Defiance: Raziel's Reavers
In Defiance, Raziel began with the basic Spectral and Material Reavers. All the temporary enhancements he had gained throughout Soul Reaver 2 had been lost or were otherwise inaccessible by him. There was originally an intention explain this in-game - hinting that the Elder God had destroyed the crucial Elemental Fonts - but it didn't make it as far as the released version (see the first Defiance Q&A page 
at The Lost Worlds for details). Once Raziel escaped from the Underworld, he found the means to re-forge the wraith-blade with elemental properties (both old and new) but permanently this time. No fonts were needed; he could switch between his acquired elemental Reavers at will. Each elemental Reaver had different strengths and characteristics.
In Defiance, Raziel imbued the Reaver in forges within the Vampire Citadel. They were less puzzle-oriented than the Soul Reaver 2 forges, but they did not all give up their power easily. The Fire, Air, Water and Earth forges were each guarded by two spirits: spectres of the original Ancient Vampire Pillar Guardians. Raziel had to defeat them, and absorb their souls into the blade to gain the elemental enhancement aligned to their Pillars. The platform of the Subterranean Pillars Chamber in Soul Reaver 2 illustrated this connection between the Pillar principles and the elements (see the Pillars' Platform Diagram).
The Spectral Reaver
|
Gained In: |
N/A |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
N/A |
| Charged: |
Deals more damage to struck enemies |
| Spell: |
A blast that damages surrounding enemies |
| Other Uses: |
N/A |
| Until it was replaced by the Spirit Reaver late in the game, this was the only Reaver that Raziel had access to in the Spectral Realm, and it was the equivalent of the Material Reaver (described below). Whenever he abandoned his physical, Material Realm form, the wraith-blade automatically reverted to the Spectral Reaver. |
The Material Reaver
|
Gained In: |
N/A |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
N/A |
| Charged: |
Deals more damage to struck enemies |
| Spell: |
A blast that damages surrounding enemies |
| Other Uses: |
N/A |
| This was the most basic of the Reaver's Material Realm incarnations. Whenever Raziel shifted from the Spectral Realm, he would emerge with the Material Reaver equipped by default. It was replaced by the Spirit Reaver late in the game. |
The Dark Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 4 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
N/A |
| Charged: |
Homing mini Shades are spawned from struck targets |
| Spell: |
Raziel temporarily becomes invisible |
| Other Uses: |
Darkens Light orbs |
| The Dark Reaver's invisibility spell was needed for solving puzzles. It hid Raziel from the wall-mounted Guardian Gargoyles, so he could sneak past them. It allowed him to bypass enemies too. |
The Light Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 4 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
N/A |
| Charged: |
Briefly stuns struck enemies |
| Spell: |
A flash of light that stuns enemies for a while |
| Other Uses: |
Lights Dark orbs |
| Although useful against all enemies, the Light Reaver's power was particularly damaging to Shades. This Reaver could temporarily blind and stun Raziel's foes. |
The Fire Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 6 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
Conflict and Nature |
| Charged: |
Struck enemies are set on fire |
| Spell: |
A blast that sets surrounding enemies on fire |
| Other Uses: |
Ignites braziers/sconces |
| This was a powerful Reaver, but Raziel had to be careful not to overuse it. He could not devour the souls of enemies that burned to death, unless he went into the Spectral Realm to get them. |
The Air Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 6 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
Mind and Dimension |
| Charged: |
Struck enemies are spun around and may be thrown by combos |
| Spell: |
A whirlwind that throws surrounding enemies away |
| Other Uses: |
Activates special Air Reaver plinths/vents |
| When charged, this Reaver was useful to interrupt enemy attacks, as it spun them and disoriented them. Raziel also needed it to activate the Air Reaver vents so he could reach new places, like Vorador's Mansion. |
The Water Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 8 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
States and Death |
| Charged: |
Briefly freezes struck enemies |
| Spell: |
An ice blast that damages and freezes surrounding enemies for a while |
| Other Uses: |
Douses braziers/sconces, freezes waterfalls. |
| Raziel originally needed the Water Reaver to access Janos' crypt, but its ability to incapacitate enemies made it very useful in battle. When Raziel used it to freeze waterfalls, it temporarily turned them into climbable 'ladders' until they thawed. |
The Earth Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 10 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
Energy and Time |
| Charged: |
Damage caused to struck enemy is mirrored on nearby enemies |
| Spell: |
A strong earthquake that severely damages surrounding enemies |
| Other Uses: |
Lets Raziel walk underwater, activates Earth Reaver plinths/platforms |
| This multi-purpose, powerful Reaver allowed Raziel to create floating earth platforms at specific locations in the game, e.g. in the Spirit Forge. It also removed Raziel's buoyancy in water, so he could walk through water-filled areas rather than swimming. |
The Spirit Reaver
|
Gained In: |
Chapter 12 |
|
| Aligned Pillars: |
Balance |
| Charged: |
Deals major damage to struck enemies |
| Spell: |
A blast that causes major damage to surrounding enemies, can kill non-bosses |
| Other Uses: |
N/A |
| This was the most formidable of all the elemental Reavers, and Raziel only gained it in the last stages of the game. It was forged using the souls of Kain's predecessors - the former Balance Guardians. Its true purpose was to purify Kain of all corruption, healing the psychic damage he had had since his birth. This would enable him to fulfill his destiny as the Scion of Balance. |
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