Okay it took me a while to figure out exactly what these enchantments were doing, I've now found ( after putting 20 earth on Tal ) that his damage against Lightning based enemies is double. At level 30 he's critting them for 1100+. Okay the questions:

Is there a difference in effect from 1 enchant to 20?
20 does double damage to opposing element and half to same element, is 1 the same and the limit of 20 only to restrict the number of times you change your weapons element or does it actually effect the power vs. opposing elemental enemies?

What is the best weapon element for the hero?
Assuming you can enchant from the get-go ( new game + ) what element would be the most useful to enchant? Being on the seas one would assume lightning ( opposing water ), but there are a few lightning enemies and bosses.

Is it worth doing at all?
Non-elemental weapons give guaranteed damage levels, if your whole party was lightning enchanted and you came across a dungeon of lightning based enemies you'd be well down on damage.

What are your own experiences with elemental enchanting?

- Obviously there are a lot of unelemental enemies such as humans ( and possibly the final boss ) who will not be affected by the enchantment, but perhaps some of the tougher bosses would become easier if you enchant the right element. Then again the game is easy enough anyway. -

I found that the guardian in Obel ruins was particularly vulnerable to lightning attacks, runes and weapons included.

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And if I saw you dancing, I would spin you around, spin you around, turn your world upside down

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While fighting against the Fog Ship Guide, i noticed he was vulnerable to the RoP. When i was fighting the Ancient Crab, his biggest weakness was the Water rune (obvious) but didn't do much damage.

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Just think about it. Someone might be writing a Kingdom Hearts 2/Pretty Cure x-over right now. That someone is me.

Now playing POTC At World's End
Nozomi Yumehara and Darkside Dream... Miko (Princess) Yumehara
Sisters (Yes Precure 5/Precure X-over)

your base attack actually doesn't get penalized if an enemy is strong to your element; the element itself may do 0 but the attack does normal dmg.. supposedly

how about your weapon's element. the last element you attached (or the rune piece which has the most number attached) is the element of your weapon, right? and the total number of element you can attach is 20. what if you attach 20 of all elements to hero4. what will happen? i don't understand the weapon element..

Well, I don't get the thing with the elemental weapons at all (I actually don't understand why the elements cancel each other out if two different ones are attached, but I'd stick with one anyway.)

Well, there is no "best" element, I suppose. For me, I stick to the actual rune affinity so I don't get confused with all the characters - meaning my hero has a water elemental weapon. The enemies are pretty spread out among the elements, but it seems that quite a few bosses are weak to lightning and strong against fire, as well as the Angel Hairballs. If you don't go with rune affinity, try wind or lightning for the hero. Of course, it all depends on which characters you use anyway. Don't give your best fighters all the same element.

On a strange note: I have no idea why, but Helmut deals more damage with a wind-elemental weapon to enemies who are *not* weak against wind, too. I don't know why, but since it's corresponding with his affinity as well, there might be other exeptions with other characters, too.

For the question with the increased damage with more than 1 rune: I don't know and would like to know myself.

If i've got it right, if you attach water rune piece(s) to Sigurd, fire to Hervey and wind to Helmut, i think they cause more damage even to monsters who are not weak against the same element.

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Just think about it. Someone might be writing a Kingdom Hearts 2/Pretty Cure x-over right now. That someone is me.

Now playing POTC At World's End
Nozomi Yumehara and Darkside Dream... Miko (Princess) Yumehara
Sisters (Yes Precure 5/Precure X-over)

I tried doing that during my fifth playthrough (used the fourth as a rune-piece gathering streak). What happened was:

Physical DMG 15% more DMG done to enemies. The hit became white and bigger, like the ones in critical hits.

Magic DMG Added some (maybe 5 to 10%) more power to all elemental runes.

That's basically it for me.

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[evil laugh here]

so what's the use of weapon element? remember that the last element you attach is the element of the weapon, right?

Technically the last element you attach does more damage than the others, or it appears so...

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[evil laugh here]

I think what ever element you put on and you put another one on they both affect you attacks but the points you put it one that one will effect enimeys more, but i just stuck to one element one my charcters. I dont know if it really did anything but i did anyways. But i loved the way you weapon turned colors when you put more points into it.

Lazlo's weapon graphics change as you level it up a certain amount like when the name of the weapon changes.

Does this apply to the other characters?

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Strategy is the key to victory!

yes, it most certaintly does

How odd, I tried it for mine and it didn't seem to do anything at all. Shall try it again on my new game.

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Potch is good. Lots of potch means equipment upgrades! ^^

Best question ever - Zwieg to Vicki, Suikoden V:
"How can you not know what country you're in?"

Oh, there are SO many reasons, Zwieg. *snerk*

My question here would be isit wise to equip anyone with element pieces?