Sephiria weapons guide: Sword & Shield, Greatsword, Dagger, Katana, Crossbow and Staff — full attack stats, upgrade trees, and which weapon to pick.
Sephiria Weapons Guide — All 6 Weapons, Stats & Upgrade Trees
Sephiria has six weapons: Sword & Shield, Greatsword, Dagger, Katana, Crossbow, and Staff — each with a different attack rhythm, its own damage coefficients, and a permanent upgrade tree with 50+ nodes. Pick Sword & Shield for a forgiving all-rounder, Greatsword for raw damage, Dagger for speed and crit builds, Katana for combo depth, Crossbow for safe range, and Staff for elemental magic. Here is every weapon's confirmed stat line, its notable upgrades, and how to unlock them.
All Six Weapons Compared
The table below sorts the six families by combat role and difficulty so you can narrow your choice before checking individual stats.
| Weapon | Style | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sword & Shield | Balanced melee | Easy | New players, all-round clears |
| Greatsword | Heavy melee | Medium | Raw damage, stagger chains |
| Dagger | Fast melee | Hard | Burst, crit builds, mobility |
| Katana | Mid melee | Medium | Combo flow, stance play |
| Crossbow | Ranged | Easy–Medium | Safe poke, single-target |
| Staff | Ranged magic | Medium | Area damage, element synergy |
The attack values below are the damage coefficients applied on top of your base stat values — they match across two independent sources (Destructoid's 1.0 tier list and allthings.how's weapons guide).
Sword & Shield
The most beginner-friendly option: balanced stats, dependable defense, and a quick-to-learn moveset. Its standard attack is a three-hit combo, and the shield lets you guard against incoming hits. Pressing the attack button while guarding triggers a sweeping special that strikes in every direction. Moderate attack speed and medium stagger make it effective in most situations — and the community rates it as the best weapon to learn the game on.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1 |
| Dash Attack | 0.8 |
| Special Attack | 2.5 |
Notable upgrade lines: Protection (guard costs 50% less MP), One Workshop (+15% attack speed, auto-guards during normal attacks), Small Destruction (+40% special attack damage), Rapier (dash attacks disabled, normal attacks become dashes), Magic Wand (attacks become magic missiles), and elemental lines (Frost Shard +5 ice, Conductor +5 lightning, Incendium +5 fire).
Greatsword
The heaviest hitter: slow swings, but every hit lands hard and the attack coverage is wide. The special is a spinning slash (Whirlwind) that can deal up to 400% damage to everything in radius, which makes it exceptional against packed groups. It has no defensive mechanics — positioning is entirely on you. Destructoid puts it at S-tier for the current 1.0 meta.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1.75 |
| Dash Attack | 1.25 |
| Special Attack | 4 |
Notable upgrades: Hypersensitivity (+20% special damage, +50% charge rate), Gathering Shadows (+100% vortex charge time but +20% normal damage), Burnt Fire Forged Sword (fire damage equal to 30% of weapon damage), Chilled Sword (ice, same ratio), Lightning Greatsword "E2G" (lightning, 30%), Crimson Thorn (applies Wound Aggravation). The Minimalism tree was disabled by the developers in patch 0.9.6 and is no longer obtainable.
Dagger
The fastest weapon in the game, built for aggressive play and constant movement. Its five-hit combo rewards players who rush in, but each hit deals low damage with limited stagger — you live on dodges, parries, and crit builds. The Dagger's unique actions are Parry (wide timing window, 1.3 coefficient) and Fury (4.8 coefficient).
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 0.58 |
| Dash Attack | 1.1 |
| Parry | 1.3 |
| Fury | 4.8 |
Notable upgrades: Crossing the Threshold (dash attacks grant +20% normal and +30% dash damage), Dry Wind (+20% Fury damage), Flame Dagger (parry becomes Dagger Throw), Lightning Dagger (lightning = 20% of weapon damage), Cotton Leg (attacks become thrown shuriken), Academy Magic Sword (parry costs 0 MP and restores 22% MP on success). The Safe Start tree was disabled in patch 0.10.6.
The Dagger scales artifact activation at only 68.75% (vs 150% for the greatsword), so it rewards skill-based crit/parry play more than raw artifact stacking. Don't force it if your run's artifacts are all flat-damage.
Katana (Saber)
The Katana is a unique stance weapon: you swap between Sword and Kick stances with the special button. Sword stance handles standard attacks; the Kick stance consumes MP to launch a wide-reaching special. It also has a short invincibility window when switching stances, and its dash attacks are quick with short recovery. Destructoid rates it B-tier — powerful but the most complex family to master.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1.1 |
| Dash Attack | 0.8 |
| Special Attack | 2.34 |
Notable upgrades: Attitude 'Onohara' (+15% attack speed, special scales with attack speed), Helbanus (fire = 30% of weapon damage), Geomchamdo: Cheon Gwang-sak (normal attacks build the Geomcham gauge), Waiting Cheonghui Sword (consumes Geomcham for +20% magic book damage), Lightning Bronte (converts damage to lightning), Cutlassfish (normal damage scales with defense).
