Not sure to be honest. Whatever is best. Isnt mace/martel best, or are the difference not that big in the end?
Martel is best and has the easiest progression (bonesnap is enough to beat the game if you can’t get a good rare)
Polearm is the worst just because it doesn’t really have any standout weapons. Bec de Corbin is the best polearm and it’s not that great compared to other options, but it’s still not devastatingly far behind the other options if you really like polearms.
Lance/ancient axe/executioner are all fairly equal each with their ups and downs.
Lance has the highest max dmg, maximum range, and a decent attack rating base with the Dex reqs on it, but it has poor min dmg and the durability on lances is so low that you’re repairing a very annoying amount.
Ancient axe has the potential for highest life due to the lower overall reqs on it, but going with base Dex means you’re more tied to attack rating on gear. You’ll also probably be statting extra str for damage anyways, so the low str requirement isn’t necessarily super helpful, although it does give you more freedom in your stat choices. The min-max dmg spread is balanced. It has a pretty easy progression weapon in Humongous unique giant axe.
Executioner swords also have a balanced min-max dmg spread with close to equal, but less overall dmg than ancient axe. You’ll have a good attack rating base since it requires 110 Dex to hold, giving you a little more freedom in gear choices (but this also means lower life). You can easily slap on a shield at any time which can be useful in some areas, but isn’t entirely necessary. And finally, to some this may not matter but executioner swords easily show colour shades the best out of any of the main weapon contenders, so it has the potential for the best style! Executioners are the second lowest overall damage (after polearm) with the highest weapon reqs, so unless you like the sword look a lot, the other options are prob better.
That’s how I feel but it’s certainly possible that I’m missing some key aspect here, any classic experts feel free to correct me
This post was edited by Belarathon on Nov 28 2025 07:07am