How to Craft Weapons and Ammo in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy

TL;DR – Quick Summary

• Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy has no crafting system — no workbench, no materials, no recipes, and no ammo to craft. This is a deliberate design change from the first two Plague Tale games.
• Throwables — knives and bottles — are found on enemies and on the ground during fights only. They disappear after combat ends. They cannot be stockpiled or crafted.
• Weapons (Blades) are found in hidden tomb crypts called Heroes’ Graves, unlocked via optional bull pillar light puzzles. There are 8 in total.
• Each blade has a unique passive perk that stays active while equipped — no upgrades required.
• Charms are the passive upgrade system — 30 in total, found in chests and Axe Chalices. They increase throwable capacity, survivability, dodge windows, and more. All stack simultaneously.
• The Skill Tree built from Resonance Points is the active upgrade system — 6 branches, 2 masteries each, covering combat, throwables, and mobility.
• Health is restored only by killing enemies — there are no healing items or health crafting of any kind.

If you’re searching for how to craft weapons and ammo in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy, here’s the honest answer up front: there is no crafting system in this game. No workbenches. No materials to gather. No recipes. No ammo to brew or mix. This is one of the most significant ways Resonance breaks from A Plague Tale: Innocence and Requiem, both of which had crafting as a core loop. Asobo Studio removed it entirely for this prequel and replaced it with a cleaner, more action-focused set of systems built around weapon finding, charms, throwables, and skill upgrades. This guide explains why crafting is gone, what has replaced it, and exactly how each new system works — so you never feel like you’re missing something that isn’t there. If you want to understand how parrying and counter-attacking fit into the combat picture that crafting used to support, our full parry and counter-attack guide covers the core of Sophia’s fighting system in depth.

Why There Is No Crafting in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy

In A Plague Tale: Innocence and Requiem, crafting was central. You gathered resin, leather, alcohol, and other materials from the environment, then used them at workbenches or on the fly to upgrade Amicia’s sling, craft pouches, brew elemental ammunition, and improve her tools. Managing your supply of Extinguis, Ignifer, Odoris, and Exaltus was a meaningful part of every chapter.

Resonance takes a completely different approach because Sophia is a completely different character. Amicia was a survivor who improvised. Sophia is a trained plunderer and fighter who arrives on the island already skilled. The game reflects this through its systems: she doesn’t need to scavenge and craft because her tools are already built into how she fights. The upgrade loop in Resonance is about refining and sharpening a capable warrior, not bootstrapping a scared teenager’s survival kit.

Reviewers have noted this as a divisive but deliberate choice. Players who loved the resource anxiety of the first two games will feel its absence. Players who found crafting menus disruptive to the flow of combat will find Resonance’s streamlined approach a relief. Either way, it’s a conscious design decision and not an oversight — there is simply nothing to craft in this game.

How to Craft Weapons and Ammo in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy

Throwables – The Closest Thing to Ammo in Resonance

The system that most closely resembles ammo in Resonance is throwables — knives and bottles that appear during combat and can be picked up and thrown at enemies. Understanding how this system actually works is important because it behaves very differently from what players might expect.

How Throwables Work

During any combat encounter, enemies drop knives and bottles when defeated or sometimes simply as environmental clutter on the ground around fight arenas. You pick them up by pressing R3 (PlayStation) / RS (Xbox) / R (PC) when you’re standing near them — a prompt appears showing the item type. Once held, press the same button again to throw it at the nearest enemy or aim manually before releasing.

The two throwables behave differently in what they do on impact:

• Bottles — shatter on impact and stun the enemy briefly. They deal little or no damage but the stun gives you a free window to land hits or reposition. Most useful against a single dangerous enemy you need to interrupt, or to create space in a group fight.
• Knives — deal actual damage on impact. Against standard soldiers, a well-thrown knife takes a meaningful chunk of their health. Against archers at range, a knife can kill them outright or force them to interrupt their shooting. The Returning the Favor trophy requires killing an archer with a thrown knife specifically.

