V Rising Best Weapons Tier List 2026
All 14 weapon types ranked S to D for PvE and PvP. We've tested every weapon through multiple playthroughs — from the starting bone sword to endgame Sanguine builds. Updated for the Invaders of Oakveil expansion.
⚔ Full Weapon Tier List (Quick Reference)
Every weapon type in V Rising ranked. Tiers reflect overall effectiveness in both PvE and PvP contexts. Click each section below for detailed analysis.
| Tier | Weapon | PvE Rating | PvP Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Reaper | S | A | Mob clearing, AoE farming |
| S | Longbow | S | S | Safe boss DPS, kiting |
| S | Spear | S | S | Boss repositioning, burst DPS |
| A | Slasher | B | S | PvP stealth, backstabs |
| A | Pistols | A | A | Kiting while dealing damage |
| A | Twinblade | A | A | Freeze builds, mobility |
| A | Greatsword | B | A | Burst damage, PvP combos |
| B | Sword | B | B | Beginner-friendly, all-around |
| B | Whip | B | B | Ranged control, entangle |
| B | Crossbow | B | C | Safe AoE damage |
| B | Claws | C | B | Puncture builds, mobility |
| C | Mace | C | C | Freeze team synergy |
| C | Axe | C | C | Early game (outclassed later) |
| C | Throwing Daggers | C | D | Niche ranged poke |
S-TIER — Best Weapons in V Rising
These three weapons dominate the meta. If you can only craft one weapon per tier, start here.
🪦 Reaper — S-Tier PvE / A-Tier PvP
The Reaper is the undisputed king of PvE mob clearing. Its wide swing arcs and area-of-effect abilities let you tear through packs of enemies faster than any other weapon.
- Tendon Swing (Q): Wide cleave that snares enemies — excellent for controlling groups while dealing heavy damage.
- Howl (E): AoE fear that creates breathing room when surrounded.
- Bonestorm (Ultimate): Devastating channeled AoE that shreds everything in range.
🏹 Longbow — S-Tier PvE / S-Tier PvP
The safest weapon in V Rising. The Longbow lets you deal maximum damage from maximum distance — invaluable against tough bosses and deadly in PvP.
- Focus (Passive/Stacks): Each consecutive hit increases your damage. Maintain stacks during boss fights for significant DPS increases.
- Rain of Arrows (Q): Large AoE carpet bomb — excellent for clearing adds during boss fights.
- Snap Shot (E): Quick burst damage that slows enemies, creating kiting distance.
🔱 Spear — S-Tier PvE / S-Tier PvP
The Spear offers unmatched utility with its Harpoon ability, which pulls enemies toward you. In PvE it repositions bosses; in PvP it guarantees kills.
- Harpoon (Q): Pulls an enemy to you, interrupting their attack. Pulls bosses out of danger zones. Pulls fleeing PvP opponents back into combat.
- A Thousand Spears (E): Multiple fast stabs in a cone — among the safest and highest DPS skills in the game.
- Shackle (Ultimate): Roots enemies in place while dealing damage over time.
A-TIER — Strong, Situationally Excellent
These weapons excel in specific contexts. Build around them and they rival S-tier.
🗡️ Slasher — B-Tier PvE / S-Tier PvP
The Slasher is the PvP weapon. Its Camouflage ability makes you invisible — the single most powerful tool in player-versus-player combat.
- Camouflage (Q): Turn invisible for several seconds. Break stealth with an attack for bonus backstab damage. The element of surprise wins PvP fights.
- Blinding Fury (E): Multi-hit dash that deals damage and disorients opponents.
🔫 Pistols — A-Tier PvE / A-Tier PvP
Pistols allow you to deal damage while moving — a rare and powerful trait. Their channeled attack lets you kite enemies indefinitely.
- Pistol Volley (Q): Channeled rapid-fire attack that can be aimed while moving. Excellent sustained DPS.
- Bullet Dance (E): Dodge backward while firing — creates distance without stopping damage.
