally less, and most bosses hit will lose around or over half their HP) is kind of a big deal.

* A borderline example, but the "Dream Sword" weapon in 'VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' (which can only be obtained outside the "Station" via Game Shark) has an attack power relative to Sora's level divided by 10. If Sora is at level 10 or 20, the Dream Sword's ATK is 1 or 2. But if Sora is at level 100, the swords has an ATK of 10, making it the most powerful weapon in the entire game.

* Wrath of the Lich King brought the joy of heirloom-type items to ''WorldOfWarcraft''. While the weapons and armor themselves don't grow because of their being used, they still count as Evolving Weapons because they scale to the character's level. This also means they can be recycled and can be used from 1 to 80 before being tossed onto another alt.

*** Come Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria, you can reforge your equipment to alter its stats, and upgrade the power of your equipment gotten from heroic dungeons and raids. Further, recent patches now allow you to upgrade your heirlooms to scale to level 85. It's safe to say that ''WorldOfWarcraft'' has gotten fond of this path to giving you legitimate gains in character power between running the gear treadmill each time a new raid releases.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', the sword Wakka gives to Tidus upgrades automatically when the party visits the Farplane, and Wakka is seen talking to the sword's former owner.
** Also, all of the Ultimate weapons in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' are upgraded twice, once by finding a relatively easy key item to find, and again by finding a very difficult to obtain key item. They upgrade from Useless weapons which completely stop experience gain, to swords with an ability which also stops experience gain, finally to a weapon which breaks damage limit for both the character ''and'' Yuna's associated Aeon (summon) for them for no particular reason, increases experience gain and has several other abilities depending on the character (One MP cost for Lulu, Counterattack for Tidus etc.) In addition, the final form of each ultimate weapon has a hidden ability, which increases the attack power of the wielding character depending on a certain condition (it depends on the character). And just because all of that wasn't enough, they ignore the enemy's defense stat.

* The Chicken Knife in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' gains an attack point for every time the party has fled a battle. It can easily become the strongest weapon in the game.
** The same game contains an inversion in the Brave Blade, which ''decreases'' in power every time the party flees a battle, essentially making it a devolving weapon.

Just as characters can get stronger by killing things and leveling up, so too can their weapons. Absolutely no modifications are made to the weapon, they just get stronger over time. Usually justified with a LivingWeapon or EmpathicWeapon or a weapon [[SpontaneousWeaponCreation born of its user's power]]. Occasionally the weapon has a sort of [[VampiricDraining vampiric nature]], and gets stronger by drinking the blood of its enemies.

Having an evolving weapon allows the hero to carry it throughout extended lengths of gameplay without the weapon [[CantCatchUp becoming obsolete and underpowered compared to your hero]], thus making it a bit of a trademark of the hero and highlighting how awesome it is. By unlocking its powers bit by bit, you also avoid having [[DiscOneNuke a weapon too good for early game]].

[[folder: Tabletop RPG ]]