But which ones should you carry forward into the rest of the game? It’s a question well worth asking early on, because it costs valuable resources to upgrade your weaponry, so you should only upgrade the weapons you plan to use for most of the game. Below we hope to answer your questions with our list of the very best weapons in Steelrising, both early-game and late-game. We’ll also go over where you can get your hands on each of these uber-powerful weapons, so you can start using them as early as possible.
Best weapons in Steelrising
No matter which weapon you decide to use in Steelrising, as long as you upgrade them enough and put enough points into the attributes which that weapon scales with, then you’ll end up with a very powerful piece of kit to use against your enemies. You should pay attention to every stat the game tells you about each weapon, because they’re all useful for different reasons. In my opinion the best weapon in Steelrising is the Nemesis Claws, simply because they perfectly fit with my favourite Immobilisation and Counterattack-based playstyle. However, if you’re after a slower weapon that deals much more damage per hit, then the fiery Wheel Of Vengeance is my recommendation for sure. Below we’ll walk you through five of the best weapons in Steelrising, and where exactly you need to go in order to unlock them. These weapons can’t be bought - they can only be found in the world. So have a careful read of what each weapon can do and where you can find them if you want to prepare yourself for the toughest fights the game will throw at you.
Nemesis Claws
The Nemesis Claws are among the earliest non-starting weapons you can find in Steelrising, and they’re also a fantastic option for players who like to focus on Agility and Immobilisation. In fact, it is our weapon of choice for what we consider to be the best build in Steelrising. Claw weapons are fantastic at striking many blows on an enemy in a short space of time, building up their Immobilisation meter as quickly as possible. And the Nemesis Claws’ counterattack skill allows you to turn an enemy’s attack on themselves, allowing you to keep up the aggression.
How to get the Nemesis Claws
To get the Nemesis Claws, you need to head to The Lantern, an area of Saint-Cloud just beyond the second Vestal. From where you defeated the Unstable Lancer (the first miniboss of the game), use the log to get past the fence, then cross the bridge to enter The Lantern area. Ascend the stairs to your right and there will be a half-built tower structure in front of you. At the base of this tower is a chest. Open it to find the Nemesis Claws, as well as a Compass that you can use to guide your way towards quest locations.
Wheel Of Vengeance
The Wheel Of Vengeance is a very fun and powerful late-game weapon that’s ideal for Power-based builds. Wheel weapons, much like mallets, are very slow and cumbersome but excel at dealing massive damage per hit, and the Wheel Of Vengeance is no exception here. The call to fame of this particular wheel is also its most powerful asset: its Counterattack skill, which delivers a powerful shield slam to all enemies in a cone in front of Aegis, knocking them back and dealing very high physical damage and Flame damage. It requires some careful timing to take advantage of this weapon, but the amount of damage this skill does is insane. I’ve defeated whole groups of enemies in seconds purely by counterattacking. It’s great.
How to get the Wheel Of Vengeance
The Wheel Of Vengeance is well-hidden, but thankfully fairly easy to reach once you know how. It’s located in Les Invalides, in the Factory Port area just beyond de Vaucanson’s Workshop. Once you’re next to the river, climb between the hanging platforms above you to reach the bridge walkway that connects to the tower on the coast. Kill the enemy patrolling this walkway, then head into the tower and take the stairs downward, not upward. Once you reach the bottom you’ll find a chest in a tiny room which contains the Wheel Of Vengeance.
Romas Partisan
The Romas Partisan is a much later-game weapon, and one of the best weapons in the game in my opinion. If you chose the Soldier as your Steelrising starting class, then you’ll be familiar with the Halberd weapon type and its long-reaching, powerful combos. The Romas Partisan is no exception, scaling well with your Power attribute and out-ranging most melee enemies’ weapons. What makes the Romas Partisan particularly powerful is its skill, Invocation Of Lightning, which delivers a lightning AOE attack around Aegis, and infuses the weapon with lightning for 40 seconds. This means it deals Fulmination damage with each attack - and if you max out an enemy’s Fulmination gauge, then they will take extra damage with each subsequent attack.
How to get the Romas Partisan
The Romas Partisan is also located in Saint-Cloud, but you cannot access the area until you have defeated the Bishop Of The Cité in La Cité, and unlocked the Grappling Hook tool. Once you’ve done this, return to Saint-Cloud via the Horseless Carriage, cross the broken bridge using the Grappling Hook, and follow the path ahead. After an underground section you’ll grapple up through a hole in the ground to reach a new area of Saint-Cloud called Île Monsieur. Where the fence in front of you meets the house, there’s a chest. Open it to receive the Romas Partisan.
Volley Mallet
The Volley Mallet is essentially a giant mallet with guns attached to the head. Now what part of that description doesn’t sound fantastic? This chunky weapon is essentially a version of Body Of Work, the Bodyguard’s starting weapon, which substitutes the ability to block for a powerful ranged shotgun-like attack. What makes the Volley Mallet worthy of a place on this best weapons list is its unexpected versatility. It’s a very heavy, slow, strong weapon that scales well with Power, making it perfect for strength-focused setups. But the Volley Of Gunfire ranged attack skill also deals a large amount of Immobilisation damage, giving it some of the utility of lighter weapons as well.
How to get the Volley Mallet
To unlock the Volley Mallet, you need to defeat the Bishop Of The Cité, located in La Cité. Use the Compass to guide your way towards this major boss location. After that, you’ll unlock the Grappling Hook, and in a corner of the arena where you fought the Bishop, you’ll see a ledge that you can immediately grapple onto. Head up there and follow the short platform along to the end where you’ll find a chest containing the Volley Mallet.
Falchion and Sabre
The Falchion and Sabre is one of several dual sword weapons that you’ll encounter in Steelrising. Like Claw weapons, they scale very well with Agility, and excel at light attacks which deal lots of Immobilisation damage in a short space of time. What sets the Falchion and Sabre apart is its impressive skill, Blade Tornado, which unleashes a flurry of spinning attacks with both blades that can deliver 6-7 hits in a short space of time. It takes some skill to know when it’s safe to use, as the animation does leave you vulnerable to attacks (and counters), but if you upgrade the weapon and pour points into Agility, you’ll be dealing amazing amounts of damage with this skill.
How to get the Falchion and Sabre
The Falchion and Sabre is yet another weapon that you find in Saint-Cloud. This time you must head to the Forest, an area just beyond the tower where you picked up the Compass and Nemesis Claws. Once in the Forest, follow the path until you reach a small house with a stable adjoining it. Dispatch the Dextral Prototype guarding the front, then open the chest in the stable to unlock the Falchion and Sabre. That wraps up this walkthrough of the best weapons in Steelrising and where you can get your cold mechanical hands on them. If you want some help reaching all of these weapons, then it might be useful to read up on how to destroy breakable walls in Steelrising to unlock new shortcuts between areas.
