Magic Castle DS:Melding

Melding is the key to creating powerful equipment in Magic Castle. Although it may seem obvious to some, many people miss the fact that melding is one of the easiest way to quickly boost up your equipment to its maximum level. The smith will charge 1,500 Gitan and the most you can get from a Blacksmith or an Air Bless Scroll or Earth Bless Scroll is +1, and on rare occasions, +3. You can waste a Blank Scroll to create an Air or Earth Bless scroll to upgrade your equipment but it's far easier to use random loot found in dungeons. Melding Jars are somewhat common in the story dungeons. Another easy way to get a Melding Jar easy is by abusing Rescue passwords for items.

Seals

Seals are valuable upgrades that can be melded into Weapons, Shields, and Armbands. Most Weapons and Shields and all Armbands have seals and the only way to combine them onto a single item is through melding.

Melding Methods

There are two methods to meld items together:

Melding Jar

Inserting two or more items of the same type into a Melding Jar will combine them into a single item, melding their bonuses, charges, and/or effects. This can be done with Weapons, Shields, Armbands, and Staves. In Shops, placing an item you haven't paid for in a Melding Jar will not combine it with a similar item in the jar. However, the jar will still lose a slot, as it happens with a Jar of Change. Inserting Items that are not Weapons, Shields, Armbands or Staves into a Melding Jar will use a slot but produce no other effect. You can retrieve such items normally. You can use one jar simultaneously with different types of items. The first Weapon, Shield or Armband inserted will be the base item. All subsequent items of the same type inserted into the jar will add their bonuses (+1, +3, etc) and any and all effects (e.g. rust-proof, sped up hunger or slow hunger, etc.) to the base item. Weapon and Shield effects are not interchangeable. Bonuses from shields cannot be melded onto weapons, and vice-versa. Melding with items that either already have the given effects or that are at their maximum bonus value will waste the extra effects or bonuses.

Extraction

Once items have been melded, you must break the jar open (by throwing it against a wall) to retrieve the items. The jar's size will be reduced by 1 for every item melded successfully, so inserting 5 weapons in a Melding Jar[5] will reduce its capacity to 1. Slots can be added back to it by using a Jar Growth Scroll.

Mixer Monster Family

Mixer Family monsters allow you to combine 2 - 5 thrown items, depending on the level of the monster. They work the same as Melding Jars. Their attack will also increase for each item swallowed. You'll have to defeat them afterward to get your items back.

Weapon Seals

Sprite	Weapon		Seals	Effect
	English	Japanese
	Sickle Slayer	成仏のカマ	仏	High damage to Ghost-type Monsters.
	Drain Buster	ドレインバスター	ド	High damage to Drain-type Monsters.
	Cyclops Killer	一ツ目殺し	目	High damage to Cyclops-type Monsters.
	Crescent Arm	三日月刀	月	High damage to Exploding-type Monsters.
	Dragonkiller	ドラゴンキラー	竜	High damage to Dragon-type Monsters.
	Air Slayer	斬空剣	空	High damage to Floating-type Monsters.
	Aura Spear	妖光のヤリ	貫	Hits Monsters 2 squares away (like the Ironhead monster family).
	Spark Sword	スパークソード	ス	If you miss 2 times, the next attack will hit and will be critical. The 2 misses don't need to be consecutive for this to work.
	Razor Wind	妖刀かまいたち	三	Hit 3 Monsters in front. (Front, diagonal right and left.) Cuts corners.
	Homing Blade	必中の剣	必	Never misses.
	Soul Sickle	魂のカマ	吸	It will raise everytime you hit a Monsters (raise level = damage). If the attack fails, it will come back to 0. If you go beyond the 99 level, it will break. Monsters can't be killed by this weapon (if they have 1 HP left you won't damage them).
	Cell Armor Sword	セルアーマーの剣	セ	Sometimes knocks away items from Monsters.
	Adamant Pickaxe	サトリのつるはし	堀 (golden)	Digs walls and won't ever break.
	Recovery Sword	回復の剣	回	1/4 of damage done goes to HP.
	Chaos Axe	混沌の斧	混	Chance to confuse monsters or make them fall asleep.
	Minotaur's Axe	ミノタウロスの斧	会	Sometimes scores a Critical Hit.
Sprite	Weapon		Negative Seal	Effect
	English	Japanese
	Pickaxe	つるはし	堀	It can dig walls, but may be destroyed in the process.
	Wooden Mallet	木づち	罠	Destroys visible Traps, but has a chance to break.
	Fragile Edge	使い捨ての剣	捨	Every time you hit a monster, its upgrade value will drop by 1.
	Bamboo Spear	如意棒	如	Everytime you hit something, you will be pushed back 1 square.
	Bufu's Cleaver	ブフーの包丁	肉	Monsters can drop their meat when they are defeated, but if it's used outside Tonfan Dungeon, it has a chance to break. (It can only break when you obtain meat from a monster. It won't break if you hit a monster without killing, or if you kill it and it doesn't drop its meat.)

