How to repair and upgrade weapons in Bloodborne? | FAQ Bloodborne Guide
Last update: 06 March 2018
As you are playing, each weapon that you use will wear with time. There is a special statistic to each one of the weapons (Durability), whose value depends on the weapon type. While you are killing opponents, the durability of the weapon declines. At some point, if you forget to repair your weapon, you receive a message that the weapon is worn. From now on, you will be dealing much less damage that gradually keeps going down, if you do not fix the weapon.
To do that, you need to return to Hunter's Dream. There, approach the workshop (at the wall on the right), and pick the "Fix a Weapon" option. Depending on the damage made to the weapon, this will cost you a varying number of Blood Echoes. Durability of the weapon will be restored to its initial value and you will be able to deal maximum damage with that weapon. Weapons are automatically repaired after the weapon is upgraded.
IN the very same location, you can upgrade your weapons. The first type of upgrades is leveling the weapon up. This means that, e.g. in the case of the Threaded Cane, the most immediate upgrade is Threaded Cane +1, Threaded Cane +2 and so on, up until level 10. You need to pay Blood Echoes and several stones that allow upgrades, for each upgrade. With higher level comes higher damage dealt. This is why, weapons should be upgraded on a regular basis, with your progress into the game.
Required stones:
At levels 0-2, you need Blood Stone Shards
At levels 3-5, you need Twin Blood Stone Shards
At levels 5-9, you need Blood Stone Shards
For level 10, you need the unique Blood Stone Chunk
Apart from leveling weapons up, you can also fortify them with Blood Gems. For this to e an option, you first need to defeat father Gascoigne and gain access to Cathedral Ward. Along your path to Oedon's Chapel, from the arena, in the chest you find the Blood Gem Workshop Tool. With the tool in the workshop, you can implement upgrades.
You obtain Blood Gems in various locations around the game world, in chests or after you defeat On the lower levels of Chalice Dungeons, you can also find the strongest of gems. Characteristic elements for gems are, mainly, the type (one of five, you can place a different gem combination in every weapon, e.g. two radiant and one triangle - you can tell the difference by the icon that represents each gem), level (1-20, the higher the level, the more potent the gem), effect (e.g. increased physical attack, decreased endurance cost of an attack, or adding the effect of slow poisoning to the weapon).
To use the gem, go to the workshop and pick the "Fortify with Blood Gem". Then, pick the weapon and the gem slot (their number depends on the level of the weapon (+1, +3, +5), up to three slots). Then, from the list of the available gems, pick the one that you want to use and pay attention to the effects (they appear on the right side) as well as the effect on the individual statistics (they appear in blue or in red - depending on the gem that you applied earlier). Then, accept the gem and it will be combined with the weapon automatically. At each point, you can change gems in the slots. They o not wear and replacing them does not cost you Blood Echoes.
Some gems can only be used for right-hand weapons, whereas others can only be used with left-hand ones. Also, there are universal ones.