Understand Tempered Blade
Useful when…
- Increasing critical chance on compatible Archmelee weapons.
Effect and compatibility
Tempered Blade grants +25% critical chance at rank 0, +100% at rank 3, and +150% at rank 5. It is a standard Archmelee mod with Madurai polarity and maximum rank 5.
Rank costs and choices
The listed costs are 10 Endo and 483 credits for 0→1, 40 and 1,932 for 2→3, and 160 and 7,728 for 4→5. The mod reaches +100% by rank 3; the last two ranks add more critical chance at increasing cost. Critical Meltdown combines radiation and critical chance, Bleeding Edge adds critical damage, and Cryo Coating combines cold damage and status chance. These are distinct investment goals, not interchangeable versions of critical chance.
Practical limitation
Its listed bonus is critical chance only. It does not itself specify critical damage, elemental damage, or status chance, and the bonus should not be read as a final damage multiplier. The detailed data lists possible sources including Archwing enemies and missions, such as Phobos/Kepler Rush Rotation A and Jupiter/Galilea Sabotage; the provided chances are source-specific and do not guarantee an acquisition.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- Ranks 4 and 5 cost more than the early ranks.
- Critical chance alone does not supply critical damage or elemental/status effects.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Equipping it for ordinary ground melee rather than Archmelee.
- Treating +150% critical chance as +150% final damage.