Your weapon choice shapes a Sephiria run more than almost any other decision. The game ships with six weapon families, each built around a distinct way of attacking, dodging, and blocking. Some reward patient blocking and heavy swings, others reward speed and constant repositioning.
Quick answer: Sephiria has six weapons — Sword & Shield, Greatsword, Dagger, Katana, Crossbow, and Staff. Pick Sword & Shield for a forgiving all-rounder, Greatsword for raw damage, Dagger for speed, Katana for combo depth, Crossbow for range, and Staff for elemental builds.
The six weapons compared
Each family caters to a different pace. The table below sorts them by their combat role and difficulty so you can narrow your choice before checking the individual stats.
| Weapon | Style | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sword & Shield | Balanced melee | Easy | New players, all-round clears |
| Greatsword | Heavy melee | Medium | Raw damage, stagger chains |
| Dagger | Fast melee | Hard | Burst, crit builds, mobility |
| Katana | Mid melee | Medium | Combo flow, counterplay |
| Crossbow | Ranged | Easy to Medium | Safe poke, single-target |
| Staff | Ranged magic | Medium | Area damage, element synergy |
Sword & Shield
The Sword & Shield is the most beginner-friendly option. It carries balanced stats, dependable defense, and a moveset that is quick to learn. Its standard attack is a three-hit combo, and the shield lets you guard against incoming hits.
Pressing the attack button while guarding triggers a sweeping special that strikes enemies in every direction. Moderate attack speed and medium stagger make it effective across most situations.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1 |
| Dash Attack | 0.8 |
| Special Attack | 2.5 |
Greatsword
The Greatsword trades speed for weight. Its swing animations are slow, but each hit lands hard, and the attack coverage is wide. The special unleashes a spinning slash that sweeps a large area, which makes it strong against packed groups of enemies.
It has a moderate learning curve, but its heavy stagger turns boss encounters into a matter of interrupting patterns. Standout upgrade lines like Thor Greatsword S3G and Red Snake Crusher push it further as a damage pick.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1.75 |
| Dash Attack | 1.25 |
| Special Attack | 4 |
Dagger
The Dagger is the fastest weapon in the game, built for aggressive play and constant movement. Its rapid strikes reward players who rush in, but each hit does relatively low damage and offers limited stagger.
Because of that low floor, you have to lean on dodges and counters. It suits critical-hit builds, and it uses a distinct set of actions that includes a Parry and a high-value Fury attack.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 0.58 |
| Dash Attack | 1.1 |
| Parry | 1.3 |
| Fury | 4.8 |
Katana
The Katana is a melee weapon with a more demanding playstyle than the Greatsword. It rewards precise timing and clean combo execution, which makes it a better fit for experienced players.
Its defining mechanic lets you swap between Kick and Sword stances using the special attack button. Sword stance handles standard attacks, while the alternate stance opens a wider-reaching special that consumes MP.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1.1 |
| Dash Attack | 0.8 |
| Special Attack | 2.34 |
Crossbow
The Crossbow is the pick for players who want to attack from a safe distance. It delivers reliable ranged damage, and under certain conditions its arrows pierce up to two enemies, which helps against grouped targets.
There are trade-offs. While firing, your movement speed drops by around 40 percent, though you can still reposition. The bigger risk is the reload. Once you run out of arrows, you stay vulnerable until the reload finishes, so reloading behind cover is the safest habit.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1 |
| Dash Attack | 1 |
| Special Attack | 2 |
Staff
The Staff is the most versatile of the six, mixing offense, defense, and elemental synergy. It pairs especially well with elemental builds, including Ice, Storm, and the newer Fire upgrades.
Unlike several other weapons, the Staff lets you fire special attacks regardless of the delay between normal attacks, which keeps combat flowing smoothly. Its normal range is a little shorter than the Sword & Shield, but the final hit of its combo delivers a long thrust.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1 |
| Dash Attack | 0.8 |
| Special Attack | 2.5 |
Upgrade trees and element synergy
Every weapon branches through more than 200 upgrades across the full set, so your starting family is only the beginning. Sword & Shield alone opens into paths like Carrot Sword, Conductor, Frost Shard, Incendium, and Magic Wand, each leading to Tier 3 final forms such as Carrotcalibur, Glacial Blade, and Wings of Lightning.
Element choice matters as much as the weapon itself. Ice and Storm remain strong, and Fire is now competitive thanks to the Firelighter and Solis Missio lines. The general rule holds across builds: match your weapon’s element to the artifacts and tablets you already have rather than forcing a mismatch.
Tip: Commit to one weapon long enough to read its upgrade offers clearly before switching. Early swapping makes it harder to learn which upgrades reinforce the attacks you actually land.
Which weapon to start with
Your best starting weapon depends on how you want to fight and where you are in the game. These picks line up each family with the situation it handles best.
| Situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time players | Sword & Shield | Forgiving and consistent, with useful upgrade lines |
| Co-op teams | Staff | Area damage and element coverage help the whole party |
| Hard Mode | Crossbow | Safe distance beats lifesteal modifiers |
| Boss rushing | Greatsword | Stagger chains shut down boss patterns |
Whatever you choose, weapons supply your combat identity while artifacts and tablets reshape the run around it. If your inputs feel fine but your damage or survivability lags, check your board support before abandoning a weapon. Sephiria is available on Steam through its official store page.
