Sword of Plot Advancement: Difference between revisions

[[File:Ootmastersword.jpg|link=The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|frame| [[Item Get|Da Da Da DAAAH!]] ]]

 

 

 

Alternatively, it may be gained at the beginning of the [[Three Act Structure|Second Act]], if it is important to game mechanics, and marks the beginning of the adventure proper.

 

 

 

It contrasts with the [[Infinity+1 Sword]], which is optional to the plot and is collected long after the protagonist ceases to require it. It is, however, somewhat of a headscratcher when said [[Infinity+1 Sword]] (and even the [[Infinity-1 Sword]]) is stronger; see [[Penultimate Weapon]].

 

 

* In ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', Mjölnir serves this purpose.

 

* In ''[[Un Lun Dun]]'', the UnGun.

* [[Walt Disney]]'s First Pen in ''[[Kingdom Keepers]]''

* Kosall in ''[[The Acts of Caine]]''

* The Sword of the Lady in the [[Emberverse]].

* The [[Sword of Truth]] has the titular sword, which is a magically-imbued and has no equal. Richard gets it in like, the third chapter. Of the first book. Of a series of eleven doorstops. In fact, it becomes so associated with him and he actually reflexively reaches for it even when he doesn't have it, and other characters associate it with him personally. He eventually doesn't need it to kick twelve kinds of ass, but still prefers it to regular swords.

 

* The Master Sword in several ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' games, starting with ''[[A Link to The Past]]''.

** Yet it's sometimes a different sword, such as the Phantom Sword in ''[[Phantom Hourglass]]''. And other times, such as in the original game and ''[[Links Awakening]]'', the sword upgrade has nothing to do with the plot.

*** In ''[[Dragon Quest V]]'', you are required to do two long dungeons and marry a girl in order to get a plot-advancing shield...and you can't even use the damn thing until later in the game.

**** [[Justified Trope|Justified]]: {{spoiler|This time around, you yourself are not the Legendary Hero}}.

* ''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'' receives the power to Advance the Plot from the Asterite in the penultimate sections of the first and second games. The fact that it eliminates the need to breathe is a small bonus.

* ''[[The Elder Scrolls]] III: Morrowind'' has the hammer Sunder, the sword Keening and the gauntlet Wraithguard that you need to use together to defeat Dagoth Ur. Interesting thing is that they don't need to be used against him personally. You're supposed to strike the Heart of Lorkhan once with Sunder and then three times with Keening to kill him.

*** It ''is'' important to Almalexia and getting her to reveal the fact that {{spoiler|she's gone batshit crazy and thinks she needs to kill the Nerevarine, aka, you in order to maintain her god status. Getting the sword is probably meant to prove you're Nerevar's reincarnation}}.

*** One of the people who help you restore the blade points out that the flames are pretty much for decoration, and have absolutely no effect on its performance as a weapon. Looks pretty, though.

***** Having a weapon do 300 magic damage sure can suck when you meet high level enemies that reflect/absorb magic.

* [[The Elder Scrolls|An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire]] has the Moon Reiver, the only sword that can hurt the final boos, Mehrunes Dagon.

** It averts the [[Infinity+1 Sword]] territory in the expanded ''Lost Chapters'' version of the game, since you easily have 5-10 hours of remaining gameplay to go through after you acquire the swords. And since a quarter of the game was spent attempting to stop {{spoiler|Jack}} from acquiring the blade, it is still plot relevant. ''Lost Chapters'' also nerfs the Sword Of Aeons (and introduces Avo's Tear as its counterpart).

** Also the {{spoiler|music box from the beginning}} in ''Fable 2'' sort-of becomes this trope, although its not really a sword, and {{spoiler|you don't really get to use it in any battle, you just hold down A in a cut scene to use its magic on the big baddie of the game}}

*** And ''[[Children of Mana]]''...come to think of it, is there any game other than ''[[Secret of Mana]]'' and the original ''[[Final Fantasy Adventure]]'' where it ''can'' be equipped?

*** Even in ''Secret of Mana'', while the sword you equip is the Sword of Mana, it does not become ''the'' Sword of mana until magically imbued by your teammates during the last battle, or through a glitch. Otherwise the best you can use is the next level below.

