The patch's new weapon is the Estoc / Panzerstecher (a two-handed thrusting sword built to pierce heavy-armor joints) — this is our own addition, so its numbers are estimates. The Pollaxe and Executioner's Sword are existing in-game weapons with verified stats; all three are detailed below and on the patch page.
— type to filter the armory.
Melee weapon families
| Family | Damage type / niche | Signature skills | Best against | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | Armor-ignoring stabs. Low base damage, huge against flesh. | Puncture (ignores armor, -15% hit), Stab | Elite single targets, looting armor intact | A |
| Sword (1H) | Balanced. +10% hit on the basic Slash. Enables Riposte. | Slash (+10% hit), Swing (AoE), Riposte | Elusive foes (Geists), all-rounder | A |
| Sword (2H) / Greatsword | Fatigue-efficient crowd control. Swing hits 3 tiles. | Swing (3-tile AoE), Split, Overhead Strike | Unarmored crowds, Geists, flanks | S |
| Axe (1H & 2H) | Good vs armor and shields. Split Shield destroys shields. | Split Shield, Split Man (heavy single hit) | Shield walls, armored bandits | A |
| Mace (1H) | Armor crush plus stun. Builds Fatigue on the enemy. | Knock Out (stun, 100% with Mastery) | Setting up a Duelist, control | A |
| Mace (2H) | Top-tier single-target plus crowd control. Applies Daze. | Cudgel (Daze), Strike Down (2-turn stun) | Champions, armored elites, control | S |
| Spear (1H) | Highest hit chance, lowest damage. Spearwall stops charges. | Thrust (+to hit), Spearwall, Shieldbash | Early game, beasts, charge defense | B |
| Flail (1H & 2H) | Ignores shield defense bonus. Can target the head directly. | Lash (Daze chance), Flurry (head hits) | Shielded raiders, poor-helmet targets | B |
| Cleaver (1H & 2H) | Bleed damage over time. Mastery doubles bleed (~20/turn). | Cleave (bleed), Decapitate (finisher) | High-HP low-armor: Orcs, beasts, giants | A |
| Hammer (1H & 2H) | Best raw armor penetration in the game. | Hammer Smash, Pound (vs head) | Heavily armored single targets, knights | S |
| Polearm | Range 1-2. Attacks from the second row. Piercing or cutting. | Impale/Rupture (pierce), Strike/Reap (cut, decapitate) | Safe backline damage, decapitating undead | S |
Specialist anti-armor two-handers
| Weapon | Class | Skills | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollaxe | Versatile anti-armor, range 1 (shorter haft than other polearms) | Smite (hammer side, staggers), axe-side finisher on incapacitated foes | A front-line answer to armor that can stagger then finish. Bridges hammer and polearm roles. |
| Executioner's Sword | Two-handed sword, heavy, high Fatigue cost | Overhead Strike (+hit), Split Shield, Decapitate (bonus damage scaling with target's missing HP) | Finishing high-HP enemies you've already wounded. A Reaper's closer. |
| Estoc / Panzerstecher (new, guide-canon) | Two-handed thrusting sword, dull blade | Thrusting attacks designed to pierce gaps and joints in heavy armor | An armor-piercing two-hander alternative to the hammer. Good on a high Melee Skill brother. |
Melee weapons — hard stats
Real numbers for every standard melee weapon, sortable by any column. Vs. Armor % is how hard the hit chews armor (hammers/maces are highest, daggers lowest); Ignores Armor % is the slice that always reaches HP; Max Fat. is the fatigue penalty for carrying it. Two-handers add Head (bonus chance to hit the head) and Shield Dmg. All values are base/standard gear — Named weapons roll bonuses on top.
Damage is the roll vs. HP. Against armor it's scaled by Vs. Armor %, so a 40×130% axe shreds plate while a 40×60% dagger barely dents it — but the dagger's Puncture ignores armor entirely. A head hit adds ×1.5 to HP (not armor), which is why high-Head two-handers and the Killer/Executioner perks hit so hard. Orc weapons (Tree Limb, Cudgel, Head Splitter) cost +5 fatigue per skill for human wielders — note their brutal Max Fat. already.
