Wings Over Atreia: Armsfusion explained
With a few more days of Aion's 1.9 patch under our collective belts, not to mention a couple of additional levels, I think it is safe to start discussing a few of the changes this patch has wrought in more detail. The Armsfusion system has been a subject of some confusion for my circle of friends, so it's as good a place as any to start.
In a nutshell, Armsfusion is used to generate better versions of two-handed weapons. Initially, I'll admit to glossing over it in the patch notes, simply because the name made it sound like something applicable to melee classes. While this is true, in that it can result in some nice new staffs, polearms, and greatswords, it also applies to the pew pew crowd, since technically the ranger bow and sorcerer/spiritmaster tomes and orbs are all two-handers, though not in the traditional visual sense.
Fly past the cut for more details on building the perfect two-handed beast.
The basics
So what exactly is Armsfusion? It's basically a way to combine the stats of two distinct weapons into one, and the process requires the player to choose a primary item for its stats and appearance, as well as a secondary item from which partial stats will be applied to the primary. It's also worth noting that the secondary weapon will be destroyed in the combine, so make sure you're not dropping any one-of-a-kind weapons in the secondary slot.
In something of a departure for Aion crafting, there is no chance of failure when completing an Armsfusion combine (and there was much rejoicing from Sanctum to Pandaemonium). Also, your chosen two-handers must be of the same type (i.e. you can't take the stats from a bow and apply them to an orb, but you can combine a polearm with another polearm).
So now that you know the basics of how to make use of the Armsfusion system, why would you want to? In a nutshell, the process adds roughly 10% of the secondary weapon's attack and magic boost stats to the primary weapon. Furthermore, all manastone slots, as well as manastones themselves and bonus statistics will port over during the combine. Similarly, any Godstones in the primary weapon will carry over to the new fused weapon, while any Godstones in the secondary weapon will be destroyed during the combine. While Armsfusion does destroy the secondary item, the process can be reversed to make use of a different weapon to combine with (called Armsbreaking).
Extendable weapons
For extendable weapons, the appearance and characteristics of the primary weapon will be retained after the combine process (i.e. if the primary weapon is extendable, the new fused weapon will be as well). As you've probably guessed by now, the appearance and any extendable characteristics of the secondary weapon will be destroyed.
Other considerations
While the basics above will allow you to successfully combine weapons, there are a number of other factors you should consider before pulling the trigger. For example, the secondary weapon's level must be equal to or lower than that of the primary. Also, combinations of weapons that feature multiple cast speed, attack speed, or PvP damage bonuses of the same type will result in the highest bonus being applied to the final Armsfusion product. Additionally, once a weapon has been fused, it becomes unsellable, untradeable, and unstorable in either your account or legion warehouse. Finally, in terms of enchantment levels, your primary weapon will retain its enchantment after the combine process, while the secondary weapon's enchantment will be destroyed along with the weapon itself.
Getting started
To get started on your combines, you'll need to visit an Armsfusion officer in your race's capital city. For the Elyos, the Armsfusion officer hides out atop Elyos Square in Sanctum, near the skin-changing merchant. Asmodians looking for their Armsfusion officer will find him on the Pandaemonium Market Street. Don't forget your wallet or pocketbook, particularly if you're combining high-level weapons, as the process is exceedingly expensive for all but the richest of Daevas.
To summarize, the Armsfusion process consists of:
speaking with the appropriate Armsfusion officer to begin
choosing your primary and secondary weapons
viewing the cost (in kinah) and preview the fused weapon
accepting the confirmation dialogue
pwning face with your new weapon (and cry over your lack of kinah)
And now, your new columnist...
There now, that wasn't so hard, was it? That's all the time we have for this week. In closing, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank those of you who've read and commented on Wings Over Atreia over the last three plus months. As of next week, I'll be passing the torch to Massively's new Aion correspondent, MJ Guthrie, and she'll be your guide as you continue your journeys around the Aionosphere.
Despite the fact that Aion has its share of problems (which many of you remind me of on a weekly basis), I've enjoyed covering it, as well as talking to all of you, and I hope to see some of you in the comments section of my other columns. I'll still be toodling around on my Lumiel sorceror from time to time, so I also look forward to seeing (or killing) you folks in-game. Until then, keep the blue side up.
Look! Up in the air! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a snarky Daeva! Join Jef Reahard every Monday for news and views from the world of Aion. Whether he's soaring over the battlefield or hunkered down in the trenches, Jef is your combat correspondent in the world of Atreia.
