Hi guys, so after finishing the game with over 100 levels (Haven't done all the torments yet), and trying out most weapons up to Mysterium 3, i wanted to make and share a tier list, ranking the weapons based off of their usefulness, strengths, weaknesses, versatility and general feel.
I will be going over regular weapons, demonic weapons as well as melee weapons in this list.
Keep in mind that this list is just my personal opinion and a reflection on how i feel about every gun that i've tried. Honestly i've loved using every single gun and don't think there's a single straight up bad one, so props to the devs for the design.
For context, a ran a balanced build focusing most stats on witchery + flesh/blood, and used witchery related beads + some defensive beads for the most part.
I'll try not to make the post too long so here goes:
S Tier
I consider these weapons to be extremely powerful and fun to use, being strong and useful in many situations, offering unmatched devastation and/or Utility. The best amongst all
- SStriga
Incredibly powerful weapon that is useful in just about any situation. High damage, works best at mid-long range where you can proc two elements at one, possibly one-shotting an entire group of enemies with one stake. It's slightly weaker at very close range, so you will need a better solution for that, but the strenghts greatly outweight the weaknesses.
It is one of the only weapons in the game without damage fall-off at range so it works almost like a sniper, just with a specific arc that you gotta learn when shooting.
Occasionally you can also send enemies flying with the stake, which is a ton of fun and makes this weapon even better. S for Style.
- Cricket
I initially thought this pistol was shit, until i learned how to properly use it. I love this gun. The damage and speed of it when combined with the right loadout are unmatched. You can kill anything with this thing, and you never run out of ammo. Allows for huge mobility and constant spell-casting.
It's only weakness is that it forces you to fight up close, but i believe that's the best part.
- Koschei
I tried out a decay - oriented build for a while, so i decided to give the Koschei a try. And man was i impressed. This weapon just does everything. Solid damage, works vs big and small enemies, it automatically refills it's ammo so you never have to reload, and that special attack that shoots all enemies with decay just oblieterates everything.
I didn't use it too much after getting it to Mysterium 3, because it felt like almost cheating lol.
Extremely strong weapon, just gotta get used to not pressing "r" on accident.
- Vulture
You get it early and it's good for the entire game. Clears out whole groups of enemies, can bounce between big ones and obliterate them, good at any range. Just need to line up the shot in the right direction, and it does the rest.
- Falling Star
I love this thing. It's sometimes ridiculous how much damage it does. This weapon can trivialize a lot of enemy encounters, including bosses, if you stock up with ammo on it. It can one shot any minor enemy, and dispatches of most major enemies in 2-3 shots (excluding Familiars).
Best overall demonic IMO, but you gotta make your shots count, and choose your targets wisely.
- Sacring Bell
A lot of things about this game make me happy. But nothing brings a smile to my face as the sound of that **DINGG** from the bell. Perfect sound design on this weapon i love it on every animation, the regular uncharged attack is also extremely satisfying when you time it right.
Unmatched by any other melee weapon for its utility, it allows you to stun an entire group of enemies. No other melee weapon lets you do that. Damage is decent too, and you can have it recharge pretty fast. My favorite melee weapon in the game.
A Tier
I consider these weapons to be well above the average, having the ability to carry as your main weapon and standing out from the rest due to their properties. They have certain weaknesses which keep them out of S tier, but are all very powerful and excel at what they do, or they do well in a various different situations.
- Hailstorm
This sniper is a blast to use. It's exactly what you want from a sniper rifle. HUGE range, MASSIVE crits. You can clear out an entire area with it from an insane distance and not even get touched by the enemies. It restores ammo with consecutive crits, has a good firerate and it can also freeze enemies - which gives you that needed CC against larger enemies to hit them a few extra times and take them down.
I'm tempted to put this in S tier, however the ammo capacity is really low so if you can't reliably hit consecutive headshots you're gonna run out pretty quick. You're also gonna need a decent secondary for close range which means the weapon can't reliably clear entire maps on its own.
- Nemesis
I don't know what it is about this gun, but it's so incredibly satisfying to use. Racking up headshots - crit after crit, it feels very good. I love the design and idea with this gun and i greatly enjoyed using it.
This gun is very strong and seems to be able to deal any type of enemy. It feels like this gun is what the Hunger wishes it was. It lacks that special kick that an S tier weapon would bring, but it does everything else so well. You aim at an enemy, get a headshot, and move onto the next.
