Dagger

Daggers have 12 levels, or Tiers; as many Tiers as Polearms, and as many as Swords if Rhomphaia is counted. The standard combination formulas were insufficient, therefore game designers gave the low and high ends uncharacteristic Equal Combinations, and the middle Tiers, multiples of the same Design and Tier. A few low-Tier Daggers are useful for improving the Class and Affinities of weapons without changing their Design or Tier, and some higher ones give useful Morphs. Daggers' attack Strength is always (Tier level + 1) x 2

An example of the consequence of the duplicated recipes: with only Dirk blades that can be gathered before Ashley even enters the Sanctum, the highest Tier Dagger Jamadhar can hypothetically be created. Since there is only one Dirk drop, and the blades are made of HAGANE, this may be more trouble than it is worth, as HAGANE cannot be combined until Junction Point Workshop in the Town Center East

Jamadhar, is easy to make of SILVER in the first playthrough. Four Baselards are required; they drop from six of the Quicksilvers in the second half of Undercity East (after the workshop to use Damascus and Silver is found) at a 8/255 rate. It is possible to make a Damascus Jamadhar in the first playthrough; it requires 28 blades. Because DP and PP are higher on other weapon types, and the Damascus recipe requires blades other than Daggers, and combinations are always an average of DP and PP, and damage is affected by DP and PP, and Damascus adds more Strength than Silver, this Damascus blade will be more effective than the Silver one.^[1] See Damascus Jamadhar

The few daggers found as chest loot include a DAMASCUS Kris in the Second Abandoned Mines; a Delusions of Happiness. The SILVER Scramasax in the chest in the Bandits' Hideout is the first dagger chest loot, and the last for a very long time. There are no DAMASCUS dagger drops at all, in the first playthrough. Either settle for a HAGANE Jamadhar, or a SILVER one, or Morph other top-tier DAMASCUS weapons into a Jamadhar.

SILVER Daggers are easy to find; the common Quicksilver and Shrieker enemies drop them at good rates. SILVER daggers can be transmuted to HAGANE in numerous combinations, and HAGANE daggers wills combine, in a New Game Plus, with SILVER Staves to make DAMASCUS daggers]] in a Rare Combination

In the second playthrough, the player gains access to the Second Iron Maiden Dungeon, and five Shriekers that all drop DAMASCUS Kris at a 13/255 chance.

Daggers have the lowest possible 'reach' or attack radius, which would not be a serious drawback were this the usual type of game where combatants stand toe-to-toe with the player and slug it out. In Vagrant Story, almost all attackers either hit and run (or hit and fly away such as Imps and Gremlins), or in the case of bosses, are extremely large

Daggers are very slightly reduced in power by the fact that the best Piercing grip, the Spiral Hilt, is not available until the New Game Plus, from Crusaders in the Second Iron Maiden and the Ogre Zombie in the Third.

Dagger, like the Sword and Great Sword Designs, has a Tier 1 Usurper; Battle Knife skips over Scramasax to combine with Tier 3 Dirk to make Tier 4 Throwing Knife. This is a detriment to the Starting Weapon Scramasax of course, but it allows increased opportunity for Battle Knife, which is the product of more and lower Combinations, including with other Starting Weapons. Every other Design has no progressive combinations with the first Tier at all; the first Tier blades can at best only be combined with higher blades to make that same higher blade.

Tiers and Progression[]

Dagger Design by Tier and Same Dagger Combinations

Dagger is full of irregular progressions

First Tier T1 Battle Knife + T3 Dirk = T4 Throwing Knife
T2 Scramasax + T3 Dirk = T4 Throwing Knife
T3 Dirk + T3 Dirk = T4 Throwing Knife
T2 Scramasax + T4 Throwing Knife = T5 Kudi
T3 Dirk + T4 Throwing Knife = T5 Kudi
T4 Throwing Knife + T5 Kudi = T6 Cinquedea
T4 Throwing Knife + T6 Cinquedea = T7 Kris
T5 Kudi + T6 Cinquedea = T7 Kris
T5 Kudi + T7 Kris = T8 Hatchet
T6 Cinquedea + T7 Kris = T8 Hatchet
T7 Kris + T8 Hatchet = T9 Khukuri
T8 Hatchet + T9 Khukuri = T10 Baselard
T9 Khukuri
T10 Baselard x 2 = Stiletto
T11 Stiletto x 2 = Jamadhar
T12 Jamadhar

Battle Knife[]

Scramasax[]

Main article: Scramasax

Dirk[]

Throwing Knife[]

Kudi[]

Cinquedea[]

Kris[]

Main article: Kris

Hatchet[]

Khukuri[]

Baselard[]

Stiletto[]

Jamadhar[]

Main article: Jamadhar

Break Arts[]

Main article: Break Arts#Dagger

Paralyze effect for only 65 kills

Whistle Sting. Affinity: As weapon. Type: Blunt. "Bludgeons foe with power from the blade". Cost: 25 HP. Requirements: 10 kills
Shadowweave. Affinity: Dark. Type: Blunt. "Paralyzes foe with a damaging strike". Cost: 40 HP. Requirements: 65 kills
Double Fang. Affinity: As weapon. Type: Piercing. "Repeatedly strikes the same location". Cost: 55 HP. Requirements: 175 kills
Wyrm Scorn. Affinity: As weapon. Type: Piercing. "Splits the blade to attack from all directions". Cost: 75 HP. Requirements: 340 kills^[2]

Stats[]

Weapon	Type	RISK	STR	AGI	Range
Battle Knife	Edged	1	4	0	1
Scramasax	Piercing	1	6	0	1
Dirk	Edged	1	8	0	1
Throwing Knife	Piercing	1	10	0	1
Kudi	Edged	1	12	0	1
Cinquedea	Piercing	1	14	-1	1
Kris	Piercing	1	16	-1	1
Hatchet	Edged	1	18	-1	1
Khukuri	Edged	1	20	-1	1
Baselard	Edged	1	22	-1	1
Stiletto	Edged	2	24	-1	1
Jamadhar	Piercing	2	26	-1	1

Damascus Jamadhar[]

Main article: Best Combinations

Wicked Souls: ^[3]

"Requires:

(D) Shotel x8

(D) Tabar x8

(S) Baselard x12

<two fewer Tabars and one less Baselard for each Damascus Kris from the below sources>

Combinations:

(D) Tabar + (D) Tabar = (D) Bullova

(S) Baselard + (D) Bullova = (D) Kris

(S) Baselard + (D) Shotel = (D) Hatchet

(D) Kris + (D) Hatchet = (D) Khukuri

(D) Hatchet + (D) Khukuri = (D) Baselard

(D) Baselard + (D) Baselard = (D) Stiletto

(D) Stiletto + (D) Stiletto = (D) Jamadhar"

-by Wicked Souls^[3]

Damascus Kris:

13/255 7th Tier Damascus Kris: Four drop as loot in the Second Iron Maiden, one in a chest in Second Abandoned Mines*
With access to Godhands, Two Damascus Lug Crossbows combined to make a Siege Bow, combined with a Shotel of any material, makes a Damascus Kris.
In the second playthrough, the Ogre Zombie (with Death) in the Time Trials drops a Damascus Bastard Sword, combined with a Silver Siege Bow (or any material at Godhands), makes a Damascus Kris. Unfortunately, this still works out to at least three blades, because no Siege Bows drop