The Best Swordsman VR Weapons and Bows

So if you’ve played Swordsman VR for a bit you’ve probably realized just how much you benefit from having better weapons.

Seriously, even a small upgrade from your starting gear to even let’s say, a Viking Sword, is an extremely huge boost to the damage you deal to enemies. Though raw damage numbers aren’t all there is to a weapon in Swordsman VR.

You’ve also got to factor in weight, length, and other considerations to truly know if a Swordsman VR weapon fits your playstyle, or just sounds like fun to use.

Though if you’re looking at the Blacksmith’s menu you’ll probably realize that the damage numbers tend to go up the further down you go on the list, and so do the prices.

Just like any VR game with RPG progression like Swordsman VR, the more expensive something is than generally the better it is, though that’s not always the case.

So if you’re collecting a lot of Gold from your fights in the various arenas of Swordsman VR and want to know what the best Swordsman VR weapons and Swordsman VR bows are, then you’ve come to the right place.

Here we’ll tell you the best weapons in each category, and their strengths and weaknesses. We’ll also talk about the boss weapons that you can get from defeating the various bosses in the game, and which of those are the best in each category.

Table Of Contents:

• Swords - Non Boss Weapons

• Swords - Boss Weapons

• Maces

• Daggers

• Axes

• Bows

• Arrows

The Best Swordsman VR Weapons

So we’re going to start with non boss weapons in Swordsman VR in each category here. These are weapons that don’t need you to defeat one of the bosses to get it, and cost gold to buy in the shop.

While none of these weapons have any of the fantastic abilities given to you by the boss weapons, some of them are still very strong. Either way you’ll be forced to use them to take down a few bosses before you get any of the truly unique blades.

Then we’ll talk about some of the best boss weapons that you can get by defeating the various bosses in Swordsman VR.

Each of the boss weapons are free once you defeat the boss that unlocks them, and they’re more powerful than anything you' can buy with gold, though not all will be featured here as some are better than others.

If you want some guidance on how to defeat each boss in Swordsman VR then we’ve got an article covering each boss, their abilities, and most importantly their weaknesses. Also if you’re having trouble in general in this fantastic VR sword fighting game we’ve got some tips and tricks as well.

Swords - Non Boss Weapons

So let’s start with swords, the weapon type that gives you the most options by far in Swordsman VR, as you might have guessed by the title of the game, and the type of weapon that is also the most versatile.

While swords won’t do much damage when hitting enemy armor, their sharp points and edges are great when hitting an opponent’s weak spots.

These most powerful sword weapons in Swordsman VR all vary in size and length, but differ most in what part of the weapon does the most damage, the point for stabbing damage or the edge for slashing damage.

Let’s start with a powerful sword that does fantastically in both categories, the Royal Sword.

The Royal Sword stats in Swordsman VR

If you want an evenly balanced and powerful weapon in Swordsman VR then look no further than the Royal Sword. It does both great slashing and stabbing damage, with an average length and a very cool looking handle.

It’s basically the bigger, meaner older brother of weapons you’ll have unlocked previously like the Viking Sword, or the Half Sword that you start with.

It even has a strength requirement of 4 to get the most out of it, though can only be wielded with a single hand. Still, if you want a powerful weapon that does well in all situations and goes extremely well with a shield then the Royal Sword should be the one you save your gold for.

Now let’s move on to a sword that has a lot of the same properties as the Royal Sword, but really maximizes slashing damage, the Sabre.

The Sabre stats in Swordsman VR

The sabre also requires a strength of 4, but does a bit more slashing damage than the Royal Sword, and a little less slashing damage.

If you find yourself slashing your enemy’s weak spots a lot then this is a very good Swordsman VR weapon to do this with. Though it also can only be wielded with a single hand it also has a decent length.

While sabres were historically meant to be used from horseback, this is a great weapon, and for some boss fights, like the Hel boss fight, is actually better than most alternatives because of how easy it is to hit Hel with slashing attacks.

Of course this also means that the sabre only has a single sharp edge, unlike the other swords we’ll be talking about here, and so makes your opportunities for attacks more limited due to only one side of the blade being meant for striking.