🌀 Twinblade Oakveil — A-Tier PvE / A-Tier PvP
Introduced in the Invaders of Oakveil expansion, the Twinblade offers rapid slashing attacks with strong freeze synergy. Its high attack speed makes it excellent for applying on-hit effects.
- Whirl Slash (Q): Spinning AoE attack that hits multiple times — excellent freeze application with Frost Amulet.
- Blink Strike (E): Teleport to target with a follow-up slash. Great mobility and gap closing.
🗡️ Greatsword — B-Tier PvE / A-Tier PvP
The Greatsword hits hard with every swing. Its Great Cleaver ability delivers a devastating 150% weapon damage burst, making it a premier PvP burst weapon.
- Great Cleaver (Q): Charged attack dealing 150% weapon damage in a cone. Oneshots squishy targets in PvP.
- Rupture (E): Ground slam that slows enemies — sets up the Cleaver combo.
B-TIER — Solid Choices, Outclassed at High Levels
Good weapons that serve specific roles but are generally outclassed by S/A-tier options for serious content.
⚔ Sword
PvE: B / PvP: B
The Sword is your first weapon and the best beginner weapon in V Rising. Its Whirlwind ability provides solid AoE clearing, and the standard moveset is easy to learn. Unfortunately, every role the Sword fills is done better by other weapons at higher gear levels.
- Whirlwind — Spin attack, solid for early mob camps
- Shockwave — Ranged slash projectile
🦯 Whip
PvE: B / PvP: B
The Whip's 2-second entangle from range makes it a strong control tool in both PvE and PvP. You can lock down enemies from safe distance. Damage output is lower than other options, but the control makes it viable in coordinated play.
- Entangle — 2s root at range, excellent setup tool
- Lash — AoE sweep that pushes enemies back
🏹 Crossbow
PvE: B / PvP: C
The Crossbow offers safe ranged damage with its Rain of Bolts AoE. It's usable in PvE for clearing groups from range, but its slow attack speed and lack of mobility make it inferior to the Longbow in almost every situation.
- Rain of Bolts — AoE bolt shower, decent clearing
- Ballista Shot — Heavy single-target damage, slow wind-up
🦅 Claws Oakveil
PvE: C / PvP: B
The Claws are an Oakveil weapon with a Puncture into Rupture combo. They offer decent mobility and bleed damage, but their short range and lower burst potential hold them back compared to established meta picks.
- Puncture — Quick stab with follow-up Rupture
- Frenzy — Attack speed buff, enhances the combo
C-TIER — Underwhelming, Niche Use Only
These weapons have fundamental flaws that limit their effectiveness. Only use them if you're specifically building around their niche.
🔨 Mace
PvE: C / PvP: C
The Mace has freeze chain potential — its abilities can chain into freeze effects. The problem: setup time. You need specific amulets and spell builds to make it work. Without the freeze build, the Mace is slow and clunky.
🪓 Axe
PvE: C / PvP: C
The Axe is your first damage weapon and it shows. Its abilities are straight-forward but lackluster. The Reaper outclasses it for AoE; the Spear outclasses it for single-target. The Axe has no unique identity at higher tiers.
🗡️ Throwing Daggers
PvE: C / PvP: D
Throwing Daggers are simply too slow for the damage they deal. Their attack animation has long recovery frames, making them dangerous in PvE and nearly useless in PvP where mobility matters most. The Longbow does everything better.
🔨 Weapon Crafting Tier Progression
V Rising's weapon crafting follows a clear progression path. Each tier requires materials from new biomes and bosses. You craft weapons at the appropriate crafting station, and each tier dramatically increases your gear score and damage output.
| Tier | Material | Gear Score | Unlock Method | Key Boss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bone | Bone + Animal Hide | 0-15 | Starting equipment (tutorial) | — |
| 2. Copper | Copper Ingot | 15-30 | First V Blood weapon unlocks | Keely the Frost Archer |
| 3. Iron | Iron Ingot | 30-50 | Unlocked via Iron crafting station | Quincey the Bandit King |
| 4. Dark Silver | Dark Silver Ingot | 50-70 | Unlocked by defeating Silverlight bosses | Styx the Defiler |
| 5. Sanguine | Sanguine Ingot | 70-85 | Endgame crafting from final zones | Adam the First Born |
| 6. Ancestral | Ancestral Ingot | 85-91 | Hallowed Mountains / endgame bosses | Dracula |
🎮 Best Weapon by Playstyle
Not everyone plays the same way. Pick the weapon that matches your playstyle to maximize your enjoyment and effectiveness.
