Weapons in No Rest for the Wicked are defined by far more than raw damage numbers. Each weapon type comes with its own attack cadence, stamina cost, recovery profile and scaling identity, all of which directly shape how forgiving or punishing it feels in real combat.
This tier list ranks all currently available weapon types based on their practical performance across early and mid-game content. The focus is on consistency, adaptability and how well each weapon fits into the game’s stamina- and positioning-driven combat system. This is not a list built around perfect play or rare drops, but around what holds up when fights become messy.
S Tier – High Consistency, Strong Flow, Low Risk
These weapon types align best with the core combat loop. They allow short engagements, clean disengagement and steady damage without excessive commitment.
One-Handed Straight Sword
Straight swords offer one of the most balanced experiences in the game. Their reach, attack speed and recovery frames make them reliable in nearly every encounter. They scale cleanly across multiple stat paths and adapt well to enchantments, which helps them remain relevant as builds evolve.
One-Handed Curved Sword
Curved swords lean slightly more aggressive, with flowing attack chains and strong stamina efficiency. They reward pressure without demanding perfect execution, making them dependable in both structured and reactive fights.
One-Handed Spear
Spears excel at spacing and control. Their thrust-focused moveset allows players to apply pressure while remaining at a safer distance, which is especially valuable against enemies with wide swings or area denial. In practice, spears consistently outperform shorter weapons in chaotic encounters.
One-Handed Rapier
Rapiers emphasize precision and low commitment. Their fast thrusts and quick recovery support short, repeatable damage windows, fitting neatly into the game’s pacing, particularly in single-target engagements.
A Tier – Powerful but More Demanding
These weapons are effective, but they place greater demands on timing, positioning and stamina management.
Two-Handed Great Sword
Great swords deliver high damage and strong posture pressure, but their long recovery frames require patience. They perform best in encounters with predictable attack patterns and clearly defined punish windows.
Two-Handed Curved Greatsword
Curved greatswords offer broader arcs and momentum, but at the cost of higher stamina usage. They reward spacing discipline and punish overcommitment more heavily than one-handed options.
One-Handed Hammer
Hammers shine against armored enemies and apply reliable posture damage. Their slower swing speed means positioning must be deliberate, but they offer solid payoff when used carefully.
One-Handed Club
Clubs are straightforward blunt weapons with respectable stagger potential. Limited reach and slower recovery keep them from matching the consistency of swords, but they remain effective in the right hands.
B Tier – Situational and Build-Dependent
These weapon types can perform well, but their strengths are narrower or more conditional.
One-Handed Axe
Axes provide solid damage but lack the smooth flow of swords. Their attack arcs and recovery frames require deliberate spacing to avoid punishment.
Two-Handed Great Axe
Great axes hit extremely hard, but long wind-ups and heavy stamina costs make them difficult to use safely in reactive encounters.
Two-Handed Great Hammer
High impact and posture damage define great hammers, but very slow animations limit flexibility and increase risk.
Two-Handed Great Club
Similar to other heavy blunt weapons, great clubs offer strong hits at the cost of adaptability and margin for error.
C Tier – High Execution, Narrow Strengths
These weapons function, but their margin for error is small compared to higher-tier options.
Dual Wielding Double Dagger
Very fast attack speed, but extremely short reach. Effective only with precise positioning and constant pressure, both of which are difficult to maintain consistently.
Dual Wielding Gauntlet
Aggressive and mobile, but limited range and vulnerable recovery windows make them difficult to use safely, especially in group encounters.
One-Handed Knife
Quick and stamina-efficient, but low reach and limited impact make it hard to control space or punish reliably.
One-Handed Wakizashi
Flexible in theory, but lacks a clear advantage over straight swords or rapiers. Often feels overshadowed in both safety and payoff.
D Tier – Niche or Underperforming
These weapon types currently struggle to justify their risk relative to alternatives.
One-Handed Wand
Primarily intended for magic-focused builds, but limited damage output and slow engagement make it difficult to apply consistent pressure without significant investment.
Two-Handed Staff
Wide animations and slow recovery frames create frequent exposure. While visually impactful, staffs struggle to keep pace with the game’s reactive combat demands.
How Legendary Weapons Fit Into This Tier List
Legendary weapons in No Rest for the Wicked tend to amplify the strengths of their weapon types rather than redefine them. A legendary spear reinforces spacing and control, while a legendary heavy weapon leans further into burst and posture damage.
As a result, legendary availability does not fundamentally change how forgiving or demanding a weapon type feels in moment-to-moment combat. Instead, it rewards players who are already comfortable with the underlying mechanics of that category. A legendary does not fix long recovery frames or stamina issues, but it can elevate a weapon type once those fundamentals are already understood.
This distinction is important when evaluating overall weapon balance. The tier list reflects baseline performance under real combat conditions, not idealized scenarios enabled by rare drops.
Final Takeaway
Across all weapon types, No Rest for the Wicked consistently rewards short, controlled engagements. Weapons that allow players to strike once or twice and disengage cleanly outperform those that rely on extended combos or heavy commitments.
Lower-tier weapons are not unusable, but they demand tighter execution, stronger encounter knowledge and more specialized builds to achieve comparable results. As balance updates and new gear are introduced, some placements may shift, but in the current state of the game, consistency and recovery remain the most valuable traits a weapon can offer.