It makes no sense to have to use a weapon before reforging it. The main reason was probably to stop people from gaining Level 10 weapons quickly. With the new heat crystal system, that is no longer a problem.

Instead, make heat be a property tied to the knight instead (think "heat of battle").

• Each knight has a heat bar which naturally depletes over time, but can be recharged using heat gathered while exploring the clockworks (same mechanic as now).
• Heat can buff all non-Level 10 weapons to Level 10. When a knight hits max heat, weapons of all levels have equivalent properties as a Level 10 weapon (both CTR and power). This persists until the heat bar drops below 50%, at which point they return to their normal level.
• Alternatively, heat can be used to craft heat crystals. The cost per crystal can be as follows:
  Cracked = 2%, Dim = 5%, Warm = 10%, Glowing = 20%, Shining = 50%, Radiant = 100%
  (percentage of max heat)
• Knight death results in the complete loss of all heat. However, the heat is expelled in a fiery manner and deals splash damage to nearby enemies. The intensity of the explosion and the amount of damage depends on how much heat was loss.