Of course if you’re more into stabbing than slashing then you’ve got a few other options as well, but the most powerful before fighting bosses is definitely the Jian.

The Jian stats in Swordsman VR

While it doesn’t do as much slashing damage, and just a little more stabbing damage, the Jian is a very powerful weapon in Swordsman VR.

It also has the benefit of having a very low strength requirement of 3, and being very light. While being a better stabbing weapon the Jian is more than capable of slashing as well, but boy does it stab good.

You’ll likely notice that we won’t be talking much about the Royal Dagger, the best non boss weapon dagger in this game, and there’s a good reason for that. While the Royal Dagger is nice, if you want a short stabbing weapon before defeating Hel for her dagger, the Jian is much better.

Its short length makes it appropriate to block with, and its ability to do decent slashing damage with both sides of the blade makes it far more versatile if you do need to use a few slashing attacks.

Most importantly of all the Jian is fantastic for quick stabbing attacks with the point of the blade, and that makes how light it is, and the fact that it’s a little shorter than the other swords listed here, an asset instead of a drawback.

Before we get into the boss weapons you might notice we haven’t talked about any of the two handed swords here. Well not only are there a ton of two handed swords given by bosses that are incredibly strong, but two handed swords pre boss aren’t actually that great.

Their heaviness and unwieldiness isn’t matched by an appropriate amount of advantage in terms of damage. They don’t qualify as any of the best weapons because their drawbacks are much bigger than their advantages when comparing them to the three swords we’ve talked about here.

Swords - Boss Weapons

Now for the best Swordsman VR boss weapons in the sword category. There are some really great boss weapons to pick up, and for two handed weapons enjoyers some are also two handed. So let’s start with one of those.

The Solis stats in Swordsman VR

Solis is unlocked by defeating Baltok the Disgraced, and if you want a weapon that not only does good damage, but also makes you much more survivable, this is it.

When comparing the stats to our previous best Swordsman VR weapons you’ll see that, like most two handed swords, Solis doesn’t do the best damage despite being two handed, but what Solis does give you is vastly increased survivability, and so it does well when paired with heavy armors like the Knight and Royal armors.

You get a flat +35 HP, and you heal 25% faster when using Solis.

If you’re ever concerned about dying in a fight then this sword will make you much more survivable when wielded. This not only makes it unique among weapons in Swordsman VR, but also very useful if you’re frustrated with constant deaths during a battle.

For a more offensively themed powerful boss weapon look no further than Hellfire.

The Hellfire stats in Swordsman VR

You’ll immediately see that Hellfire does more damage in both the stabbing and slashing categories than any other weapon listed here. In terms of raw power it is unmatched in Swordsman VR.

Though this raw power does come with some drawbacks. Hellfire weighs a whopping 10 pounds, and has a strength requirement of 10, the maximum value.

What makes these drawbacks more than worth it though, is Hellfire’s special ability. Once charged it can shoot out flames in front of or around you. These flames will instantly destroy common enemies and do fantastic damage to bosses.

Though the biggest downside to Hellfire is that to acquire it you have to defeat The Jotunn, basically the final boss of the game, so once you get it you’re basically on top already.

Still, it’s quite good in arena and horde mode once you’ve defeated The Jotunn, and is also insanely fun to use.

Now for a sword that you can acquire much earlier and easier, and is much lighter and faster. Kodoku.

The Kodoku stats in Swordsman VR

You acquire Kodoku by defeating Yagami the Warchief. It’s a one handed weapon that, at first glance, doesn’t do incredible damage.

It’s equally good at stabbing and slashing, but you’ll see that it has a single leading edge for slashing, and the fact that it’s a little curved makes its stabbing capabilities a little awkward.

What makes Kodoku one of the most powerful boss swords in this game is its poison ability. Despite the 5 pounds of weight and required strength level of 5, this ability makes it very powerful for a certain playstyle.

If you’re the type of swordsman in Swordsman VR that likes to dart in and out of combat for one or two attacks before backing off and waiting for another opening, then this sword is for you.

The poison ability randomly activates on hit, and boy does it do a ton of damage over a short period of time, usually enough to down an enemy when combined with the damage of the hit that applied it (but not always).