Daggers (armor-ignoring stabs, near-zero fatigue)
Swords — one-handed (+10% hit, Riposte, all-rounder)
Swords — two-handed (AoE Swing/Split, fatigue-efficient)
Axes — one-handed (high Vs. Armor, Split Shield)
Axes — two-handed (Round Swing AoE, Decapitate)
Maces — one-handed (Knock Out stun, +fatigue on target)
Maces — two-handed (Daze/stun control, top Vs. Armor)
Spears — one-handed (+20% hit, Spearwall)
Spears — two-handed (Prong AoE, reach)
Flails — one-handed (ignore shield bonus, +10% head)
Flails — two-handed (Pound stun, Thresh AoE, +15% head)
Cleavers — one-handed (bleed, Decapitate; whips reach 3)
Cleavers — two-handed (heavy bleed + Decapitate)
Hammers — one-handed (best armor pen; min 10 HP on hit)
Hammers — two-handed (Stagger; shatter armored lines)
Polearms (range 2, attack from the back row)
Every melee family is fully covered. The Pollaxe and Executioner's Sword are real in-game weapons (listed here from the wiki); only the Estoc remains guide-canon with no official stats.
Ranged weapons
| Type | Niche | Notes | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bows | High damage vs flesh, poor vs armor. Long range, headshots. | Bullseye cuts the cover penalty (75%→50%). Devastates Goblins and Thralls. | A |
| Crossbows | Armor-piercing. Slower, but pre-loaded at battle start. | Kills knights and armored elites before they reach you. | A |
| Firearms (Handgonne) | Huge burst, very slow reload, loud. | Niche. Pre-loaded first shot can delete a priority target. | C |
| Throwing (Javelin, Throwing Axe, Throwing Spear) | Short-range consumable burst. Throwing Spear strips shields from afar. | Good on versatile ranged brothers; strong vs Ancient Undead with Throwing Mastery. | B |
| Throwable items (Net, Throwing Net, firebombs) | Utility, not damage. Net roots a dangerous target for a turn. | Net a champion or an Unhold, then dogpile it. Quick Hands carries spares. | A |
Ranged weapons — hard stats
The numbers behind the niche. Every column is sortable — click a header to rank by damage, range, fatigue or armor effectiveness. Vs. Armor is how hard the shot chews armor; Ignores Armor is the slice of damage that always reaches HP (the "Direct Damage" of the firing skill). All values are base/standard gear; Named bows and crossbows roll bonuses on top.
Range is measured in tiles. Bows reach 7 tiles (most of them); crossbows and slings reach 6; thrown weapons reach 4; the Handgonne is a 2-tile weapon that punches through cover. Shooting downhill adds +1 range per height level above the target (uphill loses it). Accuracy drops with distance per the firing skill below, and a head hit deals ×1.5 to HP (not to armor), so high-range, high-accuracy shooters reward the head-hit perks.
Firing skills: accuracy & falloff
This is the table that answers "how far, how accurately." Quick Shot fires twice but loses a tile and falls off fast; Aimed Shot is the long, accurate option; crossbow bolts start at the best base accuracy of all.
Bows (range 6–7, weak vs armor, strong vs flesh)
Crossbows (range 6, pre-loaded, armor-piercing)
Firearms (huge burst, ignores cover, brutal reload)
Throwing weapons (range 4, +20% hit up close)
Note how throwing axes (110–115% vs armor) and the Throwing Spear (110%, plus a guaranteed shield-strip) hit armor far harder than bows do — thrown steel is your portable anti-armor.
Throwable items (utility, range 3)
A head hit deals 50% bonus damage to HP but not to armor. Orc weapons cost 5 extra Fatigue per skill for human wielders, so put them on high-Fatigue brothers like Wildmen or Barbarians. Each tier of a weapon is a straight upgrade, so there is no reason to keep a lower-tier version once you find a better one.
Quick "what do I bring" cheat sheet
| The problem | The answer |
|---|---|
| Heavily armored single target (knight, Orc Warrior, Fallen Hero) | Two-Handed Hammer, Estoc, or Pollaxe. Crossbow to soften first. |
| Crowd of weak unarmored bodies (Thralls, Goblins) | Greatsword Swing, bows, AoE polearms (Swordlance). |
| High HP, low armor giant (Unhold, Lindwurm, Schrat) | Cleaver bleed, then Decapitate / Executioner's Sword to finish. |
| Shield walls | Axes (Split Shield), flails (ignore shield bonus), throwing spears. |
| Elusive, hard-to-hit (Geists, Goblins) | Swords (+10% hit), 2H swords to clear them fast. |
| Need to lock down a dangerous foe | Mace stun, Net, then a Dagger Duelist to delete it. |