Draft:Shiren 5 Vita:Melding and Runes

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In Shiren 5, swords and shields can be imbued with magic runes. No other categories of items can have runes.

Runes add magic powers to the equipment and are usually good or even great additions, though some are clearly bad and others are more ambiguous or situational.

The names of runes are not always unique, not even within a single set (sword runes vs. shield runes). However, runes with the same name tend to be very similar. For example, there is a rune called "Lively" for both swords and shields, and in both cases, the rune increases Shiren's max HP by 5. There is also a "Perilous" rune for both swords and shields, and while the effect is very similar, the effect can only trigger when you hit a monster (for the sword rune) or when a monster hits you (for the shield rune). There are also two runes named "Anti-Blast" for shields only, one of which grants you 50% protection against explosions, the other of which grants you 100% protection against explosions.

Rune effects trigger automatically when their conditions are met, and for the most part are completely independent of one another. E.g. the Tri-direction rune on your sword causes all attacks to go in 3 forward directions at once rather than just straight ahead, while the Flame Shot rune adds a fireball to your attack when you attack with full HP. You can have both, but you still only get one fireball straight ahead.

When a piece of equipment is sealed, rune effects and upgrade points are negated, but they return to full force when the seal is removed.

Runes are primarily added via synthesis and mixing, described in detail below. Aside from these two methods, runes occasionally emerge or manifest themselves automatically on a piece of equipment as it levels up. Such manifested runes are always pre-determined, never random. E.g., when equipment X reaches level Y, it will always gain rune Z. Though rare, it is possible to find equipment with runes built-in. This seems to only happen on equipment you find that is already leveled up, never level 1 equipment, such as when you get a reward item from beating a dungeon, or when you find a leveled-up item you made as a new item. In these cases, the runes pre-placed on these items appear to be the exact set of runes that would have manifested themselves automatically if the item had leveled up normally.

Different pieces of equipment have different rune limits. If you try to add more runes above the rune limit, the extras are simply lost, they don't affect any runes already in place. The rune limit tends to go up by 0-2 each time the equipment levels up. Most pieces of equipment gain an infinite rune capacity at level 8 (the maximum level for all equipment), though some have limited rune capacity even at level 8. No item loses rune space as it levels up. Any item that manifests runes is it levels up also gains enough rune space as it levels up to guarantee the manifested rune(s) can fit.

A given piece of equipment either has a given rune or does not have it. You can't add multiple copies of the same rune to the same piece of equipment; attempting to do so will simply discard the extra copy rather than wasting rune space. The power of runes is also fixed, not variable; e.g., they don't get more powerful as the base item levels up.

In almost every case, all runes can co-exist on the same item, provided the item has sufficient rune space. There is one known exception. There is no known way to have both the Diurnal and Nocturnal runes on the same shield. (It may be possible to have both or at least have the equivalent effects of both via secret pots / new items, but this hasn't been thoroughly tested.) If you try to add both, the 1st will be added and be unaffected by the 2nd, and the 2nd will simply be lost, even if the item still had available rune capacity. (In Shiren 1, runes were called "seals", and you could cancel a seal by adding an opposing seal, but it doesn't work that way in Shiren 5.)

The blacksmith in Hermit's Hermitage can remove one rune from one piece of equipment per visit. This is the only controlled way to remove runes from equipment; Mudster family monsters can also remove runes but you can't control which runes they will remove. In practice, you very rarely need to remove runes, but if you added a terrible rune by mistake, there is a way to fix it.

