The Atropian Blade is a piece of permanent equipment in Returnal. Once acquired, it allows Selene to make a melee attack that breaks shields and other barriers. This melee attack (when not under a condition which limits Melee Damage or Melee Cooldown) is an incredible close-ranged source of burst damage, is able to stagger most enemies in a single hit, and dealing increased damage against staggered enemies (triple damage for the first strike, double damage for the second, normal damage for the third). One not-well-known fact is that melee attacks give Selene invincibility frames, just like Dashes. There is, however, a one second cooldown between how frequently Selene can melee, meaning that the invincibility frames can't be completely abused.
The Atropian Blade deals 60 damage per strike, but is able to one-shot some enemies (specifically smaller-type enemies and Turrets) who have more than 60 health. This is especially useful in the Tower of Sisyphus, as, while enemy health may go up the further you climb, as long as the Blade is used against the correct enemy, they will always die in a single melee strike.
The Atropian Blade only gets better with the Blade Balancer Artifact, which enhances Selene's melee and lets it break through yellow barriers.
Databank Entry[]
A long, bladed weapon of sentient make. The lightness of the materials and the collapsible form allows for one-handed use with ease. Advantageous against shields that block fast-moving projectiles. The cutting edge is created from [UNKNOWN FAULT] which is then confined into a stable projection, although the resulting "blade" is not able to sustain itself for the duration of multiple combined strikes. Due to this additional components may be required for extended use.
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