Best Wild Hearts Weapons and Tier List
Discover the best weapon in Wild Hearts, and see how we rank every weapon type
Looking for the best weapon in Wild Hearts? Wild Hearts is all about smacking big beasties with anything and everything at your disposal. Of course, to topple the toughest bosses, you'll need to use the best weapons. There are eight different weapon types at your disposal, though, so we've looked through them all to determine which takes the top spot.
In this guide, we've put together a Wild Hearts weapon tier list, ranking each weapon type from best to worst. We'll also break down each weapon, explaining how they work and what makes them particularly strong.
Best weapon in Wild Hearts
The best weapon in Wild Hearts is the Karakuri Staff. It can transform into various tools during combat using a Mutation system. These forms include the base staff, a tonfa, a shuriken, and a pike.
The many Mutations mean that the Karakuri Staff offers everything you could need in combat, making it quickly rise above the other weapons available in Wild Hearts.
To unlock different weapon types in Wild Hearts, including the Karakuri Staff, you must simply progress through the story. By the end of Chapter 1, you should have every weapon unlocked.
To craft weapons and upgrade them, you need to use a Field Forge or head to Natsume's shop in Minato. Each weapon has a large upgrade tree which branches out into three sections. These upgrades allow you to increase the damage of your weapon, get new skills, and imbue them with elemental damage (which can make them stronger against specific Kemono).
Wild Hearts Best Weapons Tier List:
- Karakuri Staff
- Nodachi
- Claw Blade
- Bladed Wagasa
- Karakuri Katana
- Bow
- Maul
- Cannon
8. Cannon
- Damage Type: Pummel
- Attack 1: Conjure Ki Base
- Attack 2: Aim Ki Base
- Main Attack: Fire Cannon
The Cannon is the heaviest ranged weapon in Wild Hearts, making it much slower than the Bow. It's far more powerful, but that power comes with a large caveat.
The Cannon is the most technically challenging weapon in Wild Hearts, as it has limited ammunition and can overheat. This means you need to balance that high damage with regaining ammo and short breaks that allow it to cool down.
To regain ammo, you must place down a Ki Base. Ki Bases mark a small area in which you can stand to slowly gain ammo, forcing you to stay in one spot. That makes them particularly dangerous in a boss fight, so make sure to gain some distance and consider setting up a Bulwark nearby for extra defense. When your ammo is full, you can get back to firing on your enemies.
As you land shots, you'll charge your special gauge. When full, the Cannon can unleash a mighty torrent of shots that will deal incredible damage to your enemy. This is one of Wild Hearts' toughest attacks, but it'll take practice to pull off consistently.
For most people, there are alternatives that will still deal plenty of damage, but will feel far easier to wield during Wild Hearts' fast-paced combat encounters.
7. Maul
- Damage Type: Pummel
- Attack 1: Pound
- Attack 2: Jumping Smash
- Special Attack: Power Smash
The Maul is a big, whopping hammer, and it's Wild Hearts' heaviest weapon. Heavy weapons mean big damage, which should prove useful when trying to topple those Giant Kemono bosses. However, it also means you'll attack slower than you would with most other Wild Hearts weapons, so you'll need to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike.
Like many Wild Hearts weapons, the Maul can transform slightly to increase the range and damage of its attacks. It won't be a drastic change, but those able to chain swings together for a powerful combo should keep an eye out in the top-right for any attacks that will extend the Maul's handle.
However, while the Maul can extend its range during a fight, it doesn't offer the wider potential of the Nodachi's spin attacks. Those are much easier to land, and allow for an unexpected burst of speed during a fight that you can use to catch Kemono off-guard. If you're after a heavy weapon, we'd consider trying the Nodachi, as it's a bit more versatile.
6. Bow
- Damage Type: Lunge
- Attack 1: Otoya arrows (vertical)
- Attack 2: Haya arrows (horizontal)
- Special Attack: Bolstered Bow
The Bow has two attack types that you can swap between - a single, focused arrow, and a weaker burst of arrows - and swapping between them frequently increases your damage. Fire the horizontal Haya arrows at your enemy, and then follow up with the vertical Otoya arrows to boost your damage output.
While it might be tempting to just stick with one stance, swapping often will make you much stronger.
Okay, it does a little more than that. Hold the arrow for a few seconds while aiming to charge up your attack, and if you want even more damage, you can hit the middle mouse buton on PC or Y/Triangle on controller to bolster it up even further. You can bolster your Bow twice, but beware that it will leave you vulnerable to attack, so do it when the boss is distracted by an ally.
The Bow is a decent weapon because it lets you deal damage from a distance, while allowing you to remain nimble. Some bosses, such as Kingtusk and the Lavaback, are incredibly powerful melee attackers, so getting some space will certainly help you stay alive.
As they approach, you can quickly dash away and get behind them before unleashing another torrent of arrows. While its power might not rival the Cannon, the Bow's speed makes all the difference when fighting to survive.
5. Karakuri Katana
- Damage Type: Slash
- Attack 1: Downward Slash
- Attack 2: Iai Slash
- Special Attack: Single-Handed Lunge
The Karakuri Katana is the starting weapon in Wild Hearts, but that doesn't make it the worst. This is a nimble, yet powerful melee weapon that you can use to cut through most Giant Kemono in the game. It offers a variety of strikes, such as a basic downward slash, stronger lunge attacks, and a heavy blow that you can chain to deal huge damage.