Adding Runes via Synthesis

The easiest way to add runes to swords and shields is via a Synthesis Pot. Synthesis Pots always have 5 spaces by default. When you put two swords in, the 2nd sword inserted is destroyed and its magic essence is added to the 1st sword (and the pot shrinks one capacity). That is (1) the 2nd sword's upgrade points are added to the 1st sword, (2) the 2nd sword's blessing/curse/seal/none modifier status is overwritten onto the 1st sword, (3) the 2nd sword's innate magic ability (if any) is converted into an equivalent rune and added to the 1st sword, and (4) any runes on the 2nd sword are also added onto the 1st sword in the order listed. In effect, you're merging two swords into one better sword! If you add more swords into this same Synthesis Pot, they are also destroyed and their magic essence is transferred to the 1st sword, so you can merge up to 5 swords together with a single Synthesis Pot (and even more if you supplement it with Pot God Scrolls). It works the same way for shields.

Be careful about upgrade limits and rune limits as you synthesize, else you could accidentally waste valuable upgrades/runes. Note that the game always tries to add the 2nd item's inherent magic effect as a rune first, then it tries to add each of the listed runes in order, skipping any runes that already exist or can't be added, until the rune limit is reached. But you can also use rune limits to your advantage, e.g. by merging in that Glass Dirk +3 onto your main weapon which is already maxed out with runes, to gain those 3 upgrade points on your main weapon without adding a bad rune.

Synthesis Pots can also combine same-type staves. E.g. if you add two Pinning Staves into the synthesis pot, the 2nd one is destroyed and the 1st one gains the charges and modifier status from the 2nd one. If you add unlike-type staves, they don't merge.

When you're done synthesizing, you can smash the pot against a wall to get your merged item(s) out. Just make sure you aren't wearing a Can. Arm Bracelet and the Can. Arm status isn't in effect!

The Modder's Pot is kind of like the Synthesis Pot's evil twin. It synthesizes just like a Synthesis Pot, but it's also unbreakable, so it's kind of a trap for your items. Modder's Pots can have a starting capacity of 3-5. If neither type of pot is identified in your game state, and you find a pot with 5 spaces that performs synthesis, just beware that it might be Modder's instead. Synthesis Pots tend to be a lot more common, but if you're worried about this possibility, identify the pot first.

A lot more tips and tricks related to synthesis and mixing can be found in the Improving Existing Items strategy guide.

Adding Runes via Mixing

Anything you can do with a Synthesis Pot you can also do in a Mixer monster's belly, and the monster can do a lot more. Mixers can also merge unlike-categories of items to make runes on swords and shields. Some of these "mixer recipes" are alternate ways to get runes that can also be made via normal synthesis, but some "mixer recipes" make runes you can't get any other way. You have to kill the Mixer to get the item(s) out of its belly.

But Mixers don't have 5 spaces in their belly by default. Mixers have (monster level + 1) spaces in their belly by default. Some mixer recipes require 3 or 4 items altogether to make 1 rune on the resulting piece of equipment, which obviously cannot be done with an unmodified level 1 Mixer monster. Throwing a Stomach Expander grass at a Mixer (when it still has at least one empty space in its belly) consumes the grass and increases the Mixer's belly size by 1. In other words, throwing a Stomach Expander at a level 1 Mixer with an empty stomach (2 empty spaces) will result in a level 1 Mixer with an empty stomach (3 empty spaces). Throwing a Stomach Shrinker at a Mixer (when it still has at least one empty space in its belly) causes its belly to shrink by 1 space. So, if you want to make a multi-item recipe in a level 1 Mixer, you can do so if you have enough Stomach Expanders handy. Alternatively, leveling up the Mixer will also increase it's belly size. (The main ways to level up monsters are to trick them into killing other monsters, to zap them with a Glorious Staff bolt, to hit them with a thrown Glorious Staff, or to hit them or a neighboring creature with a thrown Glorious Talisman.) Needless to say, leveling up a monster is dangerous not only because the new form is tougher, but it will also be fully healed and lose all status ailments as well. (Mixers retain their stomach contents as they level up or down, but no one has yet reported what happens to the items in a Mixer if it's full then levels down.)

