[Top 10] Bloodborne Best Weapons (And How To Get Them)

Updated:

08 Dec 2022

Looking for your new favorite trick weapon?

Bloodborne has made a name for itself with its jaw-dropping graphics, intense difficulty, and its wide assortment of trick weapons.

As you prowl the night, hunting beasts of all sorts, you will want a weapon by your side that fits your play style. This guide aims to help you with precisely that.

Read through for a ranking of Bloodborne’s top weapons, how you can get them, and how you can maximize their potential to become the greatest hunter Yharnam has ever seen.

10. Saw Cleaver

One of Bloodborne's many virtues is that it sets its players up for success right from the start. With weapons like the Hunters Axe & Saw Cleaver, the developers gave its player base their best shot at beating the various ghouls that stalk Yharnam.

That doesn’t stop us from dying a bunch though.

Difficulty aside, the Saw Cleaver has an easy-to-learn moveset and an overpowered transformation attack. With the right build and buffs, the serrated edge can chew through beast-type enemies and bosses like a boss.

The Saw Cleaver in action.

While it does excel in its early game useability, the weapon struggles to stagger bigger enemies, so dodging and biding your time for opportunities to attack serve this weapon better than trading DPS. With consistent leveling and upgraded blood gems, the Saw Cleaver is a worthy companion as you delve deeper into the madness that has consumed Yharnam and the world of Bloodborne.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 90
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 200

9. Holy Moonlight Sword

Magic. Laser. Sword. Enough said.

Just kidding, let’s get into this one too. The Holy Moonlight Sword allows for one of the more difficult but enjoyable builds in the game. This build is called the Strength/Arcane build, but more on that later.

The regular greatsword is like a (slightly) faster, more boring Ludwig's Holy Blade, but the transformed blade is a different beast entirely. Upon transformation, the blade attains an arcane glow, allowing the user (assuming he has enough arcane skill points) to blast enemies with ethereal moonbeams. Yeah. Absolutely nuts.

For those with enough patience to build up to a 25 or 50 ARC rating and dive deep into the chalice dungeons to mine heavy gems, the HMS is a fun and rewarding weapon to use.

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

And it looks cool as hell.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 90
Arcane Damage: 50
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 250

8. Beasthunter Saif

Two words: Hyper armor. With the proper skill/vitality build, you can avoid being staggered through your attack animations and unleash wanton destruction on unsuspecting foes. The Beasthunter Saif is not very remarkable to look at. In fact, it resembles another weapon on this list (Saw Cleaver), but with some unique differences.

The Saif scales extremely well with Skill, but also requires a good amount of player competency to use properly. Many users complained about the slow and telegraphed R1 attacks, but with time and experience, they learned that the real value of this weapon comes when the user adopts an aggressive playstyle, much like the mad old hunters who used this weapon.

The sidestep and backstep attacks are delivered with lightning-fast speeds, catching enemies off guard and allowing you to dance off before they can retaliate.

The Saif and its wielder, driven mad by the blood.

As it is a DLC weapon, the drawbacks come from the fact that it is a little more difficult to get your hands on, and that it has a pretty steep learning curve.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 90
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 200

7. Chikage

The Chikage is a personal favorite. Its moveset is very similar to the Rakuyo, except that it is 10x more badass. Why you may ask?

Well, in its tricked-out form, the katana is imbued with the hunter's own blood allowing for destructive slashes and swipes. Totally metal.

The Chikage offers users two unique playstyles. In its regular form, the Chikage scales well with skill, allowing for a skill-based playstyle using parrying windows and smart timing to deal blows. The blood-imbued transformed version is entirely different. Now the weapon scales with Bloodtinge, allowing users with high Bloodtinge levels to demolish foes. This comes at the price of a slow and constant drain to your HP while the weapon remains in its transformed mode. The Chikage works best with a Bloodtinge build (Lvl 50).

Check out the transformed version on the bottom. Totally metal.

To ensure you can keep up with the Chikage's high demands, level up Stamina and Health as secondary options. Pairing this with the Evelyn gun will make you a menace in PvP (does anyone still play? :( ).

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 92
Bloodtinge Attack: 92
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 120

6. Rakuyo

The only reason this weapon isn’t up higher is because of the sheer difficulty of attaining it. The Rakuyo is a Skill builder's sweetheart. In its normal form, it is a double-ended long sword, while its transformed form consists of a sword and a short dagger.