This poison is also very potent against bosses, who have very high health pools and generally more armor than most opponents. So if you like to dart in, hit your opponent a few times to apply poison, and dart away, this is a fantastic sword.

Of course not everyone is into more subtle methods of sword fighting and fencing in VR, so let’s talk about the least subtle sword of them all. The Gun Sword.

The Gun Sword stats in Swordsman VR

The Gun Sword is not only a fantastic stabbing sword with a massive 125 stabbing damage, but also the only firearm in all of Swordsman VR. You acquire it by defeating the pirate boss Brownbeard.

Its short length and huge stabbing damage are great and all, making it somewhat similar to the Jian, but what really makes the Gun Sword an absolute beast of a weapon are the guns mounted on top of the hand guard.

They charge like other boss weapon abilities, but the guns charge much quicker than most after just a few strikes, and boy do they pack a punch.

Pointing the blade at a close enemy and letting them rip results in an easy kill if it hits, and a spectacular one too. The only downside is how inaccurate the guns are, and how hard they are to aim.

Still, it’s hard to miss at point blank range. So use the guns when close to an enemy, but not too close.

Maces

So what if you aren’t so good at aiming for weak spots in Swordsman VR? Well then sink a lot of experience into strength and buy a mace, because maces don’t care how armored an enemy is.

Well they do, a little bit, maces deal incredible amounts of Blunt damage. Blunt damage is still mitigated by enemy armor, but not nearly as much as slashing or stabbing damage is.

So if you just want to pound your enemy with massive, strong blows until they go down then Maces are for you.

Here are the most powerful maces in Swordsman VR, starting with the one you can buy with gold, the Royal Mace.

The Royal Mace stats in Swordsman VR

Of course you’ll notice that the Royal Mace is also the only Mace option to buy with gold. It’s also very expensive at the beginning of the game, which means maces in general are more of a late game option.

Hopefully more will be added in the future, but still when compared to swords the Royal Mace is a pretty good weapon.

It won’t take enemies down as quickly as a stab to a weak spot with a sword of similar cost, but boy is it fun and simple to wail on your opponents with this thing until they fall over or ragdoll hilariously.

Though as you might guess this weapon weighs a decent bit at 6 pounds, and has a minimum strength requirement of 6, higher than all of the non boss swords we talked about previously.

What really makes maces worth it in Swordsman VR is the single boss mace that you can get, and boy is it really one of the best and most powerful weapons in this game if you like the sound of the mace playstyle.

The Tombstone stats in Swordsman VR

Tombstone is an absolute beast that you get from defeating Batu the Executioner.

It’s very heavy and has a high strength requirement of 8 to use, but can be wielded with two hands and… boy is it fun smacking enemies around with this thing.

Now you’ll notice in the screenshot that the blunt damage is weirdly low for a mace weapon. I’m not sure if this is a bug, but hitting enemies on the armor is still extremely effective with Tombstone, and so the same playstyle as you might try with the Royal Mace is more than viable with Tombstone.

Tombstone also has the bonus of doing even more damage when hitting an unarmored part of an enemy’s body with the sharp flanges on the head of the mace, and having a flat damage bonus of +30, which is massive.

Tombstone’s special ability is also incredibly potent, though it does take a while to charge. Still, when you use it an earthquake will erupt from the floor and immediately ragdoll all enemies it touches.

Just like with Hellfire this ability will delete regular foes and do incredible damage to boss enemies.

Daggers

Now for Daggers. As far as the best weapons in Swordsman VR go, the best option that doesn’t involve defeating a boss isn’t really that great.

The Royal Dagger does decent damage, but doesn’t make up for its shortness in length with sufficient damage to overcome the risk of getting so close to an enemy to use it. Overall the Jian is a better short stabbing weapon if you want to get in close, as mentioned in the Swords section above.

Though Reaper, the dagger you receive for defeating Hel, is absolutely one of the most powerful and best weapons in this VR sword fighting game.

The Reaper stats in Swordsman VR

It’s light, can hit extremely quickly, and does an insane 130 stabbing damage. Reaper can one shot an enemy easily with a single stab.

Using it makes you feel incredibly powerful, and the ability to quickly demolish most enemies with a strike or two more than makes up for the lack of defensive options with such a short weapon.