Be careful about throwing items at Mixers, as it's easy to make a mistake:

  • If you want the Mixer to eat the thrown item, keep track of what it has in its belly already and make sure it still has room for your thrown item. Also, make sure it's not Asleep and not Paralyzed. Other status ailments might also prevent it from eating the thrown item. (Not all status ailments have been mapped out, but Confusion and Clone does not prevent it from eating thrown items.) Make sure Cannon Arm is not in effect (e.g. from a bracelet or Dracon Grass).
  • If you want the thrown item to hit the Mixer, make sure it's belly is full, or that it's Asleep, or that it's Paralyzed. If you're trying to level it up via a Glorious Talisman, maybe throw it at a neighboring creature instead just to be sure the Mixer won't eat it. Cannon Arm probably also works to hit the Mixer rather than let it eat the thrown item, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Beware of mixing when day/night is about to change; this would probably drop the contents of the Mixer's belly on the ground, but this should be confirmed before you rely on it.

A lot more tips and tricks related to synthesis and mixing can be found in the Improving Existing Items guide.

Arcane Details

Rune names aren't guaranteed to be unique, not even on a single category of item. E.g. there are two different runes named "Anti-Blast" that can be added to shields.

Runes have an inherent order. Rune X always appears before rune Y in the list if you have both. The order is not alphabetic, but it is fixed. This inherent order can help you cross-check if you have all the runes you want on your equipment.

Rune effects are basically a subset of secret pot effects under the hood. But, for most (all?) categories of items, effects added by a secret pot to new items are not guaranteed to appear in a specific order.

There are no known bugs in rune descriptions, though there is at least one big bug in a secret pot description that completely reverses the meaning.

Some valid mixer recipes are not documented or hinted anywhere in Shiren 5! These probably came from hints in Shiren 4, which was never officially localized into English, though it's possible people found them by accident. No one has yet reported the results from a massive controlled experiment trying every combination of items to see if they make runes, or from reverse engineering the code. So it's remotely possible there are still some mixer recipes that no one has found yet! The possibility is even more enticing given that rune effects and secret pot effects are basically the same things and no doubt share a lot of code under the hood, and there are plenty of cool secret pot effects for which there is no known mixer recipe.

Reference Charts

These charts were taken from this great external resource (which is also listed at the top of this page). The external source has more detail, but this wiki page contains the most important parts.

