History Main / EvolvingWeapon

* ''VideoGame/AbsentedAgeSquarebound'': Every time the player picks up a piece of equipment that they already have, the equipment's mastery increases. If the player dies, they lose anything they have equipped, but that same gear will gain a few mastery levels upon being picked up again.

* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' showcases this trope in its first season, in the form of the three main characters' Escudo weapons.

* In Literature/TheZombieKnight, The various weapons that [[ExtraOreDinary Hector]] summons up. They could be considered to be more of a representation of his increasing skills and powers as he gains the ability to more precisely summon metal and soul-strengthen it.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has the Sword of Gryffindor, which takes in what makes it stronger. After Harry uses it to slay a basilisk, it's permanently imbued with basilisk venom.

* Each of the legendary magic items published in the ''TabletopGame/CriticalRoleTaldoreiCampaignSetting'' have an Awakened and Exalted State that can only be reached if a creature wielding the item overcomes an extreme personal challenge. This causes the offensive items to give a +2 bonus to attacks and damage when Awakened that increases to +3 when Exalted, while also increasing the size of any damage die the weapon adds to damage rolls and increasing the difficulty of any rolls enemies have to make resist the effects of the weapon. There are a host of other unique bonuses detailed in ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' proper or, for those items not featured in the stream, right here:
** Agony, a torturer's flail, is unique is that it has a +2 bonus to attacks while Dormant and upgrades to a final bonus of +4. On top of that, the Awakened Agony allows it's wielder to make an additional attack when the weapon brings someone to 0 Hit points and gives any creature struck on it disadvantage on Strength rolls until the end of their next turn. When Exalted, it's so fearsome that a creature struck by a CriticalHit from it becomes frightened.
** The Condemner only provides two TrickArrow options until it is Awakened, when it can fire a paralysis arrow. Then, when it's Exalted, it can fire an arrow that contains a miniature blight inside of it.
** When awakened, the Pyremaul can be used to cast the AreaOfEffect spell Burning Hands and can knock enemies on their back when it lands a CriticalHit. It does even more on a critical hit when it's exalted, dealing an additional 3d6 fire damage on top of the 6d6 fire and 2d10 bludgeoning damage it would normally do.
** When the Wraps of Dyamak are awakened, a monk wearing them can teleport a short-distance once and can use that ability again if they score a CriticalHit. When exalted, the wraps allow their wearer to turn one of their punches into a Ravenous Strike that [[LifeDrain gives them a hit point for every point of damage they do]].

* ''Wrath of the Lich King'' brought the joy of heirloom-type items to ''VideoGame/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.
** Go back one expansion, to ''The Burning Crusade'', and you find a series of Blacksmith-crafted weapons, each of which can be upgraded twice to a more powerful version. Example: [[http://www.wowhead.com/item=28434 Lunar Crescent]] -> [[http://www.wowhead.com/item=28435 Mooncleaver]] -> [[http://www.wowhead.com/item=28436 Bloodmoon]].
*** 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 ''VideoGame/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.
** The Legion expansion brought artifact weapons. Which you get right at the beginning and keep throughout the expansion, levelling them as you go via relics and artifact power. The weapons have their own talent tree attached to them which upgrades your character's power as you put more points into them. Unlike vanilla talent trees, however, you eventually get all the traits so you don't really have to pick and choose except for min-maxers that want to get certain traits before others to give them a power advantage early in the expansion.
** Lorewise Frostmourne and many other runeblades are capabable of growing stronger by consuming souls, though this is not reflected in game for any of the death knights runeblades, except the previously mentioned artifacts which evolve the same as any other classes artifacts

* Pins that Neku uses in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' will sometimes evolve if you kill enough Noise, or have on him while the DS is off or in mingle mode. [[GuideDangIt You're never informed which needs which]].
* In both ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' and ''VideoGame/DarkChronicle'', weapons are leveled up by killing monsters with them. Many weapons can also literally evolve if you got their stats high enough.
* The Muramasa in some ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games will gain attack power as you kill enemies. Something about the sword being cursed and having to drink blood.
** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'', the Muramasa puts Alucard in permanent "Dark Metamorphosis" mode; meaning that he recovers health by touching the blood of enemies. The more blood he absorbs, the stronger the sword gets. As such, killing a skeleton won't do anything, but killing a merman will.

