Dark and Darker Best Fighter Weapons (2024)

The Fighter is the premiere melee class, as they are masters of all things martial in Dark and Darker. Since this class has access to the widest variety of weapons, some players are wondering which among them is the best in class. This article will talk about each weapon and highlight some of the best ones in the game. Each weapon archetype has its own strengths and weaknesses, but here are the stand-out variants.

How Do Weapons Work?

Before getting into the best weapons in the game, understanding how melee combat works is key to identifying the features that make a weapon good. When making a melee strike, landing a hit with the tip of a weapon deals the most damage. Conversely, hitting an enemy with a less lethal part, like the hilt of a sword or the shaft of a hammer, will deal way less damage. Another aspect is the attack animation of the weapon type, as some weapons have more reach based on the attack made.

Best One-Handed Sword

For one-handed Sword weapons, the Arming Sword is still one of the best one-handed swords in the game and by extension, the Kuma’s Claw artifact with its extra Magic damage at base. This weapon is a highly versatile one, being able to do both slashes and piercing, which gives experienced players an edge in melee combat. While the Viking Sword has a slightly higher damage value at the base, the wind-up and attack animations are far slower than the base Arming Sword. This weapon is still highly versatile and will remain effective even in High-Roller dungeons.

Best One-Handed Mace

As for the Mace category, the Morning Star is one of the best one-handed blunt weapons in Dark and Darker, as it has a fair balance of damage and swing speed. It even has its own Artifact variant with the Pulverizing Prayer, which reduces physical damage reduction by 25% per hit. If you’re dealing with High-Roller players with better armor, the Morning Star will make short work of them.

Best Two-Handed Sword

Moving on to two-handed Swords, the Zweihander is by far the best weapon in this category. Since two-handed weapons are slow by design, might as well try to get as much damage as possible with the intrinsically slow swing speed. The Zweihander has the highest base damage compared to the Longsword, with only a 20ms difference in swing speed. The only viable option for the Longsword is the Fulgor Artifact weapon, which deals 20 lightning damage on hit. Otherwise, if you’re looking for a standard weapon to use, get the Zweihander.

Best Two-Handed Mace

As for the two-handed weapons, it’s a bit off a toss-up between the War Hammer and the Quarterstaff. The Quarterstaff has a swing speed comparable to the one-handed maces. It also has the Stinky Stick Artifact variant, which deals tick damage to enemies caught in the weapon’s effect. However, if you’re looking for raw physical damage, the War Hammer may be your preferred weapon. It has the slowest swing speed out of all melee weapons, but also the highest base damage.

Best Polearm

The Halberd strikes a nice balance between slashing and piecing attacks, giving players who use this weapon an edge in both range and crowd-control. Compared to the Bardiche and Spear, the Halberd sits in the middle in terms of damage and attack speed. It’s also the only polearm with an Artifact variant, Cinder, dealing magic damage on hit and inflicting a burning DoT on enemies.

Best Shield

The Heater Shield is the best in-slot shield for Fighters as it has one of the best armor ratings and impact reduction values for one-handed shields. The Pavise is too heavy and cumbersome, even with its superior defensive value. The Heater Shield is solid enough to block quickly without sacrificing movement speed or an extra hand. It also has a generous hitbox that can block most attacks when held up, especially when compared to the Buckler or the Round Shield, which can still leave you open for a hit if an enemy targets the right area.

Best Axe

The Horseman’s Axe is one of the few weapons that Fighters can wield, as many of them are exclusive to the Barbarian class. Nevertheless, this weapon is the best among all the available axes for Fighters. The Famine Artifact is quite powerful since it prevents an enemy from receiving any healing, a fact that makes group fights in PvP very lengthy in general. The Hatchet only slightly beats this axe in terms of attack speed but has a smaller hitbox compared to the Horseman’s Axe.

While the Battle Axe is the only two-handed Axe available for Fighters, there are better two-handed options since its hitbox is also too small to make good use of.

Best Dagger

The Rondel Dagger beats every other dagger in this category, as not only does it have the fastest swing speed of them all, but it also deals around the same damage as all others in the class. Since daggers will deal full damage regardless of where the blade strikes, the Rondel Dagger is great for players on a budget and is surprisingly effective for aggressive players, especially when they constantly push opponents. If you’re looking to save up on gold, this dagger is very effective for its price point.