The Combat-Only Inventory Rule

Here is the biggest thing to understand about throwables: they exist only during combat and disappear when a fight ends. Sophia cannot carry knives or bottles between encounters. When the last enemy in a fight goes down, any throwables still in her possession vanish from her inventory. You cannot stockpile them, save them for later, or walk into the next encounter with a prepared supply.

This means throwables are a reactive, situational tool rather than a resource you manage. The right way to use them is to grab them the moment you see them on the ground during a fight and use them immediately before the fight ends — not to hoard them. The game rewards staying aware of what is on the ground around you mid-combat and acting on it quickly.

Increasing Throwable Capacity with Charms

By default, Sophia can only carry a limited number of throwables at once — you can’t pick up a second knife if you already have one, for example. Certain charms increase this capacity. The Beads charm family specifically relates to throwable carry limits and other combat buffs. Stacking multiple Beads charms (since all charms are worn simultaneously with no limit) extends how many knives and bottles Sophia can hold at any one time during a fight. This is the only way to increase throwable capacity in the game — there is no crafting or upgrade path for it.

Blades – How Weapons Are Found in Resonance

Sophia’s main weapon is always a sword-and-dagger combination. The sword is used for attacking, blocking, and parrying. The dagger is the follow-up tool after a parry stuns an enemy. You cannot craft or upgrade either weapon in the traditional sense. Instead, you find better Blades hidden across the island, each one replacing your current sword with a new one that has a unique passive combat perk.

Heroes’ Graves – Where All Blades Come From

All optional blades in Resonance are stored inside crypts accessed through a puzzle system called Heroes’ Graves. Each one is linked to a bull pillar — a large carved stone pillar with coloured gems — hidden off the main path in specific chapters. To unlock the crypt and get the blade inside, you solve a light alignment puzzle using the Minoan Sphere.

The bull pillar puzzle works the same way in every location:

• Find the bull pillar and the lit floor platform nearby
• Stand on the floor platform
• Activate the sphere’s Light Splitting mode (hold R1/RB, switch to beams with D-pad)
• Rotate each coloured beam — red, green, blue — until it hits the matching coloured gem on the bull pillar
• All three gems lit simultaneously opens an axe-shaped lock in the floor
• Drop down the revealed staircase and open the chest to receive the blade

You always know a Heroes’ Grave is nearby when you spot a bull pillar with coloured gems on its face. They are never on the main path — always in a side area or dead-end that requires a short detour. The all chapters and collectibles guide lists every blade location chapter by chapter.

All 8 Blades and Their Perks

There are 8 blades in the base game (a 9th pre-order bonus called the Hero’s Blade exists but adds no trophy requirement). The first is automatic. The rest require finding the Heroes’ Graves across Chapters 2 through 10. Each blade’s perk is passive and active at all times while equipped — no activation needed.

• Blade 1 – Rusty Sword: The starting weapon. Automatic story unlock in Chapter 1. No special perk — base stats only.
• Blade 2 – Falchion: Story unlock in Chapter 2 when you retrieve your weapons near the church. Perk: bonus dodge window — slightly wider invincibility frames on dodge rolls.
• Blade 3 – Sica: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 6, Sub-Chapter 5 (the optional bull pillar left of Daedalus’ shortcut). Perk: full combo causes bleeding — enemies take light ongoing damage after a complete combo finisher.
• Blade 4 – Khopesh: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 7, Sub-Chapter 2 (near the dead trees, opposite side of the area from the main path). Perk: Momentum Strike — bonus damage after landing a critical strike, rewarding the parry chain.
• Blade 5 – Greek Sword: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 5, Sub-Chapter 3 (optional bull pillar in the abandoned camp near the “O with 3 lines” gate path). Perk: Stagger Blow — the final hit of a normal combo deals extra stun damage, filling the Stun Bar faster.
• Blade 6 – Minoan Sword: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 9 (optional side area during the chapter’s exploration section). Perk: survivability-adjacent bonus that adds a recovery window after taking a hit.
• Blade 7 – Labrys: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 10, Sub-Chapter 2 (optional bull pillar in the ruins — break all vases to reveal the hidden blue gem before solving). Perk: Guard Crush — the kick attack deals heavier stagger damage, making shield-bearer encounters significantly faster.
• Blade 8 – Spartan Xiphos: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 10, Sub-Chapter 4 (optional area in the trial section). Perk: death shield — on killing an enemy, Sophia gains a one-hit damage shield that absorbs the next incoming attack automatically.

