Image: Stunlock Studios via HGG / Dominic Allain
Dominic loves to completely immerse himself in RPGs, then break them apart by modding and speedrunning them.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
As a fearsome vampire in V Rising, you’re able to wield a wide selection of weapons. Each one plays differently from each other, and each one is proficient in different scenarios. While every weapon is viable for PvE use, some weapons will make your night-to-night life much easier. They’ll give you better mobility and damage compared to their peers. We’ll be ranking every weapon in V Rising to help you find the best weapon for PvE content.
Best Weapons in V Rising
Weapons in V Rising follow a rigid progression based on the crafting stations you have available from defeating bosses. The tier progression goes as follows:
- Bone
- Reinforced Bone
- Copper
- Merciless Copper
- Iron
- Merciless Iron
- Rare Ancestral
- Dark Silver
- Sanguine
- Legendary Ancestral
Sanguine Weapons
The highest tier of crafted weapons are Sanguine weapons. These are crafted in the Anvil after finding their recipes, either researched in the Athenaeum or dropped from enemies in the Silverlight Hills. You’ll need to have the equivalent Dark Silver weapon first to upgrade to Sanguine tier.
All weapons of the same tier have the same stats and gear level, with their differences coming in damage scaling and abilities. Sanguine is no different in this regard. This leaves you to choose the weapon that best fits your playstyle or use our recommendations below.
Legendary Ancestral Weapons
Level 74 or higher bosses have a chance to drop orange Ancestral Weapon Shards. These can be restored in an Ancestral Forge to get some of the strongest weapons in the game. Each Ancestral Weapon comes with random stat boosts and an infusion allowing their Q ability to inflict a debuff.
Depending on your build, you’ll want different stat boosts. Against bosses, a large portion of your damage will likely come from spells, so Spell Power and Life Leech is handy. Attack Speed and Movement Speed are also good things to roll for, especially if you plan on using your weapon more. Critical Damage is useful if you have a supply of 100% Rogue Blood to guarantee critical hits but is unreliable otherwise.
All potential stat rolls are shown below.
Best Weapons Types, Ranked from Worst to Best
We’re going to start off with what we believe to be the weakest weapon in V Rising and then work out way to the strongest. Let’s get to it.
9/9
Spear
The Spear is a workable weapon but overall weakest for PvE. While it has some of the highest DPS for its basic combo, the long and narrow hitboxes make it unsuited for tackling groups of enemies. The Spear’s abilities don’t shore up this weakness and feel lackluster for single target damage.
Thousand Spears is your best bet for attacking multiple enemies, although even it comes with issues. It performs many rapid thrusts that stagger non-boss enemies and deals solid damage. The problem is that it leaves you vulnerable to other attacks during its animation, so ranged enemies can exploit it.
Harpoon allows you to drag troublesome enemies into melee range, pairing very well with Thousand Spears. Unfortunately, it doesn’t pierce and only strikes the first enemy it hits, so other enemies can block the projectile. It is surprisingly able to hoist bosses, but with few exceptions, it’s not usually the best idea to do so.
8/9
Sword
The Sword is a well-rounded weapon, able to deal with enemy groups and bosses fairly well. It doesn’t perform these duties as effectively as other weapons, though. Compared to many other weapons, the Sword has a below average DPS and limited dodging capability.
Whirlwind is where the bulk of the Sword’s damage will come from. It deals huge damage to both tight groups and single targets if they’re caught for the full duration. You get a small speed boost during the skill, but it’s generally not enough to use for dodging.
Shockwave is either extremely useful or incredibly weak depending on what you’re fighting. It’s a ranged attack that launches enemies into the air for a long period. Against elite enemies, this skill is an amazing tool for disrupting them. The problem is that bosses are completely immune to being launched. Not only can Shockwave not stun them, this means the follow-up isn’t possible, greatly reducing the skill’s potential damage.
7/9
Mace
The Mace excels against large groups of enemies, with both of its abilities attacking large areas. It even excels against single targets, but without the ability to incapacitate bosses, it struggles more in that area.
Crushing Blow is a great way to open encounters or combo with Smack, carrying you a large distance with its leap. It also deals incredible damage in an AOE for dealing with crowds. Smack, on the other hand, knocks enemies away and incapacitates them for a short period. There’s a lot you can do with the opening this creates, but bosses are unfortunately immune.
It’d be wise to carry this weapon with you for exploring no matter what, mainly since it deals more damage to mineral formations. Most enemies you’ll find out in the wild travel in groups, making the Mace more effective in common affairs.
