You've finally downed a boss in Stellar Blade. Your hands are probably a little sweaty, your pulse is settling, and you’re looking at the loot drop. Most of the time, you’re hunting for those shiny Weapon Cores to boost Eve’s attack power. But then, you see it. A Stellar Blade damaged weapon core. It looks like junk at first glance. It’s greyed out, broken, and seemingly useless compared to the pristine ones that immediately let you upgrade your Blood Edge at a Repair Console.
Don't delete it. Well, you can't really delete it, but don't ignore it either.
These items are arguably more important than the standard cores because they represent the only way to keep your damage scaling in the mid-to-late game. If you're stuck at a certain attack tier and feel like you’re hitting bosses with a pool noodle, it’s probably because you have a pile of these damaged goods sitting in your inventory and no idea what to do with them. It's a classic Shift Up move—hiding power behind a multi-step process that the game doesn't exactly hold your hand through.
The Problem With a Stellar Blade Damaged Weapon Core
The basic loop is simple: kill a Gigas, get a Core, go to Lily, get stronger. But as the game progresses, especially once you hit the Wasteland and the Great Desert, the "regular" Cores become rarer. The game starts handing you the Stellar Blade damaged weapon core instead.
Why? Because the game wants to gate your progression behind exploration and side content rather than just main-path boss rushes. A damaged core is essentially half an upgrade. You can't use it as is. If you take it to a Repair Console, the option to upgrade your weapon will remain locked if you don't have the "pure" version. It’s frustrating. You’ve done the hard work of killing a Corruptor or a Stalker, yet your reward feels broken.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a psychological trick. It makes the world feel more scavenged and post-apocalyptic. Everything is falling apart, including the high-tech components you need to survive.
Turning Junk Into Gold
So, how do you actually use a Stellar Blade damaged weapon core? You need two of them. That’s the magic number. You basically take two broken halves and fuse them into one functional Weapon Core.
But you can't just do this in your inventory. You have to find D1G-g2r. He's that quirky, wall-E-looking robot friend you find stuck in the Wasteland. If you haven't done his side quest yet, "Plan to Clean up the Earth," stop what you're doing. Go to the scrap yard in the North-East section of the Wasteland. You’ll have to solve a little puzzle involving moving some crates and resetting some power, but once he’s online, he becomes the most important vendor in the game.
D1G-g2r is the only one with the technical "know-how" (or the right spare parts) to process these damaged items. Once you've increased your affinity with him by buying his oddities and sparking conversation, his shop expands. Under his "Process" tab, you'll see the option to trade two damaged cores for one whole one.
It’s a steep price. Essentially, you’re killing two elite enemies for the price of one upgrade. But considering how drastically boss HP pools jump once you reach Matrix 11 and beyond, you really don't have a choice.
Where to Find These Broken Bits
You won't find a Stellar Blade damaged weapon core just lying in a chest in Xion. They are almost exclusively dropped by "Elite Naytiba." These aren't the world bosses like Abaddon, but the beefy boys guarding specific areas.
- The Wasteland: Check the narrow canyons. There’s a specific Corruptor that hangs out near the path to the Altess Levoire. He’s a jerk, but he’s a reliable source of a damaged core.
- The Great Desert: Look for the larger, more aggressive versions of the standard enemies. Often, they are guarding those small, dilapidated shelters or supply drops.
- Side Quests: Several requests from the Bulletin Board in Xion lead you directly to mini-bosses. If the quest reward doesn't explicitly list a Weapon Core, there is a very high chance the enemy you kill for the quest will drop a damaged one.
A lot of players miss these because they stop exploring once they find the main objective markers. Don't do that. Stellar Blade rewards the "ooh, what’s over there?" mindset more than most action games. If you see a weirdly open circular arena that looks like a boss fight should happen there, it probably will. And there's probably a core involved.
Why You Can't Skip Upgrades
You might think, "I'm good at parrying, I don't need the extra 20 points of attack power."
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You're wrong.
The math in Stellar Blade is tighter than it looks. Every time you upgrade your weapon using a core (or two damaged ones), your base damage increases, but so does your "Beta Energy" generation per hit. It's a compounding effect. If your weapon is under-leveled, fights don't just take longer; they become significantly more dangerous because you can't stun-lock bosses or break their shields fast enough.
I've seen players reach the final areas with a Level 5 or 6 sword when they should be at 10+. They end up hitting a wall against bosses like Raven or the final encounters because the chip damage just isn't there. The Stellar Blade damaged weapon core is the game's way of checking if you've actually been engaging with the world or just sprinting to the credits.
Common Misconceptions and Errors
People often get confused and think their game is glitched. "I picked up the loot, but it's not in my upgrade menu!"
Check your "Materials" tab in the bag. It’s sitting there. It’s not a bug. It’s a currency.
Another thing: Don't expect Lily to mention it. While she’s the one who handles the actual sword sharpening, she doesn't do the "smelting" of the damaged cores. That’s strictly D1G-g2r’s job. It creates this weird gameplay loop where you have to fast-travel back to the Wasteland, talk to the robot, then fast-travel to a camp or back to Xion to talk to Lily. It’s a bit of a chore, honestly. But it’s the price of power.
Also, be aware that you can actually find a Stellar Blade damaged weapon core in some of the late-game shops for an absurd amount of gold (Vitcoins). I wouldn't recommend buying them unless you are exactly one short of a major upgrade before a "point of no return." Save your money for the suits. Eve needs the outfits more than you need to overpay for scrap metal.
Maximizing Your Build
If you are hunting for these cores, equip the "Supply Drone" or "Eagle Eye" type gear that helps you spot elite enemies from a distance. Some of these Naytiba are camouflaged or only spawn when you get close to a specific object.
- Clear the Wasteland's major sub-bosses early.
- Befriend D1G-g2r immediately. Seriously.
- Check the "Request" board often; missions that mention "abnormal Naytiba sightings" are your bread and butter.
Once you have your two damaged pieces, head to the robot. Trade them in. Take that shiny new Core to Lily at the nearest camp with a Repair Console. Boost that attack stat. You'll feel the difference the very next time you land a Perfect Parrying counter-attack. The sound effect alone is meatier.
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Actionable Next Steps for Players
- Check Your Inventory: Open your bag and look under Materials. If you have an odd number of damaged cores, you’re halfway to an upgrade. If you have an even number, get to the Wasteland now.
- Locate D1G-g2r: If you haven't found him, he’s in the Scrap Yard of the Wasteland. Follow the sound of the clanking and look for the yellow icons on your map after scanning.
- Prioritize Side Content: If you're struggling with a boss, stop banging your head against the wall. Go hunt for an Elite Naytiba, grab a Stellar Blade damaged weapon core, and get that weapon level up. Even one level can change a "Hard" fight into a "Fair" one.
- Save Your Vitcoins: Don't buy the damaged cores from vendors unless you're desperate. Exploration is free; 15,000 gold is not.
The road to the Spire is long, and Eidos 9 isn't going to be any easier if your sword is dull. Treat those damaged cores like the treasures they are. They aren't trash; they're just a puzzle that needs a robot's help to solve.