Crimson Moon Best Weapons & Weapon Arts Tier List
In Crimson Moon, your weapon is more than a damage dealer—it governs your animation priority, poise break thresholds, and Angel Gauge generation rate. With over 30 distinct weapon types available in Gildenarch, explore this verified ranking of primary weapon families, optimal Weapon Arts combinations, and Blacksmith upgrade milestones.
Weapon Category Tier Rankings
This tier list evaluates overall performance across solo campaign progression, War Table Hunt survivability, and stagger output against Dead Gods bosses.
| Tier | Weapon Family | Scaling Stat | Stagger Rating | Key Advantage | Best Early Weapon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S Tier | Colossal Greatswords | Strength / Poise | High (9/10) | Hyper-armor through light attacks; massive single-hit posture breaks. | Iron Vanguard Cleaver |
| S Tier | Twin Scythes | Dexterity / Arcane | Medium (6/10) | Fast multi-hit strings that fill Angel Gauge 50% faster than heavy weapons. | Reaper's Twin Crescent |
| A Tier | Celestial Halberds | Quality (Str/Dex) | Medium-High (7/10) | Outstanding thrust reach; pierces heavy armor shields and keeps distance. | Sanctum Guard Halberd |
| A Tier | Cestus & Brawling Gauntlets | Strength / Agility | Very High (8/10) | Rapid-fire punches with minimal recovery frames; excels at parry ripostes. | Spiked Iron Cestus |
| B Tier | Runed Greatshields & Maces | Constitution / Faith | Medium (6/10) | Exceptional guard stability in Co-op; lower burst DPS in solo speed clears. | Blessed Tower Shield |
Detailed Weapon Family Analysis
Colossal Greatswords
Overview: The premier choice for players who favor high-risk, high-reward trading. Heavy swings possess active hyper-armor frames that cannot be interrupted by regular enemy flinches.
- Pros: 2-3 hits trigger boss stagger kneel; wide horizontal sweep clears swarms.
- Cons: High stamina cost per swing; whiffing leaves a 0.8s recovery window.
- Signature Weapon Art: Shatterfall Cleave (Leap into the air and smash the ground, sending shockwaves that rupture enemy armor).
Twin Scythes
Overview: Designed for relentless offensive aggression. Twin Scythes hit multiple times per input, making them the most effective weapon class for rapidly stacking status ailments and charging your Nephilim Angel Gauge.
- Pros: Unrivaled Angel Gauge generation; smooth dodge-cancel transitions.
- Cons: Zero innate poise armor; susceptible to being interrupted during wind-up.
- Signature Weapon Art: Reaper's Whirlwind (Spin continuously in a vortex of blades, deflecting projectiles and applying bleed).
Celestial Halberds
Overview: The safest weapon class for tackling unfamiliar Gildenarch sectors. Halberds combine extended poke range with vertical overhead chops to hit flying or elevated enemies.
- Pros: Safely attacks outside of most melee grab hitboxes; excellent anti-air.
- Cons: Narrow horizontal hitboxes require precise manual aiming against swarms.
- Signature Weapon Art: Heavenly Thrust (A charged piercing lunge that penetrates up to 3 armored targets in a straight line).
Cestus & Gauntlets
Overview: High-octane brawling weapons that turn close-quarters combat into a rapid rhythm game. Extremely low stamina consumption allows for continuous dodging and counter-strikes.
- Pros: Fastest parry startup frames in the game; high stance-break per second.
- Cons: Extremely short melee reach requires staying glued to the enemy.
- Signature Weapon Art: Ascendant Pummel (A flurry of 8 radiant strikes ending in an explosive celestial uppercut).
Top 5 High-Impact Weapon Arts
Weapon Arts are special maneuvers equipped onto weapons at the Church Blacksmith. Unlike innate movesets, Weapon Arts can be extracted from rare purified drops and reassigned across compatible weapon classes.
| Weapon Art | Compatible Classes | Energy Cost | Combat Effect | How to Acquire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shatterfall Cleave | Greatswords, Greataxes, Hammers | 35 Focus | Aerial leap downward slam with a 360-degree shockwave that strips 40% boss poise. | Church Blacksmith Starter / Sector 1 Elite Drop |
| Reaper's Whirlwind | Twin Scythes, Dual Daggers | 40 Focus | 3-second sustained blade cyclone; generates 35% Angel Gauge on full hit string. | Cathedral of Thorns Hunt reward |
| Heavenly Thrust | Halberds, Spears, Rapiers | 25 Focus | Long-range armor-penetrating thrust with guaranteed stagger on humanoid enemies. | Slums Recon survivor rescue reward |
| Ascendant Pummel | Cestus, Gauntlets, Claws | 30 Focus | Rapid 8-hit combo inflicting Holy Radiance damage and knocking back light foes. | Sanctum Trial II completion |
| Sanctified Bulwark | Greatshields, Medium Shields | 20 Focus | Plant shield into ground to create an invulnerable barrier that reflects magic projectiles. | Church Altar upgrade at Level 3 |
Blacksmith Upgrades & Infusions
Upgrading your weapons at the Church Blacksmith increases base damage and enhances attribute scaling letters (e.g., from C to A scaling).
Weapon Upgrade Tiers
• Standard (+0 to +3): Requires Iron Scrap (common drop in Slums).
• Refined (+4 to +6): Requires Purified Shards and 500 Gold.
• Sanctified (+7 to +9): Requires Holy Ore from War Table Hunts.
• Ascended (+10 Max): Requires 1 Celestial Core from Dead Gods bosses.
Elemental Infusion Paths
• Radiant Infusion: Adds Holy damage; deals +25% bonus against Demons and Vampires.
• Abyssal Infusion: Adds Dark bleed; deals damage over time scaling with Arcane.
• Heavy Infusion: Removes Arcane scaling and maximizes pure Strength scaling to S tier.
When upgrading a weapon from Standard to Ascended, all slotted Weapon Arts and Boon sockets are preserved. You can freely re-socket different Weapon Arts without resetting your weapon's enhancement level.
Next Tactical Directives
Once you have selected your primary weapon, explore our loadout guides to maximize combat synergies: