Deepwoken Starting Weapons Guide: The Ultimate Build Companion For Beginners
Choosing your starting weapon in Deepwoken is one of the most critical decisions you will make during character creation. In a hardcore, permadeath action RPG where every mistake can send your character to the Depths, your weapon dictates your survival, combat tempo, and early-game progression. The weapon archetype you select at the beginning of your journey sets the foundation for your stats, determines your combat rhythm, and heavily influences which legendary weapons you can wield in the late game.
Deepwoken organizes its weaponry into three core archetypes: Light Weapons, Medium Weapons, and Heavy Weapons. Each class possesses distinct swing speeds, recovery times, reach, and posture-breaking capabilities. For a fresh spawn waking up in Etris or the Isle of Vigils, mastering these mechanics is the difference between easily clearing the Trial of One or losing your lives to basic rogue bandits.
Understanding Deepwoken’s Weapon Archetypes
Before selecting your starting blade, axe, or dagger, you must understand how combat scales in the world of Luminia. Combat in Deepwoken is a high-stakes dance of parrying, dodging, and posture management. Every weapon type attacks at a unique speed and inflicts a specific amount of posture damage. Posture is your defensive threshold; if your posture bar fills completely due to blocking heavy attacks, your guard breaks, leaving you completely vulnerable to devastating critical strikes.
Your starter weapon selection directly aligns with one of three primary stats: Light Weapon, Medium Weapon, or Heavy Weapon. Investing points into these stats increases your base physical damage with those weapons and unlocks high-tier talents essential for survival. Furthermore, your weapon choice dictates your starting weapon skill, which influences how easily you can wield early-game loot found in chests around Erisia or the Lower Erisia ruins.
Choosing a weapon archetype also determines your mechanical role in party play. Light weapon users focus on rapid pressure and status effect application, medium weapon users maintain a balanced frontline presence, and heavy weapon users act as slow, high-damage punishers. Balancing your choice with your starting Attunement (magic type) is vital for creating a cohesive, high-tier character build.
Detailed Analysis of Each Starting Weapon
The Worn Dagger (Light Weapon Class)
The Worn Dagger represents the Light Weapon class at character creation. This weapon is built for players who favor high-speed, aggressive, close-quarters combat. Light weapons possess the fastest swing speed in the game, allowing you to quickly interrupt enemy attacks and apply constant pressure to your opponent's parry timing.
The primary advantage of the Worn Dagger is its minimal recovery time. If you miss a swing or your attack is parried, the window of vulnerability is incredibly short, allowing you to quickly transition back into a defensive posture or dodge-roll out of danger. However, this speed comes at the cost of short range and low posture damage. You must land multiple consecutive hits to break an opponent's guard, requiring you to stay glued to your target.
Using the Worn Dagger effectively requires excellent movement mechanics. Since you lack the reach of longer weapons, you must master the art of slide-slashing and weaving around your opponent's hitboxes. This weapon scales exceptionally well with high Agility and Dexterity builds, making it a favorite for players pursuing stealth or rapid-mobility playstyles.
The Old Sword (Medium Weapon Class)
The Old Sword is the quintessential starting option for the Medium Weapon class. It is widely considered the most balanced and beginner-friendly weapon in Deepwoken. Offering moderate swing speed, respectable range, and balanced posture damage, the Old Sword provides a reliable baseline for learning the game's core combat loops without punishing minor mechanical mistakes.
The balanced nature of the Old Sword makes it incredibly forgiving when practicing parry rhythms against early-game monsters like Megalodaunts (Sharks) or Bandits. Unlike light weapons, which require you to be in extreme proximity, the sword allows you to maintain a safe spacing distance. Unlike heavy weapons, it does not lock you into long attack animations that can be easily parried or countered by faster opponents.
Starting with the Old Sword keeps your build options highly flexible. Because Medium Weapons are incredibly diverse, you can easily transition from the Old Sword into katanas, clubs, spears, or greatswords as you progress. It integrates seamlessly with almost any Attunement, making it the safest choice for players who are undecided on their final build path.
The Rusty Axe (Heavy Weapon Class)
The Rusty Axe is the entry-point weapon for the Heavy Weapon class, designed for players who prefer a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. Heavy weapons are slow to swing and feature long recovery frames, meaning that a missed attack leaves you wide open to counter-strikes. However, they boast massive raw damage and the highest posture-breaking potential in the game.
When wielding the Rusty Axe, your primary goal is to overwhelm your opponent's defense. Just a few blocked hits from a heavy weapon can completely shatter an enemy's posture, knocking them into a stunned state where you can unleash high-damage mantras or critical attacks. Additionally, heavy weapons have a wider swing arc and longer reach, making them highly effective for crowd control against groups of mobs in PvE.
To excel with the Rusty Axe, you must learn to utilize "hyper-armor" and feints. Because your swings are slow, experienced PvP players will attempt to parry you on reaction. By feinting your attacks (canceling a swing mid-animation), you can bait out their parry and punish them with a massive follow-up strike. This weapon path is ideal for tanky Strength and Fortitude builds.
All the Deepwoken Weapons and How to Use Them | OtaKuKan
Deepwoken Starting Weapons Comparison
The table below breaks down the starting statistics, mechanical attributes, and optimal playstyles for each starter weapon to help you visualize which choice fits your intended character path.
| Starting Weapon | Weapon Class | Attack Speed | Reach / Range | Posture Damage | Ideal Build Synergy | Playstyle Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worn Dagger | Light | Very Fast | Short | Low | Agility / Galebreathe / Shadowcast | Medium-High |
| Old Sword | Medium | Moderate | Medium | Medium | Balanced / Attunementless / Flamecharm | Low (Beginner) |
| Rusty Axe | Heavy | Slow | Long | High | Strength / Fortitude / Frostdraw | High |
How to Coordinate Your Starter Weapon with Attunements
Step 1: Align Your Combat Philosophy
Before allocating your starting attributes, determine how you want to engage in combat. If you want to freeze enemies and shatter them with slow, earth-shattering strikes, your ideal path is pairing the Rusty Axe with Frostdraw. If you prefer high-speed, wind-assisted dashes and rapid stabs, pair the Worn Dagger with Galebreathe.
Step 2: Allocate Attributes During Character Creation
When creating your character, assign your starting points to support your chosen weapon path. For a Light Weapon build, invest in Agility to unlock mobility talents. For a Heavy Weapon build, invest points into Strength and Fortitude to meet the stat requirements for heavy armor and physical multipliers.
Step 3: Practice in the Isle of Vigils
Once you spawn into the game world, head directly to the training grounds in the Isle of Vigils. Utilize the training trainer NPC to practice your weapon's unique swing patterns, parry timings, and critical attacks. Do not venture out to Lower Erisia until you can consistently parry the trainer's basic attack strings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my weapon class later in the game?
Yes. Your starting weapon does not lock you out of other weapon classes. You can equip and train any weapon type at any time, provided you meet the minimum stat requirements (Light, Medium, or Heavy Weapon attributes) to wield them. However, because early-game stat points are precious, it is highly recommended to stick to one weapon class per character build to optimize your damage output and talent synergy.
Which starting weapon is best for solo PvE progression?
The Old Sword (Medium Weapon) is widely considered the best starter weapon for solo PvE. Its balanced swing speed allows you to easily react to monster attack cues, while its moderate range keeps you out of immediate danger. The Rusty Axe is also highly effective for PvE once you learn monster attack patterns, as its high posture damage can stun-lock smaller mobs.
What happens to my starting weapon if I die?
Deepwoken features a semi-permadeath system. If you lose all your lives (stains) and are sent to the Depths, and subsequently die in the Depths, your character is wiped, and you will lose all equipped items, including your starting weapon. However, basic starting weapons are highly common and can be easily repurchased for a few Notes (currency) from blacksmiths in Etris or the Isle of Vigils.
Does my choice of starter weapon affect my starting Attunement?
No. Your starting weapon and starting Attunement are completely independent choices during character creation. You can freely mix and match any weapon class with any magical element (or choose to go Attunementless for raw physical power).
Ready to conquer the unforgiving seas of Luminia? Equip your starter blade, master the art of the parry, and forge your legacy. If you found this guide helpful, share it with your guildmates, and dive deeper into our library of advanced Deepwoken build guides to optimize your journey through the Depths!