Crossbow
The Crossbow is the safe ranged pick. It uses a magazine system with 10 arrows base capacity (raised from 6 in patch 0.7.36), and arrows pierce up to 2 enemies. The trade-off: your movement speed drops by about 40% while firing, and you must manage reloads — accuracy matters more than volume. Destructoid rates it A-tier as a solid, safe choice.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1 |
| Dash Attack | 1 |
| Special Attack | 2 |
Notable upgrades: Reloader (normal damage −45%, special becomes Advanced Reload), Shot Barrier (normal becomes Gunpowder Bomb, +80% damage), Flame Mine (damage converts to fire), Unstable Lightning Mark (40% chance to fire Lightning Arrow), Frost Shroud (special becomes an ice-conversion buff), Kagumede (applies Poisoning), M-9199 (penetrating normal attacks, +15% damage).
Staff
The Staff is ranged magic, added in Early Access with Chapter 5 content and unlocked through the Graceful Weapon Training inscription (10 Sapphires) after clearing Chapter 5, then completing Morrow's training ground. It is arguably the most versatile weapon: elemental damage across lightning/cold/fire trees, attack speed with dash count, and max-MP-for-blocking options — and you can lean on special attacks while bypassing normal attacks entirely. Destructoid rates it S-tier for that versatility.
| Attack | Value |
|---|---|
| Normal Attack | 1 |
| Dash Attack | 0.8 |
| Special Attack | 2.5 |
The staff's starting tree includes dedicated lightning, cold, and fire branches, so it flexes into any elemental build — see the builds guide for the lightning staff route.
Per the community weapons database, the community wiki also tracks a seventh "Pole" weapon (a defensive counterattack family added during Early Access). The official 1.0 store description counts six weapon families, so treat the Pole as a variant line rather than a main family.
How Weapon Upgrades Work
Weapon upgrades are permanent meta-progression applied at the village Blacksmith using materials gathered during descents — the official Steam description calls the combat system "6 distinct weapons, each with over 50 unique upgrades to unlock":
| Material | Rarity | Source | Upgrade tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Copper | Common | Chapters 1–2 mobs (~35% per kill, community-reported) | Nodes 1–15 |
| Luminous Shards | Uncommon | Chapters 3–4 elites (~12% per elite, community-reported) | Nodes 16–35 |
| Apex Cores | Rare | Chapters 5–6 bosses (100% on kill) | Nodes 36–50+ |
Each weapon can be enhanced twice: the first enhancement changes base behavior or adds a passive; the second builds on the first, often altering the special attack. Material costs scale sharply after the 15th node, so efficient farming (speed-descending Chapters 1–2 and intentionally resetting in Chapter 3) is how players finish a weapon tree. Community drop-rate figures come from player testing and are collected in the weapon upgrades wiki — verify current rates in-game after patches.
Each tree is a massive resource sink (50+ nodes). Pick one or two weapons you actually play and finish their core nodes before touching the others — upgrade materials are the real bottleneck in Sephiria's meta-progression.
Which Weapon Should You Pick?
For a first clear: Sword & Shield. For maximum 1.0 damage: Greatsword or Staff (the two S-tier picks per Destructoid). For fast crit play: Dagger. For safe range: Crossbow. For style points and stance mastery: Katana. Your choice feeds directly into the tier list guide and the builds guide — and remember the artifact coefficient differences mean your weapon changes how much every artifact is worth.
FAQ
What are the 6 weapons in Sephiria?
Sword & Shield, Greatsword, Dagger, Katana (Saber), Crossbow, and Staff. Each has a distinct playstyle, its own damage coefficients, and a permanent upgrade tree.
Which weapon is best in Sephiria?
In the 1.0 meta, Greatsword and Staff are S-tier (Destructoid), with Sword & Shield, Crossbow and Dagger in A-tier and Katana in B-tier. For beginners, Sword & Shield is the best learning weapon.
How do weapon upgrades work in Sephiria?
You spend materials (Tower Copper, Luminous Shards, Apex Cores) at the village Blacksmith on a branching tree per weapon. Each weapon enhances twice, with the second enhancement building on the first. Upgrades are permanent.
How do I unlock the Staff in Sephiria?
Clear Chapter 5, buy the Graceful Weapon Training inscription (10 Sapphires) from the Destiny Inscription, then complete Morrow's staff training ground in the starting area.
Is the Crossbow good in Sephiria?
Yes — A-tier per Destructoid. It deals reliable ranged damage with piercing arrows, but you move ~40% slower while firing and must manage reloads, so it rewards precise positioning.
Related guides: Guide · Builds · Tier List · Walkthrough · System Requirements
Last updated: August 13, 2026.
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