Primary Blades
So primary blades are your main weapon slot and they define pretty much everything about how you play, your basic attack strings and special moves and Power Surge abilities all come from whatever blade you have equipped and honestly each weapon type feels like a completely different game which is kind of insane, like playing with a Greatsword versus Dual Blades isn't just a stat difference it's a whole different approach to combat and some bosses that absolutely destroy you with one weapon type become almost trivial with another
Jagged Steel
Sword
honestly this is my go-to sword and I've used it for like 80% of my playthrough, it's got a serrated edge that stacks bleed on every hit and once you get 4-5 stacks the boss just starts melting and the bleed keeps ticking even when you're dodging which is kind of insane tbh, the damage is solid and the speed is good enough that you can actually hit your windows without getting punished it's just a really balanced weapon
Damage
75
Speed
70
Venomous Softblade
Sword
this blade flexes like a whip and it's honestly the best parry weapon in the game no contest, the extended parry frames make you feel like a god against bosses with lots of blue attacks and you'll drain their Sha-Chi bar so fast they barely get to do anything, the damage is lower than other swords but that doesn't matter cause you're winning through resource control not raw DPS and once the enemy is drained you can just unload on them safely
Damage
55
Speed
85
White Python & Red Viper
Dual
This weapon is straight up broken and I'm not even exaggerating, the multi-hit combos build Sha-Chi so fast it feels like you're cheating and the stacking damage means your DPS just keeps climbing the longer you stay on target, if you're struggling with any boss just slap these on and suddenly the fight becomes manageable because you're getting Power Surges like twice as often as any other weapon, tbh I almost feel bad using these because they make the game too easy
Damage
60
Speed
95
Savage Axe
Greatsword
Tried this for a full NG+ run and let me tell you the damage numbers are real those charged attacks hit like a truck and watching enemy guard just shatter is honestly one of the most satisfying things in this game, but you have to play super patiently because every swing is a commitment and if you whiff you're basically standing there like an idiot for two seconds while the boss deletes your health bar, great for patient players but if you're a button masher this weapon will get you killed a LOT
Damage
95
Speed
30
Dragon Fire
Arm Cannon
Dragon Fire is my go-to for cheesing bosses that have annoying melee patterns honestly just stay at mid range and spam charged shots that pierce through everything and the boss can't even touch you half the time, it costs 5 Sha-Chi bars though which sucks because you're waiting forever between Power Surges but when you do finally get to surge the damage output is absolutely filthy, definitely a niche playstyle but it's funny how many bosses become trivial when you just refuse to get close to them
Damage
80
Range
75
Twilight Spear
Spear
Probably the most underrated weapon type in the game imo the reach on spears lets you poke enemies from a distance where they can't even hit you back and the sweep attacks are perfect for clearing mobs in areas where you get swarmed by trash enemies, it's not gonna win any DPS awards and the boss kill times are slower than dual blades for sure but you'll die way less which honestly matters more than raw damage in a game where dying resets the whole fight
Damage
65
Speed
60
Crescent Moon
Dual
These things are amazing for the sections where the game throws like 10 enemies at you at once the spinning slashes cover a huge arc and you stay mobile the whole time so you're basically a blender on wheels, not as good as White Python for single target boss damage but for the mob-heavy areas that most people struggle with these are honestly one of the best choices and they just feel really fun to use which is what matters at the end of the day
Damage
55
Speed
90
Ironbreaker
Greatsword
I slept on this weapon for way too long honestly it looks boring on paper but against shield enemies and bosses that turtle up this thing is an absolute monster, each hit just eats through their block and once their guard breaks you get a massive damage window that you just don't get with other weapons, it's slow obviously but the tradeoff is that enemies basically can't defend against you and that's kind of a big deal in fights where the boss spends half the time blocking
Damage
85
Speed
35
Shadow Stinger
Spear
