Soulbound Items

Learn how to upgrade Soulbound items in Pillars of Eternity, including specific conditions and locations for weapons like Gyrd Háwanes Sténes and St. Ydwen's Redeemer.

Soulbound items are bound to an individual party member and grow in power as they use it. The conditions for growth can be arduous and / or annoying, but here are some tips:

• A Wizard with the Blast talent will find it easy to damage Dazed enemies with Gyrd Háwanes Sténes because Arcane Assault inflicts the Dazed status in an AoE and Blast can then damage multiple Dazed enemies at once.
• Blights killed by the Greenstone Staff can be Lesser Blights conjured by the Druid spell and force-attacked while other party members take care of actual enemies. Remember that Wind Blights are immune to Crush damage (as are the many, many Ice Blights found in the White March).
• St. Ydwen's Redeemer is easy to level up against the spirits and vessels in Durgan's Battery. The final stage is made harder by the wielder (Barbarian, Fighter or Paladin) being hard to kill. Remove their armour, disable party AI and send them to face enemies alone. Revive the Fallen is better for getting the wielder back on her feet because they're revived with low Endurance, allowing you to revive them three or four times before Health becomes a serious issue.
• When you acquire the Unlabored Blade, you may struggle to do 3500 damage with it if for no other reason than you are near the end of the game. Assuming you've left all the harmless wildlife alone up to now, you can use them to help get through the Terrible phase.
• Steadfast can be mastered by most characters since you can get +4 Strength from the Magefolc Skull, +1 from Godansthunyr, +3 from a resting bonus and +10 from Champion's Boon. As with the Unlabored Blade, a problem is having enough time to get the required number of kills.
• Abydon's Hammer appears to be bugged. Completing the White March 2 expansion leaves it at its first level. As it happens, St. Ydwen's Redeemer is a more generally useful weapon.

Soulbound Weapons

Gyrd Háewanes Sténes (Scepter)

• Level 1: - Properties: +15 Accuracy, +15% damage, +20% Raw damage.
• Level 2: Condition: Deal 200 raw damage to enemies. Properties: On hit: 10% chance to cast Dominate.
• Level 3: Condition: Deal 1500 damage total / 300 damage to Paralyzed enemies (Druid). Properties: On hit: 20% chance to restore Spiritshift.
• Level 3: Condition: Deal 1500 damage total / 300 damage to Prone enemies (Priest). Properties: 2/encounter: Llengrath's Displaced Image when hit.
• Level 3: Condition: Deal 1500 damage total / 300 damage to Dazed enemies (Wizard). Properties: 1/encounter: Gréf's Authority.
• Level 4: Condition: Inflict Dominated 15 times. Properties: +21 Accuracy, +30% damage, +3 Resolve.
• Usable by: Druid, Priest, Wizard.

Greenstone Staff (Quarterstaff)

• Location: Longwatch Falls.
• Level 1: Properties: Exceptional (+8 Accuracy, +30% damage), 1 / encounter: Nature's Mark on crit.
• Level 2: Condition: Deal 125 damage to beetles / 625 damage to enemies. Properties: 2 / rest: Beetle Shell.
• Level 3: Condition: Kill 25 enemies or 5 Blights. Properties: On hit: 3% chance to cast Conjure Lesser Blight (Druid).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast Petrify (Monk).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast Calling the World's Maw (Wizard).
• Level 4: Condition: Kill 25 enemies or 5 Animats. Properties: Superb (+12 Accuracy, +45% damage), 1 / rest: Ironskin.
• Usable by: Druid, Monk, Wizard.

The Grey Sleeper (Estoc)

• Location: Longwatch Falls.
• Level 1: Properties: Fine (+4 Accuracy, +15% daamge), On hit: 10% chance to cast Paralyze.
• Level 2: Condition: Decipher the first verse. Properties: 3 / rest: Slow Spirits.
• Level 3: Condition: Decipher the second verse. Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast Invoke Vessels.
• Level 4: Condition: Decipher the third verse. Properties: Superb (+12 Accuracy, +45% damage), On hit: 5% chance to cast Twin Stones.

Stormcaller (Hunting Bow)

• Location: Combine the Silver Arrow from Russetwood and the Unstrung Bow from Durgan's Battery.
• Level 1: Properties: Shock / Pierce damage, Exceptional (+8 Accuracy, +30% damage).
• Level 2: Condition: Inflict 250 Shock damage. Properties: 2 / rest: Bulwark Against the Elements.
• Level 3: Condition: Kill 25 enemies or 5 Kith Druids. Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast The Thunder Rolled... (Chanter).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 10% chance to cast Soul Shock (Cipher).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 10% chance to cast Returning Storm (Ranger).
• Level 4: Condition: Rest in the lair of a Sky Dragon. Properties: Superb (+12 Accuracy, +45% damage), 2 / rest: Crackling Bolt.
• Usable by: Chanter, Cipher, Ranger.

St. Ydwen's Redeemer (Great Sword)

• Location: Urthal (Durgan's Battery).
• Level 1: Properties: Exceptional (+8 Accuracy, +30% damage), On hit: 25% chance to cast Destroy Vessels.
• Level 2: Condition: Deal 200 damage to Spirits or 1000 damage to enemies. Properties: 3 / rest: Holy Power.
• Level 3: Condition: Kill 10 Vessels or 50 enemies. Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast Despondent Blows (Barbarian).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast Pillar of Faith (Fighter).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 10% chance to cast Divine Mark (Paladin).
• Level 4: Condition: Be revived in battle 5 times. Properties: Superb (+12 Accuracy, +45% damage), 2 / rest: Revive the Fallen.
• Usable by: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin.

Nightshroud (Mace)

• Location: Durgan's Battery - Hall of Remembrance.
• Level 1: Properties: Exceptional (+8 Accuracy, +30% damage), On hit: 10% chance to cast Blind.
• Level 2: Condition: Cause Blinded 13 times. Properties: +50 defence vs. Dazed, Blinded.
• Level 3: Condition: Kill 13 humans or 65 enemies. Properties: On hit: 15% chance of casting Barbs of Condemnation (Priest).
• Level 3: Properties: On hit: 5% chance to cast Finishing Blow.
• Level 4: Condition: Kill 3 Cean Gŵlas or 15 enemies. Properties: Superb (+12 Accuracy, +45% damage), 1 / rest: Shadowing Beyond.
• Usable by: Priest, Rogue.

Twin Sting (Crossbow)

• Location: Stalwart (Hamond's Emporium).
• Level 1: Properties: Exceptional (+8 Accuracy, +30% damage), On hit: 4.7 Raw damage over 4s.
• Level 2: Condition: Kill 3 Kickstarter NPCs or 15 enemies. Properties: 1 / rest: Deleterious Alacrity of Motion.
• Level 3: Condition: Deal 300 damage to Frightened enemies or 1500 damage to enemies. Properties: +3 Focus on hit (Cipher).
• Level 3: Condition: Deal 300 damage to Weakened enemies or 1500 damage to enemies. Properties: On kill: 25% chance to cast Merciless Gaze (Rogue).
• Level 4: Condition: Deal 150 Raw damage. Properties: Superb (+12 Accuracy, +45% damage), On kill: Frighten.
• Usable by: Cipher, Ranger, Rogue.

Unlabored Blade (Dagger)

• Location: Complete Iron and Flame.
• Level 1: Properties: Supe