Sword Runes

Side Order Rune Synthesis Material Mixer Material(s) In-Game Description Notes
Good 1 Max Wall Dig Wonder Pick Type Can dig into walls without breaking Wall Dig and Max Wall Dig are not mutually exclusive.
Good 2 Accurate True Knife Type Direct attacks will always connect
Good 3 Tri-direction Breeze Blade Type Attacks in 3 directions Attacks 45 degrees to the left, ahead, then 45 degrees to the right (clockwise order).
Good 4 Critical Hatchet Type Critical strikes happen more often
Good 5 Redeeming Bright Blade Type After missing twice, get a charge attack After every 2nd miss, next shot will hit and be critical. With Tri-direction, only guarantees to hit 1 monster.
Good 6 Rustproof Dull Gold Edge Type Upgrade value will never decrease Helps vs. low level slime monsters + rust traps. Can also be added by Plating Scroll and Plating Character.
Good 7 Flame Shot Burning Blade Type Shoots flames when HP is full Flame Shot and Blue Flame are not mutually exclusive. By itself, shoots red forward only for 8 damage.
Good 8 Confusing Baffle Axe Type Confusion Grass May inflict Confused status
Good 9 Paralyzing Shockuto Type Paralysis Staff May inflict Paralyzed status
Good 10 Sealing Sealing Keisaku Type Seal Staff May inflict Sealed status
Good 11 Sedating Nap Rattle Type Sleepy Grass May inflict Asleep status
Good 12 Blinding Blurry Stick Type Blinding Grass May inflict Blind status
Good 13 Anti-Explode Crescent Katana Type Deals extra dmg to exploding monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 14 Anti-Aquatic Water Cutter Type Desert Scroll Deals extra damage to aquatic monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 15 Anti-Floating Sky Splitter Type Warp Grass Deals extra damage to floating monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 16 Anti-Cyclops Myopic Masher Type Perception Grass Deals extra dmg to cyclopean monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 17 Anti-Drain Drain Dagger Type Antidote Grass Deals extra damage to draining monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 18 Anti-Dragon Lizard Lasher Type Dragon Grass Deals extra dmg to draconic monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 19 Anti-Metal Copper Cleaver Type Iron Arrow Deals extra damage to metal monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 20 Anti-Plant Scythe Type Weeds Deals extra damage to plant monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 21 Anti-Magic Magic Masher Type Ordinary Staff Deals extra damage to magic monsters Prior wiki pages imply this is +50% damage to monsters with that type. (Monsters can be multiple types.)
Good 22 Lively Herb Increase max HP by 5
Good 23 Uplifting Otogiriso Increase max HP by 10
Good 24 Vitalizing Heal Grass Increase max HP by 15
Good 25 Energizing Life Grass Increase max HP by 20
Good 26 Stupefying Unlucky Seed May decrease level by 1 May reduce your target's level by 1 when you hit it.
Good 27 Perilous SuperUnlucky Seed May change HP to 1 May reduce your target's HP to 1 when you hit it.
Good 28 Enhancing Cheery Grass Basic value of weapon increases by 3 Sword's attack +3.
Good 29 Augmenting Angel Seed Basic value of weapon increases by 8 Sword's attack +8.
Good 30 Quick Hitting 2 different of (Swift Grass, Swift Staff, Swift Talisman) May allow you to attack 2 times All other rune effects are duplicated as well (e.g. Flame Shot, Tri-direction, etc.). The 2 ingredients used must be different types.
Good 31 Bored Lost Scroll May inflict Apathetic status
Good? 32 Refining Upgrade Pot Might upgrade when you change floors The item's upgrade value (aka bonus) might increase when you change floors.

This is undeniably a good rune, but Upgrade Pots are extremely rare and there are other good ways to use them, so you shouldn't try super hard to add this rune to your equipment.

Good 33 Healing Heal Pot + Heal Bracelet When you attack, you heal your HP Seems to heal you for a portion of the damage you did to the monster (10% maybe?).
Good 34 Blue Flame Oil Scroll + Upgrade Seed + Explosion Bracelet Shoot blue flames when your HP is full Flame Shot and Blue Flame are not mutually exclusive. With both, shoots blue forward only for 20 damage.
Good 35 Dispersing Sharing Staff Extra dmg will be dispersed next to you When you defeat a monster, excess damage will transfer to another monster adjacent to 1st monster.
Fox 25.1 Enlightening Increases experience points earned This emerges on Fox equipment. It's undeniably good, but there's no way to synthesize or mix it, so it's been placed on this special "Fox" side to simplify using this table as a checklist of good runes that can be synthesized/mixed.
Fox 33.1 Anointing Enemy-dropped items tend to be blessed This emerges on Fox equipment. It's undeniably good, but there's no way to synthesize or mix it, so it's been placed on this special "Fox" side to simplify using this table as a checklist of good runes that can be synthesized/mixed.
Fox 33.2 Clutch When HP is low, you'll always crit This emerges on Fox equipment. It's undeniably good, but there's no way to synthesize or mix it, so it's been placed on this special "Fox" side to simplify using this table as a checklist of good runes that can be synthesized/mixed.
Bad 0.1 Wall Dig Rusty Pickaxe Type Can dig out walls, but can break Wall Dig and Max Wall Dig are not mutually exclusive. Sword has chance to break only if digging.
Bad 4.1 Expendable Shoddy Dirk Type Gets weaker if direct attacks connect
Bad 5.1 Trap Busting Old Mallet Type Destroys traps and items, but can break Destroys trap/item directly in front of you when no monster is on top. Sword may break if so.
Bad? 5.2 Trap Killing Sturdy Hammer Type Destroys traps and items, never breaks Don't swing on top of an item on the ground unless you want to destroy it.

