V Rising isn’t just one of the most surprising hits of 2022; it’s a genuinely great vampire-based survival RPG that makes the most out of its horror atmosphere and blend of genres. Of course, it’s also an incredibly deep game that often forces you to learn new mechanics and consider new possibilities. Even deciding which weapon to use can be an intimidating prospect.
The good news is that V Rising’s weapon system is designed to be fairly accommodating. Weapons are more often an extension of your character’s stats, which means that your decision to use one of the game’s seven weapon types over the others will often come down to availability, specific situations, and personal preferences. Still, every weapon does offer unique skills, stats, and advantages/disadvantages that ultimately make some a bit more effective than others. You can play the game with whatever weapons you’d like (and you’re often encouraged to try all of them), but those looking to optimize their characters may want to know a little more about each weapon type’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall potential.
That being the case, here’s a rough ranking of V Rising’s various weapons based on the current version of the game.
7. Crossbow
As the only ranged weapon option in V Rising at the moment, the crossbow offers obvious situational benefits. Its primary attack also packs a whopping 115% physical damage punch. At the very least, you’re going to want to consider keeping one of these handy for the value of its Snapshot skill (which interrupts an enemy’s casts) alone.
Unfortunately, the Crossbow seems to be just a little too situational at times and certainly far too slow to rely on during the most intense encounters. You can treat it like a primary weapon if you’re really determined to do so, but I get the feeling that it’s meant to be more of a PvP tool that can also help turn the tide of some PvE battles. Don’t overlook it, but be aware of its limitations.
6. Mace
While there seems to be a consensus that the Crossbow is the most situationally dependent weapon in V Rising, there’s a healthy debate to be had about where the rest of the game’s weapons should rank. However, I think this is about where the Mace should go.
The Mace is an absolute powerhouse of a weapon that is capable of dealing the most devastating single strike damage in V Rising. It also benefits from some impressive skills that allow you to create and close distances between enemies as needed (or even just finish a fight with one massive blow).
However, the Mace’s painfully slow speed can be an issue. You really need to be able to time your strikes effectively with this weapon. That means that it’s quite good against enemies you’re familiar with and a little trickier to use during dynamic encounters or battles you’re still figuring out. I can easily see this becoming a clear favorite among some, but there are other weapons that offer more immediate benefits that apply to a greater number of combat situations.
5. Reaper
While I do feel a bit bad putting some of V Rising’s slower weapons towards the bottom of these rankings, the current version of the game does seem to naturally support weapons that offer a better balance between speed and strength.
However, the Reaper is certainly a fascinating option. While largely dependant on its wide attack range and AOE skills, the Reaper excels at tearing through groups of lesser foes or simply punishing a single target for getting too close. It also comes with a built-in perk that increases its damage against undead enemies, which is quite useful against a surprising number of PvE foes.
While the Reapers’ PvP credentials are suspect in all but the most capable of hands, its PvE power makes it a fascinating alternative to some other weapons that lack its wide melee range.
4. Slashers
Slashers are the ultimate “love them or hate them” weapon in V Rising. While the fastest weapon in the game by some distance, the Slashers’ low per-hit damage and stealth-based skills mean that they tend to cater to a specific playstyle more than some other weapons.
Simply put, a skilled Slasher player can absolutely dominate the majority of PvP scenarios. Thanks to this weapon’s unique camouflage skill and its ability to inflict multiple debilitating effects per strike, a good Slasher user will be able to turn their first few strikes into a truly devastating opening. If you’ve ever tried to battle a good rogue in a PvP scenario in most MMOs, you’ll have a good idea of what Slashers offers in that department.
Unfortunately, this weapon isn’t quite as useful in PvE scenarios. Though not bad by any means, Slashers lack that raw DPS that you’re often looking for in many PvE battles. Still, they obviously offer some considerable advantages.
3. Spear
The Spear’s tiny hitbox and mobility issues will undoubtedly turn off a lot of V Rising players who try to use one and find that it lacks the sweeping range of other weapons. Stick with this one a while, though, and you’ll soon discover that Spears offer some of the absolute highest DPS in the game.
The key to using a Spear in V Rising is learning to love its lighting fast primary attack. Once you get the hang of timing that ability in a way that lets you dictate the range of most fights, you’ll find more opportunities to get enemies within range of this weapon’s devastating Thousand Spears skill and the absurd amount of damage it deals in a very short amount of time. Once you learn to use this weapon’s Harpoon skill to drag players close to you from great distances, you’ll be laughing.
While it takes quite some time to really master the Spear’s strange attack style and mobility issues in PvP scenarios, the potential is certainly there. In PvE, this weapon can absolutely shred through even the toughest single targets.
2. Axes
Like the Mace and Reaper, Axes ultimately sacrifice some speed for extra power. However, these weapons are almost always just a little faster than you think they’re going to be, and they happen to benefit from one of the best skill combos in the game.
Axes offer a powerful (if a bit slow) primary attack that really shines when used in conjunction with its two weapon skills: Frenzy and X-Strike. The former lets you charge at an enemy and enter a state of rage that boosts your damage and attack speed with each subsequent successful strike. The latter allows you to throw your weapons at an enemy and temporarily stun them if you’re able to land a range strike with both.
The basic idea is to use your ranged attack to stun an enemy before charging into them and unleashing a buffed barrage of attacks that will leave an enemy helpless (or simply dead). Even if you can’t land that combo, axes still offer an array of alternative approaches to most combat scenarios.
1. Sword
Much like the pistol in Halo: CE, the Sword is the first weapon you obtain in this game and is arguably the best overall option for the majority of PvE and PvP encounters.
The Sword offers a nearly perfect balance of speed and power that is quite simply difficult for many other weapons to match. Its basic attack is more useful than most other basic attacks, while its devastating AOE Whirlwind ability makes up for its long cooldown time by ensuring that most things that could kill you during that time are already dead. In PvP, the Sword’s Shockwave skill not only lets you launch an enemy into the air but quickly teleport to them before delivering a rapid series of strong strikes.
I strongly suspect future V Rising patches will address the Sword’s incredible versatility, but it’s really hard to find an argument against this weapon in its current form.