RPG gameplay is as fascinating as the combat modes it offers and the various weapons in the stash. A reputed RPG game development company can perfect the combat styles, weapon movements, design, and hit power. All this together adds to a game’s engagement and immersion. RPG games have numerous attractions that add to their popularity. Besides the extensive gamescape scape, and various characters, another major attraction of such games is the opportunity to find new RPG weapons as you explore the place.
Every game development studio works on creating props, assets, and weapons for video games. It is especially exciting when creating weapons for RPG games as there is a huge scope for being creative and unique. Read on to find out in-depth about the various weapon categories and types you will come across in video games.
Irrespective of the RPG game, there are four categories of weapons you will come across- melee, projectile, firearms, and magical. Apart from this, there are also a few unconventional weapons you will come across. The weaponry depends largely on the storyline, game era, and the categories of characters in the game.
Melee weapons are hand-held weapons for close combat. This includes a wide range of swords, daggers, knives, axes, fist weapons, and so on. Here are some of the popular types of weapons you will find in RPG games:
They are primarily used by heroes and fighter-class characters for close combat as well as for aiming. Often users find daggers, machetes, and knives in games with stealth elements. Usually, character classes like alchemists, chariots, artisans, and marauders use these types of weapons. One of the most memorable RPG games featuring different variations of daggers and knives is Skyrim.
Swords are perhaps the most common weapon type witnessed in RPG games. It is a versatile weapon that can inflict significant physical damage in close combat. There are wide variations possible for swords that can greatly affect their hit power and attack. From sleek katana to huge broad swords like the Buster sword in Final Fantasy VII- there a many memorable swords that inspire game asset designers for RPG games. Often heroes and even villains in period-based games, fantasy RPGs, and fairytale RPGs use swords as their primary weapon. You will come across this weapon in many RPG games like Genshin Impact, Final Fantasy, Witcher series, and so on.
Hammer can be as destructive as it can get- it entirely depends on the gameplay. Usually, the most hardcore or strong character in the game with maximum hit power is equipped with a hammer or similar weapons. Brute force characters, warriors, fighters, trolls, etc. use these weapons. Usually, characters equipped with such weapons are not the most agile or strategic and are ideally suited in situations or teams that are designed for head-on physical combat. Jayce in League of Legends demonstrates the classic and powerful use of the hammer as one of the most powerful types of RPG weapons.
Different types of axes are common melee weapons in RPG games set in the Viking era or inspired by Nordic folktales. It is also witnessed in Fantasy RPGs such as the blazing axe used by Mitachurls in Genshin Impact. This is another weapon that gets wielded by characters depending on brute strength. Some variants of this weapon category include hatchets, throwing axes, war axes, great axes, and so on. A classic example of how powerful Axe can get in RPG games is the Leviathan Axe used by Kratos in God of War.
Fist weapons are not as common but are rather effective in hand-to-hand combat situations. They are commonly used by character classes like druids, brawlers, hunters, and so on. You will witness its full potential in the series of first weapons available in the Elden Ring series. Gauntlets, spiked caestus and similar weapons are particularly effective in games where hand-to-hand fighting sequences are common.
Polearms are useful weapons in close-range combat. Halberd is a type of polearm weapon that is as long as a spear with a large double-sided axe head. They are designed for hack-and-slash fighting sequences. Kratos is one of the most popular game characters who uses a halberd.
Firearms are primarily guns of various types. From small pistols to machine guns- all get categorized under firearms.
The pistols are some of the oldest and most conventional firearms found in a wide variety of video games. Though the introduction of various new types of firearms has forced these weapons to take a backseat in new-age video games, it is still the weapon of choice in emergency and critical situations in video games. They have many limitations such as minimal ammo, and lower range.
Rifles and shotguns are comparatively more effective, shooting at bursts but are harder to control. They are also comparatively difficult to aim and shoot but are capable of causing more damage when compared to pistols. They are more of a companion weapon that is used occasionally but not suitable to become the primary weapon of choice.
The machine guns are quite difficult to handle and can become a hindrance as they slow down the player and reduce the reflex. However, they spit out too much ammo. These guns are the best choice for characters who do not have very high reflexes or agility. They are best for random and unaimed shooting to inflict maximum damage to everything around the player.
Automatic firearms are common and occasionally witnessed in first-person or third-person shooter games as the primary choice of weapon. They have a significantly high amount of ammo and cause significant damage in the process. Usually, a combination of machine guns and hand grenades or even another melee weapon is used to inflict the maximum damage.
As the name suggests, projectiles are weapons that have to be aimed and shot from a distance taking into account the force and projection of the shot. Such weapons are highly effective against enemies at a distance. Crossbows, bows and arrows, slingshots- there are various types of RPG weapons you will witness in fantasy RPGs, period-based RPG games, and even battle RPG games.
Perhaps the most common projectile RPG weapons you will come across in different games is bow and arrows. They are particularly noted in fantasy or fairytale games. Perhaps the most memorable bow and arrow user who is popular is Amber from Genshin Impact. Though it is a projectile and physics-based combat weapon, in games like Legends of Zelda, you will find arrows with magical elements too.
