Weapon & Veil Fortification
The backbone of your combat effectiveness in Code Vein II lies in the strength and quality of your equipped Weapon and Blood Veil. Fortification, the game's primary upgrade system, allows you to enhance these pieces of equipment, increasing their base stats and often unlocking new passive bonuses or improving existing ones. This process is crucial for overcoming the escalating difficulty of the game's challenges.
Fortification is performed at any Mistle, provided you have the necessary crafting materials and sufficient Blood Echoes. The process is tiered, with each tier requiring progressively rarer materials and more Blood Echoes. For example, reinforcing a basic **Long Sword** from +0 to +5 might only require Titanite Shards and a modest amount of Blood Echoes. These Shards are commonly found from early-game enemies and in the Forgotten Hamlet. As you progress, you'll encounter materials like Large Titanite Shards, which are needed for upgrades beyond +5, and are often dropped by tougher enemies or found in more dangerous areas like the Ironclad Barracks. The highest tiers of fortification, often reaching +10 or beyond, will demand materials such as Titanite Chunks and even Titanite Slabs, which are exceptionally rare and typically reserved for boss rewards or hidden caches within challenging dungeons like the Sky-Piercer Citadel.
The same principles apply to Blood Veils. A basic Veil might only require Blood-soaked Cloth for its initial upgrades, which can be farmed from humanoid Lost. However, to unlock the full potential of a powerful Veil like the Queen's Ribcage, you'll need more advanced materials. Fortifying a Veil not only increases its defensive stats (Physical, Elemental, and Impact) but can also enhance its unique passive abilities. For instance, a Veil that grants a slight increase to item discovery might see that bonus amplified with each fortification level. Some Veils also have special fortification paths that unlock unique perks, such as increased resistance to specific status effects or a chance to trigger a powerful counter-attack. Always check the fortification screen at the Mistle to see the required materials and the potential benefits of each upgrade. Investing in your primary weapon and Veil is a direct investment in your survivability and damage output, making it one of the most impactful ways to prepare for the trials ahead.