However, we found that the greatest damage comes from using the Katana with the various Karakuri at your disposal. Placing a Torch down, for example, will set the Katana alight and perform a flaming lunge strike. Using a jump pad will propel you forward for a fast strike, and you can leap from crates for a powerful downward slash. This final attack can deal massive damage to enemy weakpoints, and is worth using liberally in any boss fight.
While these Karakuri abilities aren't necessarily unique to the Katana, it's balance between speed and power means it can chain the various attacks very quickly to deliver a constant onslaught of high damage attacks.
When the Katana's special attack is fully charged, you can transform it into a whip-like weapon that whirls around in a wide arc to land a constant stream of hits on your enemy. This is an excellent finisher to whittle down a boss in its final stages, and secures the Katana as one of Wild Hearts' best, and most versatile, weapons.
4. Bladed Wagasa
- Damage Type: Lunge
- Attack 1: Spindance
- Attack 2: Reverse Lunge
- Special Attack: Parry
The Bladed Wagasa is a light umbrella-style weapon that you can use to leap around your enemy and unleash a flurry of blows. That flurry comes from the spindance attack, which can be used both on the ground and in the air, and will likely be your main form of damage in most fights.
The Bladed Wagasa also offers a parry ability that shields you from incoming attacks, which then charges its special gauge. This parry ability doesn't make the Bladed Wagasa a more defensive option, though. Instead, you should use it when darting around an enemy to soak up their attacks and quickly counter with strikes of your own. It's all about moving fast and delivering a constant stream of small hits to your opponent to whittle them down.
If you time the parry right, it'll also charge the Bladed Wagasa's Spindance bar, boosting its power. This lets you deal much more damage, making the Bladed Wagasa far more viable against all manner of Giant Kemono. However, you'll need to keep those attacks coming, as the Spindance bar will drain rapidly if you don't parry or hit an enemy for a short while.
3. Claw Blade
- Damage Type: Slash
- Attack 1: Wingblade Spin Slash
- Attack 2: Wingblade Crescent Slash
- Special Attack: Wingblade Power Lunge
The Claw Blade is all about moving fast. You can dart around while hitting the enemy with quick slash attacks, like your typical fantasy rogue. However, the Claw Blade also allows you to tether a Giant Kemono with a hook, which you can then use to reel yourself for a surprise attack when the enemy is vulnerable.
Since it offers a much faster moveset, the Claw Blade's attacks are generally weaker than other weapon types. However, the ability to quickly move around your enemy and hit them where it hurts makes it excellent for honing in on enemy weakpoints, offering a bit more precision in Wild Heart's often chaotic battles.
When considering the two lighter weapons - the Claw Blade and the Bladed Wagasa - we've ranked the Claw Blade higher as it's easier to use. You can move quickly on the ground to evade enemy attacks, while the hook makes it much easier to focus your hits. The Bladed Wagasa is a little more unwieldy, and doesn't quite offer the simplicity or the focus of the Claw Blade.
2. Nodachi
- Damage Type: Slash
- Attack 1: Downward Slash
- Attack 2: Receding Slash
- Special Attack: Planted Iai/Full Moon Iai Stance
The Nodachi is a big ol' sword, and we're big fans. It's much heavier than most other weapons, but its damage potential is also much higher. You can use the Nodachi to deal slow, measured swings that will crash down on your opponents, and it also offers a spinning slash that deals damage in a wider arc.
As you strike your enemy and avoid their attacks, you'll charge up its special gauge. When full, you can drain it to unleash an incredibly powerful downward slam that will devastate most enemies. It takes time to build, so you'll need to be patient and aware of when an enemy might swing so that you're ready to dodge.
Wait for your enemy to attack, and then exploit their recovery windows to get in a couple of hits before backing off to safety. If you get carried away while swinging the Nodachi, you'll leave yourself open to easy counterattacks that could prove lethal. Be patient, and you'll deliver some incredibly high damage.
1. Karakuri Staff
- Damage Type: Slash
- Attack 1: Basic Swing (depends on form)
- Attack 2: Heavy Swing (depends on form)
- Special Attack: Mutate
As mentioned at the top of this page, nothing else compares to the Karakuri Staff. Offering a variety of forms to cater to any playstyle, the Staff is the most versatile, and most powerful, weapon in Wild Hearts. It's more complex, with the many forms requiring a lot of practice to perfect, but it's well worth the effort.
With its many transformations, known as Mutations in-game, the Karakuri Staff offers whatever you need in any situation. Those attacking from range can switch to the shuriken, while those after a powerful melee attack can swap between the Staff, tonfa, and pike, for example.
These offer a variety of ways to deal damage, but, most importantly, you can chain the various forms together in a combo to deliver a Juggernaut Slash. That final attack deals huge damage with a huge Nodachi-style sword, and is an excellent finisher for an already versatile weapon.
This allows you to benefit from the heavy attacks of a Nodachi or Maul, and then quickly switch back to a lighter weapon so that you can keep moving. The Karakuri Staff is incredibly versatile, and that makes it the best weapon to wield in Wild Hearts' fast-paced boss battles.
That wraps up our guide on the best weapons in Wild Hearts. Of course, you'll also need to suit up for combat, so check out our guide on the best armor in Wild Hearts. If you're after more tips for hunting some of the early Giant Kemono, take a look at our guides on how to defeat the Ragetail and how to defeat the Sapscourge in Wild Hearts.