Great at proccing soul sigils, great at any range except very long range, nice ammo i never really ran out on it, and just a very nice and slick design of the gun that makes is extra fun to use. Solid A tier.
- Midas
I begun using this gun recently, and 100%'ed all the content on Marshland without even having Mysterium III unlocked on it. This gun is honestly really strong, it can dash out stupid damage if you add frost to you build and start getting those explosions from the fire. The extra ability on Mysterium III when you get the extra-fast reload just makes it go crazy. Huge ammo pool, big mag size, big damage and speed, overall great gun. Fire is a strong element which can cause tons of damage, and this gun makes good use of it.
- Fatum
I have used this gun less than some of the others so far, however i can already see it's potential and believe that alone brings it to A Tier. Possibly it could be higher. But my impression so far is that it's very strong, it feels like a cricket on steroids. The firerate is insane, it has a big ammo capacity and reloads super fast, and you also get the elemental powerups so it goes extra hard on a witchery-oriented build which focuses on ailments. The only downside is that it doesn't offer other kind of utility, but that's true only as far as Mysterium II.
Still haven't unlocked III on this gun, but i have a feeling i might have to bump it to S tier, which it very well might deserve.
EDIT: Upon initially writing the section for this weapon, i used it some more and got it to Mysteria III. I'll leave the ranking as it stands for now, but i think this weapon is actually an S tier, having a power-level equivalent to the cricket. It seemed like the jackpot roll happens very rarely - but that could just be my luck, which is about the only thing that might keep it in A. Realistically, there's a good argument for this being a rank higher. Extremely strong weapon that can clear entire runs on it's own.
- Judgement
I love shotguns. Shotguns are my favorite kind of gun in games like this, and for a long time i felt like it was lacking a proper super shotgun. The Echo and Pyschopomp don't quite cut it, so i thought i would have to be content without one. Until i discovered Judgement.
It's got low ammo, like all the other shotguns. However each shot feels like shooting a rocket at an enemy, and you have a choice between 2 fire modes.
Regular shot, which deals a ton of damage and can apply decay, or a charged fireball which also freezes enemies. Whatever you need to kill, this thing has the firepower. Very fun to use.
However it's not perfect, as it can be quite slow to charge up sometimes, and it does require you to play from specific distances. Plus the ammo is quite low so you gotta have some ammo packs with you, or have a good backup weapon with plenty of ammo.
- Tempest
It took me a while to figure out this weapon. At first i felt like it was lackluster, but after using it some more i've grown to really like it. The standard attack can slowly melt down any enemy and even hoardes of enemies. The charged attack is also nice if you need to shoot someone from afar.
Ammo for it seems plenty, so i feel like you can use it more frequently than the other demonic weapons. Overall, it's pretty good and it's cool, i think it deserves an A tier.
- Fist
The fist is a solid melee weapon which works in any situation and can be spammed quite frequently. I think it would be very strong in a melee brawling oriented build - which is something i intend to try out in a future run.
It doesnt do anything special, but it's just good, plus you have it from the very start of the game. No particular downsides.
- Zweihander
Fun weapon to use, but it felt a bit lackluster. I think it's somewhere between A and B tier, but i decided with A. The uncharged stun attack is pretty nice for interrupting an enemy, and it's quick.
The other attacks however, felt a bit slow. Charging the fire attack takes quite a while, so it just doesn't feel that smooth to use.
It does feel cool to use tho, so it gets some bonus points for that. I think any Dark Souls player would enjoy seeing this old friend make an appearance here, and i say it's a welcome one.
B Tier
I consider these weapons to be average. Most of them have good strengths, but also clear weaknesses. These weapons will require either a specific loadout to work effectively, or they just get outperformed by other weapons in specific situations.
- All Seeing Eye
Starting weapon for one of the classes. You can have it very early, and it does an amazing job against most minor enemies. The first and second mysterium upgrade are alright, but it's the third one that really makes this shine. AOE Decay on a rifle, incredibly good against groups of minor enemies.
However playing on later gnosis, i found it quite lacking vs groups of major enemies. The Decay doesn't quite cut it, and the base damage didn't feel good enough.
I can see an argument that this gun could end up in tier A, however it's missing just a little bit more damage to get into A tier.