This spear is sneaky good because the poison DoT doesn't look like much on the stat screen but in actual fights it adds up fast and the slow effect on enemies makes dodging their attacks way easier than it should be, I've had boss fights where the boss was moving in slow motion by the end and I was just poking them to death while they couldn't catch me, it's a hit and run weapon though so if you like standing your ground this probably isn't for you
Damage
60
Speed
75
Bow of Silent Wind
Phantom Edge
The only Phantom Edge that works as a primary weapon basically and it's actually really fun if you like playing keep-away, the charged shot ignoring armor is the real selling point because so many bosses have stupidly high armor values that make other weapons feel like wet noodles, only costs 1 Sha-Chi bar too so you can spam it constantly which is kind of ridiculous, the damage isn't amazing but you're so safe using it that it doesn't really matter
Damage
50
Range
90
Flame Tongue
Sword
This is my favorite sword in the game hands down because the bleed explosion mechanic is just so satisfying once you get the timing down, you build up bleed stacks with normal hits and then the fire proc detonates all of them at once for massive burst damage that just deletes boss phases, it takes some practice to get the combo timing right but once it clicks you're basically playing a different game where bosses melt in seconds instead of minutes
Damage
70
Speed
65
Thunder Edge
Greatsword
When you're in one of those sections where 15 enemies spawn at once and you're just trying not to die this weapon is a lifesaver because the charged attacks release lightning AoE that hits everything around you at once, it's not great for single target boss damage the speed is terrible at 25 and you will get punished, but for mob clearing and some of the gauntlet fights it's honestly one of the best options and the visual effect is just super cool to watch
Damage
90
Speed
25
Serpent Fang
Sword
Serpent Fang is basically a faster weaker Venomous Softblade and it works great if you like the hit and run playstyle where you poke the boss a few times then back off while the toxin does its thing, the speed at 90 is really nice for getting in and out safely and the toxin buildup is actually faster than most people realize, it's not gonna win any speedrun records but for learning boss patterns it's honestly perfect because you can focus on dodging while the poison does the work for you
Damage
45
Speed
90
Phoenix Wing
Dual
The fire explosion on every third hit is what makes this weapon so fun because it rewards you for staying aggressive and not backing off, when you're in the zone and just chaining combos the explosions keep going off and the damage adds up really fast, the 3 bar Sha-Chi cost is reasonable too so you can actually use your Power Surge often, tbh this is probably the most fun dual blade after White Python just because the fire procs feel so satisfying
Damage
65
Speed
85
Earthshaker
Greatsword
Earthshaker has 100 damage which is the highest in the entire game and honestly you can feel every single point of it when you land a hit because the enemy's health bar just evaporates, the problem is the 20 speed which means you swing about once per business day and the 5 bar Sha-Chi cost is absolutely punishing, I tried to main this weapon for a while and it was simultaneously the most fun and most frustrating experience because when things go right you're a god but when they go wrong you're dead before you finish your first swing
Damage
100
Speed
20
Storm Piercer
Spear
The piercing gust attack on Storm Piercer is actually way better than it looks on paper because in corridor fights where enemies line up you can hit like 5 of them at once with a single charged attack, the 70 damage and 55 speed are both decent for a spear and the 3 bar Sha-Chi cost means you get to use it pretty often, it's not the best spear in every situation but in the right arena layouts it's absolutely dominant
Damage
70
Speed
55
Frostbite
Sword
Frostbite is kind of a one trick pony but that trick is really useful against fast bosses because slowing their movement makes them actually manageable to fight, the bonus damage to frozen enemies from heavy attacks is nice too but honestly the main reason to use this is the slow effect which just makes the game easier to play, it's not top tier damage wise but it's a great training wheels weapon for learning fights that you're struggling with
Damage
60
Speed
60
Demon Arm
Arm Cannon
Demon Arm is probably the weirdest weapon in the game because it drains enemy Sha-Chi on hit which means you can use Phantom Edges way more often than normal, the 70 damage is solid but the 40 range means you can't actually kite properly like you can with Dragon Fire so you're in this awkward mid-range zone where you're not quite safe but not quite in melee either, it takes a lot of getting used to but there's a really unique playstyle here that some people absolutely love
Damage
70
Range
60
Blood Thorn
Dual
