Melee weapons differ along four axes: reach, speed, **damage type**, and whether they leave a hand free for a shield. There's no single best weapon — there's a best weapon for the target and the role.
One-handed weapons & shield
A one-handed sword, axe or mace paired with a shield is the balanced, durable choice and the backbone of the line. You give up reach and raw damage for the best defence in the game — and the ability to bash. Pick the head to match the target: sword for cuts, mace for armour.
Two-handed weapons
Greatswords, great axes and mauls trade the shield for reach, power and cleave — most two-handers can hit multiple targets in one swing (the *Reaper* ability extends this), which is brutal against a clustered enemy. They demand more stamina and good spacing, since you have no shield to hide behind.
Cleave is the exception-proves-the-rule case: spears and guisarmes don't cleave, because they're thrusting weapons, not sweeping ones.
Spears & polearms
Spears have the longest reach and a piercing thrust, letting you strike from the second rank of a line and keep [cavalry](/wiki/combat-guides/mounted-combat) at bay. They don't cleave and are weaker in a swirling close-quarters scrap, but in formation they're invaluable.
Daggers & knives
Daggers are fast, light and DEX-based, and their strong attacks cause a bleed once you've taken the *Marksman* ability (2.5/s for 15s). Short reach makes them a duelist's and flanker's tool — get to the back for backstab damage and let the bleed do the rest.
Ranged arms
Bows and throwing weapons fight before the lines meet — covered in Archery and Throwing Weapons. Many melee fighters carry a thrown weapon or a bow as a sidearm to answer a target they can't reach.
Weapons are made and upgraded by the crafting trades — see the Crafting Guides. A higher-quality weapon of the right damage type beats a fancier one of the wrong type.
Unlocking weapons in Character Development
Weapons have their own branch of the Character Development screen (press `'`), the mirror of the Armours tree: you climb weapon tiers and master individual weapon classes by using them in combat. As with armour, you don't have to max the lower masteries to climb higher.
