Which route to take first

All rank 8 weapons are locked behind specific routes except for the Sword and Halberd.

Some crucial battle arts are also locked to specific routes, and these may differ from the routes for their corresponding rank 8 weapons (except for Wheels).

Generally, prioritize obtaining battle arts first.

Weapons can be customized using the reforge feature in New Game Plus, allowing you to combine attributes from different weapons of the same rank to create your ideal weapon.

Some weapons, like the Podao and Crescent Blade, significantly benefit from specific attributes not found on their rank 8 versions, such as reducing the charge time of strong attacks by 33%.

Consider stopping weapon upgrades around +60, as +99 is considered overkill and trivializes the game's difficulty.

For the Gauntlet and Wheels, choose the Wu route for Heaven and Earth's Wrath and Twin Tiger Blast.

For the Podao, the Wei side is recommended. However, the Fierce Focus battle art is available early in the Wei route, and since Podao is an end-game weapon requiring the Disc of Huanglong, completing Wei last is also viable.

Choose Shu second, as Spear and Gauntlet are unlocked early in Chapter 3. Podao is available in Chapter 5 but is weak until the end game.

Select Wu last, as it primarily offers the rank 8 Wheels. However, if you favor the Gauntlet, taking Wu second is acceptable due to the necessity of Heaven and Earth's Wrath for that weapon.

After playing through the Shu side first, also unlock Hex Mark.