Reaper’s special ability makes it even better. When using a dagger the hardest part is getting close to your opponent and stabbing at a vulnerable place. Reaper makes that easy with its Dimension Jump ability.

Basically you go invisible for a couple of seconds and become very fast. This ability can be used very often, unlike most boss weapon abilities, and it makes it incredibly easy to teleport behind an opponent or right in their face and stab them before they can react.

The only downside to Reaper is that the game doesn’t let you dual wield it.

Axes

Axes aren’t a fantastic weapon category in Swordsman VR, they generally play like swords that have a very small effective striking area on the weapon.

They don’t do fantastic blunt damage, and they’re very hard to stab with. The hardest part with using axes in Swordsman VR is that you have to be very careful to hit an opponent with the blade instead of the handle.

So most axes don’t fit easily into the “best” category, but if you really want to try an axe in Swordsman VR go with the Viking Axe.

The Viking Axe stats in Swordsman VR

Why? Well despite not being very long and not doing the best damage, wow is it much easier to use than the only other decent option, the Battle Axe.

The Battle Axe is so hilariously short that it’s unusable. It’s hardly longer than a dagger and is somehow intended for slashing. Using the Battle Axe feels like trying to hit your opponents with a brick. It does more damage, but at the cost of making it extremely hard to hit anything.

Alternatively the Viking Axe is just long enough to feel like a real weapon, but still suffers from all of the drawbacks mentioned above. One decent part of this weapon is that it does good Blunt damage for a bladed weapon, and so punishes you less for hitting armored spots than swords do.

If you really want to try an axe with some length and power to it in Swordsman VR then defeat Bjorn The Savage to get his axe Stormbringer.

The Stormbringer stats in Swordsman VR

Stormbringer is great if you want a two handed axe. While its +5% crit change effect isn’t the best bonus, it does have a very cool special ability.

Once charged you can point the axe at an enemy and use the ability to shoot lightning at them. This will easily take down most enemies and does great damage to bosses.

Otherwise it can be pretty fun to swing this massive axe at enemies for a while, but if you want a good two handed weapon you’re better off using Solis or even another two handed sword like Claus’s Frostbite. They’re all much easier to use.

Bows

There are three bow options in Swordsman VR, and none of them are strictly the “Best”. To explain this let’s start by looking at the Longbow.

The Longbow stats in Swordsman VR

So you see in the description, longer draw, stores a lot of energy. The longbow does great damage, so it must be better, right?

Now look at the Recurve Bow.

The Recurve Bow stats in Swordsman VR

So it won’t do as much damage as a longbow, but it’s much smaller and faster to draw. In the close quarters fighting arenas of Swordsman VR, that sounds like quite an advantage, right?

Okay now let’s look at the Crossbow. It’s small, easy to shoot, but is harder to load.

The Crossbow stats in Swordsman VR

Depending on your personal preference the Crossbow might also be harder to aim. Some have an easier time with it, or an easier time with either of the bows.

Though the crossbow does do the most damage per shot, it also weighs more and has a fairly high strength requirement of 5. So each bow in Swordsman VR has benefits and drawbacks. Whichever is the best comes down a lot to personal preference and playstyle.

Go to the shooting range next to the Blacksmith and try all of them out. See which one you can hit shots most easily with. In terms of straight up power the Longbow is the best bow and the Crossbow is the best overall, but power isn’t the only consideration as you’ve seen earlier in this article.

So the best bow in Swordsman VR is up to you. The arrows are a little different though, and also should be a consideration when you pick your favorite bow.

Arrows

So the best arrows in Swordsman VR are the Poison Arrows, hands down.

The Poison Quiver stats in Swordsman VR

The Poison Quiver is very similar to the Kodoku weapon. Except with the Poison arrows you are guaranteed to poison your target with each hit.

This makes them extremely potent, with each arrow capable of dealing a ton of damage to an enemy if you hit a weak point. This power is reflected in the price of the poison quiver, they’re the most expensive arrows of all.

There is an alternative option with the Piercing Quiver though, combining the Piercing Quiver with a crossbow does give you the opportunity to try to punch through some enemy armor… but this is an unreliable tactic at best.

