Bloodborne may not be equipped with the wealth of weapon choices that its Souls predecessors do, but there are enough that you'll be challenged when deciding which to devote your time, energy, and Blood Echoes into.
I've spent the past couple weeks getting to know Bloodborne's arsenal. Along the way I've met some ferocious weapons, becoming familiar with the weaknesses of each. Below I will go over five of the most dependable weapons in the game.
5. Saw Cleaver
The Saw Cleaver is a well-balanced weapon throughout the course of Bloodborne. It starts off with moderately high base damage, and grows relatively well throughout the course of the game as you upgrade it.
It's dependable for two reasons. For one, it has medium attack speed making it a weapon that you can use to deliver damage even when faced with agile enemies such as Father Gascoigne. Secondly, it has a strong move set. Its base form has a quick left and right swipe, while its transformed version has an outstanding overhead slam that makes it perfect for poking enemies from afar.
It's also a physical damage only weapon, meaning that you can pump up its attack with physical gems and points in Strength and Skill. There's no need for you to waste points on Arcane or Bloodtinge with this weapon.
As strong as the Saw Cleaver is, it's outclassed by some of the later weapons due to their damage bonus multipliers, stagger capability, and versatility.
How to Obtain: It's one of the three selectable starter weapons.
Difficulty to Use: 2/5
4. Threaded Cane
Ah, the Threaded Cane, the weapon I used to complete the entirety of Bloodborne during my first adventure. What a great weapon.
The Threaded Cane is the quickest hitting of the starter weapons which gives it a leg up against many of the foes in Bloodborne. In its base form you can quickly whack enemies without committing entirely to your attacks, offering you a chance to dodge shortly after taking a swing. In its transformed state it becomes a whip allowing you to slice enemies from a safe distance. Although it doesn't start off that powerful, once upgraded to around +5 it becomes a force to be reckoned with.
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More than anything what makes the Threaded Cane a stellar choice is how easy it is to use. No matter your skill level you can employ it as your go-to weapon in virtually any situation and have good results.
The only reason the Threaded Cane doesn't rank higher is that it's lacking a stagger and high-tier damage throughput.
How to Obtain: It's one of the three selectable starting weapons.
Difficulty to Use: 1/5
3. Chikage
The Chikage is statistically superior to just about any other weapon in Bloodborne. It has remarkable gains from Bloodtinge, allowing you to invest in the firearm-focused stat to make your ranged capabilities better while also contributing to the power of your melee weapon.
It's supported by a fantastic move set that outclasses even the Ludwig's Holy Blade. And, well, it's a katana. There is no cooler weapon to walk around with.
However, it is a very difficult weapon to use consistenty. In order to take advantage of its damage dealing capabilities you need to toggle on its secondary mode which begins to drain your health. Learning when to toggle on the health drain efficiently requires a lot of practice, making this a situational weapon for many players.
While it can be argued that the Chikage is the best weapon in the game when used right, the risk involved with using it means it falls behind two other top-tier weapons.
How to Obtain: Kneel before Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods and speak to her to join the Cainhurst Vilebloods. You can then purchase the weapon from the Hunter's Dream Messengers for 50,000 Blood Echoes.
Difficulty to Use: 5/5
2. Blade of Mercy
Blade of Mercy has an outstanding move set that can slice and dice a single foe to smithereens. Many enemies get locked down by its quick attacks, letting you to commit to killing an enemy without pausing to dodge. It does this better than any other weapon. This, coupled with its potent roll to regular attack, makes it a phenomenal choice for those who are quick on their feet.
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As great as it is against single enemies, it is lacking in terms of AoE and control capability. Therefore, this is not the weapon of choice for dealing with multiple enemies at once. But really, the most dangerous foes in Bloodborne are its bosses, and the Blade of Mercy is a boss killer.
How to Obtain: Obtain the Crow Hunter Badge by helping or killing Eileen the Crow, and then purchase the weapon from the Hunter's Dream Messengers for 40,000 Blood Echoes.
Difficulty to Use: 3/5
1. Ludwig's Holy Blade
Ludwig's Holy Blade is one of the hardest-hitting weapons in the game, and is more well-balanced than its competition. Its move set is virtually perfect, combining pokes with quick swipes and even powerful lunges. It has great range, safe options in its base form, and doesn't suffer from any major weaknesses.
Where it really shines is with staggering. By slamming foes when it's in its transformed state, you can open up enemies to massive burst damage. It takes some getting used to, but is absolutely devastating when performed correctly.
Unlike the Chikage the Ludwig's Holy Blade can unleash big damage without sacrificing health. Unlike the Threaded Cane it starts off with high base damage. And unlike the Blade of Mercy it can hit multiple enemies with ease.
It helps that it looks cool. This is the only great sword style option in Bloodborne, so it's an easy sell to many Souls veterans.
How to Obtain: Defeat the Blood-starved Beast to obtain the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge. You can then purchase the weapon from the Hunter's Dream Messengers for 20,000 Blood Echoes.
Difficulty to Use: 4/5