Shield Seals

Sprite	Shield		Seals	Effect
	English	Japanese
	Missile Shield	みかわしの盾	避	All Items thrown at you will miss. This includes Arrows from Traps and Monsters, Piggy's rocks, and items thrown by Bored Kappa Family. You can pick those items up, except Piggy's rocks.
	Deflect Shield	はねかえしの盾	返	All Items thrown at you will be deflected back to the user. This include Arrows from Monsters, and bombs from Popster Tanks.
	Satori Shield	サトリの盾	悟	Fullness won't decrease while you are equipping it, but when you equip it your maximum fullness will become 0.
	Happy Shield	しあわせの盾	幸	1/4 of taken damage will be added to your Experience.
	Walrus Shield	トドの盾	ト	Prevents theft by Monsters.
	Wood Shield	木甲の盾	金	Rustproof.
	Curseless Shield	呪いよけの盾	払	Curse Girl Family and Curse Traps can't curse your Items.
	Dragonward	ドラゴンシールド	竜	Halves damage from dragon breath.
	Prism Shield	プリズムの盾	プ	Converts special abilites into 10 damage.
	Evasive Shield	見切りの盾	見	Makes it easier to dodge.
	Echo Shield	やまびこの盾	山	Reflects magic attacks.
	Ration Shield	ハラモチの盾	腹	Reduces loss of Fullness by half.
	Pickpocket Shield	ガマラの盾	ガ	1/4 of taken damage will be added to your Gitan.
	Spiked Ward	バトルカウンター	バ	1/4 of taken damage from main attacks will be deflected to the enemy.
	Karakuroid Shield	カラクロイドの盾	罠	Traps won't work on you.
	Power Shield	パワーシールド	力	Defense is also added to attack.
	Blast Shield	地雷ナバリの盾	地	Halves damage from explosions.
Sprite	Shield		Negative Seal	Effect
	English	Japanese
	Armor Ward	重装の盾	重	Increases fullness depletion rate. This effect can be removed by melding a Ration Shield to it.
	Fragile Shield	使い捨ての盾	捨	Shield strength is reduced with each attack sustained.

Armband Seals

Armband		Seal	Effect
English	Japanese
Armband of Calm	混乱よけの腕輪	混	Shiren can't be Confused.
Passage Armband	通過の腕輪	通	Shiren can walk on water.
Armband of Sight	透視の腕輪	見	You can see Monsters and Items on your map, but not invisible monsters.
Curseless Armband	呪いよけの腕輪	払	Items can't be Blessed and Cursed while this Armband is equipped.
Diet Armband	ハラヘラズの腕輪	悟	You won't lose Fullness.
Swipe Armband	強打の腕輪	会	You will always do ultra Critical Hit (x4), but if you receive an attack, it will instantly break. If melded into a Sturdy Armband or Golden Armband, they will lose their unbreakable status.
Loud Armband	目 覚ましの腕輪	覚	You can't be put to Sleep, but all Monsters on the floor will wake up when you equip it.
Search Armband	よくみえの腕輪	目	You can see all Traps on the floor, but they can still work on you. Also reveals Invisible Monsters.
Hercules Armband	ちからの腕輪	力	Strength +3.
Anti-Feeble Armband	弱らずの腕輪	健	Strength won't decrease.
Trap Armband	ワナ師の腕輪	罠	You can see all Traps and Monsters will be affected by them.
Paper Armband	紙一重の腕輪	避	You will evade thrown items easier, but if you receive a fire or explosion attack it will burn (Armbands will break instantly). If melded into a Sturdy Armband or Golden Armband, they will lose their unbreakable status.
Antidrain Armband	ドレインよけの腕輪	ド	Drain-type Monsters won't affect you.
Turn Armband	まがりの腕輪	曲	Thrown Items will never touch walls, changing direction.
Pitcher's Armband	遠投の腕輪	遠	Thrown/fired items penetrate enemies, walls, etc., and fly away.
Armband		Negative Seal	Effect
English	Japanese
Recovery Armband	回復の腕輪	回	Restores 5 HP per turn, you lose Fullness x2.
No-Control Armband	ノーコンの腕輪	ノ	Thrown Items will get a random direction.
Armband of Loss	たれ流しの腕輪	垂	You will drop items on the ground every 10 steps.
Armband of Regret	痛恨の腕	痛	You will receive Critical Hits from enemies sometimes.
Warp Armband	たかとびの腕輪	飛	You will warp randomly when you walk.
Armband of Miss	あたらずの腕輪	外	You will always miss Monsters with thrown Items.
Binge Armband	ハラヘリの腕輪	重	You will lose Fullness at twice the rate of normal.
Explosive Armband	爆発の腕輪	爆	When you walk, you will suffer an explosion randomly.

Examples

For purposes of illustration here are some examples:

Base	Additions	End Result
Katana +1	Polearm +4, Razor Wind	Katana + 5 with the ability to attack in 3 directions at once.
Armor Ward	Ration Shield, Ration Shield +3, Wood Shield + 5	1Armor Ward with slowed hunger rate and + 8
1Polearm	Wood Shield, Armor Ward, Homing Blade	Polearm that never misses attacks, Wood Shield with increased hunger rate
Knockback Staff [4]	Knockback Staff [3]	Knockback Staff [7]
Switching Staff [6]	Knockback Staff [5]	Switching Staff [6], Knockback Staff [5]

¹Melding a single Ration Shield into an Armor Ward will not give the Armor Ward Slow Hunger - it will only remove the Armor Ward's increased Hunger effect. You must meld a second Ration

Shield into the Armor Ward to give it Slow Hunger.