This is arguably a good rune, but the benefit is not very helpful and you might accidentally destroy items on the ground without meaning to, so it's been put on the bad side.

Bad? 31.1 Focusing Extreme Sword Type You will either miss or critically hit Normal: ~25% critical hit + ~75% miss. While Super: ~90% critical hit + ~10% miss.

This rune is generally bad, causing you to miss at a much higher rate, and even with the Accurate rune your attacks can still miss, so it's been put on the bad side.

Bad? 31.2 Costly Dirk of Debts Type Pay Gitan to increase attack power Raises power (by an unknown amount) for 30 gitan per hit. If out of cash, power drops to zero.

This may be a very good rune; see this link for more info: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/106641-shiren-the-wanderer-the-tower-of-fortune-and-the-dice-of/76598088 .

Bad 31.3 Unsound Glass Dirk Type May break during a direct attack
Bad 31.4 Obsessive Violent Blade Type Can't move when a monster is adjacent Skips turn if trying to move (not attack) while adjacent to a monster.

Shield Runes

Side Order Rune Synthesis Material Mixer Material(s) In-Game Description Notes
Good 1 CR Diet Diet Shield Type Fullness depletes at half speed CR Diet and Hungry are not mutually exclusive.
Good 2 Anti-Fire Snake Shield Type Dragon Grass Reduces fire damage 50% reduction.
Good 3 Retribution Counter Shield Type Reflects some damage back at enemy
Good 4 Agile Spry Shield Type Perception Grass + Perception Grass Evades attacks more easily
Good 5 Anti-Blast (1) Blast Shield Type Reduces explosive damage 50% reduction. There are 2 different shield runes called "Anti-Blast" and they are not mutually exclusive.
Good 6 Rustproof Gold Shield Type Upgrade value will not decrease Helps against low level slime monsters + rust traps. Can also be added by Plating Scroll and Plating Character.
Good? 7 Unmoving Steady Shield Type Grants immunity to movement effects Monsters, traps, and items can't move you, with very limited exceptions.

This is debatable. It can save you (e.g.) from being yanked into the middle of a monster house by a hasted Fearrabbit, or from being yanked out of a shop with an unpaid debt. But it also prevents emergency teleports (e.g. Warp Grass, Swap Staff, Pinning Staff, etc.). On balance, it's best categorized as "good".

Good 8 Anti-Hypno Anti-Gaze Trge Type Grants immunity to hypnosis
Good 9 Magi-Twister Swap Shield Type Magic bullet effects change into damage Changes a magic attack against you into 10 fixed damage.
Good 10 Tiger Mom Student Shield Type Earn exp. when taking damage Gain same experience points as damage taken.
Good 11 Pain Fueled Bowl Shield Type Fullness may refill when taking damage
Good 12 Redirecting Parry Shield Type May deflect attacks to something nearby
Good 13 Anti-Theft Lock Shield Type Your possessions will never be stolen Zalokleft family monsters can't steal your items.
Good 14 Anti-Burgle Safe Shield Type Your money will never be stolen Froggo family monsters can't steal your gitan.
Good 15 Anti-Peck Gyadon Blocker Type Your items will never be pecked at Gyadon family monsters can't eat your items.
Good 16 Lively Herb Your max HP will rise by 5
Good 17 Uplifting Otogiriso Your max HP will rise by 10
Good 18 Vitalizing Heal Grass Your max HP will rise by 15
Good 19 Energizing Life Grass Your max HP will rise by 20
Good 20 Stupefying Unlucky Seed Reduce attacker's level by 1 May reduce attacker's level by 1 when it hits you.
Good 21 Perilous SuperUnlucky Seed Reduce attacker's HP to 1 May reduce attacker's HP to 1 when it hits you.
Good 22 Enhancing Cheery Grass Basic value of shield increases by 3 Shield's defense +3.
Good 23 Augmenting Angel Seed Basic value of shield increases by 8 Shield's defence +8
Good? 24 Diurnal Day Shield Type Reduce dmg taken from day monsters Also increases damage from night monsters, and, is mutually exclusive with Nocturnal.