One of the most handy projectile weapons are crossbow. They are compact and easy to use. They can also coz significant damage when it hits the target. Generally, crossbows are very powerful and can shoot at great distances and hit the target. The full-moon crossbow in Elden Ring and Link’s crossbow in The Legend of Zelda are some popular and notable crossbows in RPG games.
Javelins, lances, and spears are some of the most underrated weapons in RPG video games. They can cause significant damage when they hit the target. However, they can also slow down the character somewhat and the ammo supply is limited. As a result, the player often suffers health damage and attacks as they take the stance and need time to focus and aim. They are best-suited weapons when the character is throwing them from a distance and is hidden from the enemy.
Flying discs and chakras are melee weapons which are also noted as projectile weapons. This weapon style achieved popularity from the classic TV series Xena: The Warrior Princess rather than any video game. Later it is witnessed as one of the weapons used by Lara Croft.
Last but not the least are magical weapons. Game development studios can create unique magical weapons or add magical elements to regular weapons to enhance their power. Generally, such weapons are used by character classes like wizards, mages, sorceresses, priests, etc. The following are unique RPG weapons that are designed with magical properties:
These are unique magical artifacts that have several uses. They can have healing properties or protect the players or can look like a magical bomb that causes health damage to the enemies. They are defensive weapons rather than offensive ones in most games. A great example is the Amulet of Kvasir in God of War where using the amulet slows down time right before getting attacked and hence, buys the player more time.
The magic wand is perhaps the most common and primary magical weapon that is equipped on mages and wizard character classes. The use of wands in Hogwarts Legacy is the most obvious example of wands as RPG weapons. The Final Fantasy game franchise also features a wide variety of wands as weapons.
Remember the tiny twig Maleficient turned into an intricate wooden staff studded with labradorite on top in the Maleficient movie? That is ideally how a magic staff looks. In many video games with mages and magical characters, staffs are common weapons. They can be used for attacking as well as to shoot spells, depending on the game mechanics. In the Final Fantasy game franchise, you will find several styles of magic staff.
Spellbooks and grimoires are some of the unconventional weapons. These are books of magic spells that are used to cast spells by mage-class characters. The most notable mage or sorcerer character that uses spellbooks and grimoires as weapons is Lisa in Genshin Impact.
Certain weapons are not as commonly found in RPG games but they are quite effective. Character classes that are on a lower level like hunters, thieves, or druids that use such weapons:
The whip is a defensive and offensive weapon at the same time. It can be used to entangle enemies from a distance or hit them. However, it is not the most powerful weapon you can get and the damage is not much significant. Usually, whips are used in combination with melee weapons or firearms to increase the damage on enemies.
This is another defensive weapon that is used to entangle or strangle the enemies. The cloak is occasionally used by character classes like mages, priests, and even warriors and fighters.
Blowpipe is a stealth and offensive weapon. It is used to silently blow darts or seeds at enemies at a distance. These are generally poisoned. Ghost of Tsushima features this weapon and is used by Jin Sakai.
Many RPG games earned their reputation and popularity for the sheer entertainment they gave the users through the gameplay. The weapons and the action sequence of the game have many contributions to the popularity of such games. We have listed some of the best RPG weapons ever designed to date by top game asset designers:
One of the latest weapons added in God of War is the Leviathan Axe which is the primary weapon used by Kratos. The weapon is the perfect equal to the Mjolnir or Thor’s hammer. It is one of the most powerful weapons that can stop anything in the Nine Realms. Wielded by Kratos, the weapon is extremely foreboding, making him even more powerful than ever.
There are several weapons you can collect throughout the gameplay of Legends of Zelda. Among these, the master sword is one of the most versatile weapons available. It is known by many names such as the legendary sword, the sword of resurrection, The Blade of Evil Bane, and so on. The master sword has many magical powers like manipulating time, causing damage through light beams, and even elemental attacks. The sword is occasionally considered equivalent to King Arthur’s Excalibur.
This huge sword is used by Cloud Strife and is a fan-favorite broad sword and a primary weapon to use in combat. It is almost a six-foot-long single-edged sword that keeps appearing in various Final Fantasy video games. The weight and size of the sword make it look impractical but Cloud is a powerful character that can competently manage the sword. It is an extremely powerful weapon. When mastered well, it makes the wielder undefeatable.
This is an extremely powerful weapon in Skyrim. When mastered thoroughly, the Wabbajack is the perfect choice to ace the game. It is a Daedric staff that lets the players shoot bursts of magic in the form of elemental attacks and even turn enemies into random animals. It is one of the most overpowered weapons in Skyrim as well as in RPG video games in general. However, often the attacks are extremely random and can even break the game.
Witcher franchise video games feature many powerful melee and projectile weapons but perhaps the Aerondight is the most powerful among them. This weapon was first witnessed in Witcher 2. The best part about the weapon in Witcher 3 is that it gets stronger every time it is used by the wielder. Every time an enemy is killed by Geralt, he gets stronger. It gains charges with every hit though there is a limit to the charge. However, the weapon gets enough charge to defeat the opponent in any situation.
There are various types of RPG weapons you will find in different video games. From the Legend of Zelda to the Witcher series, every RPG game showcases a wide range of weapons that make these games more interesting. Being strategic during RPG weapon selection can help you ace the game easily. The above-mentioned guide to different weapons not only simplifies the gameplay for players but also gives an idea about the processes used by any RPG game development company.
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