Best starting weapons in Wild Hearts: Top weapons you should use first

Here is our guide to the best weapons in Wild Hearts, and which weapons you should pick first before setting out to slay the biggest creatures you can find. 

Your weapon of choice in Wild Hearts is most likely the most important decision you will need to make in the game. 

Weapons in Wild Hearts are essentially your class, and each weapon has its own unique playstyle, advantages, and difficulty curves to learn. Although you are not necessarily stuck with your choice. 

There are a total of nine weapons to choose from in the game. Five when you first start out, and a further four more after completing Chapter 2. 

So the question is, which of the starting weapons should you choose? And should you switch weapons upon unlocking more after Chapter 2?

Contents

• Karakuri Katana
• Nodachi
• Bladed Wagasa
• Claw Blade
• Karakuri Staff

Best starting weapons in Wild Hearts

Karakuri Katana

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Despite being the starting weapon you are given, the Karakuri Katana is still a great option when first starting out, despite having its disadvantages. 

The mid-weight, short-ranged weapon deals a considerable amount of damage, with each individual dealing a decent amount of damage. The weapon is not so heavy it feels sluggish to dodge around in. 

The main draw of the Katana is its ability to chain attacks together, being able to deal an incredible amount of damage once you get into a combo. But the main problem is that you cannot be stopped mid-combo. 

Once you are locked into a combo, you cannot break out from it. Meaning even if you aren’t hitting a Kemono, you are stuck swinging around a sword until either it stops or a Kemono comes running into you.

This weapon leaves you vulnerable if you were to time an attack incorrectly, but rewards a good read of the Kemono’s attack patterns with a fantastic amount of damage dealing. 

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And the upgrade paths are also equally fantastic, with plenty of options to increase its damage output and its combo potential. 

As starting weapons go, it can certainly carry you through the entire story with its relatively low skill ceiling. Just as long as you can read the Kemonos attacks and know when to chain attacks.

Nodachi

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The Nodachi is a heavy and sluggish weapon in comparison to the Katana. As a short-ranged weapon, and the only other sword in the game, it is also an incredibly slow playstyle as well. 

But where it excels is its damage output. 

Individual attacks can deal an incredible amount of output, Much more than most other weapons on the entire list can. And if upgraded properly, its critical hits can chunk off a Kemono’s health bar considerably in just one hit. 

And despite its bulky looks, it is also a very easy weapon to handle in comparison to the Katana. You aren’t locked into long attack combos which leaves you vulnerable, meaning it would be very easy to dodge an incoming Kemono attack. 

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Although due to its heavy weight, the Nodachi has very limited mobility. Dodges aren’t as fast nor foes as far as a Katana. And the wind-up time per attack takes a very long time, around 1-2 seconds per attack, which is incredibly slow. 

There are upgrade paths to increase its attack speed, but it trades it off for some overall damage that you deal. But if you don’t mind a slow playstyle, a weapon that trades attack speed for high individual attacks, and being able to time your attacks correctly, then this is the right weapon for you.

Bladed Wagasa

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This lightweight, short-ranged weapon is in a unique position as a weapon that can block and parry attacks. 

Despite not dealing a lot of damage, it has the potential to chain attacks both on the ground and in the air. It is also a weapon with high mobility, allowing you to easily dodge incoming attacks without being stuck into long chain combos like the Katana. 

And the block and parry the weapon allows is an added bonus. Although, it does not function as a shield, but rather a well-timed block. But despite that, if you are stuck in a corner, you can always get away unfazed if you were to time your blocking well. 

But the main drawback of the Wagasa is the very low damage output the weapon deals. Individual attacks deal an insignificant amount, and combos are always equally meager.

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There are upgrade paths to increase its damage and critical hit percent, but it will never be as high as the Nodachi or Katana. 

But if you enjoy a fast-paced playstyle and a good test for your reaction speeds, then this might be the weapon for you. 

Best weapons unlocked after reaching Chapter 2 in Wild Hearts

Claw Blade

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The lightest of the bunch, the Blaw Blade is a lightweight and short-ranged weapon that allows for quick movements and aerial combat, and overall gives you the greatest mobility of any weapon. But it is also one of the hardest weapons to master in the game. 

The Claw Blade is unique in that it allows you to hook into a Kemono with its claw wire and attack it in the air just as long as your claw gauge lasts.

And to build up the claw gauge, you just need to attack the Kemono, and it will gradually fill up the gauge. And with every landing of a claw wire onto a Kemono it increases the power of the aerial attacks. 

The Claw Blade is unique in that it is, undoubtedly, the fastest gameplay in the game. 

Allowing chain attacks both in the air and on the ground, being able to dodge attacks quickly, and insanely flashy and high-damage combos. 

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Although, it has a comparatively low damage output per attack to other weapons, which can be upgraded and is recommended, but where it excels is its combos.

So if you can get over the weapon’s high skill ceiling, you will be rewarded with some of the highest damage per second that any weapon can give. 

Karakuri Staff

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This medium-weight, short-ranged weapon is most likely the hardest weapon to master in the game, and most likely what you should be meaning if you are trying to speedrun hunts. 

The Staff is unique in that it can transform into five different forms, each turning into a weapon with its own individual characteristics. The five-modes are: 

• Staff
• Polearm
• Shuriken
• Double Blades
• Juggernaut Blade

And it can also be transformed to a Giant Sword, a heavy weighted weapon, by just pressing the Special attack and Attack 2 button together. 

In its normal five modes, it is essential you learn how to chain attacks together. To effectively do so, you will need to learn how to chain together transformation attacks from different modes, which takes a lot of mechanical skill. 

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The staff essentially gives you the best of both the Katana and the Nodachi in one. With the Katana’s high-damage combos and the Nodachi’s heavy attacks. 

But of course, its main drawback is its steep learning curve. But, if you do decide to give it a try and decide to master it, you will be rewarded with one of the best damage-dealing weapons in the game.