* Every weapon used in the ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' series from ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]'' on, and in the [[NewGamePlus Challenge Mode]] of the first game, if you've collected enough Gold Bolts.
* ''VideoGame/RetroMud'' has the Fellblade, which is essentially this.
* Weapons in ''VideoGame/FrontMissionGunHazard'' work like this. So do the verniers. And the armor plates. ''And'' the Wanzers themselves (Wanzers and armor actually gain EXP by being hit).
* Weapons in ''VideoGame/CaveStory'' can be leveled up by killing enemies, indirectly. The enemies drop little triangles, this game's stand-ins for EXP, 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 the Nemesis, 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, the Spur. It trades the evolving aspect that every other weapon in the game uses, for a ChargedAttack mechanic instead. Considering that its weakest projectile is the exact same from the fully-evolved Polar Star, your starting gun, one can imagine how powerful it becomes once fully charged.
* Fusion and Lumina from ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi''. Each of them gradually gains strength whenever Musashi uses them to attack, and this is separate from his own strength stat. Fusion is also of the second type, as noted below.
* Psyphers in ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' gain strength by absorbing Phozons, small bits of life force released whenever a living thing dies.
* The Solar Gun Lenses in ''VideoGame/{{Boktai}}: The Sun Is In Your Hand'' inexplicably gain levels up to III by killing things with them equipped.
* The eponymous ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}'' gains levels if you use it and becomes deadlier and faster. However your character doesn't gain any experience points this way and does not get to raise his stats.
* [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy Raidou]] [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon Kuzunoha]] can visit [[LargeHam affable]] [[MadScientist Dr. Victor]] to reforge his swords: in the first game, he will fuse a demon into the sword, granting it powerups based on the demon's level and abilities, and in the second, a special crystal will be fused into the sword, changing its attributes depending on the used crystal.
* The Sealed J-Sword in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline''. Normally a semi-decent weapon that inflicts serious status ailments on you, with enough kills with it equipped, and it will evolve into one of the most powerful weapons in the game.
* Dak'kon's zerth blade from ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', which levels up at the same time he does, being a weapon made of karach, a material of pure chaos that mirrors the mind of its owner. It's referred to in dialogue as something that could become powerful enough to destroy the multiverse itself if fueled by enough will and determination, and while you never see it do anything quite that impressive, it can end up a pretty neat weapon if Dak'kon is in your party right up until the end game. It also can become weaker if you deliberately plunge Dak'kon into doubt and emotional disarray, or become even more powerful by strengthening his belief in the Unbroken Circle, the philosophy he follows.
** Ingress' teeth can also evolve if you ask them nicely, eventually becoming magical of their own volition and adding weapon enchantments.
* Rayne's Carpatian Dragons in ''VideoGame/BloodRayne2'' ''are'' of vampiric nature, and level up through use, to an extent. Simply firing them improves their power and blood capacity, and they also acquire more powerful modes after defeating powerful vampires/dhampirs, even if they aren't used through the entire battle.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'', the "Dream" weapons (such as the [[HeroesPreferSwords Dream Sword]]) used in the tutorial level are the only ones in the game that scale, with their ATK equal 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 sword has an ATK of 10, making it the most powerful weapon in the entire game, stronger than even [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ultima Weapon]]. Unfortunately, you don't get to keep the Dream Sword past the tutorial so you'll never see it at its full potential without either [[GameplayDerailment an absurd amount]] of LevelGrinding or hacking the game to get it back later.
* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', one of the main characters, Frog, seeks to obtain the sword called the Masamune, prophesized to defeat the villainous Magus. Eventually, you get the weapon and proceed to fight Magus, only to find out his defeat did not save the world by any means, his castle was a DiscOneFinalDungeon and there is still half the game to go. Shortly afterwards, the legendary Masamune is overshadowed by generic weapons from shops. It would be a sad fate for a supposed ultimate weapon... but towards the finale, Frog gets a quest to "[[TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential unlock its true form]]", which -is- the InfinityPlusOneSword for him. Ironically, due to the sword's plot importance, Frog is the only character who doesn't retain his best weapon in NewGamePlus.
** Ayla's attack also evolves as she gets stronger. As she is an [[BareFistedMonk unarmed fist fighter]], some form of CharlesAtlasSuperpower scaling is expected, but she goes beyond that: as she gains levels, her regular fist is eventually renamed "Bronze/Iron/Steel Fist" on the equipment screen, and each new type gives a new effect.
* In the ''VideoGame/BraveStory'' video game, the main character's [[CoolSword Traveler's Sword]] evolves and takes on new forms whenever he collects certain magical gems (after passing a test of strength and character).
* Items from Franchise/{{Disgaea}} are a borderline case. They can level up and improve, but only if the player ventures into Item World and subdues the inhabitants inside.
* ''VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline'' introduced Legacy Weapons with the Mines of Moria expansion. Legacy weapons gain XP and level-up independently from their wielder, with some quests even granting Weapon XP as a specific reward. Each level-up grants points to spend on customising various benefits of the weapon, which can also be enhanced by adding special upgrade-items to it. At intervals of several levels, the weapon must be Reforged by a specialised NPC before it can continue to advance. Reforging allows further customisation of the weapon's abilities, increases its base power level, and allows the player to give it a unique name.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
** The Ebony Blade, a [[LegendaryWeapon Daedric artifact]] associated with Mephala, increases in power every time you kill someone who trusts you with it. At max power, it is one of the strongest weapons in the game.
** The ''Dawnguard'' expansion 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.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' and its sequel, all weapons can level up. As they level up, all their stats go up (except weight) but their appearance changes and they also explain the history of the weapon with each level up. They can only be leveled up four times and visual change only occurs in the first Drakengard.
** At least one weapon has good reason for this. Its blade is encased in stone, and as you kill enemies with it, it levels up like everything else. It does this by breaking some of the stone off.
* ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} II: Lord of Destruction'' introduced several magic item properties that scale by character level, including bonuses to armor value, damage, and accuracy. Unfortunately, they're rarely worth keeping for very long, as something better will usually [[RandomlyDrops drop]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Dragonfable}}'' has the Doom Knight equipment set, [[BribingYourWayToVictory only available through a cash upgrade]], which increases in power every ten levels. At level 60 (the level cap at the time of this edit), the [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Necrotic Sword of Doom]] is the best Darkness-based weapon in the game - and its special attack deals [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill 12 hits of regular attack damage]], which is easily enough to reduce anything with a weakness to it to a pile of smoking ash.
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAdvance'' has the protagonists' machines, ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'' has the Gunleon, and in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsL'', the Rushbird gains new attacks and abilities as the game progresses.
* Varric from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' can never equip any other weapon than his beloved AutomaticCrossbow [[ICallItVera Bianca]]. Fortunately it levels up with him so it never becomes obsolete. Even better, any rune attached to Bianca also becomes stronger.
** [[DownloadableContent Various downloads]] also feature "improve with level up" items, with 1 dedicated accessory per companion, and a few that can be given to anyone capable of equipping them, including weapons.
* In the third VideoGame/{{Resistance}} game, all the weapons upgrade with use. Said game is also made by the creators of the ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' series.
* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' ''VI'', playing online allows you to find Dynasty Weapons in the campaigns. If a hero wields said weapons, they gain experience along with the hero. Each weapon has several different abilities that can be unlocked with exponentially increasing amounts of experience, ranging from passive stat bonuses to enemy debuffs/ally buffs.
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', 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 Protoss Vindicator (also known as the Soul Hunter) in the ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' beta had a weapon that leveled up as it killed enemies. It was cut due to a number of difficulties -- it was hard to indicate when (and why) Vindicators leveled up, it was too random in large-scale battles, and it was basically impossible to balance; its reliance on kills made it much more powerful against [[ZergRush the Zerg]].
* The Ivandis flail and blisterwood weapons on ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' , designed to kill vampires, gain stat boosts and max damage bonuses, respectively, as more vampires are defeated and cremated.
* The Yearbook Club Camera from ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. It's an accesory that does nothing at first, but gets stronger with each assigned monster defeated and the picture returned to the Yearbook Club the next day.

