The Fanatic's Broken Blade.

Hua Qianxiao, a swordsman, owned the Fanatic's Broken Blade, a sword snapped to three feet of edge, and he taught himself to fight with it while drunk.

Here is a single-handed main weapon whose strength comes from the cup, not the wrist. Drinking once refills Sha-Chi and puts you in a Tipsy state; afterwards, your moves are Flying Sword attacks, where the blade departs your hand to hit far-off enemies. A second drink takes you into Drunk, a brief all-or-nothing window in which blocking is impossible but you dodge automatically and flying swords hit much harder.

Retreating while still landing hits is what you get from it. In exchange, damage declines with distance in its ranged form, and Drunk takes away your guard. Reforging the broken sword whole yields The Fanatic's Drunken Sword, retaining the concept while losing the falloff.

Earning it means beating the opening boss of Crimson Forest, and its ranged approach is frequently suggested against the following main boss, Jing Ye.

Before you start:

• Reach Crimson Forest
• Beat Hua Qianxiao, the Sword Fanatic

1. Head into Crimson Forest and take Abandoned Main Road in the direction of Pangzhen Bridge Overlook.
2. Turn on the Bell by the bridgehead. On the big bridge alongside it, Hua Qianxiao is waiting.
3. Take on Hua Qianxiao and win; the reward for that battle is The Fanatic's Broken Blade, and A Thousand Cups Drained is unlocked as an achievement as well.

Two combos shared among main weapons, one regular and one that consumes Sha-Chi, serve as its basic strings. A drinking cycle layered on top is what distinguishes this weapon.

Sober, Tipsy, Drunk

Bottomless Drink serves as the special art: performing it recovers Sha-Chi and moves you into Tipsy, where Flying Sword attacks replace your usual moves. Holding down the drink button recovers still more Sha-Chi. Roughly 15 seconds later the Tipsy effect ends and you return to Sober.

Using the active art, Drink Until Dawn, takes 1 Sha-Chi. Cast from Sober, it fires off an unblockable Flying Sword Flurry and leaves you Tipsy. Pay 1 further Sha-Chi while Tipsy to become Drunk. One more strike from Drunk is free of Sha-Chi, sending out the Empowered Flying Sword Flurry (the strongest blow this weapon has) before you go back to Sober.

Costs and benefits of Drunk

Roughly 20 seconds is how long Drunk lasts. You cannot block and movement is severely limited, yet your body evades attacks by itself and flying swords deal much more damage. Use it to punish or control space, and avoid standing before a boss mid-combo. The achievement A Drunken Dream is unlocked by entering Drunk.

Distance and falloff

As distance increases, flying sword damage drops, so the ranged form is most rewarding at medium range and not at the outer limit of its reach. A reliable source of damage continues to be your Sober melee strings.

Perks from levelling

These are unlocked as the weapon gains levels, between Lv. 5 and Lv. 30.

Soul Tempering

Cost of each upgrade level

Going from Lv. 1 to Lv. 60 takes 59 upgrades, and reaching +59 costs 2,036,340 Remnant Dust in total.

Strengths

• Striking foes from afar is possible with Flying Sword attacks, all while staying at a safe distance.
• Sha-Chi is refilled by drinking, meaning the weapon supplies its own arts and does not depend on combo hits alone.
• For a brief burst, Drunk offers automatic dodging and considerably stronger flying swords, and the opening Drink Until Dawn cannot be blocked.

Weaknesses

• Because flying sword damage declines over distance, hits landing at the outer limit of reach are feebler than they appear.
• Entering Drunk when a boss is already close is dangerous, since it takes away blocking and limits movement.
• Juggling three states demands more focus than a simple melee weapon does.

Best used for

• Attacking mounted or distant enemies from a safe range, for instance the Jing Ye battle immediately after the bridge.
• Taking out groups using Flying Sword in the Tipsy state.
• Using a Drunk window to punish a staggered boss once you are sure no further attack is coming.