Still as far as straight up stabbing damage goes, the Piercing Quiver does better than the Poison Quiver.

The Piercing Quiver stats in Swordsman VR

If you want the best arrows then buy the poison arrows and hit your opponents weak spots with them for huge poison damage.

Well there you are, the best Swordsman VR weapons and bows. There are quite a few options out there, but these are the best ones in the game. No matter which weapon you pick and decide to use, enjoy!

5 Helpful Swordsman VR Tips and Tricks

Swordsman VR is a fantastic game from Sinn Studio that is only getting better as the developers keep updating it.

Part of what makes this game so great is how hard it is. Swordsman VR aims to be a true sword fighting simulator, which is what makes it one of the best VR sword fighting games out there.

Of course this difficulty means you might have trouble winning fights at first, or just keep wailing on your enemy and wonder why they never seem to fall down.

Well don’t worry because in this Swordsman VR guide we’ve got 5 helpful Swordsman VR tips and tricks that are sure to help you whether you’re playing on the Oculus Quest 2 or 3, or on PCVR.

So without further ado sharpen your blade and get ready to get better at Swordsman VR.

1. Go For Weak Spots

If there is one Swordsman VR tip that will benefit your more than any other, it’s to learn to go for weak spots on your opponents (assuming you have turned armor physics on when starting the game, which you really should for a more fun experience).

Seriously, you will hardly do any damage if you just bang your blade against an opponent’s heavily armored parts over and over.

The way to do maximum damage in Swordsman VR is to look for weak spots. Each of the various types of opponents in this VR game have different weak spots, but once you find them they are consistent. So once you find them you’ll know exactly where to strike

Stabbing an enemy in the weak spot in their armor by their armpit

Basically you want to look for areas where their body isn’t covered by armor. If you strike a part of your enemy and hear a fleshy sound, see your blade sink in, and see blood, then you’re hitting them in the right place.

The upper torso, stomach and arms will often be defended by thick armor. Though that is not always the case as you’ll see in the tip after this one.

There’s always some sort of opening leading to the face, but those are very hard to hit and can be quite small on some enemies. Though hitting an opponent’s head does incredibly high damage.

So if you think you can finesse a hit to the face then go for it (especially if you parried successfully and activated slow motion).

Some opponents won’t wear helmets. So if you see a completely unprotected head always go for it for a quick victory.

An opponent with no helmet. An easy victory

Some enemy types have more armor and others have less, but all of them will have weak spots on their legs. Going for the legs is a very tried and true strategy in Swordsman VR.

While you’ll learn what enemies have armor in what spots over time through trial and error, start with the legs.

Even the bosses all have some unarmored part on their legs.

2. Certain Enemy Types Are Easier Than Others

When starting a new game in Swordsman VR you might be tempted to start from the left of the opponent list and do them in order.

The arena selection screen. You don’t have to go from left to right

The typical thought is that the beginner stuff is at the beginning of the list, right? Well no, that’s not the case in Swordsman VR.

The first entry on the list of opponent types to fight against in Swordsman VR are Knights. Knights are all extremely well armored and so very difficult to take down for a beginner.

Instead let’s take a lesson from our previous tip and start with opponent types that actually wear less armor and so are way easier to take down.

This way even with your starter gear and lack of stats you can get some victories under your belt and accumulate some wealth and levels that will make taking on the more difficult opponents easier.

Vikings have no protection on their chests

I recommend that you start by fighting the Vikings or the Samurai.

Vikings are the least armored opponents in the game and you can even stab them right through the chest or side. Their only truly armored areas are their stomachs and heads.

Though the Vikings do do incredible damage to a low level player with no armor and can take you down in a hit or two if you’re not careful, so another alternative is starting by fighting the Samurai.

While the Samurai are more armored than their Viking counterparts their legs and most of their arms are basically free game, and some will even spawn without helmets for easy head chopping wins.

You can also just vary between the two if you get bored with one enemy type, but if you want to play optimally focus on getting a lot of victories so you’ll have gold and experience to spend to become more powerful.

Even helmeted samurais have unprotected faces

3. Upgrade Your Gear And Spend Your Money Wisely

There are three ways to become more powerful in Swordsman VR, by getting better weapons, better armor, and better stats.

