Caladbolg

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Caladbolg

Caladbolg Origin.jpg

Type
Bundle
Interact
Yes
Destructible
No

Once before, I gave this sword to a beloved son. Now, I pass it on to you, Trahearne. Its name is Caladbolg. Bear it with honor, and the sword will never fail you.

Pale Tree in A Light in the Darkness

Caladbolg is a greatsword made by the Pale Tree from a thorn of her own bough. It is the only weapon she has ever made, and it is meant to be the blade of heroes.[1] Caladbolg is capable of enhancing the qualities of its wielder, such as strength, wisdom, bravery, and even negative qualities.[2] According to Iowerth, the greatsword is a living thing.[3]

Players and some NPCs can wield Caladbolg in combat during certain steps of the Personal Story.[4]. Players can also become the wielder of Caladbolg by completing the Side Story achievement chain Knight of the Thorn after completing the Heart of Thorns storyline.

History[edit]

Early history[edit]

Caladbolg was created by the Pale Tree circa 1303 AE. The blade was crafted from a thorn of her own bough. It was the only weapon she had ever made, and doing so took a great deal of spirit. It was meant to be the blade of heroes.[1]

The Pale Tree gave the greatsword to Riannoc, a Firstborn sylvari, so he could destroy the lich Mazdak the Accursed. But while battling Mazdak's forces, Riannoc's young human squire, Waine, urged Riannoc to give up the fight and run for his life. After Riannoc's refusal, Waine panicked and stole the greatsword from him and ran away, leaving Riannoc to die alone.

Waine would use the greatsword for years to win in gladiatorial bouts, unbeknownst to the sylvari, who thought the greatsword lost forever in the swamp where Riannoc had fought Mazdak. While Caladbolg was missing, a prophetess of Rata Sum proclaimed that its return would signal the Elder Dragons' downfall.[5]

Personal story[edit]

The sylvari found out about Caladbolg's true fate in 1325 AE, around the time Mazdak reappeared. They immediately set out to recover the greatsword, seeking justice for Riannoc. Assisted by the orders of Tyria, the sylvari Valiant retrieved the greatsword from Waine either via straight combat by following the Vigil's plan or via trickery by following the Order of Whispers's plan. The sword was then used to slay Mazdak after the Valiant had chosen which order's plan to follow in order to confront the lich.[6][7]

The greatsword was then returned to the Pale Tree, who would later entrust it to Firstborn Trahearne to aid him in the completion of his Wyld Hunt.[8] Trahearne wielded Caladbolg throughout the Pact's campaign in the Ruins of Orr and used its energy to defeat the Sovereign Eye of Zhaitan, which freed the spirit of King Reza. The sword also fulfilled Trahearne's Wyld Hunt by cleansing the Artesian Waters, a powerful source of magic which Zhaitan had been using to spread its corruption throughout the land. Caladbolg's magic made plantlife grow within the cave of the Artesian Waters, beginning the slow healing process throughout Orr.[9]

Heart of Thorns[edit]

Caladbolg continued to be Trahearne's weapon until the downfall of the Pact airship fleet and his imprisonment by Mordremoth in 1328 AE. The greatsword was found alongside Trahearne, but now only a shattered sword, deep within the Heart of Thorns. The Pact Commander used the broken sword to end Trahearne's misery and defeat the Elder Dragon permanently. The Commander kept the Broken Caladbolg in memory of Trahearne's sacrifice.

Living World Season 3[edit]

Much later, Ridhais, a sylvari warden and former soldier under Trahearne, requested an audience with the Commander, and claimed she could help restore the sword. Under her guidance, the Commander sought out shards of the blade and motes of natural power and restored the broken Caladbolg sword into the greatsword Caladbolg. Caladbolg then tested the Commander's worth by having them fight visions of its former wielders—Riannoc and Trahearne—and eventually a vision of the Commander themselves.

Returning to the Artesian Waters, the Commander proved themselves to the greatsword and became its wielder. As a living weapon, Regrown Caladbolg can assume different forms to suit its wielder. The restoration of the sword also rejuvenated the Pale Tree, who had been injured during the Shadow of the Dragon's assault on the Grove, and she granted the Caladbolg-wielding Commander the title of the Knight of the Thorn as a sign of gratitude.

Story involvement[edit]

Personal story[edit]

Heart of Thorns story[edit]

Living World Season 3[edit]

Skills[edit]

When wielded in Personal Story instances, players get access to the following skills.

# Skill Activation time Recharge time Description
1 Sword of Wrath.png Daybreak Blade 0.5½ Slash your foe once, then again on the backswing.
1 Redirect Arrow.pngSymbol of Blades.png Flashing Arc 0.5½ Medium range sword attack.
2 Chain Lightning.png Electrolyze 0.5½ Hit multiple foes with arcs of chain lightning.
3 Backbreaker.png Skyfall 1 5 Smash your foe, knocking them down.
4 Cleansing Wave.png Twilight Crash 0.5½ 8 Knockback all targets in front of you.
5 Whirling Wrath.png Maelstrom Strike 0.75¾ 10 Thrash foes around you in a spinning frenzy while flinging projectiles.

