Strengths(4/5): It offers a unique effect which is shared only by two other items: Dangerous Maraquan Yo-yo and Crisp Blue Tunic. Unlike the other two mentioned, this is the most consistent and doesn’t have hoops to go through like the others do, such as having to pay attention to your HP and your opponent’s or having an intelligence requirement. In addition, even when opponents have fewer than 20 hit points you’re still healing yourself for 20. This allows brand new battlers to easily grind weak opponents such as Chia Clown regardless of their pet’s stats and without having to repetitively visit the healing springs with just a single item.


Weaknesses(2/3): Due to the nature of this item, its utility quickly falls off after some training due to the minimal effect strength has on this item, though its unique take on HP drain generally makes up for this while your pet is still weak.

Other healing options(1/2): Greater Healing Scroll costs around the same and will heal for 50 rather 20. Most species healers are within budget as well though they aren’t without downsides of their own. The pet must share the species of the item and they require the pet to have higher HP to be cost-effective. Some examples of species healers are Gelert healing Remedy, Healing Ankh of the Nimmo and Kacheek life potion.

Comments: I often recommend this item to those getting started in the battledome who still have very weak pets, if you are a seasoned battler this is not for you. Keep in mind, this item is often outgrown faster than other items in its price range. Be careful not confuse it with Cursed Elixir of Neovia before buying it.

Rated on December 21, 2018

Value 3/3: This weapon absolutely shines for beginning battlers right now, well under 50k after the Spooky Food Contest giveaway and it's likely to stay under 50k for a while. It's power is superb, and the price is right.

Tactical 6/6: This weapon deals 20 points of unblockable damage. Plus a few extra physical icons for icing on the metaphorical cake. I don't think I have to explain why unblockable damage is tactically valuable.

It also heals you for 20, which is a respectable amount at any low level.

What's the total difference? This puts you not 20, but 40hp ahead of your opponent.

Let's crunch some numbers:
At an average 14.65 icons, a honey potion at the 85 boost does around 37 damage. At an average 18 icons, an anagram sword with the 55 boost does an average of 36 damage. A ghostkerbomb at the 35 boost does a similar amount of damage. That means while your STR boost is low, this weapon can put you ahead farther than an unbuyable bomb, a 10M Hidden Tower sword, or even a 7M hidden tower bomb.

Yes, it's only once-per-battle, but the HP differential here is great.

Other 1/1: I'm very hesitant to give any weapon a 10. But this one becoming cheap promises to be a game-changer for new battlers. I don't think it's any stretch to say that this is the definitive weapon for beginning battlers (low strength boost, low budget). If you're just starting out, this weapon could be better than a multi-million weapon and it's buyable for only a few thousand NP. This weapon puts you ahead by 40hp and the damage is does is unblockable. Some might say that's not worth much when there are relatively affordable healers out there for 300k that put you back up by 60hp. However, even those healers cost around 300k. If your strength boost is low, you'd get more bang for your buck by putting those NP into training your strength and endurance at the training school. Once you have higher stats you'll need to think about whether it's worth keeping around a healer that doesn't heal you very much just to be able to deal unblockable damage. And it probably won't be worth it. But while you're a beginner, you should own one of these.

full disclosure: Many neo-millionaires invested heavily in Spooky Food Contest prizes. I bought a few things, but put less than 100k into this weapon. Even if it quintuples in value it will not make me rich. It won't even make me more profit than a good day in food club. So I have no real interest in seeing this weapon's value rise. Honestly, I hope it stays cheap so new battlers can use it while they're getting into the dome.

Rated on October 16, 2013

Rating History ▼

Rating History ▲

Cursed Elixir is an interesting weapon to say the least. This once per battle weapon will inflict 20 points of direct damage to the opponent while also healing the user 20HP, a mechanism typically known as "draining". In addition, this weapon will inflict 0.3 to 3 Physical icons.

Obviously, the sprinkling of Physical icons is not Cursed Elixir's selling point. This weapon command a price between 500k to 1M for its ability to drain 20 hitpoints.

By no means is Cursed Elixir an item for pets of all sizes. For general use, pets with more than 50-60 or so hitpoints will not find Cursed Elixir useful. The exception to this rule of thumb would be the L97 format; I will elaborate on L97 usage later in this review.

The 20 HP heal that Cursed Elixir offers is not particularly strong, but the fact that this weapon's drain results in a 40HP swing makes it quite desirable for some players. First time battlers will be better off using cheaper, more traditional healer options like Lesser Healing Scroll, Blue Scorchstone, and Greater Healing Scroll, but experienced users starting out on a new account will sometimes pick up a Cursed Elixir for general use while their pets are still small.

In the 2-Player arena, Cursed Elixir is quite deadly. In League 4, where the typical builds are 33/35/55 and 57/20/35, a 40HP swing can be incredibly powerful. Inexperienced battlers will easily fall victim to Cursed Elixir. Unfortunately, this weapon is oftentimes banned from play in 2-Player tournaments, a testament to its power in low-league battling.

In the L97 format, Cursed Elixir is one of the three elite healers in the format, the other two are Leaded Elemental Vial and Short Sleeved Yellow Tunic. LEV and SSYT are the best options for general use; no L97 battler could get away with using Cursed Elixir alone. Cursed Elixir is most useful in this format when used as a sidekick alongside one of the two mentioned healers.

L97-style battles feature low damage output with 97/20/35 League 5 build. Since damage capabilities are limited, players will sometimes let their hitpoints drop below 30, 20, even 10 hitpoints remaining in an effort to maximize their heal from Leaded Elemental Vial or Short Sleeved Yellow Tunic. Because of this fact, Cursed Elixir can make for the perfect surprise attack, offering a huge burst of direct damage that no shield will block.

A word of warning, however. Cursed Elixir in the L97 format is very risky. A Cursed Elixir must land a finishing blow on the opponent. If Cursed Elixir does not finish the opponent, the opponent can simply heal up, and the user will be toast. If the opposition chooses to heal before a Cursed Elixir is tossed, then the user will also be hopeless. Timing with Cursed Elixir is key in the L97 format, and it is easier said than done. Cursed Elixir attacks are high risk, high reward; use them sparingly.

Overall, Cursed Elixir is a useful weapon with a clear-cut niche in the Battledome. It's not for every pet, but it can really shine in a few areas.

Rated on August 5, 2013. Updated March 30, 2014