Crimson Desert Best Weapons Tier List

Weapon Guide — How to Choose the Best Weapon

• Bare Hands are secretly S+ tier — wrestling moves like German suplex and chokeslam bridge every weapon combo. Every build benefits from learning them
• Greatswords and Spears hit 27 ATK at their peak (Flame Spear / Soul Spear) — highest raw damage in the game, best for stagger-heavy fights
• Ranged weapons (Bows, Pistols, Hand Cannons) and two-handed weapons get 5 Abyss Gear core slots — one-handed only get 3. Plan your build around this
• Bleed bypasses elemental resistances — apply it via the Stab skill on humanoid bosses when you can't match their element
• Refinement is 10 levels, no Silver cost — only raw materials at any Blacksmith. The Hernand Refinement Token lets you refine up to Stage 4 for free
• Abyss Gear cores unlock after Chapter 5 'Exposed Plot' via Elowen the Witch — before that, skip worrying about core slots

Weapon Categories

• One-Handed — swords, daggers, hammers, maces, axes. Fast combos, 3 Abyss Gear slots. Best for aggressive close-range play
• Two-Handed — greatswords, spears, warhammers, halberds, staves. Highest damage per hit, 5 Abyss Gear slots. Rewards patient, deliberate playstyle
• Ranged — bows, pistols, rifles, hand cannons. 5 Abyss Gear slots, crit rate scaling. Only weapon class with meaningful crit mechanics
• Shields — off-hand blocking and parrying. Pair with one-handed weapons to trade offense for survivability
• Bare Hands — universal connector between all weapon types. S+ tier. Wrestling moves deal real damage and fill stagger bars fast

Refinement & Abyss Gears

• Level 5+ refinement needs Abyss Artifacts. Level 10 needs Aeserion's Scale — plan this as a late-game goal, not early progression
• Abyss Gear socket creation costs Silver (5→10→20→30→40 = 105 total). Installing and extracting cores is free — swap freely
• Elemental attacks unlock at Spire locations, not Blacksmiths. Fire and Frost unlock early; more elements open after Chapter 8