Best Weapons to Use in Bloodborne, Ranked

Bloodborne, FromSoftware’s seminal Soulslike that still competes for the title of best From game even after Sekiro and Elden Ring, has dozens of unique weapons, all of which are good. It’s almost unfair to compare them all to find the “best” because, somehow, every single one is usable at even the highest levels of gameplay. Although, some of Bloodborne’s Trick Weapons are just better than others in almost every situation, even if less user-friendly options exist. We’re covering the top 10 best weapons to use in Bloodborne, ranked by their overall useability.

A Ranking of the 10 Best Bloodborne Weapons to Use

Saw Cleaver

The Saw Cleaver, one of the first weapons available in Bloodborne, is unquestionably the best option. It can take buffs. Its transform attack is excellent for building up Beast meter. Its damage output is almost silly, and the fast attack speed lets you get out of dangerous situations quickly and easily. The weapon isn’t flashy or particularly interesting, but it’s still the go-to option for challenge runs, first playthroughs, and really any other situation.

Ludwig’s Holy Blade

Another relatively uninteresting but highly effective choice, Ludwig’s Holy Blade is available early in the game if you head to the top of the Healing Church tower and grab the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge. Like the Saw Cleaver, the Holy Blade can take buffs, its base form has fast attacks and good pokes, and its transformed form can easily stagger even larger enemies.

Simon’s Bowblade

Don’t let how hard it is to get the Bowblade early get you down. It’s one of the most powerful weapons in the game, as it allows you to deal massive damage at range faster than almost any gun, negating many of the dangers inherent in Bloodborne combat. Plus, you can focus on either Skill or Bloodtinge, depending on how you want your build to go, and the Bowblade will be almost equally effective. It’s also just fun.

Chikage

The Chikage does drain your health, and that drain was increased early in Bloodborne’s lifecycle to make the weapon less of a monster. That hasn’t stopped it from remaining a top-tier choice with the right amount of the Bloodtinge stat. Combine the Chikage’s insane damage with the ability to activate Rapid Poison, creating opportunities for even more output. This thing’s move set is also one of the best in the game, so the only downside is how it can kill you if you’re not careful.

Rakuyo

The Rakuyo is probably the most annoying weapon to get in all of Bloodborne, with your needing to take down two shark beasts in the well in the Fishing Hamlet, deep into the Old Hunters DLC. However, Lady Maria’s signature paired katanas are perhaps the best pure Skill option in the game. With the ability to take buffs, a powerful transform attack, high attack speed and low recovery, and amazing scaling, there’s almost no detriment to using the Rakuyo.

Holy Moonlight Sword

The Moonlight Greatsword is a FromSoftware staple, and its Bloodborne iteration is unequaled across every Soulslike the studio put out. Never has the weapon had this much utility, looked this good, or been capable of this much damage. Its untransformed form is essentially a one-handed Claymore from more traditional Souls titles and makes for some nutty pierce damage builds. Transforming it brings out the Moonlight, giving you access to multiple types of sword beams and a fantastic secondary move set.

Whirligig Saw

The “pizza cutter,” as the community affectionately calls the Whirligig Saw, is far more than just a meme weapon. It rivals or even exceeds the Saw Cleaver in raw damage potential with a full Beast meter. If you come across a boss that likes to stand in one place, holding down the buzzsaw attack will likely melt them in seconds. The untransformed form is a simple mace, but both it and the transformed Saw’s dash attacks are some of the best in the game — and they sound absolutely badass.

Reiterpallasch

Don’t let the Reiterpallasch’s short range fool you. This weapon can chunk bosses and players in seconds with a Bloodtinge / Skill build and a buff or two. There’s also the fact it’s got a gun build into the crossguard, allowing for surprise high-damage ranged attacks that can also parry. Beyond being a rapier with a gun attached, there isn’t much else to the Reiterpallasch, but there doesn’t need to be. There is beauty in its simplicity.

Logarius’ Wheel

One of the more technical weapons in Bloodborne, Logarius’ Wheel is nonetheless capable of outlandish damage and is also one of the best weapons for stagger in the game. It’s a fine tool in its untransformed mode, but after transforming, it can easily combo hits together with the ability to buff its own damage up to four times at an increasing cost to your health every second. Managing the health drain against the damage increase and swapping between the two modes is key, as they also have different damage profiles.

Bloodletter

Every weapon in Bloodborne is brutal in its own way, but only the Bloodletter sees you plunge a spiked mace through your chest and pull out a bigger mace made of your own blood. In this transformed state, its damage relies purely on your Bloodtinge stat, meaning you can focus all of your points there if you don’t plan to do much with it untransformed. Paired with excellent range and nasty attacks when transformed, as well as heavy knockback, if you need to show off just how crazy you are, the Bloodletter does the trick.

That is how we have ranked all of the best weapons in Bloodborne. Use this info to conquer awful bosses and pesky enemies you encounter along the way.