Karma cards slot onto a hero’s weapon in DragonSword: Awakening and change how that weapon behaves in combat, separate from your gear and your character’s level. Exclusive Karma is locked to a single hero and is best-in-slot once you can farm it, but the general (Basic) cards you can move across your whole roster are what most players build around first. These are the general Karmas worth equipping and ascending.
Quick answer: Equip the general Karma whose element matches your main damage dealer, then ascend it with duplicate copies. The strongest picks per element are “So good it’s to die for” (Poison), “A Flash of Invention” (Thunderbolt), “Rock-Splitting Ice” (Frostbite), “Destruction is the Mother of Creation” (Breaker), “I’ll knock you out myself” (Amplitude), “Fangs lurking in the thickest” (Bloodburst), “The Wind Blows Again” (Gale), and “The burning taste of fire” (Blazeflame).
Best general Karmas by element
Each general Karma carries an element and a trait effect tied to a specific damage type or status. Pick the card that lines up with how your hero actually deals damage, not the one with the biggest raw number.
| Karma | Element | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| So good it’s to die for | Poison | Adds 12% extra Poison damage. A guaranteed attack buff that fits almost any playstyle. |
| A Flash of Invention | Thunderbolt | Raises Critical Hit Chance and Shock damage, ideal for a shock-focused hero. |
| The Agent of Divine Punishment | Thunderbolt | Close to A Flash of Invention and a solid backup for a second shock unit. |
| Rock-Splitting Ice | Frostbite | Adds 7% Critical Hit Chance plus extra frost damage for Frost teams. |
| Destruction is the Mother of Creation | Breaker | Gives 12% extra damage on all Break attacks. |
| I’ll knock you out myself | Amplitude | Raises all stun-based damage by 12% at rank 1, strong on stun users like Theresia. |
| Fangs lurking in the thickest | Bloodburst | Boosts a Bleed team’s damage by 12%. |
| The Wind Blows Again | Gale | Adds 5% attack power and 7% air damage for Airborne teams. |
| The burning taste of fire | Blazeflame | Increases burn damage over time by 12% for fire heroes. |
Match the element before you ascend
You can technically put any general Karma on any hero, but the trait effect only works when the card’s element lines up with the character. Drop a frost card on a bleed hero and the trait lines simply do not apply the way they should, so you lose the most valuable part of the card and keep only the base stats.
Check the trait on the card first. Extra break damage, extra knockdown damage, or extra burn only pays off when the hero and team create that condition during their normal rotation. Match the element, then invest in the card.
How Karma ascension works
The real power spike comes from ascension, not from a separate level on the card. At base, a Karma only carries its starting stats. Feeding it duplicate copies of the exact same card unlocks its special trait effect and pushes it higher with each copy.
You need five duplicates total to reach the ceiling at Rank VI, with each copy raising the trait lines by one step. Open the card’s preview before you commit a duplicate so you can see exactly what the next rank adds.
Tip: The most reliable source of general Karma duplicates is World Bosses. Choose the boss whose element matches your main hero, and supplement with the currency you earn from the Tower of Trials and treasure chests. Make sure Patch 1.0.3 is installed so daily World Boss resets fire correctly before you farm.
General Karma vs Exclusive Karma
General Karma provides stat and condition bonuses that any matching hero can use, which makes it the flexible early pick for whoever is dealing most of your damage. Exclusive Karma is locked to one hero and adds a passive that can change one of that character’s abilities, making it true best-in-slot once you commit to a main.
| Factor | General Karma | Exclusive Karma |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Any hero with a matching element | One specific hero only |
| Main effect | Stat and condition bonuses | Passive that alters a signature skill |
| Main source | World Bosses, chests, Tower currency | Hero quests, Tower of Trials exchange, transmutation |
| Best used when | Making your main functional early | After your core team is stable |
If you pull an Exclusive Karma for a hero you never play, dismantle it. You recover exchange currency that you can redirect toward the exclusive cards or duplicates for the heroes you actually run. Check the dismantle preview first so you know exactly what you get back.
What to equip first
Early on, put a matching-element general Karma on your main damage dealer. Even a low rank version is a clear power spike, and it keeps your resources free for gear and skills while you settle your core trio. Only after that should you chase and fully ascend Exclusive Karma, and only for the one or two heroes you use as mains.
Pick the card that fits your team’s condition, line up the element, and feed it duplicates from World Bosses. That is the fastest way to turn a general Karma into a meaningful part of your build without wasting currency on off-element rolls.