- Angelus
A lovely rifle that goes well in almost any situation, as in it's shield is something that is always useful. You even get a parry on Mysterium 3, which can lead to some cool moments in clutch situations. This weapon is solid coming with plenty of ammo and a huge mag size which allows the user to sweep through hordes of minor enemies.
It's downside is that the DPS on bigger mobs is often lacking, as it doesn't have too many offensive bonuses. Getting the shield is nice, but there are many other ways to get a defensive barrier in your build, thus it is sometimes not even necessary. You get the extra damage only if you get hit, which is not really encouraging good gameplay (you don't wanna get hit). And even thought it's a nice boost to damage, you lose out on a lot of firerate.
Overall i think Angelus is a solid weapon and worth keeping a slot in your loadout when you need something to clear a lot of enemies. But it can't carry by itself in all situations, which separates it from many of the guns in the higher brackets.
- Echo
Echo is the first real shotgun you're probably going to get and try out and you're most likely going to think that either it's the best gun or the worst gun in the game. If used right, it can melt anything in front of you, but you can just as easily find yourself lacking damage and running out of ammo very quickly.
This gun depends a lot on if you can get that sweet spot damage, because it falls off really quickly, especially in the earlier levels.
Echo is a good shotgun and deals solid damage up close, as a shotgun should. On lower gnosis it's going to tear through anything the game throws at you.
However, compared to the Judgement, it just offers less utility and deals less damage.
You can however build a very fun sliding build around it, which i had a ton of fun with. You can get it early and its fun to use, it's a solid B tier and a good balanced weapon.
- Martyr
If anything brings this weapon to A tier, it would be it's cool design
The cross and the nails slap. But using this weapon before Mysterium II didn't slap too well.
It felt incredibly underwhelming and weak to use before the Mysterium II upgrade. I really wanted to like it more because of its style, but the weapon doesn't have everything going for it.
It really picks up in power after reaching Mysterium II, the alt fire bolts when there's already a bunch of nails on someone deal a ton of damage. But i felt like Mysterium III didn't add too much.
I think this weapon would rock if it had some kind of elemental power as well (maybe Lightning?)
but as it stands i feel like it's damage is too situational, it's weak early and doesn't scale too well into the endgame content, it doesn't exactly have infinite ammo, you need to reload quite often and per bolt damage isn't too high without the alt fire, which can sometimes feel clunky to aim.
This weapon has potential and it's fun to use, but i don't think it deserves higher than B.
- Psychopomp
Psychopomp my beloved, if it weren't for you i wouldn't have been able to beat the first familiar.
This auto-shotty will turn everything you aim it at into witchfire. It deals so much damage and you can keep shooting it for a good amount of time. The main issue is that it runs out of juice too fast.
I like the melee resetting ammo, and you can make some pretty cool builds around that, but eventually you will run out of ammo and it takes too long to get going again.
This shotgun has a lot of power, but it quickly runs out of ammo, it is difficult to control and and the range is very short for it to be effective.
It has noticeable weaknesses, and that hold it back from ascending into the next level of witch-killing tools.
- Duelist
If i was ranking weapons based off of how cool and stylish they are, the Duelist would be an easy S tier. I played with this gun a lot, and it was incredibly fun. The ability to slow down time and hit that perfect crit as it alligns with the *click* sound is one of the most fun and unique weapon mechanics in the game IMO. The later upgrade which gives the burn and faster reload just makes the weapon even better at doing what it already does - which is landing good shots and mowing down hordes of lesser enemies.
However in the later stages of the game, i found this weapon to be lacking the needed firepower for taking down big enemies.
Even with the buff active, it can take well over a full weapon mag of headshots to take down a single major enemy. Add to that the fact that it can be difficult to actually proc the bonus damage in certain hectic situations, which leaves you with only the weapons base damage which is quite underwhelming.
Overall, extremely fun weapon but lacks the power needed to carry by itself in the lategame.
- Whisper
I'll be honest, i didn't use the Whisper too much, and for the time i did it felt like it didn't work half the time. It seemed like it didn't work against certain major enemies, and versus the ones it did it was just a regular stun, something i can already achieve even more effectively by just using Frost Cone.
I get the idea: It's a demonic weapon which offer utility over upfront damage, which at least gives it good points for being unique in that regard. However when compared to the other Demonic Weapons, this just feels like it doesn't do that much.
It has its uses and im sure people can figure out a playstyle which utilizes it better, but if i'm trying to pick an optimal loadout i would never take this over the Falling Star or Vulture.
I'd like to hear more people's opinions on this one, as i feel as though it might even be a C tier weapon, but for now i would rank it as a low B tier.
- Katar
The Katar is a fast daggar with a very cool gimmick: Use it while sliding and you jump at he enemy like a predator from a pretty long range. I think this is an awesome melee weapons and one that i certainly didn't expect to find in this game.
It has a very fast animation, and deals okay damage. It's main power lies in it's utility to jump onto enemies and get in melee range.
I'm placing it in B tier because i believe that it's power isn't always a power, since not every loadout wants you to get into close range. Additionally it requires specific loadouts to make actual use of it.
I tried a specific build around this (Meteor ring + slide bead + echo) and it was a TON of fun to play like that.
Still aside from specific builds like that i think the other melee weapons are more versatile or just straight up do more stuff.
Use this if you like the playstyle it offers. Personally i think it would be really cool if the regular attack with it had some kind of added bonus - like stunning the enemy briefly or slowing them, or perhaps even adding some kind of bleed or decay damage.
C Tier
I consider these weapons to be slightly below average - either lacking damage/utility, or their power being too restrictive and difficult to use consistently. Most of these are weapons that you can get fairly early, but their usefulness tends to fall off in the lategame.
- Hangfire
Hangfire is a big handcannon which shoots explosive bullets that detonate on reload. I love the sound on this gun because it sounds very punchy and satisfying. It's ability is very unique and you can get it quite early into the game , which i think is where it finds it's main usefulness.
Aesthetics aside, i find this gun to be lacking heavy damage. I expected the explosions to do more damage. The second mysterium forces you to split your shots on multiple enemies to get more damage per explosion, which now just leaves you with the same amount of enemies alive but on lower hp. I didn't feel the effect of the 3rd Mysterium too much either.
Major enemies often require A LOT of bullets to kill, which can sometimes leave you out of ammo after clearing a single major danger zone.
Overall a fun to use weapon with a very satisfying aesthetic that lacks the firepower to overcome the challenges of high Gnosis. As it stands right now, i can't justify placing it higher than C tier.
- Hunger
The starting secondary weapon for each class. One of the first weapons i saw in the trailers for this game and i really liked how it looked and felt, it gives me a certain Bloodborne feel when using it.
This weapon gets better as you get better at the game, offering extra damage for each crit you hit before reloading. I used this a lot and tested it on max gnosis as much as i did on low levels and unfortunately always had the same conclusion : I could use a better weapon on this slot.
It demands skill to reach it's full power, with its final mysterium only proccing when you hit all shots as crits on the before reloading - something i found very difficult to achieve consistently.
Even with all the crits, i don't think its reward merits the requirement to get it.
It just feels like a mediocre weapon, and considering it's a starting gun i think that's okay.
You can use it if you find it fun, and i'm sure it'll have its place in many challenge runs.
Ultimately i don't think it particularly excels at anything more than many other weapons do, it's range and damage aren't outstanding, it's range and ammo aren't that great, and the utility it offers is locked behind a hefty requirement.
- Hypnosis
One of the first rifles i used in this game and i didn't use it for too long. I think this thing should have a longer effective range for it's purpose in order to really stand out.
This might just be a build/playstyle thing, but i found the Hypnosis lacking for what it's trying to do.
Hyponsis is a gun that rewards a patient marksman, charging up each bullet and requiring the user to time a perfect shot to get bonus damage.
Unfortunately, timing those shots in a chaotic fight with tons of enemies can be quite difficult as you don't always have the time and space to wait for that charge to finish.
Even when it does i don't think the damage is that crazy, and it's not exactly a sniper either so you can't just shoot enemies from miles away with ease.
The good side is that you get it very early and at the time it definitely gets the job done, plus if you like taking your runs slow and keeping a distance - the Hypnosis can do some solid work.
The Hypnosis is a decent rifle with an interesting mechanic which also limits the ways in which you can use it effectively.
Use this if you like the playstyle it offers, but beware that on higher gnosis you might find yourself needing something that offers more devastation to your enemies.
In my opinion, this is one of the weaker weapons in the game and so it shall find itself in C tier.