These daggers are basically easy mode for exploration sections because the lifesteal means you never have to worry about healing items between checkpoints, the 40 damage is terrible obviously and you won't be setting any boss kill records but the 98 speed is the highest in the game so you're just a blur of attacks, I used these for my first playthrough exploration and honestly it spoiled me because when I switched to a normal weapon I kept dying to trash mobs that I used to just heal through
Damage
40
Speed
98
Celestial Lance
Spear
The Power Surge on Celestial Lance summons a literal beam from the sky and it's one of the coolest looking abilities in the game which is probably why I kept using it even though the 5 bar Sha-Chi cost is painful, the holy damage bonus is nice against certain enemy types and the 80 damage is actually really good for a spear, if you can handle the high Sha-Chi cost and slower speed this thing hits like a truck and looks incredible doing it
Damage
80
Speed
50
Ghost Razor
Sword
Ghost Razor is basically the ultimate skill check weapon because ignoring 30% of enemy block is amazing and the Power Surge making everything unblockable for 8 seconds sounds broken on paper but in reality the 58 overall score tells the real story, the damage is just too low and you have to be so precise with your timings that one mistake kills you, I've seen YouTube videos of people absolutely styling on bosses with this but when I tried it I just died repeatedly and went back to my comfort weapons tbh
Damage
65
Speed
75
Phantom Edges Overview
So Phantom Edges are basically your secondary weapons and they consume Sha-Chi bars to use and I honestly slept on these for my entire first playthrough which was a huge mistake because some of them are absolutely game-changing once you learn how to use them right, they can't be upgraded which kind of sucks but they do get bonus effects based on your equipped primary blade's evolution level so the higher your main weapon is evolved the more powerful your Edges become and that synergy is honestly the difference between struggling through boss fights and just cruising through them
20+ Phantom Edges confirmed in the game so far and I've unlocked most of them and tbh some are way better than others, you've got ranged bows throwing daggers chain hooks and all these weird magical off-hand tools and stuff like that, each one costs 1-2 Sha-Chi bars to activate and has a cooldown of about 8-15 seconds and the cooldown management is pretty much the whole game with these things
Shadow Chakram
Boomerang projectile, returns on hit. 2 bars.
Chain Hook
Pulls enemies toward you. 1 bar.
Thunderbolt Shard
Lightning AoE around player. 2 bars.
Mist Step
Short teleport, no i-frames. 1 bar.
Gale Fan
Knocks back surrounding enemies. 2 bars.
Blood Sigil
Heals 15% HP on next hit. 2 bars.
Ice Dart
Fires freezing projectile that slows one enemy. 1 bar.
Flame Vial
Throws a fire bomb dealing AoE damage over time. 2 bars.
Spirit Wolf
Summons a spectral wolf that attacks twice then fades. 2 bars.
Void Rift
Creates a black hole that pulls enemies together. 2 bars.
Steel Thread
Immobilizes an enemy for 3 seconds. 1 bar.
Poison Mist
Creates a toxic cloud that applies poison to all inside. 2 bars.
Weapon Evolution System
So each primary blade can be evolved through upgrade trees using materials you find scattered around the world and this system is honestly way deeper than it looks at first, you start at +1 which unlocks a new basic combo string and already the weapon feels different and more fluid and then +2 adds a passive stat bonus like crit rate or damage or speed and this is where builds really start coming together because the right stat bonus can turn a decent weapon into an absolute monster, +3 unlocks an enhanced Power Surge ability and honestly this is where the game changes completely because evolved Power Surges hit like a truck and I've had moments where a single evolved Surge just deleted 60% of a boss's health bar and I literally sat there with my jaw on the floor, and finally +4 which is the max gives you a unique weapon mastery skill and tbh you haven't really experienced a weapon until you've taken it all the way to +4 because the transformation is kind of ridiculous and some weapons that feel terrible at +0 become your favorite weapon at +4 so don't write anything off until you've fully evolved it and stuff like that
Related Pages
Build Guides
I found some absolutely stupid good synergies here and honestly the right combo can carry you through the whole game no problem
Equipment Guide
Armor sets and accessories that actually work with your weapon and tbh some combos are way better than others and you get the idea
Skills & Abilities
Skill trees that actually make a difference and the order you unlock stuff matters way more than you'd think ngl