How to Switch Blades

Open the pause menu and go to Sophia → Blades. Select the blade you want to equip. You cannot switch weapons during combat — the change only takes effect outside of active fights. For the Adaptable trophy, you need at least one kill with every blade, so switch blades regularly and get a kill with each before progressing too far.

Charms – The Passive Upgrade System

Charms are Resonance’s equivalent of passive equipment upgrades. There are 30 in total across the whole game, found in small wooden chests tucked off the main path and at five Axe Chalice locations (which give the Theseus Echo Pierced Coins). Unlike most games, every charm Sophia collects is worn simultaneously — there is no limit on how many you can have active at once and no need to choose between them. You collect one, it activates, and it stays active for the rest of the game.

What Charms Do

Charms are grouped into families — Beads, Bracelets, Arm Bands, Seals, Trinkets, and Pierced Coins. Multiple charms from the same family stack their effects, making early discovery even more valuable since the benefit compounds with every additional charm of the same type.

• Beads — increase throwable carry capacity and reduce the chance that archers’ arrows connect. The more Beads you have, the more knives and bottles you can hold in combat and the more arrows miss.
• Bracelets — enhance dodge effectiveness. More Bracelets means wider dodge windows and better invincibility frame coverage per roll.
• Arm Bands — provide combat damage buffs. Stacking them increases the output of Sophia’s basic attack chain.
• Seals — reduce incoming damage. Each Seal you find decreases the damage taken per enemy hit, making Sophia’s small health pool go further.
• Trinkets — provide survival bonuses. The key effect is a chance to survive a hit that would otherwise be fatal — essentially a death-prevention proc that triggers automatically. More Trinkets increases the proc chance.
• Pierced Coins (Theseus Echoes) — unique to the five Axe Chalice locations. Provide a moderate chance that using the Focus Attack does not drain the Focus gauge entirely, letting you use it again sooner. All five must be found for the Superstitious and In the Name of My Kin trophies.

Where to Find Charms

Charms are in small wooden boxes and chests hidden just off the main path throughout all chapters. The game places them consistently at dead ends, on side routes, and just after environmental gaps you’d normally skip. Every chapter except 8 and 14 has at least one charm to find. None are missable — all can be collected via Chapter Select after the story. The full list by chapter is in the all secret items and lore notes guide.

The Skill Tree – The Active Upgrade System

Resonance Points — the white glimmering collectibles found throughout every chapter — are Sophia’s skill currency. Spend them in the Skill Tree (pause menu → Sophia → Skills) to unlock six ability branches, each with two mastery sub-skills. This is the game’s active upgrade system and the closest equivalent to the crafting-driven progression in earlier Plague Tale games.

The Six Skill Branches

• Aegean Deflect — improves parry timing window and Stun Bar damage on a perfect parry. Masteries: parry red attacks / add bonus damage to next hit after a parry. The most important branch for combat — unlock this first.
• Echo’s Return — when attacked, grab and throw the enemy into nearby allies. Masteries: trigger on yellow attacks / increase throw damage. Excellent for group fights and the Skilled Maneuverer trophy.
• Double Kick — upgrades the base kick into a two-hit combo. The second kick deals heavy stagger damage. Masteries: increase stagger / environmental push range. Best for shield-heavy encounters.
• Death’s Wake — on killing an enemy, Sophia gains a one-hit damage shield automatically. Masteries: extend shield duration / add a brief speed boost after kill. Pairs with aggressive kill-to-heal combat.
• Aerial Strike — improves the Aerial Takedown (jump-from-above kill). Masteries: wider detection range / second target takedown on landing. Useful for fight openers when you have high ground.
• Focus Mastery — increases Focus Attack power and area. Masteries: faster Focus gauge build / reduced Focus cost on use. Key for the Inherited Brutality and Excessive Force trophies.

