The First Major Update
Hello, this is the developer.
This is our biggest update since launch. The Awakening system has been fully reworked into three categories — Common, weapon-specific, and Armory-specific — while Ascension tiers bring stronger monsters and new mechanics.
If you have Re:Blade installed, the update downloads automatically — please restart the game.
⚔️ Awakening System Overhaul
This is the heart of the update. Awakenings are now divided into three clear categories, making it easier to understand which effects are available to each weapon.
▶ Common Awakenings — on any weapon
Shared passive Awakenings, such as attack, attack speed, crit chance, crit damage, and attack range, can now be learned with any weapon.
▶ Weapon Awakenings — Swords, Daggers and Greatswords
All 45 weapon-class Awakenings have been redesigned and are available only to their respective weapon classes. Their effects respond to combat situations such as hitting full-health enemies, landing Head Attacks, striking consecutively, or hitting multiple enemies, rather than simply increasing stats.
▶ Armory Awakenings — Armory weapons only
Six new sets — Sacred Sword, Clockwork, Landmine, Venom, Gravity, and Hero Summon — bring the total to 12 Armory sets. Each set is available only to weapons from its corresponding Armory.
▶ Masterpieces — the culmination of each set
Collect all the Hidden Awakenings in a set to fuse them into its ultimate Awakening, consuming the materials in the process. Ten new Masterpieces join God of Slaughter and Sword God, giving all 12 sets a Masterpiece of their own.
▶ All Awakening icons redrawn
🗡️ Classic Ascension T1–T10
The second major rework introduces tiers that unlock as you progress through Raids with each weapon. Higher tiers bring stronger monsters and new boss mechanics.
Clearing all 20 Raid stages on any tier counts as completing that weapon's Awakening and unlocks its ending.
Progress is tracked by weapon and tier, with higher tiers offering greater resource and XP multipliers.
🏰 The Armory, Reworked — Awakening Coins Removed
Awakening Coins (stars), previously used to buy Armory weapons, have been removed. Completing the Awakening of any weapon in an Armory now unlocks the next Armory. All weapons in an unlocked Armory are granted automatically, with no purchase required.
Existing saves retain their unlocked Armories and owned weapons. Leftover Awakening Coins are removed as the currency is retired.
▶ Armory Compendium — different weapons, different completion bonuses
View each weapon's Awakening completion status and its bonus in one place.
Bonuses include attack, Head and Back Attack damage, crit chance and damage, Relic and Jewel drop rates, Awakening XP, and more.
Complete a higher tier to upgrade that weapon's bonus to a higher value.
Try completing different weapons, then take your favorites into higher tiers.
🎁 Relics, Reworked
▶ No more duplicate Relics
Relic chests now grant only Relics you don't own yet from that monster family. Collect all five of a family's Relics and its chests stop dropping.
▶ Relic drops open from the very first battle
A drop-rate adjustment helps when you go a long time without finding a chest.
Relic collections are tracked separately for each sword and Ascension tier.
Each new sword and tier combination has its own collection. Your collections for previous combinations remain saved.
💎 Also in This Update
▶ Six Jewels
Jewels can drop from defeated monsters at a low rate. Jewel counts and permanent stat bonuses belong to each weapon and carry across Ascension tiers for that same weapon. Finding your first Jewel unlocks the Jewels tab across your account. Chronicle and Relic progress are separate for each weapon and Ascension tier.
September 8 correction: This announcement previously described Jewel bonuses as account-wide. That explanation was incorrect. We apologize for the confusion. This corrects the announcement; it does not change the sharing rules.
▶ Gamepad and Steam Deck support
Menu navigation and button prompts have been updated across the main screens.
Use the stick to browse the Awakening Compendium, Enlightenment, and Jewels, and the triggers to access descriptions and key actions.
Menus remember your last selection, with clearer highlights and device-appropriate button symbols.
The Menu (≡) button opens and closes Settings, and resetting Awakening Points now asks for confirmation.
On Steam Deck, resolution and quality are configured automatically.
▶ New Steam achievements
New goals cover Jewels, Masterpieces, Armory completion and Ascension tiers.
Achievement conditions that can be verified from your existing save records are credited automatically.
⚖️ Balance
▶ Armory Awakening sets rebalanced
Effects and balance have been refined to give each set a more distinct way to fight.
▶ Hidden Awakenings improved
Improved Hidden Awakenings that were weaker than the material Awakenings used to create them.
▶ Early-game monster balance adjusted
▶ A few overperforming combos adjusted
Adjusted effects and combinations that were stronger than their descriptions indicated.
🛠️ Other Improvements
- Fixed issues that blocked or erased progress.
- Updated fusion recipes include automatic material returns for affected saves that used the previous recipes. This is handled when you launch the game.
- The tutorial has been reworked, and Settings now has "Replay tutorial".
- Saves with progress now open into the Upgrade menu instead of dropping straight into battle.
- 21:9 ultrawide is now supported.
- First-battle entry and late-game horde stutter are greatly reduced.
- Health bars on regular monsters have been removed (boss bars are unchanged).
- Awakening descriptions now show Common, weapon and Armory categories, with updated stars and frames for Hidden Awakenings and Masterpieces.
- Improved tooltip spacing and readability. Large attack values now fit inside the stats panel.
- Improved Smart Upgrade feedback: the view follows acquired nodes through to the final node, then displays a completion message.
- Distinct sounds help identify Relics, Jewels and level-ups, and menu selection sounds are now consistent.
- Fixed attack range outlines disappearing after mine deployment and tooltips remaining open during combat.
- Fixed the player stats panel appearing during ending sequences.
💬 Thank You
This update has taken a long time to prepare, and it brings our biggest changes yet. If you notice anything unusual while playing, please let me know on Discord or in the community Discussions. I read every report.
See you in the Raid.
— STAGE Games