History Main / EvolvingAttack

** Spells and special attacks in ''LaPucelleTactics'' can be levelled up in the same way.
** Ditto with ''PhantomBrave''--since items technically count as separate units (they count towards how many units you're allowed on the field at once), they level up too. You can unlock stronger attacks for them by earning and then spending experience points gained by using them.
* ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' as a few of this. The most famous is the couple evolving equipments: the sword Sequencer and the armor Peytral, whose stats grow during the course of the game as you perform opportunity commands, being up to 99 higher than the based Attack/Defense. There is also an [[LimitBreak Esper]] who cause more damage the more his caster has killed enemies, and [[SecretCharacter Vaan]] has a skill that does more damage the more he successfully used the "Steal" move.

* ''HybridHeaven'' by Konami is probably the king of complex Evolving Attacks. The character first learned a move (by having it used against him) and then gained levels in it by using it over and over again. However, each use also increased the Attack power of the specific body part used in the process, so a left punch would increase the Left Arm's attack, and so on. Defense was increased in each body part by taking hits in the part. Finally, for reasons this editor never determined, HP increased over the course of the game as well, depending perhaps on the number of fights encountered.

* In ''{{Shenmue}}'' for the Dreamcast, the main character's attacks all start out as borderline competent and somewhat sloppy, leaving no doubt as to why he was no match for [[BigBad Lan Di]]. The more he uses his attacks, whether in actual combat, in training sessions with his friend or solo practice, the higher his proficiency with using any move becomes. The higher the proficiency, the more graceful each attack or counter-attack manoeuvre gets, leaving fewer openings, having shorter recovery times and striking with more power and precision. This is practically mandatory if he is to defeat [[HopelessBossFight Chai]] in the arcade ambush.

* In the ''RatchetAndClank'' series, starting with ''[[RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]'', each weapon had an experience meter; when it was filled, the weapon would evolve into a better version of itself. ''[[RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal Up Your Arsenal]]'' added a five-level system, wherein levels 2-4 resulted in incremental increase in ammo capacity, range, and damage, with the fifth level being a radical change in appearance, area effect, and even name, adding a [[InfinityPlusOneSword mass-destruction effect]] to almost all weapons. ''[[RatchetDeadlocked Deadlocked]]'', however, went crazy, with up to ten levels available on the first playthrough. All but the tenth consisted of a modest damage upgrade, and an additional mod slot with a free exchangeable weapon mod to go with it. In the NewGamePlus, weapon levels went all the way up to 99, each just increasing power.

* In ''{{MARDEK}}'', powers come attached to items, but if you use a power enough it becomes "mastered" and you can then keep the power [[strike:if]] when you remove the item.

* ''[[DotHackGUGames .hack//GU Redemption]]'' introduces advanced Arts that the player unlocks after leveling their weapon skill enough. This gives them a nifty new attack which improves in power and cost-effectiveness for each subsequent level in that weapon skill they raise.

** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'' has attribute points for each attack type/element. They can be increased by either killing enemies using the corresponding type of attack, using "Drops" that come in several colours, each one raising the attribute points of a different attack type or absorbing glyphs which increases each attribute by 1. Every 328 or so attribute points equals an extra point of attack power when using glyphs of that type.

* Similarly, leveling up a character's weapon in the ''DynastyWarriors'' games unlocks longer combos and more powerful Charge Attacks.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''3'' you can evolve Shepard's and his/her squad's powers when you upgrade them all the way. The choice is usually along the lines of either more damage or a wider area of effect.

* ''WorldOfWarcraft'' now makes all its attacks evolve ''passively''. Before patch 4.0.1, new abilities (and upgrades to known ones) were obtained from your class trainers at certain levels. The patch does away with this requirement; now, abilities are only learned once when the level requirement is met, and their effectiveness scales up as the player's level increases.

* ''{{Warcraft}} 3'''s heroes have three 3-leveled and one ultimate spells that can be upgraded, one per level.

* In ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin]]'', Johnathan is able to strengthen his Sub Weapons by using them in battle a number of times. Some of these weapons gained additional effects if raised to their maximum levels, as well.

* The first two games in the ''MegaManZero'' series had you use your weapons repeatedly to get their full use unlocked--for example, charged attacks and the three-hit Saber combo were unlocked in stages. By the third game, this was dropped.

* Most of the fighting in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' is done with Additions, a series of weapon strikes performed by hitting the attack button with very specific timing. Every time you pull one off, you get a skill point in that Addition; gain enough skill points and you unlock a new Addition. Some characters only have three Additions; others have as many as seven, and there's a total of [[LevelGrinding 99 possible skill points for each one...]]