**** Which, according to the series's Japanese name, would be ''every game''.

<!-- comment The {{Metroid}} games don't count because the "central plots" of all of them have little or nothing to do with the items Samus collects. -->

* The Sword of Gith in ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]''.

* The "Force weapons" in both ''[[Star Ocean 1|Star Ocean]]'' and [[Star Ocean the Second Story|its sequel]], though their importance to the plot is only revealed just before you get them.

* Happens all the time in ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'', and sometimes inverted when its a machine you have to ''destroy''. Memorable examples include Ryukooh and Koryuoh, Getter Shin Dragon from SRW Destiny, the R-Series in Original Generation 1 and the enemy unit Judecca.

** The Key of Lorelei in ''[[Tales of the Abyss]]''.

*** Dein Nomos in ''[[Tales of Vesperia]]'' is a slight subversion as you get it about 2/3 into the game, it's far from being Yuri's ultimate weapon ({{spoiler|a replica of it is stronger}}) and you lose it after a few dungeons. In the PS3 version {{spoiler|you get Brave Vesperia No. 2 (the device the party plans to use to destroy the Adephagos), as a weapon before the final dungeon. It allows Yuri to use his second Mystic Arte.}}

** In ''Underworld'', you also get your hands on {{spoiler|Thor's Hammer}}.

* The original Black Sword in ''[[Ultima]] VII''. Or the Mystic Arms in ''Ultima IV''.

*** In VII part 2 (''The Serpent Isle''), you start the game with the sword (implying the Avatar did complete the ''Forge'' expansion), promptly lose it, and need to recover it in order to get packed off to the world of ''Pagan''.

* The Sword of Justice from ''Ultima Underworld'' probably counts, as it's one of the 8 items needed to complete the game and is a very good weapon (the only unbreakable one as well). Subverted in that completing the game requires you to ''destroy'' the sword (along with the other items). Trying to kill the [[Big Bad]] with it is pointless.

* The [[Humongous Mecha|Gears and Omnigears]] of ''[[Xenogears]]'' are required to fight many bosses and complete many dungeons. Citan's sword, [[Katanas Are Just Better|cool as it is]], is not all that plot-relevant.

* In the original ''[[Devil May Cry]]'', after Dante defeats the [[Black Knight]] Nelo Angelo for the last time the knight drops an amulet, identical to Dante's own. {{spoiler|It turns out that Nelo Angelo was really Vergil, Dante's [[Jerkass]] twin brother [[Rival Turned Evil|who was forced into Mundus's service after the events of DMC 3]].}} Anyhoo, the amulet combines with Dante's into the Perfect Amulet, which is part of the way to open a Portal to [[Bonus Level of Hell|Mundus's world]] as kick his ass. Additionally, exposure to the amulet unlocks the true power of the Force Edge, Dante's starting sword; it becomes much stronger as Sparda. The Sparda is the only weapon Dante can use against Mundus's first two forms anyways.

* The titular [[Valis]] Sword.

* The Firestaff in the ''[[Deus Ex]]'' mod "The Nameless Mod". It's not really a sword (it sets things on fire instead), but it has administrative powers and thus is very important to the plot.

* The first ''[[Gothic]]'' has the sword Urizel, which is one of the few things that can harm the last [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|undead orc shaman]]. (Spellcasters can have it turned into the "Wave of Death" rune, which is the only ''other'' thing capable of harming said enemy.) Note that you find it well before the end of the game (and have to empower it in a spectacular fashion), so you get to enjoy its sheer killing power on many regular enemies as well. In a more strict interpretation, you have to obtain the shamans' five swords, which are too damaged to be of regular use, but are vital to defeating the [[Big Bad]] right at the end.

* The Silver/Cleria Sword in ''[[Ys]] I and II''. In Book 1, you get it right before [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon]], and there is an [[Infinity+1 Sword]] in said dungeon, but that doesn't work against Dark Fact. In ''Book II'', it is the [[Infinity+1 Sword]], and you obtain it just before fighting the [[Big Bad]] Darm. In ''Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'', you start with the Cleria Equipment, but lose it shortly after, to regain it near the end of the game. ''Ys: The Ark of Napishtim'', the sixth game in the series, has only three swords (which can be upgraded) and all of them are relevant to the plot.