Skill Unlock Cost and Priority

Skills get progressively more expensive as you unlock more branches. The first branch costs 5 + 10 points (15 total). By the sixth branch you’re spending 30 + 10 points (40 total). The full tree requires 165 of the 200 available Resonance Points. Spend points regularly — don’t hoard them waiting to unlock everything at once. For the recommended unlock order based on playstyle and trophy efficiency, the best skills to unlock first guide covers every branch with a priority breakdown.

Health System – No Potions, No Healing Items

One more system worth knowing about, since players searching for crafting often expect to find healing items too: there are no healing items and no way to craft health recovery in Resonance. Sophia’s health bar has three segments on Standard difficulty (four on Narrative). It does not regenerate on its own. No potion, food, or item restores it outside of combat.

The only way to restore health is to kill enemies. Each enemy kill replenishes a meaningful portion of the health bar. This design connects directly to the parry system — the fastest way to kill enemies is through the parry-dagger-critical chain, which means aggressive, technically correct combat is also the only path to staying healthy. Passive blocking and defensive play without kills will slowly drain your health with no way to recover.

This is why the game’s combat philosophy is controlled aggression rather than patience. You can’t afford to stall. The health system actively incentivises finishing fights quickly and cleanly. Understanding this makes the absence of health crafting feel intentional rather than an oversight — it’s the game’s way of keeping every fight urgent.

How the New Systems Compare to Crafting in Previous Plague Tale Games

If you played Innocence or Requiem and are adjusting to Resonance’s approach, here’s a direct comparison to help reframe expectations.

• Crafting materials → None. There is nothing to gather from the environment for upgrades. Sophia’s progression comes from finding specific items (blades, charms) and collecting currency (Resonance Points).
• Alchemical ammo (Extinguis, Ignifer, etc.) → No equivalent. Sophia has no elemental tools. The sphere handles light-based puzzle interaction. In combat, only knives and bottles exist as throwables and both disappear after fights.
• Workbench upgrades → Blades and the skill tree. New blades provide immediate passive perks. Skill tree unlocks enhance combat mechanics directly. No sitting at a bench, no managing components.
• Tool upgrades (sling pouches, torch, etc.) → Charms. Passive bonuses that stack automatically. Find them and they’re active forever.
• Health crafting → Kill enemies. No tonic, no bandage, no food. You recover by fighting well.

The overall shift is from systems management to moment-to-moment execution. Innocence and Requiem rewarded players who prepared well before fights. Resonance rewards players who perform well during fights. The comparison between Sophia’s style and Amicia’s is explored in full in our Sophia vs Amicia guide, and the broader design shift from the earlier games is covered in the Resonance vs Requiem comparison.

Quick Reference – Everything That Replaces Crafting in Resonance

• Throwables (knives and bottles): Picked up during fights (R3/RS/R), used immediately, vanish after combat. Not craftable, not stockpilable.
• Blades (8 total): Found in Heroes’ Grave crypts via bull pillar light puzzles. Each has a unique passive perk. Switched in pause menu → Sophia → Blades.
• Charms (30 total): Found in hidden chests and Axe Chalices. All active simultaneously — no equip limit. Stacking same-family charms increases the effect.
• Skill Tree (6 branches, 2 masteries each): Purchased with Resonance Points. Covers combat, throwables, and mobility. Costs 165 of 200 total points for the full tree.
• Health recovery: Kill enemies. That’s it. No items.

The game is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. More at the official Focus Entertainment site. If you’re just starting out and want a full picture of all these systems together, our beginner’s guide covers them alongside traversal, puzzles, and collectibles in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions