Weapons Tier List

This weapons tier list ranks No Rest for the Wicked armaments for general PvE progression, Cerim Crucible climbing, and Breach farming. Testing assumes appropriate stat investment — a dexterity S-tier katana underperforms in strength hands. Poise bar enabled; medium equip load for dexterity testers, heavy acceptable for strength great weapon tests.

S Tier

• Wind of Death (Katana, Dexterity) — Best all-around dexterity weapon. Fast lights, strong poise break, excellent critical follow-up. Core pick for dexterity builds.
• Fetid Club (Great Club, Strength) — Dominant poise damage; staggers elites quickly. Pairs with strength Focus abilities.
• Falling Sky (Staff, Intelligence) — Top arcane burst and safe range. Anchor for magic-faith DPS.

A Tier

Great axes and hammers with slower windups but massive single-hit poise — strength alternatives to Fetid Club. Spears offering reach in co-op peel scenarios. Faith seals with strong incantation suite for Together support. Bows for Marin Woods and Rookery aerial threats when minimally invested in Dexterity.

B Tier

Straight swords and maces solid early before stat caps. Secondary weapons for hybrid experiments pre-respec. Unique boss drops with cool movesets but inferior poise-per-second — fun, not optimal.

C Tier

Starter weapons outgrown by Lowland Meadows exit. High requirement weapons before stats meet threshold — temporarily C until usable.

Enchantment Interactions

S-tier weapons gain more from enchantments that proc on hit frequency — Wind of Death triggers frost or plague often. Fetid Club loves blunt amplification. Falling Sky scales elemental infusions on charged casts — read how to enchant.

Co-op Notes

Realms do not need duplicate S-tier DPS weapons. One Falling Sky, one Wind of Death, one Fetid Club, one Faith support covers roles. Hardcore Breach may downgrade glass cannon staff tier slightly in favor of spears.

Upgrade paths via crafting; compare armor in armor tier list.

Weapon Class Deep Dive

Katanas — Wind of Death leads the class with balanced speed and poise. Great clubs and hammers — Fetid Club defines strength meta; slower windups demand poise bar literacy. Staves — Falling Sky for Intelligence burst; other staves fill niche elements. Spears — A-tier for co-op reach and safe spacing in Marin Woods tight paths. Seals — A-tier for Faith support in Together Realms. Bows — B-tier utility without dedicated archer respec.

Upgrade Investment Priority

S-tier weapons deserve first access to smith upgrade mats, enchantment benches, and Masterworks pipelines. A-tier weapons are legitimate long-term choices if moveset preference outweighs meta — great axes reward patient heavies. Do not upgrade C-tier starter weapons beyond +2 — replace with tier-appropriate drops from Marin Woods or Nameless Pass. Co-op parties should diversify S-tier categories rather than duplicating Wind of Death four times.

Patch History Notes

Early Access balance shifted poise values multiple times — weapons strong in 2024 testing may differ in 2026 Together meta. Wind of Death, Fetid Club, and Falling Sky survived multiple patches as consistent top picks, suggesting fundamental moveset design rather than temporary overtuning. Revisit this page after October 2026 1.0 launch for full-release balance pass.

Hardcore Breach Weapon Adjustments

• Staff burst remains strong but demands higher Health investment.
• Spears gain value when healing is limited and spacing matters.
• Great weapons risk Stamina bankruptcy — stamina regen runes mandatory.
• Enable poise bar — tier rankings assume stagger-aware play.

Weapon Moveset Evaluation Criteria

Beyond raw DPS, tier rankings weigh recovery frames after whiff, hitbox consistency on slopes, and lock-on behavior on aerial targets. Wind of Death scores high across all criteria. Great axes score high on damage but lower on safety — A-tier reflects tradeoff. Test weapons personally in Sacrament before dismissing tier placement.