The Three Weapon system, also known as Ark system or Ark engine, is the battle system first introduced in Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim and used in Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin.
The system allows Adol (or Yunica, Hugo and Toal in Ys Origin) to equip weapons of three different attributes: Wind, Fire and Thunder/Earth. Most enemies in these games are weak to one of the three types.
In games[]
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim[]
Adol is able to equip three different emelas swords:
- Livart: Single-edged sword of blue emelas. Contains wind spirit's power.
- Brillante: Double-edged sword of red emelas. Contains fire spirit's power.
- Ericcil: Pointed sword of gold emelas. Contains thunder spirit's power.
These three swords are also the key to unseal the Ark of Napishtim. Ernst created three homunculi: Xisa, Jue, Sera as replacement keys to unseal the artifact.
Stats[]
| Level | Emel Needed | Stats | Sword Magic Lv. | Additional Effects | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livart | Brillante | Ericcil | ||||
| 1 | - | 20 | 23 | 18 | 1 | |
| 2 | 5 | 27 | 30 | 25 | Maelstrom/Explode/Lightning Magic activated | |
| 3 | 13 | 34 | 37 | 32 | ||
| 4 | 34 | 41 | 44 | 39 | Wind/Flame/Thunder Sword Skill activated | |
| 5 | 88 | 49 | 52 | 47 | ||
| 6 | 230 | 56 | 59 | 54 | 2 | Maelstrom/Explode/Lightning Magic strengthened |
| 7 | 600 | 63 | 66 | 61 | ||
| 8 | 1540 | 70 | 73 | 68 | Auto Magic Gauge Refill activated | |
| 9 | 4010 | 78 | 81 | 76 | ||
| 10 | 10900 | 85 | 88 | 83 | 3 | Sword Magic reaches max level |
| 11 | 100000 | 95 | 93 | 88 | Auto Magic Gauge Refill quickened | |
Ys: The Oath in Felghana[]
Adol can equip three bracelets that enable him to use three attribute magic abilities:
- Ignis Bracelet: Adorned with a large ruby. Grants the ability to shoot massive fireballs.
- Ventus Bracelet: Adorned with a large emerald. Grants the ability to whirl through the air like a discus.
- Terra Bracelet: Adorned with a large topaz. Grants the ability to body-slam at impossible speeds.
These three bracelets can be empowered by finding additional rubies, emeralds and topazes respectively.
  Ignis Bracelet |
  Ventus Bracelet |
  Terra Bracelet |
Ys Origin[]
Yunica, Hugo and Toal can find three magic artifacts in the Darm Tower.
  Cerulean Flabellum |
  Levinstrike Warhammer |
  Crimson Lotusblade |
Their description and magic style differs by the playing character.
Playing as Yunica Tovah[]
- Cerulean Flabellum: A magic artifact of Ys in the shape of a feather fan. Allows its bearer to generate whirlwinds.
- When Yunica uses the Cerulean Flabellum, it will generate a whirlwind that allows her to float in air for a short distance. The whirlwind will also damage the enemies that it touches.
- Levinstrike Warhammer: A magic artifact of Ys in the shape of a war hammer. Allows its bearer to spawn thunderbolts at will.
- When Yunica uses the Levinstrike Warhammer, it will spawn a thunderbolt that breaks wall or damages enemies with hard shell.
- Crimson Lotusblade: A magic artifact of Ys kept by House Tovah. Affords its bearer the ability to shoot flames.
- When Yunica equips Crimson Lotusblade, her weapon and attack pattern will change to those of a blade. When she uses the Crimson Lotusblade, it will shoot out a flame projectile that damages enemies in front of her. It also allows her to light torch switches in the tower to advance.
Playing as Hugo Fact[]
- Cerulean Flabellum: A magic artifact of Ys in the shape of a feather fan. Grants the ability to spawn a protective bubble.
- When Hugo uses the Cerulean Flabellum, it will spawn a protective barrier around him. It also allows him to float in midair for a short distance.
- Levinstrike Warhammer: A magic artifact of Ys in the shape of a war hammer. Grants the the power to spawn exploding orbs.
- When Hugo uses the Levinstrike Warhammer, it will allow him to spawn exploding orbs to damage enemies with hard shell or cracked walls.
- Crimson Lotusblade: A magic artifact of Ys kept by House Tovah. Grants its bearer the ability to summon a ring of fire.
- When Hugo uses the Crimson Lotusblade, it will allow him to summon a ring of fire around him that damages enemies it touches. It also allows him to light torch switches in the tower to advanced.
Playing as Toal Fact[]
- Cerulean Flabellum: A magic artifact of Ys in the shape of a feather fan. Grants deadly speed to its bearer.
- When Toal uses the Cerulean Flabellum, it will allow him to blink forward for a short distance. It also allows him to blink pass through some narrow tunnels this way. The blinking also allows him to damage some enemies that are otherwise immune to his attack.
- Levinstrike Warhammer: A magic artifact of Ys in the shape of a war hammer. Grants the ability to strike with electrified claws.
- When Toal uses the Levinstrike Warhammer, it will allow his claws to be electrified break through enemies with hard shell. It also allow him to break cracked walls. The skill also absorbs enemy HP to refill his Boost gauge.
- Crimson Lotusblade: A magic artifact of Ys kept by House Tovah. Shroud its bearer in a cloak of flames.
- When Toal uses the Crimson Lotusblade, it will shroud his body in a cloak of flames and strikes upwards. This can also blocks certain enemies' attack and allows him to float across a larger gaps.
Legacy[]
- Ys Origin is currently the final game to use the three weapon system.
- The mechanic is replaced in Ys Seven. It evolves into having different party members with different attack attributes such as slash, strike and pierce.
- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana has some sections where Dana Iclucia is the only playable character. In those sections, she gradually receives two new forms (Gratika and Luminous) that change her fighting style and allow her to interact with the surroundings differently. This makes her sections reminiscent of the three weapon system.
| Dana Iclucia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Iclucian Style | Gratika Style | Luminous Style |
  |
  |
  |
 Slash
|
 Strike
|
 Pierce
|
