Crystalbound Saga: Brann's rescue and the Forge
Meet the smith, temper the Wardblade, and see how its forms change the way you fight.
Brann the smith is the first person you rescue in Crystalbound Saga. He is held captive by the first mini-boss, the Abyssal Weaver Matriarch, at level 5. Beat her and he is free, and the Forge opens.
Tempering the Wardblade
The Forge is where you spend what you earn. Tempering raises your damage, Resolve gives you more moves, and five Affinities tune the blade towards an element. It was too easy at first, so I made the cost curve steep.
Forms that change how you fight
The Wardblade evolves at 6, 14, 24 and 36 upgrades, and each new form adds a real bonus in battle. Each upgrade line is capped by the chapter you have reached, so the forms land around chapters 1, 3, 6 and 9. Capped rows show a lock and the chapter that opens them.
The first time you can afford an upgrade, the game walks you through the Forge, and holds you there until you buy one. After that, Brann has something to say depending on whether you are broke, close to a new form, or fully forged.