So, you’re just starting your journey with Eivor, and you aren’t sure what the best options are for weapons right out of the gate. Well, never fear because I’ve got you covered with 10 of the best weapons you can get early in the game, and how to get them.
10. Housecarl’s Axe (Best For Dual-Axe Builds)
If you want to play a dual-axe wielding Eivor, but are looking for a good companion to Varin’s Axe, then you need to look no further than the Housecarl’s Axe. It has reasonable stats and has an ability that increases its attack with each hit (stacking up to 10 times). It’s not a better axe than Varin’s axe, but it’s ideal for pairing with it. It’s also available fairly early in one of the first areas you go after the tutorial, so you can get it almost immediately after landing in England.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 50 - 106
Speed: 50 - 50
Stun: 50 - 100
Critical Chance: 47 - 67
Weight: 11
Perk: Increases attack after each hit (to a maximum of 10 times)
What Makes The Housecarl’s Axe Awesome:
- You can get it almost immediately upon reaching England
- It pairs with Varin’s Axe wonderfully, both functionally and aesthetically
- It’s perk allows you to get some pretty solid damage output out of it, especially in it’s fully upgraded form
- It has a respectable stun output when fully upgraded as well, making it useful against more powerful foes
How Do You Get The Housecarl’s Axe?
9. Iron-Star Flail (Best For Crowd-Control )
There’s something really viscerally entertaining about the flail as a weapon. Enemies are trying to get close to you and you’re just swinging this sharp piece of metal on a chain around, bringing injury and death to whoever is unlucky enough to get in its way. The Iron-Star Flail does just this, making you a nightmare to common and uncommon enemies alike. Plus you can get it before you even leave Norway.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 70 - 126
Speed: 38 - 38
Stun: 65 - 115
Critical Chance: 46 - 66
Weight: 13
Perk: Increases attack after a heavy finisher
What Makes The Iron-Star Flail Awesome:
- Great for crowd control, especially with weaker enemies
- Can be found during one of the first missions before you even sail to England
- With it’s perk, it can do some respectable damage for a very early weapon
How Do You Get The Iron-Star Flail?
8. Recurve Bow (Best For Sniping)
Is your approach to stealth just making sure that no one survives to ring the alarm? Do you like to clear enemy outposts without even having to get close? Then the recurve bow is for you. It being a predator bow means that you get to use the sight on it to make very precise shots, and this specific bow’s perk causes it to do more damage when you are at full health so it’s especially well suited for avoiding combat.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 56 - 112
Speed: 29 - 29
Stun: 26 - 76
Critical Chance: 59 - 79
Weight: 18
Perk: Increases attack when you have at least 90% of your health
What Makes The Recurve Bow Awesome?
- It’s perk is ideal for stealthy sniping
- It has relatively high damage and critical chance, especially when upgraded
- You can get it before even leaving Norway
How Do You Get The Recurve Bow?
7.Warhammer (Best For Stunning)
If you want something that packs a little more stun damage (Which is especially helpful against those harder enemies), then look no further than the War Hammer. It packs a hell of a punch in terms of stun damage, and it does a reasonable amount of standard damage as well. When you also take into account the weapon’s perk of increasing heavy damage after performing a Heavy Finisher, it’s pretty lethal to weak enemies and strong enemies.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 49 - 105
Speed: 51 - 51
Stun: 69 - 119
Critical Chance: 58 - 78
Weight: 12
Perk: Increases heavy damage for 20 seconds after a heavy finisher
What Makes The War Hammer Awesome?
- It has high stun damage, especially when fully upgraded
- It’s actually a Raven weapon, so it works well with stealth-focused players that find themselves in a heavy fight
- You can get it before leaving Norway
How Do You Get The War Hammer?
6. Skadi’s Wrath (Best For Close-Combat Archery)
Who says that Archery has to be a long-range thing? With Skadi’s Wrath, you are actually a lot better off being up close and personal. As a light bow, Skadi’s Wrath fires arrows very fast but doesn’t allow you to aim quite as well as some of the other bows. Think of it as a Viking-era machine gun. What makes this one fun though, is that you get a 10s bonus to your chance of scoring a critical hit every time you hit a weak spot on an enemy. This is great if you are fighting a tough enemy, both for hitting a few weak spots to stun them and then having the increased chance of scoring a critical hit when you go in for the kill.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 56 - 112
Speed: 49 - 49
Stun: 67 - 117
Critical Chance: 55 - 75
Weight: 12
Perk: Increased critical hit chance for 10 seconds after hitting a weak point
What Makes Skadi’s Wrath Awesome?
- Its high rate of fire means you don’t have to be too accurate to hit a weak spot
- Can be a solid choice for a bow even in the later game
How Do You Get Skadi’s Wrath?
