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So, it’s safe to say that Deathverse: Let It Die is equally as much of a fever dream as Let it Die is in terms of its tone, general atmosphere, and odd crafting systems. Of course, these similarities make total sense given that Deathverse is sort of a spiritual successor to it. In this game, players have six different options for weapons to use in their slaughter to the top of the Death Jamboree, with each weapon having its own pros and cons. So, let’s go over all of them, ranked from worst to best.
6 Machete
First up is the Machete, the default weapon in Deathverse which makes it a bit easier to digest that it’s the worst choice. Compared to other choices that are great for going all-in like the Hammer or for baiting out counterattacks like the Katana the Machete just doesn’t excel above the other weapons in any category.
At best it’s a decent ambush weapon since the default option, Imperial Cutter, has the Dog Fighter passive which deals more damage when hitting from behind. That said, there are ways to make it work such as using the Lethal Falchion and using proper spacing in combination with its Driving Smash Deathblow to overwhelm opponents. But, for the most part, the Machete options all have better alternatives in other weapon categories.
5 Buzzsaw
Moving on to one of the more creative weapon inclusions, the Buzzsaw. The Buzzsaw is only this low because it has a steep learning curve to be useful compared to some of the other weapons. And, the weapons that take less work to master also tend to work better than the Buzzsaw, so it feels like an uphill battle.
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What the Buzzsaw has going for it is the fact that by spacing out attack inputs, the player can let the sawblades spin a bit longer, adding tons of extra damage to a full combo. It takes a bit of work to nail this timing and continue the combo instead of resetting it, but when mastered it makes a huge difference. Additionally, the Buzzsaw seems to be designed with fun traversal in mind, as two of the skills that pop up the most are Wall Machine and Surf Maneuver, both of which are abilities that cut down on time spent running or climbing and make the player look incredibly cool as well. Sadly, outside of these two factors, the Buzzsaw just has too many skills that don’t synergize well with each other, they take a bit too much work to put on a relatively level playing field as other weapons, and the tools they have are more fun than they are useful.
4 Arms
The Arms weapons in Deathverse have such an odd design, as they’re fist weapons but most of the variations of them don’t actually have “fists” on the end. That said, they’re comparable to the Hammer in that they’re the weapon of choice to use if the player just wants to go all in since their normal attacks can break shields. But, because it takes the full combo to break a shield from full and opponents have a window between the 2nd and 3rd hit where they can block or interrupt, it’s difficult to break shields quickly with them.
Additionally, one might expect that these fist weapons would have fast attacks but low damage. Instead, their attacks are incredibly slow and the damage output is mediocre. The best aspect of the Arms, by far, is the fact that their Deathblows and Skills are good on just about every variation. Each Arm, whether it’s the Eternal Aegis, Meteor Crusher, or even the basic Iron Fist, has a Deathblow that covers a lot of ground and a Main Skill with a lot of utility. They’re the perfect “middle-of-the-road” option for players who don’t want something too fast or too slow.
3 Twin Knives
The Twin Knives are the first weapon added into the game after release, and as such, they seem to be a response to Deathverse having so many slow weapons with the Hammer, Buzzsaw, and Arms. Put simply, the Twin Knives are absurdly fast and hit often, but for very low damage.
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But, unlike other weapons, the Twin Knives really need a player to get to at least GP 1 or 2 to start dealing any sort of actually noticeable damage. So, it’s best to hunt cryptids, eat mushrooms, and avoid PvP combat until leveling up a bit, though this also works as a general tip for beginners as well.
Once a player levels up their GP, they can use any of the Deathblows on any of the Twin Knives to initiate on another player, as all of them cover a lot of ground. Comparatively, the Quick Touch Main Skill is much less useful, as the dodge mechanic in Deathverse is almost always a mistake to use. Thankfully, the Reqiuem knives have an Extended Cut Main Skill instead, which eliminates one of the main weaknesses of the Twin Knives basic combo, their short range.
2 Hammer
Now the final two weapons on here are honestly interchangeable in their ranking as it all comes down to personal preference. But, while the upcoming Katana is ranked highly for its deep reservoir of tools, the Hammer is ranked highly because of one simple aspect, its nigh-unstoppable damage. The Hammer’s basic normal attack combo has three hits, and there’s even a window for opponents to open their shield between the 1st and 2nd swing.
But, because the Hammer can break shields in only two hits, doing so without being ready to counter-hit is a one-way ticket to getting stunned. And, when the Hammer does hit, it hits hard, capable of killing opponents in just a couple of swings even at base level and that only gets easier as the player levels up their GP. Additionally, the Iron Go Round Deathblow that many of the Hammers have is one of the best tools for bashing into two opponents fighting each other and getting the kills on both of them. Outside of its normal attacks and Deathblow, all of the Hammer’s other mechanics like its Special, Master Bonuses, Main Skills, running attack, and even dodge attacks are all at least decent, but it’s the pure unstoppable nature of its basic swings that makes the Hammer so terrifying.
1 Katana
The Deathverse community really seems to be gravitating toward a Katana “meta”, similar to Elden Ring’s Rivers of Blood meta, and there are plenty of reasons as to why. The Katana just has so many options. One, its basic combo is so quick and has a pretty good range on the swings. Two, its Special is a parry that, when timed correctly, counters all basic attacks that aren’t Deathblows or Specials. Three, alongside the parry, all Katanas also have another “counter” option with their Main Skills such as Twilight Form which breaks shields in a single hit, or Vengeance which auto-parries and counterattacks any normal or special attacks for a time.
And lastly, when all of these factors are added up, the Katana is a weapon with great damage, great moves, numerous ways to counter a player who is either being too defensive or too aggressive, and even its Deathblows are fantastic. There is no aspect where the Katana falls short, well, other than the fact that players will need to level up the basic Machete all the way to 10 before they can start using the first Katana.
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