* Leo's Sword (that's the name of the sword itself) is this in ''[[Record of Agarest War]].'' Seemingly only used in [[Cutscene Power to the Max|cut scenes,]] when you {{spoiler|finally get to the True Ending path, not only do you ''finally'' get to use it, but when you upgrade the sword itself, the stats are through the roof! It's definitely not the most powerful sword, but it's still up there.}} [[Fridge Logic|Makes you wonder why you could not use it in gameplay even though Leo has it in his hand and could have prevented his death]] ''[[Gameplay and Story Segregation|all the way back from the start.]]''

* The Ultragunner in ''[[Vanguard Bandits]]''.

* The Dragon Slayer in ''[[Legacy of the Wizard]]'' and ''[[Faxanadu]]''.

* In ''[[Mantra (video game)|Mantra]]'', the main plot coupons (the eponymous five Mantras) are magic scrolls. Each one gives you the ability to perform a specific type of attack that has an [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors|elemental damage type]]. They're useful in combat with normal enemies and bosses, and they're also necessary to destroy barriers which are only vulnerable to specific elemental damage types, so that you must acquire the appropriate Mantra in order to advance to the next area.

* The Monado from ''[[Xenoblade]]''. Almost everything in the game's plot is done in to, by, or in response to it.

* One of the last things to do in ''[[Might and Magic]] VI'' before attacking the Kreegan Hive is to acquire blasters and the skill to use them. Unusual in that there are ''several'' blasters to be found in the associated dungeon, significantly more than the four characters you have, and in that there are upgraded versions deeper in the dungeon that count as blasters for all important purposes, but they can only be found in that dungeon, and getting at least one is absolutely necessary to finishing the game (for more than one reason if you want to finish the game without a [[Nonstandard Game Over]])

 

* In ''[[Star Wars]] Episode IV'', receiving his father's lightsaber is part of Luke's [[Call to Adventure]] near the end of act 1.

 

** Considering the sword was forged from two fallen stars, it was enourmously heavy. The original creator was even advised to remember the weight, because if the orb were removed, and he were holding the sword, he'd likely break his wrist.

* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' the one who can wield the crystal sword Callandor is the Dragon Reborn - the chosen one. The main character acquires it in the third book and then announces his station to the world.

** Of course that's expressly NOT a sword.

** Really, it ''is'' a sword, being sword shaped and sharp and fully capable of being used as a sword. It's just that it's also such a strong [[Amplifier Artifact]] that using it as a sword is a complete waste of of its potential.

 

* [[King Arthur]] getting the Sword in the Stone and Excalibur (which may or may not be the same - Arthurian canon can be confusing) are important steps in his rise to power, and Excalibur is his main weapon through pretty much the entirety of his life.

* In Norse mythology, Siegfried (or Sigurd) pulling the sword Gram (or Balmung or Nothung) from the tree into which Odin had stuck it.

 

* The second ''[[Golden Sun]]'' game has a weapon of plot advancement. {{spoiler|A trident}}, that stays relatively useful even after picking up the [[Infinity+1 Sword]].

** Due to the fact that said weapon isn't really a weapon, but rather an accessory that stacks with everything else. Hey, free 10 Mercury Resist so why the hell not?

* The Prince gaining the Dagger of Time early on in both ''[[Prince of Persia|The Sands of Time and The Two Thrones]]'', allowing access to the time control gameplay that is the series selling point.

** In an interesting partial subversion, you generally get the weapon very early in these games (or start with it) and the idea is to get rid of it properly.

** The sword in level 8 of ''[[Prince of Persia]] 2: The Shadow and the Flame'' has a cutscene of its own. It replaces the clumsy dagger you've been stuck with ever since you lost your old sword a few levels back.

* The titular Sigil in ''[[Strife]]: Quest for the Sigil''. It's the only weapon which can hurt bosses (well, a particular kind of boss). It's also an [[Evolving Weapon]].