Obviously, this is situational not always good, but since daytime is much more common, it's been categorized as good.

Good 25 Anti-Onigiri Onigiri Shield Type Prevents onigiri-morphing attacks Protects player + items against being turned into onigiri.
Good 26 Bit Binary Shield Type If 1st digit of HP is 0 or 1, reduce dmg Triggers when 1s digit (rightmost) is 0 or 1. Seems to halve damage? Retreat until you have the right HP.
Good 27 Anti-Trap Trapper Bracelet Reduces chances of triggering traps
Good? 28 Refining Upgrade Pot Might upgrade when you change floors The item's upgrade value (aka bonus) might increase when you change floors.

This is undeniably a good rune, but Upgrade Pots are extremely rare and there are other good ways to use them, so you shouldn't try super hard to add this rune to your equipment.

Good 29 Anti-Blast (2) Immunity Scroll + Fort. Staff + Explosion Bracelet Grants immunity to explosive damage 100% reduction. There are 2 different shield runes called "Anti-Blast" and they are not mutually exclusive.
Good 30 Ability Regen Replenish Scroll May refresh abilities when taking dmg
Fox 19.1 Critproof Damage taken from crits will become 1 This emerges on Fox equipment. It's undeniably good, but there's no way to synthesize or mix it, so it's been placed on this special "Fox" side to simplify using this table as a checklist of good runes that can be synthesized/mixed.
Fox 30.1 Curative May remove bad statuses when attacked This emerges on Fox equipment. It's undeniably good, but there's no way to synthesize or mix it, so it's been placed on this special "Fox" side to simplify using this table as a checklist of good runes that can be synthesized/mixed.
Fox 30.2 Adaptive Drops dmg from same monster type This emerges on Fox equipment. It's undeniably good, but there's no way to synthesize or mix it, so it's been placed on this special "Fox" side to simplify using this table as a checklist of good runes that can be synthesized/mixed.
Bad 1.1 Hungry Heavy Shield Type Fullness depletes at double speed CR Diet and Hungry are not mutually exclusive.
Bad 4.1 Expendable Shoddy Plank Type Becomes weaker as you take hits
Bad? 9.1 Unfamished Nirvana Board Type Max fullness is 1, it won't deplete Equipping this sets max fullness to 1 and fullness won't deplete. Beware of having it removed.

This is very difficult to acquire and seems more dangerous than helpful, so it's been categorized as bad.

Bad? 23.1 Offensive Rush Shield Type Shield defense is 0, adds to attack It's possible someone might want this in some situations, but it's very dangerous and would be bad in most situations so it's been categorized as bad. Might be more helpful when combined with the Accurate rune.
Bad? 23.2 Costly Pauper's Plank Type Pay Gitan to boost your defense Raises power (by an unknown amount) for 30 gitan per hit. If out of cash, power drops to zero.

This may be a very good rune; see this link for more info: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/106641-shiren-the-wanderer-the-tower-of-fortune-and-the-dice-of/76598088 .

Bad 23.3 Unsound Glass Buckler Type May break when defending
Bad? 23.9 Nocturnal Midnight Shield Type Reduce dmg taken from night monsters Also increases damage from day monsters, and, is mutually exlusive with Diurnal.

Obviously, this is situational not always bad, but since daytime is much more common, it's been categorized as bad.

See Also

  • See also Improving Existing Items in the Strategy Guides section under Crafting for more info, tips, and tricks related to runes.

These excellent external references may have better and more complete information that has not yet been replicated to this wiki:

References

  • Many thanks to Gabikun on gamefaqs.com for the original list!