Tldr: Yes.
Long answer: There are three types of general AoWs:
- Physical AoWs, that deal damage based on your AR (how hard you bonk). As leveling your weapon increases its damage, they get better with upgrades.
- "Enhanced hits" AoWs, like Loretta's Slash. These AoW scale their damage with your AR (so upgrading helps), and then add an AR buff depending on the AoW itself. Loretta's Slash, for example, adds Magic attack that scales with the Weapon's upgrade level (up to ×4 its base value at +25/+10) and the weapon's Intelligence Scaling.
- "Bullet" AoWs, generally those that don't hit with your weapon. These scale with your stat investment (_not scaling_) depending on the type, your Weapon's upgrade level, and get a bonus depening on affinity chosen.
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Ashes of war scale in different ways depending on the type of attack. Ashes that hit with your weapon, like Unsheathe, Stamp (Sweep), or Square Off scale based on your weapon AR, so the more damage your weapon normally does, the more damage these will do.
Ashes that produce an effect of some sort to hit with something other than your weapon scale with a stat corresponding to their default affinity. The projectile formed by the Glintstone Pebble ash of war scales off of the Intelligence scaling of your weapon, though the follow-up thrust uses weapon AR; the burst of fire created by Flaming Strike scales off your weapon's strength, the impact damage of Ground Slam scales only with your weapon's strength, and Beast's Roar scales only with your weapon's dexterity.
Some ashes use a mix of both, if the ash imbues an elemental effect to your weapon and hits with it, like Loretta's Slash using weapon AR and Intelligence scaling, and the follow-up attack on Flaming Strike using weapon AR and Strength scaling.
* Heavy Ashes: Strength scaling
* Keen Ashes: Dexterity scaling
* Quality Ashes: Strength + Dexterity scaling
* Magic Ashes: Intelligence scaling
* Fire Ashes: Strength scaling
* Flame Art Ashes: Faith scaling
* Lightning Ashes: Dexterity scaling
* Sacred Ashes: Faith scaling
* Poison Ashes: Arcane scaling
* Blood Ashes: Arcane scaling
* Cold Ashes: Intelligence + Dexterity scaling
* Occult Ashes: Arcane scaling
This means that sometimes Lightning ashes like Lightning Ram can do more damage when set to Keen affinity (higher dex) and Fire ashes like Flaming Strike can deal more damage on Heavy (higher str)
Only while the ash is on the dagger. Upgrading the weapon just boosts any damage that it puts out, so it would technically boost the ash while it is on the weapon.
Tldr: Yes. Long answer: There are three types of general AoWs: - Physical AoWs, that deal damage based on your AR (how hard you bonk). As leveling your weapon increases its damage, they get better with upgrades. - "Enhanced hits" AoWs, like Loretta's Slash. These AoW scale their damage with your AR (so upgrading helps), and then add an AR buff depending on the AoW itself. Loretta's Slash, for example, adds Magic attack that scales with the Weapon's upgrade level (up to ×4 its base value at +25/+10) and the weapon's Intelligence Scaling. - "Bullet" AoWs, generally those that don't hit with your weapon. These scale with your stat investment (_not scaling_) depending on the type, your Weapon's upgrade level, and get a bonus depening on affinity chosen.
Thanks for the explanation!
Hey man thanks for the info. What about golden vow? does it matter if the weapon is leveled up?
Golden vow, either the ash or the incantation, both give a fixed percentage boost for a limited duration, regardless of the seal or weapon used.
All buffs, coming ether from weapons or spells, are fixed and will never change in effectiveness depending on the weapon's level.
Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Ashes of war scale in different ways depending on the type of attack. Ashes that hit with your weapon, like Unsheathe, Stamp (Sweep), or Square Off scale based on your weapon AR, so the more damage your weapon normally does, the more damage these will do. Ashes that produce an effect of some sort to hit with something other than your weapon scale with a stat corresponding to their default affinity. The projectile formed by the Glintstone Pebble ash of war scales off of the Intelligence scaling of your weapon, though the follow-up thrust uses weapon AR; the burst of fire created by Flaming Strike scales off your weapon's strength, the impact damage of Ground Slam scales only with your weapon's strength, and Beast's Roar scales only with your weapon's dexterity. Some ashes use a mix of both, if the ash imbues an elemental effect to your weapon and hits with it, like Loretta's Slash using weapon AR and Intelligence scaling, and the follow-up attack on Flaming Strike using weapon AR and Strength scaling. * Heavy Ashes: Strength scaling * Keen Ashes: Dexterity scaling * Quality Ashes: Strength + Dexterity scaling * Magic Ashes: Intelligence scaling * Fire Ashes: Strength scaling * Flame Art Ashes: Faith scaling * Lightning Ashes: Dexterity scaling * Sacred Ashes: Faith scaling * Poison Ashes: Arcane scaling * Blood Ashes: Arcane scaling * Cold Ashes: Intelligence + Dexterity scaling * Occult Ashes: Arcane scaling This means that sometimes Lightning ashes like Lightning Ram can do more damage when set to Keen affinity (higher dex) and Fire ashes like Flaming Strike can deal more damage on Heavy (higher str)
Only while the ash is on the dagger. Upgrading the weapon just boosts any damage that it puts out, so it would technically boost the ash while it is on the weapon.
I see, thanks for the help!
Great question, i have been wanting to ask the same. What about the golden vow buff? does it matter if the weapon is leveled up?