** Not technically an [[Evolving Weapon]] - there is actually assembly involved. You just don't see it unless you're paying attention because pieces of the weapon automatically fly to you and self-attach when the enemy carrying them is defeated...even if you'd prefer they didn't.

* The Armageddon Blade in Darksiders. The last weapon you get - however arguably not the most powerful.

* Despite other examples of the same weapon being type 1 in most other games in the Zelda series, the Master Sword is type 2 in ''[[The Wind Waker|Wind Waker]]'' and ''[[Twilight Princess]]''. This is particularly the case in the latter title, as acquiring it lets you transform into a wolf at any time, as well as use the game's warp system.

 

 

* Tucker's Plasma Sword in [[Red vs. Blue]]. It starts out as a cool sword that can only be used by the "Chosen One", who is also the most evil (and/or stupid) individual in the universe (leading to a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] where [[Only Sane Man|Church]] names [[Cloudcuckoolander|Caboose]] as [[The Antichrist]]). When it's taken to the frozen northlands, it can be used to unlock and power up a [[Cool Ship]]. It also gets a little philosophical when deciding wether it's really a key or a sword.

{{quote|Church: "So it ''is'' a sword. It just acts like a key in certain situations."

Caboose: "''Or'', it's a key all the time, and when you stick it in people, it unlocks their death." }}

 

* In an odd manga example, the Ten Commandments Sword from ''[[Rave Master|Groove Adventure RAVE]]'', is not only obtained early and one of two driving forces behind the main character's powers and abilities, but powers up not once, not twice, but NINE separate times. The last of these power-ups results in Ravelt, a Sword of Plot Advancement in its own right.

* [[Revolutionary Girl Utena|Utena]] is able to draw the sword of Dios from the Rose Bride starting in episode two, marking the beginning of her journey as a duelist. For the first arc of the series, this fantastic element seems fairly self-contained to Anthy; starting the second Black Rose arc, ''everyone'' can pull swords out of other people's chests! This ultimately culminates in Anthy having to draw a sword from Utena's breast, since Utena can no longer draw the sword of Dios from Anthy: Anthy draws the sword of Dios. As a bonus, these "soul swords" not only represent plot advancement (even if Utena can't see it) but also reflect character development and dynamics.

 

 

* In ''[[Dept Heaven Apocrypha]]'', Monica's legendary sword Joyeuse is technically her [[Call to Adventure]] proper (and thus signals the First Act); learning to ''use'' it will be another matter, and once it's mastered her plot will move to its second act.

 

* The [[Legacy of Kain|Soul Reaver]] falls under both categories, as it basically drives the whole plot in the series. As mentioned above, it falls under the second category in the second game, in that Raziel gains it early in the adventure and it's a defining ability in the subsequent games. It falls under the first category for how late Kain gets it in the first game, and how it's the linchpin of how to see and defeat {{spoiler|the Elder God}} in the last game.

* Frostmourne in ''[[Warcraft]] 3'' starts as a Type 1, signifying the last stage of the human campaign and giving Arthas the power to destroy Mal'Ganis. It then becomes a Type 2, when it also initiates the second act of the game as a whole - the undead campaign. Although at this point it loses any effect on game mechanics, and displays its power only in [[Cutscene Power to the Max|cutscenes]].

* The Blade of Olympus in ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]] 2'' drains all your power from the first game and you spend the whole game searching for a way to retrieve it from Zeus' grasp. When you finally do, it's your main weapon in the boss fight with him.

* The Sword of Xel Dum is a great example of this from the NSFW webcomic [http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=90 locus] has a curse that requires the central character to kill whoever tries to take it for her, including the original owner....that's some plot advancement.

 

* The black sword acquired by {{spoiler|Mary Christie}} halfway through ''[[Shikkoku no Sharnoth]]''. {{spoiler|It allows her to attempt reasoning with the Metacreatures, though that does not work. What it does let her do is cast it away to show that she intends to save Charlie and everyone else she cares about. Mind you, it would be a pretty potent weapon if she wanted it to be.}}

 

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