Steelrising: 6 Most Enjoyable Weapons, Ranked

Steelrising does a lot of things right. Once you get those traversal tools unlocked, the stages become an absolute joy to explore. And we think the ventilation mechanic absolutely adds a brilliant new twist to the soulslike style of combat. But above all else, we really had a great time using the different styles of weapons. This list seeks to answer the question, "which of these weapons is the most enjoyable to use?"

We have tried to add a variety of different weapon types to this list, but this isn't a list primarily focused on outlining the best weapons in the game—though inevitably a number of them did end up making the cut—this is a list focusing on the most fun weapons in the game.

If you are disappointed that we aren't simply listing the very best weapons in the game, we can cover that right here. In the early-to-late game, the Charleville Shield Musket is effective at easily freezing nearly every enemy in the game. Pair it with a heavy-hitting weapon, like the Body Of Work, and hit frozen enemies with a fully charged attack from it. Then, in the late game, switch to the Lady Macbeth Fans and just destroy everything with their incredible ranged attack.

6 Armoured Fans

In the early parts of the game, there is quite simply nothing as enjoyable as the Steel Fans. They are incredibly quick weapons that do not force you to commit too greatly to any one attack. So you can confront an enemy slash freely, and then quickly utilize the shield ability to block, stunning them for a brief moment, before you then return to slicing and dicing them with your fans. Using the fans makes for an extremely fast, frenetic, and rewarding experience. It is downright Sekiro-esque. Could there be a greater compliment?

Unfortunately, as you get further into the game, the more you will face off against heavy-hitting enemies. And heavy-hitting attacks will drain every last ounce of stamina away from you if you try to block them. While you can compensate for this by adding the dodge in, it does make your block far less dependable, and it really serves to slow the pace of these weapons pretty considerably. For the first handful of stages, the Steel Fans are an utter delight!

5 Lady Macbeth Fans

Well, we said in the intro that this list is more interesting in highlighting the more enjoyable weapons, as opposed to the very best. However, if you are wondering what the best weapon in the game is, it is this one. The Lady Macbeth Fans deliver everything you would expect from a fan-type weapon. However, their special move is a projectile attack. And it is, easily, the most damaging projectile in the game.

This weapon will absolutely destroy bosses from a distance. Oh, and the projectile also has the benefit of causing a considerable amount of immobilization. It is utterly ridiculous. So why are we putting this weapon on the "most fun" list then? Well, sometimes it is just fun to curb stomp Automats. It is as simple as that. On the plus side, at least this is a weapon that you have to work for and that you get extremely late in the game. So at least it doesn't just break every boss fight like some weapons. Yes, we are looking at youCharleville Shield Musket!

4 Fire And Ice

While the Baton class of weapon isn't our favorite in the game, there is no denying how cool the Fire And Ice weapon is (pun intended). You see, the Fire And Ice is a pretty standard Baton with a counter. A counter, you say? How odd! You were probably expecting it to have an elemental infusion special move, right? But wait, where does the name come from then? Well, my friend, when you hit the counter you apply both the freezing and the burning effect. Is your mind blown yet?

We would have had the Fire And Ice up higher on this list, but unfortunately, they are incompatible with the best counter-focused module in the game (the Fortifying Counter Module, which heals you every time you land a counter-attack). We aren't going to lie, that hurts it. But still, at the end of the day, being able to apply both status effects for just effectively countering an attack does easily make this weapon super interesting. We don't think there is a better option for people who want to use a Baton-class weapon.

3 Fire Chain

The Chain school of weapons provides a completely unique style of gameplay. While most weapons will either favor hitting multiple times with light attacks to gradually work toward immobilizing enemies, or focus on hitting that heavy blow that just demolishes opponents, the chain style of weapon doesn't really do either of those things. Not exactly, at least. Instead, these weapons are about staying in the pocket, whipping your opponent from just out of their reach, and controlling mobs at a distance that keeps you relatively safe. It is a very careful style of play, but it feels oh-so-good.

The Fire Chain's whole deal is that it, predictably, can apply to the fire element to your weapon. Which is brilliant, as it means that you will not only be playing a game of cat and mouse with your opponent, but sustained effective play will also set your opponent on fire. This is the weapon we wanted in Bloodborne! And is that because gives us some serious Castlevania vibes? Of course, it is. Steelrising is giving fans the chance to play a soulslike with a version of the Vampire Killer, and we are absolutely here for it!

2 Romas Partisan

The Halberd weapon type just feels awful the first time you swing one around. However, you are making a very simple mistake: you are using the light attack. Don't. That isn't what this weapon is about. The Halberd is all about spacing yourself, charging up your heavy attack, and putting your opponents on their butts. And the charge attack on the Halberd is amazing. You lunge forward, hitting opponents that are half the room away from you. And even the completely uncharged version is great and will still cause some level of stagger. Once you get the hang of it, there is a lot of fun to be had with this weapon type.

The Romas Partisan only adds to the fun, as it allows you to imbue your halberd with the power of lightning. Many of the other weapons that do this feel like they have to give up far too much in the process. Sure, the Franklin Claws have the same special move, but that means you are using claws without the counter—which just feels wrong! The Halberd, on the other hand, doesn't need a counter in order to work efficiently, it needs space. So, that elemental infusion is a welcome addition.

1 Nemesis Claws

If you are looking for the "best" weapon, we don't think the Nemesis Claws are what you are looking for. The truth is, hard-hitting weapons rule Steelrising. Twenty strikes with the Nemesis Claws are about equal to a single fully charged swing of any hammer in the game. And your Nemesis Claws won't be able to stagger your opponent. However, one thing they CAN do is deal stamina damage. That's right, sustained blows will build up and allow you to stun enemies that way. This allows you to stun certain enemies that are unstaggerable by heavy blows!

However, the real star of the show is the counter. While the Nemesis Claws aren't the only weapon that comes equipped with the counter, they are the weapon that suits this ability best. Since the individual claw swipes are extremely low-commitment, you can quickly throw out a counter in an emergency. Even your charged attack with the claws has very little recovery! And unlike the block ability, which becomes less useful as more enemies gain heavy attacks, the counter cares not if an attack is light or heavy.

If you are a decent way into the game, and you haven't been building your agility stat as much as your strength, the Foil And Dagger is an excellent alternative to the Nemesis Claws, and does scale with the strength stat to a modern degree (especially after you start upgrading it).

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