* ''Videogame/PathOfExile'' brings a twist to this trope. The weapons and armor stay the same over time (unless upgraded by other means, like the blacksmith's whetstone for weapons), but the ''[[SocketedEquipment gems]]'' inserted in their sockets level up after a sufficient number of monsters is killed while the weapons and armor are equipped (not just carried in the inventory, though), improving the skills granted by those gems.
** The 2.3 ''Prophecy'' update adds the Fated Unique mechanic, allowing players to upgrade certain unique items and grant them new powers. For example, if a character has drawn the King's Path prophecy and kills Kaom while wearing the Kaom's Sign unique ring, it upgrades to Kaom's Way and grants extra life regeneration.
** The unique sword Oni-Goroshi is normally acquired by farming the very first zone for hours. The weapon itself is designed to be used all the way from level 1 to as far as endgame. Its damage scales with your level, comes automatically six-linked so sockets won't be an issue, and it has a double-edged effect that can be optimized to boost your damage even further late game. It's even got several [[EmpathicWeapon lines of dialogue]] across all acts.
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline''
** Mark Infinity equipment improves in effectiveness as the PlayerCharacter levels up.
** The ''Delta Rising'' expansion introduced Tier 5-Upgraded and Tier 6 starships, which have a Starship Mastery feature which enables the PlayerCharacter to grind skill points to unlock stat boosts on that ship, as well as [[SkillScoresAndPerks a perk]] in T6 ships which is usable on any ship.
* The ''White March'' expansion to ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' added Soulbound equipment (almost all weapons), that can be bound to a character and then is upgraded when specific requirements are fulfilled (most of them allowing for simple 'kill enough foes'/'trigger the special ability of the weapon enough times' as a fallback from more specific requirements). Some do vary the formula -- one sword is cursed, automatically binds to whoever picks it up and can't be dropped until you upgrade it to its highest tier (which you do by interacting with various places throughout the game), while one dagger actually gets ''worse'' as it is leveled up (until the final tier, when it suddenly turns into the best dagger in the game).
* In ''VideoGame/TouhouGensoWanderer'', equipment levels up alongside your character. Unlike your character's levels, which reset every run, equipment levels are kept throughout runs. Leveling up gear will grant that gear better stats and sometimes, better abilities and more [[SocketedEquipment seal slots]]. After a certain level, most weapons and armor will change form, granting even better stats, abilities, and more seal slots. Amusingly enough, for most gear, there tends to be a form beyond the canon item that often exaggerates this trope. For instance, Eiki's armor item goes from the plate on her hat, to the hat itself, to the ''head of a HumongousMecha''.
* Every weapon in ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' can be upgraded along with your characters by feeding them crystal ores or other weapons, and most 3-star and above weapons' unique passives can be boosted by providing them with duplicates of that weapon, up to 2x or 5x the base percentage. They will also subtlely change appearance after being evolved to Phase II.