🧛 New Player
Best Weapon: Sword
Start with the Sword. Its balanced moveset, easy-to-land Whirlwind AoE, and forgiving attack speed make it the best learning weapon. Switch to Spear or Longbow once you're comfortable with boss mechanics.
Runner-up: Axe (if you prefer slower, harder-hitting attacks)
🎯 Casual Player
Best Weapon: Longbow
If you have limited play time, the Longbow maximizes efficiency. Safe distance means fewer deaths. High DPS means faster boss kills. Focus stacks reward consistent play without complex combos.
Runner-up: Reaper (for satisfying AoE clearing)
🔥 Hardcore PvE Player
Best Weapon: Spear / Reaper
Optimize boss kills with Spear (Harpoon repositioning + A Thousand Spears DPS) and mob clearing with Reaper (Bonestorm + Tendon Swing). Swap between them based on content. Both at Sanguine tier.
Runner-up: Pistols (for no-damage boss fights)
🏆 Completionist / PvP Player
Best Weapons: All 14
Master every weapon type. Use Slasher for PvP stealth kills, Longbow for open-world PvP, Spear for arena combat, Greatsword for burst combos, Twinblade for freeze builds, Whip for control. Each weapon has a place in your arsenal.
Must-learn: Slasher (PvP), Spear (PvP), Longbow (PvE)
⚖ PvE vs PvP Comparison
A weapon's effectiveness changes dramatically between PvE and PvP. Some weapons that dominate against AI-controlled enemies fall flat against human opponents — and vice versa.
| Weapon | PvE Rating | PvP Rating | Why the Difference? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reaper | S | A | Devastating AoE against grouped enemies (PvE) but slow attacks let skilled players dodge (PvP) |
| Longbow | S | S | Safe DPS works everywhere. Kiting is equally effective against bosses and players |
| Spear | S | S | Harpoon is S-tier in both modes. Pull bosses from AoE, pull players from escape attempts |
| Slasher | B | S | Camouflage is game-changing vs. players but overkill against predictable AI |
| Pistols | A | A | Movement damage is valuable in both modes. Strong, consistent, never bad |
| Twinblade | A | A | Fast attacks + freeze synergy work well in both PvE and PvP |
| Greatsword | B | A | Slow wind-up hurts vs. AI, but oneshot burst potential shines vs. players |
| Sword | B | B | Jack of all trades, master of none in both modes |
| Whip | B | B | Entangle is useful in both, but damage is lacking either way |
| Crossbow | B | C | Rain of Bolts is fine for PvE farming. Slow fire rate is exploitable in PvP |
| Claws | C | B | Short range hurts in PvE. Mobility and bleed are more usable in PvP |
| Mace | C | C | Freeze build reliant in both modes — if freeze fails, Mace fails |
| Axe | C | C | Outclassed by Spear/Reaper in PvE and by Greatsword/Spear in PvP |
| Throwing Daggers | C | D | Too slow, too risky, too little reward — the one weapon to avoid entirely |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best weapon for beginners in V Rising?
Which weapon has the highest DPS in V Rising?
Is the Slasher good for PvE?
What are the new Oakveil weapons?
Should I craft every weapon type?
Does weapon type affect gear score?
Ready to Master V Rising Combat?
Bookmark this page and check back as the meta evolves with each patch. Our tier lists are updated after every major balance change.
Data Sources & References
- Stunlock Studios Official — Patch notes and ability data
- r/vrising Community — Player testing and build discussions
- V Rising Official Wiki — Weapon stats and crafting data
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