Weapons and armor are bought with money, and stats are gained with experience. Both of which are earned from winning in the arena.

When you’re just starting out keep in mind that you can always pick up the weapons of fallen enemies, which can be much stronger than those you start with. You can view the stats of all weapons in the buy menu, and they apply to the weapons of your enemies as well.

Though you’ll probably notice in that buy menu that there are a few upgrades you can get for extremely cheap early on. The Viking Sword is extremely cheap and so is the Katana.

Both are big upgrades over your two starting options, the Cutlass and Half Sword.

The Katana is a great upgrade to your starting weapons

You also would benefit from buying the cheapest quiver of arrows even if you don’t plan on bringing in a bow. This still lets you pick up the bows of fallen enemies and use them.

Otherwise you won’t have any arrows on you, though enemies do drop a few if they came in with a bow, just like all other enemy equipment they will disappear when they’re on the ground for long enough.

Also keep in mind that you have a limited number of arrows, so if you were thinking of going straight for a bow and arrows to play keep away with your opponents, then think again because you can’t just plink them from a distance forever.

Though if you miss you can still pick up arrows off of the ground for a limited amount of time.

A more expensive upgrade is armor, but investing just a few thousand into armor can make you significantly stronger early on in the game.

My recommendation is to go for the Viking Armor and Helmet as soon as possible. It not only is a great upgrade in defense, but also makes you do a TON more damage.

The Viking Armor gives both defense and damage

Oh, and if you have a problem with getting hit and losing a lot then try going with a shield and weapon combo. A shield is a great way to not get hit and a very easy defensive measure.

You can even hit an enemy with your shield to throw them off balance. It’s more effective than kicking.

4. Upgrade Your Stats and Spend Experience Wisely

So we’ve already mentioned that you get experience alongside gold.

Well just like gold you have some options of how to spend it, and if you want to get powerful and start challenging bosses you’re going to want to think about how you spend it.

Even knights have unprotected legs

There are a lot of stats to choose from and a lot of different playstyles you can try with different combinations of stats.

You could maximize your chances for slow motion so that you can use slow motion to go for quick face stabs on your enemies.

You can maximize speed and run around using up your arrows and doing hit and run attacks.

The simplest long term plan is just to increase your damage and health by investing into Vitality and Strength. A lot of weapons also have a minimum Strength requirement to use.

Luckily you can always respec later when you’re rich and powerful, and so you can spend your experience like you want without having to worry about needing to start all over again to try a different combination.

The Greed stat gives you more gold

So to get rich and powerful as quickly as possible you can try to accelerate your growth by investing early into the Greed and Intelligence stats.

These will increase how much money and experience you get for winning. Since the early levels are very cheap it’s worth getting a few before your first respec so that you get better rewards when you need them the most.

Of course once Greed and Intelligence levels start becoming expensive you might want to spend your experience elsewhere so that you have the stats to keep up with your opponents and be stronger in a fight.

5. Be Patient

Your biggest advantage against your enemies in Swordsman VR, except maybe for the fact that you are a human and can outsmart the AI opponents, is that you regenerate health.

When you take damage you’ll notice your screen going dark and the edges and your vision greying.

Whenever you see this immediately back off from the fight and just focus on defense for a while.

Hiding behind a big shield is a very effective defensive tactic

Your enemies will generally be very slow to catch up and keep attacking (unless you’re up against a ranged enemy, so hopefully you’ve got a shield or something to hide behind, though you can always just constantly strafe around at a distance so they miss).

You’ll regenerate your health and your vision will return to normal. Your enemies, with the exception of one boss that can heal himself, do not.

This advice holds the best up against bosses. They have incredible amounts of health, and fighting them is a marathon.

Even with good weapons and high damage stats you’ll need to hit them a LOT for them to go down. Push your luck once when you’re wounded and you’ll have to start all over.

A bow is also a great way to attack from a safe distance

So if you get hit be patient and wait until you’re back to full strength to continue the attack.

Well those are all of our Swordsman VR tips and tricks. I hope you’ve gotten something useful out of this guide and wish you the best of luck in the arena. Enjoy!

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