** Stormbringer not only gains strength from feeding on someone's soul, but makes Elric stronger as well (remember he's an albino who previously needed drugs to maintain his strength). Elric's dependence on Stormbringer is an addiction - he tries to kick the habit several times but always finds himself drawn back, until ultimately it destroys him. (However, the comic series ''Creator/MichaelMoorcock's Multiverse'' gives him a second chance at salvation.)

* In ''The Shivering Isles'', the expansion pack to ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', there Dawnfang/Duskfang sword transforms between the two forms every dawn and dusk - but if you've killed 12 enemies with it during the preceeding period, it instead becomes the 'Dawnfang Superior' or 'Duskfang Superior', with additional, life-stealing powers.

* In ''VideoGame/Shinobi2002'', enemies you kill with Akujiki take a few seconds to actually fall over dead. During this time, Akujiki glows with power and does more damage, allowing to kill more enemies in rapid succession to further extend the time before they die. It is possible to one-hit kill every boss in the game if you kill their [[FlunkyBoss minions]] fast enough first.
* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' games, there are two Battle Chips (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.
** The manga explains this as the weapon feeding off of its user's pain and suffering, which its current user in the manga goes out and gets plenty of -- though one of the more Genre-Savvy members of the Quirky Miniboss Squad (who were all not-so-coincidentally all bosses from the same game) decides to render it all moot by shooting the man in the hands with a Frickin Laser Beam so that he can't hold the Muramasa (what good is an Infinity Plus One Sword if you can't actually SWING it, after all).

* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', the Demoman has a sword called the Eyelander which he can use to decapitate enemies. Each head gives him extra health and boosts his speed -- at least, until he dies.
** The Engineer has his Sentry Gun, which starts with a simple turret. Upon leveling up via metal, it can "level up" to a double-barreled minigun, and again to add a 4-rocket rocket launcher.
* Enserric, the vampiric sword in ''VideoGame/{{Neverwinter Nights}}'' expansion Hordes of the Underdark, gains the ability to drain its wielder's health to give itself a temporary boost.
* The Marker in ''VideoGame/{{Qix}}++'' can be upgraded in four features using points earned in the stages. Its appearance changes the more upgrades you get. Unfortunately, it's only good in the section you're playing. Start a new section, and you're back to the crappy Marker you started with.
* In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'', weapons and armor gain power the more you level up; weapons increase in base and random damage, and armor in defense and hits of attack.

* Skill Cracking in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' works like this: you hunt down a demon who holds the skill you want with a specific character. If said demon successfully dies at the hands of that character, you wil gain the option of adding that skill to your set. Later, certain game mechanics allow you to teach cracked skills to your demons.
* The player's default weapon in ''VideoGame/BinaryDomain'' is an assault rifle. In early stages, it performs about as well as a standard assault rifle should against MechaMooks. By the endgame, a fully upgraded assault rifle is practically a light machinegun tearing through hordes of mooks.
* The new Pulsefire Ezreal skin in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends''.
* Honedge from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''. Being a Pokemon in itself, it gains stronger stats and learns new attacks when leveling up. Taken literally when it evolves into Doublade.
* In ''VideoGame/TowerOfGuns'', getting blue orbs and crystals fills your weapon level bar up to 5 times, giving it increased stats, but taking damage drains a chunk of the bar.

* A key mechanic of the ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' games is that the Blaster Rifle changes based on the energy you acquire for it. The original game's pickups were mostly straight upgrades, but the ''Zero'' games changed it so that each distinct level of the weapon (which you could now select freely) had its own effect; while the higher-levels generally had greater damage compared to those of lower levels, enemies reacted to each weapon differently, which gave some sense of strategy (though the [[GameBreaker Wave Beam]] pretty much disregards that). To punish poor play, however, damage the player takes also reduces the weapon's effectiveness. The Energy Guard in the ''Zero'' games prevents this for one shot at a time, and recharges so long as the player isn't being hurt, so while the risk of losing weapon power can be mitigated, it can never be truly eliminated.

* In ''VideoGame/TouhouGensoWanderer'', equipment levels up alongside your character. Unlike your character's levels, which reset every run, equipment levels are kept throughout runs. Leveling up gear will grant that gear better stats and sometimes, better abilities and more [[SocketedEquipment seal slots]]. After a certain level, most weapons and armor will change form, granting even better stats, abilities, and more seal slots. Amusingly enough, for most gear there tends to be a form beyond the canon item that often goes UpToEleven. For instance, Eiki's armor item goes from the plate on her hat, to the hat itself, to the ''head of a HumongousMecha''.

* Every weapon in ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' can be upgraded along with your characters by feeding them crystal ores or other weapons, and most 3-star and above weapons' unique passives can be boosted by providing them with duplicates of that weapon, up to 2x or 5x the base percentage. 3-star and above weapons will also generally change appearance after hitting certain milestones.

* Every weapon in ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' can be upgraded along with your characters by feeding them crystal ores or other weapons, and most 3-star and above weapons' unique passives can be boosted by providing them with duplicates of that weapon, up to a maximum of 200%. 3-star and above weapons will also generally change appearance after hitting certain milestones.