The best part of using this weapon is how easily your hunter will flow from one combo set to another. With enough Blood Echoes invested in stamina, you can potentially combo and stun-lock some of Bloodborne’s beefier baddies to death.

Elegant and deadly, introducing the Rakuyo.

To maximize this weapon's performance, utilize a Skill build and learn how to leverage your back steps/side steps to sneak in a quick (and devastating) R2 thrusting attack.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 82
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 200

5. Whirligig Saw

Lovingly called the pizza cutter by its fans and the bane of every beast in Bloodborne, the Whirligig Saw is a GOOD time. Like a deadly Beyblade, the transformed L2 attack saws through crowds of enemies, stun

locking weaker ones into oblivion.

Attaining the weapon is a bit of a chore, as you have to venture into the DLC to get it, but with good strength scaling this weapon is the ideal choice for a tanky Strength/Stamina build with a secondary focus on Health. It’s most advantageous when used against beast-type enemies/bosses.

Pizza, anyone?

To deal extra damage, consider buffing the weapon with Fire Paper. This combined with the Serrated Damage bonus will make mincemeat of your foes.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 95
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 230

4. Blade of Mercy

It is no surprise that these were the favored weapon of Eileen the Crow as she hunted down her fellow hunters who had become corrupted by the hunt.

The Blade Of Mercy is not a beginner-friendly weapon set. To wield it properly, you have to learn its moveset, you need to have a pure skill build, and you must find blood gems that scale well with physical attacks.

However, as with most weapons in Bloodborne, this game rewards you for learning their nuances, and the Blade of Mercy is no exception. If you want to dance circles around your enemies, whittle away at them with lightning-quick attacks, and get up close and personal with your prey, this is the weapon for you.

Dual-wielding the Blades of Mercy.

To unlock its potential, build your character as a pure skill build, with stamina as a secondary focus. If you want to go above and beyond, spend some blood echoes upgrading your Arcane stat so you may use the Old Hunters Bone as well.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 60
Arcane Attack: 30
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 200

3. Hunters Axe

Have an axe to grind but need to find an axe first? Well, you are in luck, the Hunter Axe is one of the first weapons that become available to you. Play your cards right, you might just find yourself finishing your first playthrough with your first weapon - how sweet.

The Hunter Axe holds a special place in the hearts of many Bloodborne players. Primarily a strength weapon, its transformed state has several sweeping and stabbing attacks that will delight. More of an up-close and personal type player? Have it your way - in its untransformed state, this axe allows you to get in your enemy's personal space and hack away to your heart's content.

Gascoigne and his trusty Hunter Axe.

One thing to keep in mind while using this weapon is that, more often than not, you will be trading damage as you duke it out with enemies. As such, investing Blood Echoes into your Strength, Stamina, and Health is a wise choice.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 98
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 250

2. Burial Blade

Become the grim reaper. Literally. The Burial blade will be the last thing your enemies see before you combo your way through them. Great for crowd control and PVP alike, the Burial Blade is a scythe in its transformed version and a large sword in its untransformed state.

With probably the most diverse move sets in the game, this weapon has a wide reach, breaks poise very well, and allows you to control the flow of the fight with a large variety of attacks. Major drawbacks of this weapon include comparatively weak damage, a large drain on stamina, and the fact that this weapon is only available after defeating an endgame boss.

The blade is in the hands of its rightful owner.

In the hands of a proper skill/stamina build this weapon does nothing short of amaze.

Base Stats

Physical Attack: 80
Arcane Attack: 30
VS Beast: 100
VS Kin: 100
Durability: 200

1. Ludwig’s Holy Blade

Since Bloodborne’s release in 2015, Ludwig’s Holy Blade has consistently ranked amongst the top 5 trick weapons amongst fans. In its normal form, it takes the appearance of an unassuming longsword. This makes it great for strength/skill builds and PvE, but it’s not necessarily remarkable. The transformed version, on the other hand, is a different story entirely.

The greatsword slung across a hunter's back.

The transformed heavy attacks can stun-lock enemies into oblivion while shredding health bars with each successive swing. Ludwig’s Holy Blade is perfect for beginners looking for a strength/stamina build as it is available early on in-game, scales well with blood gems, and has many attacks to keep the playstyle fresh and engaging.