Effects[edit]

  • Caladbolg's blade has a yellow glow.
  • Blue and yellow-orange butterflies fly constantly around the blade.

Related achievements[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • Some versions of Caladbolg have skills require energy from the player's endurance meter. This is most likely left over from early versions of the game where energy was used as a skill resource.
  • The tooltips for Caladbolg's skills sometimes appears as if they chain into Throw Rock. These skills are enabled while the wielder is downed, but since the character's downed skills replace them, players will not be able to use them.
  • Caladbolg is used by sylvari characters during the personal story.[4]
    • Players gain Caladbolg as a transformation that replaces the player's equipment attributes, profession mechanics and specialization traits with Caladbolg and its skills.
    • Utility skills will be usable under the Caladbolg transformation.
    • Mesmer clones summoned under the Caladbolg transformation will also hold Caladbolg and have use of all its 5 skills.
      • Unlike phantasm skills, the Caladbolg skills used by the clones will consider the stats of the clones, not the player, and so they will do about half of the damage done by the Caladbolg skills used by the player.
      • Clones summoned under the Caladbolg transformation will be rather unreliable, and may not attack at all. They will not move closer to use the melee attacks and stick to the ranged ones until their target is close enough, only move when their target moves out of the range of Electrolyze. They will not save Maelstrom Strike for melee range, using it instead when there is any enemy in the range of its projectiles.
  • Each skill utilizes the animations of profession skills, e.g. Twilight Crash is similar to Illusionary Wave and Maelstrom Strike is similar to Whirling Wrath.

Trivia[edit]

  • Caladbolg is a cognate with the Middle Welsh word Caledfwlch which means "hard cleft".
  • Caladbolg is the name of Fergus mac Róich's sword in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It was said to be a two-handed sword that made a circle like an arc of rainbow when swung, and to have the power to slice the tops off hills and slaughter an entire army.
  • How to pronounce Caladbolg.
  • The versions of Caladbolg used for bundles and NPC weapons can be previewed in-game. Here are some examples:

See also[edit]

Associated items

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Bramble Walls
    <Character name>: Can you tell me about Caladbolg?
    Avatar of the Tree: It was the only weapon I have ever made, and doing so took a great deal of spirit. It was meant to be the blade of heroes.
  2. ^ Secrets in the Earth
    <Character name>: Do you know anything about the sword's powers?
    Trahearne: Caladbolg is said to enhance the qualities of it's wielder. Strength, wisdom, bravery—all things are made greater through the sword. It's spirit increases yours.
    <Character name>: And Waine? How is he "enhanced"?
    <Trahearne>: Waine was always a coward; now he has become even more of one. Wassing[sic] the sword on pit-fights when there is so much evil in the world...
  3. ^ Secrets in the Earth
    Iowerth: Fascinating, just fascinating. That sword is a living creature. We simply must reclaim Caladbolg and bring it home.
  4. ^ a b Sylvari player characters will wield Caladbolg at some points during the Personal Story chapter "Justice for Riannoc", in the instances The Bad Apple, Dead of Winter, A Tangle of Weeds, and Flower of Death.
  5. ^ Secrets in the Earth
    <Character name>: Did the Priory have any other information about the sword?
    Iowerth: Everything you already know, with one caveat. Apparently, a prophetess in Rata Sum once foretold the sword's return would be the dragons' downfall.
  6. ^ Dead of Winter
    <Character name>: You may have once been a hero, Mazdak, but now you're nothing but Zhaitan's slave. We don't fear you.
    Mazdak the Accursed: Ah, but you should. Know this before you die: no weapon forged can harm me. You face your doom!
    <Character name>: I carry a weapon that was never forged, Mazdak. Perhaps you recognize this blade?
    Mazdak the Accursed: Caladbolg? I thought it was destroyed, long ago. Very well, sylvari. Let this be a battle to the death...and beyond!
  7. ^ Dead of Winter depicts the Priory's plan. A Tangle of Weeds depicts Whispers's plan. Flower of Death depicts the Vigil's plan.
  8. ^ A Light in the Darkness
    Trahearne: Must these things come to pass, Mother? Must I take up Caladbolg and travel into the heart of Orr?
    Avatar of the Tree: You must both take up this mantle. Trahearne, your duty is to cleanse Orr. Your friend shall aid you...and then face the dragon.
  9. ^ The Source of Orr
    Sovereign Eye of Zhaitan: What's happening to me... Your sword! Why does it gleam so brightly? Ahhhhh!
    King Reza: Ah... My own hand...my own form. My mind is no longer controlled by the dragon's curse. Praise the gods, I am free! [...]
    Trahearne: It's done. I can feel the waters beginning to radiate with the energy of Caladbolg, flowing everywhere the water touches.
    <Character name>: Trahearne, are you well? You look like you can barely stand.
    Trahearne: The ritual has taken a great deal out of me, but I will live.