6/9
Slashers
Slashers have low damage compared to other weapons, but their abilities make them a strong pick for use in PvE. They also come with the caveat of needing allies to shine. Most of its abilities focus on movement and disruption over damage.
Elusive Strike deals good damage to multiple enemies and is very effective for dodging attacks. Lengthy attacks may still hit you, as the ability returns back to your starting point.
The Slashers’ Camouflage ability is the real star here. It causes your character to become invisible, meaning enemies will turn their aggro elsewhere. The camo only breaks upon using another skill, so it’s a great way to let your spells recharge while your allies distract enemies. Using a basic attack while invisible causes it to be stronger and incapacitate an enemy, so it’s useful against high priority targets in a crowd. If all else fails, it’s the easiest way to escape a fight with your life.
5/9
Crossbow
Crossbows are very powerful ranged weapons, as long as you can find openings to exploit. Its basic shot deals strong damage, but the slow animation can make it troublesome in the heat of battle. The Snapshot ability solves the speed problem but is on a lengthy cooldown. Still, it’s your most reliable ability for quick damage.
This weapon is fairly decent against groups or as an opener for a boss fight due to its Rain of Bolts ability. The 5 small AOEs it generates can all deal damage individually, so the numbers against single targets stacks up fast. Crossbows are fine weapons on their own, but they’re best paired with either Unholy spells or allies to take aggro while you attack from range.
4/9
Greatsword
Despite being a heavy looking weapon, the Greatsword is surprisingly mobile. While the basic combo is slow and strong as expected, the abilities are quite adept at dodging attacks. With attack speed boosts or a lifesteal build, it’s one of the most powerful weapons for PvE.
The Great Cleaver ability dashes forward after a short delay, dealing major damage and launching enemies. It performs well against groups, able to interrupt several enemies at once. While it can be used to dodge, the startup only makes this effective against telegraphed attacks.
Death from Above, on the other hand, is a good spot dodge for quicker attacks. It has you jump up into the air, during which you’re invincible. When you come back down, it deals heavy damage in the direction you’re facing.
Between the multiple dodges, high damage, and great crowd control, this weapon is an amazing choice for PvE content. It’s only held back by its slow speed while being required to stay in melee range, leaving you vulnerable if your abilities are on cooldown.
3/9
Pistols
The Pistols are effective weapons for those who want to stay mobile and distant. Explosive Bullet is one of the best abilities for dodging, as the initial roll starts very quickly. It even allows you to counterattack with a powerful shot afterwards.
Even the basic attack is handy, as it’s one of two weapons that have a ranged basic attack. The Pistol’s three-hit combo is much faster than the crossbow, although the first shot has a lengthy startup. You’re able to delay further shots for a couple seconds if you need to reposition.
Fan the Hammer is the most underwhelming part of the kit, as it’s inaccurate at range and leaves you vulnerable. If an enemy is moving slowly or distracted, though, it can lead to big damage.
Overall, the pistols are highly mobile and effective against single targets like bosses. Explosive Bullet has some crowd control capability, but the weapon otherwise struggles against groups.
2/9
Axes
Axes are a versatile weapon that can fit in any build. The weapon type is available from the start of the game and has options for movement, good melee damage, and ranged attacks. They’re useful against groups of enemies and bosses alike and can easily be used for the entire game.
Frenzy is a fairly powerful strike that can also serve as a dodge. Its bonus to attack speed afterwards gives axes solid burst damage. For range, X-Strike ability is a powerful way to initiate combat against any enemy and remains strong once things get going. Being able to stun enemies at the apex allows you to interrupt dangerous attacks or flee if necessary.
1/9
Reaper
The Reaper has some of the best ranged capabilities among all weapons with its Howling Reaper ability. It launches a huge spinning projectile that lingers for a while once it reaches its destination. Many enemies in the game, especially bosses, have long periods of standing still, meaning this ability really lets you rack up damage.
This weapon may not have a movement ability, but Howling Reaper also makes up for it. The range and duration lets you focus on proactively dodging attacks and while it deals damage. Should enemies get too close, Tendon Strike lets you knock back enemies around you. It can conveniently be used to knock enemies into Howling Reaper if they leave its range.
The combination of good range and effective damage against both single targets and groups makes the Reaper the best weapon for general PvE. It’s also likely the best weapon to use as a solo player against bosses. The weapon deals bonus damage to undead enemies, which are found frequently across the world.
Join the High Ground
It’s important to remember that every weapon is ultimately viable for PvE. Each weapon is more useful for certain scenarios, though. Because of this, it’s wise to carry a few different weapons with you at all times to remain flexible. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Wouldn’t want to miss out on more V Rising and other gaming content, would you?
Happy gaming!
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