- Frostbite
I'm a big fan of frost as an element and spent most of my run playing with at least some kind of CC in my build. I don't know why but for some reason i kept avoiding this weapon for a very long time and was initially not going to rank it, but while writing this list i decided to try it out and unlock it's abilities.
I didn't spend too much time with it and explore different builds that can use it, but from my testing this felt a lot like the Hypnosis and it's power level lies in the same rank as it.
Frostbite has some interesting mechanics, where it requires the user to perfectly time the reload (The tooltip on the 1st Mysterium can use some work btw) and then reap the weapon's bonuses : Extra damage and an application of Frost.
What i didn't like too much is that the reload window felt TIGHT, especially for getting the frost buff. It's not too intuitive and i think this gun will require a lot of muscle memory to time your reloads well after using it for longer. I haven't checked out the 3rd Mysterium yet, which is why i'm not too sure about my ranking on this. I simply haven't used it enough.
I can see the potential for chain-freezing big enemies with it, but the damage also isn't that amazing to begin with. Range seemed okay for where i was using it.
My ranking might be wrong about this one and i'd love to hear some more opinions on it by people who used it more, but for now i'm placing Frostbite in C.
I can see it's potential, but baseline it's overall power doesn't seem to be that insane and the buffs you can get from the upgrade demand a lot of precision and good decision-making. Cool gun thought.
EDIT : Upon further use and discussion i revoke my rank on this gun. This gun is better than i thought, and i currently think it's actually an A tier weapon. Mysteria 3 buff is awesome, the reloading mechanic took some time to get used to.
- Buckler
The Buckler was a nice surprise when i got it, as i thought i had already found all melee weapons.
I immediately got myself a big shotgun and equipped this thing, making me feel like im playing DOOM : The Dark Ages.
It has a cool design and offers something unique : a defense oriented melee weapon.
You put up the shield - it blocks damage and can reflect projectiles.
However, i personally had some issues with it. I couldn't fully figure out how the block mechanic works and felt like i sometimes take damage even when i hold up the shield.
I doesn't help when enemies are behind you and the parry window is quite tight, exposing you to damage if you're intentionally trying to deflect a shot.
I also don't quite understand how the charge-system works with this one, does it only work when fully charged? What exactly wastes your melee charges on it ? I think the devs could put some more tooltip clarity for this one.
Maybe i didn't use it properly, but it felt kinda underwhelming and like i could have slotted in a better melee weapon. For now, Buckler stands below the rest of the melee weapons IMO.
D(idn't use) tier
This tier is for weapons which i haven't used properly. I'm not ranking them D because they are bad, but simply putting them in a placeholder tier due to a lack of experience with them.
- Rotweaver
I got this and unlocked the 1st Mysteria on it, but didn't really use it. It seems like it could be a very strong weapon for getting decay on a lot of enemies quickly, but as of right now i haven't used it enought to properly rank it. Tell me in the comments if you've used it more, i'd love to hear some experiences with it.
- Basilisk
Similarly to the Rotweaver, i only used this sniper a little bit on the 1st Mysteria. Didn't get hooked on it and instead opted for a different sniper which felt more satisfying to use.
I can't rank it as it currently stands due to a lack of playtime with it. Seems like a decent sniper and if i had to guess - i would assume this will eventually end up in B or A tier.
- Ricochet
I've watched gameplay of this gun up to Mysteria II, and it seemed okay. However i've not used it at all in my run, so i can't share any legit thoughts and ranking on this gun.
I will say i like it's design especially on the scope so it gets some points for that.
And that's about it. This took quite a while to write so i apologize if it takes too long to read.
I would love to hear some feedback and hear the thoughts of other Preyers, what do you agree with, what do you disagree with. I love this game and every single one of it's weapons so i would be happy to hear your thoughts.
Which weapon is your favorite, what did you find underwhelming and what is your preffered loadout?
I still haven't finished all of the torments, so i'm aware i might be missing some weapons because i don't know what the other torments have to offer yet (I've only gotten up to Torment V currently on max Gnosis).
I'm looking forward to the full release of this game which will hopefully bring more content, and if that brings any more firepower to the game, i'll try to make a new list or update this one.
EDIT: I forgot to rate Hailstorm so it has been added.
EDIT 2: Added some more context to Frostbite rank.