* The ''White March'' expansion to ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' added Soulbound equipment (almost all weapons), that can be bound to a character and then is upgraded when specific requirements are fulfilled (most of them allowing for simple 'kill enough foes'/'trigger the special ability of the weapon enough times' as a fallback from more specific requirements). Some do vary the formula -- one sword is cursed, automatically binds to whoever picks it up and can't be dropped until you upgrade it to its highest tier (which you do by interacting with various places throughout the game), while one dagger actually gets ''worse'' as it is levelled up (until the final tier, when it suddenly turns into the best dagger in the game).

* Every weapon in ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' can be upgraded along with your characters by feeding them crystal ores or other weapons. 3-star and above weapons will also change appearance after hitting certain milestones.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fable III}}'', the first weapons you got are evolving weapons (It's not even a secret) that change depending on what you've done before upgrading the skill (Ranged changed your gun). So every player ends up with a unique weapon by the end of the game.
* Wrath of the Lich King brought the joy of heirloom-type items to ''VideoGame/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.

** [[{{DLC}} Various downloads]] also feature "improve with level up" items, with 1 dedicated accessory per companion, and a few that can be given to anyone capable of equipping them, including weapons.

* In Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick, the "Weapon of Legacy" as noted above comes into play with TheLeader and BadassNormal fighter Roy Greenhilt. Roy's surname comes from his ancestral family greatsword (made famous by his grandfather Horace), and it carries deep meaning to him. Early in the comic it is shattered and reforged with starmetal, making it especially effective against undead enemies, and he has begun learning the various Weapon of Legacy abilities, including summoning green ethereal flaming energy around the sword and being able to call it back to his hand at will. He has also been trying to get it to fire a SwordBeam, thus far without success.

* The titular weapon of ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', the [[LaserBlade Monado]] is all about this. As its wielder gets stronger (I.E. leveling up), the sword itself does as well. Moreover, in addition to the not-so-useless trait of allowing its wielder to [[CombatClairvoyance see into the future]], it gains a number of abilities such as shielding, granting speed boosts, and purging auras over the course of the story.

** Averted with another end-game weapon, the Spur. It trades the evolving aspect that every other weapon in the game uses, for a ChargedAttack mechanic instead. Considering that its weakest projectile is the exact same from the fully-evolved Polar Star, your starting gun, one can imagine how powerful it becomes once fully charged...!

** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'': The [[DemonOfHumanOrigin Daemon Prince]] of [[WarGod Khorne]], Mazarall TheButcher wields [[NamedWeapon Harrow Meat]], a [[AnAxeToGrind mighty axe]] that hungers for the souls of its victims, permanently increasing its in-game characteristics for every enemy it kills during a game.
** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The [[NamedWeapon Blade of the Relentless]] used by Kranon, Lord of the Crimson Slaughter, feeds upon the blood and souls of those it kills during battle, improving its in-game abilities[[note]]either through improved characteristics of additional special rules depending on the edition[[/note]] to make it far more deadly.

* In Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick, 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.]]

* [[Literature/TheElricSaga Elric's]] sword, Stormbringer, will get stronger after killing some poor sap and eating his soul.

* Weapons in ''[[VideoGame/FrontMission GunHazard]]'' work like this. So do the verniers. And the armor plates. ''And'' the Wanzers themselves (Wanzers and armor actually gain EXP by being hit).

* In the [=PS2=] game ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'', enemies you kill with Akujiki take a few seconds to actually fall over dead. During this time, Akujiki glows with power and does more damage, allowing to kill more enemies in rapid succession to further extend the time before they die. It is possible to one-hit kill every boss in the game if you kill their [[FlunkyBoss minions]] fast enough first.

* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': While all [[EmpathicWeapon buso renkin]] improve and change as their wielder grows in strength and experience, those wielded by warriors becoming a [[WalkingWasteland Victor]] change do so to a far greater degree. In the second half of the series, this happens to [[spoiler:Kazuki's [[BladeOnAStick Sunlight Heart]] shrinks in size and weight, internalises its energy and becomes able to produce a size-changing [[LaserBlade energy blade]]]].

* The Oni weapons in each ''Franchise/{{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.

** Averted with another end-game weapon, the Spur. It trades the evolving aspect of every other weapon in the game for a ChargedAttack mechanic instead. Considering that its weakest projectile is the exact same from the fully-evolved Polar Star, your starting gun, one can imagine how powerful it becomes once fully charged...!