* ''VideoGame/LegendOfLegaia'''s entire fight system seems based off of this trope. Even magic gets more powerful as you use it more. The sequel plays it even straighter, as several [[LimitBreak Hyper Arts]] are learned by using the base forms enough times.

* ''FinalFantasy II'' had you level up each spell separately.

** In addition, the LimitBreak system in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' were gained via using them more often, or killing a certain number of enemies after obtaining one, except the [[EleventhHourSuperpower Level 4]] versions. Tidus's Overdrives in ''FinalFantasyX'' are gained the same way.
** Furthermore in ''Final Fantasy VII'' Tifa's limit break was to learn new moves like everyone else, but on activation to chain her previously learned limit breaks into one long combo as opposed to selecting only one.
* In ''RuneFactory3'', as you advance combat skills, your character learns special moves with each type of weapon, such as an "attack everything around me at once" move.

** In its sequel, ''StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', spells became more powerful the more you used them. For example, leveling up Ice Needles would allow the caster to shoot out more needles and leveling up Fire Bolt would increase the number of fireballs you'd release.

* ''VideoGame/{{Grandia}}'' and its sequel did this with its magic system -- each use of a spell added points to the spell and to its associated element; each new element level gives you new spells. In the first game, you could easily level up your healing/water magic by repeatedly running into a fire trap or acid pool, then healing the party. Somewhat esoterically, levelling up individual spells primarily affects the ''speed'' at which it can be used.

* ''SecretOfEvermore'' required that you level up your alchemy recipes with constant use before they start getting potent, sometimes restricting you from overlevelling the stronger magics since you needed (often rare, sometimes finite) ingredients each time you cast them. There's more than a few common-ingredient formulae that can become GameBreaker overpowered though.

* Also similarly, leveling up a character's weapon skill in ''{{Koudelka}}'' adds an extra strike to the character's attacks with that weapon.

* In the ''{{Disgaea}}'' series, spells can be leveled up, increasing their damage, range and area. Special attacks can also be leveled up, but--with the exception of Prinny Raid--only increase in damage.

* In ''LegendOfMana'', all special abilities and even most basic combat techniques were learned by using other basic combat abilities. Some of these made sense, such as combining Crouch and Dash to slide forward, and could even be done simply by using both of those techniques at the same time even before Slide is mastered. In other cases, this becomes rather random, with Jump teaching you how to create a black hole with your staff.

* Both weapons and elements of spells in ''SecretOfMana'' could be increased in skill level through repeated use. For weapons, increasing the levels unlocked special abilities that could be used with them after [[ChargedAttack charging them up]], while for elements, increasing the levels simply increased their spells' power and at times upgrades their animations. However, once an element is at maximum level, it can still gain skill towards the unattainable next level, which corresponds to the chance that its spells will spontaneously turn into a special, more powerful version when cast (ie. fireballs turn in fire dragons).

* In ''[[BunnyMustDie Chelsea and the 7 Devils]]'', Chelsea's SpreadShot gets wider as she defeats the Devils.

* In ''TheGuardianLegend'', increasing the Guardian's Energy Chip count increases the speed and spread width of her normal energy cannon.

* The three Part 7 characters in ''VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle'' can collect up to three corpse parts apiece in order to upgrade their stands. Gyro gets Scan and Golden Spin, Valentine gets Love Train, and Johnny upgrades his stand from Level 1 up to Level 4. Johnny can choose to use a bar of his Heat Heart gauge to permanently upgrade his stand without the use of a corpse part as well.

* Handled in a literal manner in ''{{Gothic}}'', as an in-game explanation of how Nameless Hero gets better at using weapons. Visually, this is represented by the character changing his battle stance and grip on weapon as he levels up weapon proficiency skills, as well as longer and more effective {{Combos}}.

* The ''The Lord of the Rings: Third Age'' makes use of this trope. To unlock new attacks and abilities the characters have to use abilities of the same class.

* The ''TheLordOfTheRings: Third Age'' makes use of this trope. To unlock new attacks and abilities the characters have to use abilities of the same class.

* Most of the fighting in ''LegendOfDragoon'' is done with Additions, a series of weapon strikes performed by hitting the attack button with very specific timing. Every time you pull one off, you get a skill point in that Addition; gain enough skill points and you unlock a new Addition. Some characters only have three Additions; others have as many as seven, and there's a total of [[LevelGrinding 99 possible skill points for each one...]]

* In ''MassEffect 2'' and ''3'' you can evolve Shepard's and his/her squad's powers when you upgrade them all the way. The choice is usually along the lines of either more damage or a wider area of effect.