5. Sepulchre Axe (Best Heavy Weapon)
If you are anything like me, you probably came into this game wanting to get your hands on a bigger axe than a one-handed axe. Sure, they are historically accurate and all but coming off games like Rune and Skyrim it’s hard to shake the image of a Norse badass with a big two-handed-handed axe. Luckily, Valhalla has you covered. The Sepulchre axe is a very solid two-handed weapon, dolling out loads of damage and stun, with the added fun perk that every 10 seconds it can catch fire if you score a critical hit. This combo makes it both lethal against tough enemies, but also against groups of enemies.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 61
Speed: 37
Stun: 56
Critical Chance: 43
Weight: 17
Perk: Ignites for 5 seconds upon scoring a critical hit (10-second cooldown)
What Makes The Sepulcher Axe Awesome?
- It’s a gorgeous axe
- Its perk can do a lot of damage, especially to groups of enemies
- It’s one of the few solid heavy weapons in the early game
How do You Get The Sepulcher Axe?
4.Blodwulf (Best Shield)
Blodwulf fits in nicely with the last entry (and I’ve had some fun pairing the two after getting the skill that allows you to use one hand to wield two-handed weapons). On the surface, Blodwulf is a pretty standard light shield, it’s not going to weigh you down too much and it’s going to do a good job of making blocking easier. What makes this one shine though, is that it has a 33% chance of igniting your weapon after a successful parry. This is especially good because you’re probably going to be parrying anyway, so it just gives you that added fire damage boost from time to time (and I found that it happened quite a lot when I was playing). If you like shields, and you like setting people on fire; this one’s the one for you.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 49 - 105
Speed: 48 - 48
Stun: 60 - 110
Critical Chance: 44 - 64
Weight: 14
Perk: 33% chance to ignite your weapon for 5 seconds upon a successful parry (15-second cooldown)
What Makes Blodwulf Awesome?
- Its perk turns something generally intended to be used defensively (a shield) into a strong aid to offensive gameplay
- Fully upgraded it has fairly high damage and stun stats
How Do You Get Blodwulf?
3. Fafnir’s Fang (Best For Fighting Groups Of Enemies)
Do you think stealth is for sissies, and see a large group of enemies merely as a fun challenge? Well, this spear is probably ideal for you then. With a high speed and stat, and an interesting perk that increases your critical chance based on how many enemies are surrounding you (scales for 3, 4, or 5 enemies) this spear is incredibly deadly in the right hands.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 45 - 101
Speed: 52 - 52
Stun: 31 - 81
Critical Chance: 64 - 84
Weight: 16
Perk: Increased critical chance when surrounded by 3 or more enemies (added bonuses for 4 and 5 enemies). This bonus lasts for 10 seconds after no longer being surrounded by the prerequisite amount of enemies
What Makes Fafnir’s Fang Awesome?
- Its perk coupled with a high-speed state make it great for groups of enemies
- Its a strong choice even in the late game, as the fully upgraded version has very high damage, stun, and critical chance stats
- You can get it before leaving Norway
How Do You Get Fafnir’s Fang?
2. Yngling Seax (Best For Speed)
Sometimes you just have to go for speed. Some strong enemies are really hard to meet on their level, especially in the early game. Sometimes the best option is going to be hitting them fast and then getting out of their way. That’s where this dagger really excels. It’s very fast, so you can get a few hits in and get the heck out of there, and its perk increases melee damage after a dodge which further cements its worth as a hit-and-run weapon. This, especially paired with another fast single-handed weapon will make you the nightmare of any slow-moving enemy.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 30 - 86
Speed: 80 - 80
Stun: 30 - 80
Critical Chance: 64 - 84
Weight: 10
Perk: Increases melee damage after a dodge
What Makes The Yngling Seax Awesome?
- It’s insanely fast to attack with
- Its perk rewards you for dodging around enemies and hitting them with quick attacks
- You can get it before leaving Norway
How Do You Get The Yngling Seax?
1. Varin’s Axe (Best For The Whole Game)
Saving the best for last, we have Varin’s Axe. You get this weapon almost immediately after starting the game, and you really don’t need any other weapons for the most part. It has strong stats, its perk increases its speed with each hit and stacks up to 10 times, and when fully upgraded it has very respectable stats. I continued to use this axe on and off for my entire playthrough, and I know I’m not alone in this.
Base Stats - Fully Upgraded Stats
Attack: 60 - 110
Speed: 48 - 48
Stun: 60 - 105
Critical Chance: 49 - 67
Weight: 12
Perk: Increases Speed after each hit (Stacks up to 10 times)
What Makes Varin’s Axe Awesome?
- Its upgrades make it strong right through the entire game
- Its perk combined with its respectable damage output allows it to slice through enemies like a hot knife through butter
- It’s just about the first weapon you get in the game
