Weapons fundamentally change how Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is played. With varying damages, virtue weights, attack speeds, and attack patterns, gamers will find that a new weapon presents a different set of pros and cons. Experts will challenge themselves to become competent with every type of weapon before settling on one.
Keep in mind that one of the strengths of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is its tolerance of every playstyle. An ideal build can will the game even with an F-Tier weapon, it may just take a bit more thought and player talent. This list is based on statistical analysis and community experience, but individual experience should always be prioritized above everything else.
This list assumes players are using the best build with the best available weapon in the game. The early and mid-game experiences may differ.
S-Tier
- Repeating Crossbow
- Slashing Spear
- Staff
The Bamboo Repeating Crossbow truly has an unfair advantage over its ranged counterparts. It has the highest damage per shot in the game and also shoots at the rightest fire rate. No other ranged weapon type comes close.
The Spear of King Fuchai, a Slashing Spear, has the highest damage per strike in the entire game. Even players who primarily use other weapons will want to switch weapons quickly and use the Slashing Spear to deliver lethal strikes against stunned targets.
Only one melee weapon gets an A rating or better from any given attribute. That would be the Golden Staff of King Yufu, drawing its power from the wood virtue. Wood helps players tank, turning all that defense into offense is unfair. The attack speed is also incredibly fast for it being the fourth-highest damage per strike weapon in the game.
A-Tier
- Dual Halberd
- Dual Sword
- Sword
The Dual Halberds of Lady Hao have the third-highest damage per strike in the game and get an A- from the wood virtue. Dual Halberds hit almost as hard as a regular Halberd, but they swing faster, blending damage and attack speed nicely.
Dual Swords, for most of the campaign, will be the best weapon available, on par with the best early-game build. The Gan Jiang and Mo Ye Dual Swords are currently the best in the game, but unfortunately, their damage is a bit below most other weapon types. Even so, with an A- boost from water virtues, this can be the perfect weapon for a caster/fighter blend.
The Sword of Yu the Great may make players fall back in love with their starting weapon. It's quick, easy to block and parry with, and has a much higher-than-expected damage rating. Getting an A- benefit from metal, it should be considered core for those builds.
B-Tier
- Glaive
- Halberd
- Spear
For being a large weapon, the Glaive is not as slow as it appears it might be. The wide arcs against groups of opponents give it some appeal, however, the Triumphant Conquest does less damage than many smaller and quicker weapons. The A- from the metal virtue helps, but it's tough to recommend over a standard Sword.
The Sky-Piercing Halberd is tied with the Spear of King Fuchai as having the highest damage per strike in the game. It gets a solid A- boost from fire. Like the glaive, the wide arcs are nice for fighting off enemies. But the time between attacks usually means it's not wise to swing more than once before getting back on defense.
The Spear of the Hegemon-King would be up at least one tier if it weren't for the Golden Staff of King Yufu. The spear does slightly less damage, is a bit slower, and gets an A- from wood instead of an A. The extra range, though, may make some players feel it's worth getting a respec for.
C-Tier
- Bow
- Curved Sabre
- Hammer
The Bow would be in the lowest tier except for the Flying General's Bow. This gets an incredible A+ from fire. Fire builds will likely use this weapon but any other build should go with the Bamboo Repeating Crossbow.
The Drought Demon Blade, a Curved Sabre, is in a tough spot despite the A- boost from fire. It has about the same damage as the Dual Halberds of Lady Hao but it's slower and the damage is nowhere close to the Sky-Piercing Halberd. It can theoretically be a compromise between the two, but most gamers will probably switch between the others.
It's true that the Quake Griffin Hammer is the sixth-highest damage per strike weapon in the game. It also gets an A- from the earth element, which is a rarity. But Hammers are so dreadfully slow that players are often setting themselves up to get hurt badly with just a single swing. If the damage was the best in the game, it would still be tough to justify.
F-Tier
- Crossbow
- Dual Sabre
- Poleaxe
- Straight Sabre
Even the best Crossbow deals less than one-third of the damage per strike as the Bamboo Repeating Crossbow. Plus, it's got a slower attack speed. Unfortunately, they're just worse in every way side by side. Trying to be successful with a Crossbow will make for a very long game time.
Dual Sabres are in a similar situation. The best deal less than one-third of the damage as the Dual Swords and Dual Halberds are capable of. Most astonishingly, they get no higher than a C- from any virtue, leaving no viable build for them.
Sticking with the theme, the best Poleaxe has a damage-per-strike well under half of what higher-tier arms can do. As with the Dual Sabres, they get no benefit from virtues above a C-, making it impossible to recommend for any given build. Prepare to choose companions and have them do the heavy lifting on damage.
Again reinforcing what makes all these bottom-tier weapons so bad, the best Straight Sabre is can beat one-third of what higher-tier weapons can do. With a C- from its best virtue, making this weapon even average is a statistical impossibility.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.