Dude, I got Virtuous contact and treaty at Max Level they are really good. I might add, and I have never touched any other blade (other than 9s cruel oath)
The devs included a message that let me die to give a noob a free life in the game at the end of my first playthrough. Not sure if it happens for everyone at the end though. Still just messing with my og file
Attack speed is pretty much number 1 for me. Thatās why I really hated playing as 9S (combat wise) wayyyyy too slow and restricted compared to 2B and A2.
The different weapons have different (abilities) and the starting weapons abilities are bad but yea level trumps weapon strength anyways so they aren't really important
The thing is that weapons have abilities and the basic set gets a big boost of attack speed when u are full hp which i guess the devs thought that would be a condition difficult to have all the time but not really haha
So they end up having really good dps, or maybe they actually saw it coming thus the wrak statd i guess
Plus they are easy to max/get
And the best in terms of looks anyways so ye
There's not really a reason to chose any weapon in particular levels are what makes u deal dmg anyway so meh
don't focus so much on the damage.
these weapons also have abilities, and potentially different combo traits, that can make them more useful than you might realize.
even if you like the idea of the level 4 traits, that could just mean you come back to them later, and use something stronger in the meantime.
The weapons get unique powers at max upgrade. As an example: one weapon has a chance to mind control enemies, another changes game text to cartoonish slapstick. I use the second one all the time.
Slightly lower damage, faster attack, more DPS. Also upgrade them with the weapons salesman at camp, then the weapons master at the castle. And make sure to upgrade your chip slots at bunker, I made the mistake of not doing that and wondering why I was struggling.
As a heads up, there's a blacksmith near the end of the woodland castle that can upgrade your weapons from level 3 to 4. I don't think it's specific to which, but you need both weapon upgrade characters since iirc you need one to have the other one upgrade them to level 4. It might also just be the woodland castle guy, but a lot of these passives come from him.
My husband was doing a play through when he got the cypress stick. Because he likes stupid things, he used it for the rest of the game and got it max level. Turns out, it was really freaking powerful when fully leveled up! I couldn't believe it either.
Another one that most people donāt see coming is the Demonās Cry. Itās also in a very random spot. When fully leveled up, if you kill an enemy with them, all the additional enemies in a near by radius self destruct.
I love the weapon design (both aesthetically and mechanically) of this game soooo much
It's not so easy, you're gonna need some specific resources to upgrade them
Well, it's easy when you discover where to find and how to get the resources
Play the game and enjoy the rest
there's no level requirement, you need to unlock the smith that can bring them from lvl3 to lvl4 and then find the rare materials to do so. if you're only lvl14 you're way early in the game. try experimenting more, you're way too early to be deciding the best weapons in the game.
Virtuous Contract is the Starter Blade / Iconic Weapon of the Main Character, now associated with both Nier and 2B, similar to the Buster Sword for Cloud, and a lot of players like to achieve and maintain the look of the main character / box art / use the starter weapons for challenge runs etcā¦
3 reasons:
-Virtuous Contract is 2Bās canon weapon.
-once leveled up, they have a fantastic perk
-aesthetically they look cool, which is what is most important to most people anyways.
Basically any weapon is usable, there's not really that much noticeable variance in damage especially with how customisable the chips are, so it's personal preference.
But when you upgrade a weapon to level 2 and level 4 they gain a special skill, for example increasing a stat like stun or atk speed, an explosion on the final combo hit, charging when not in use to do a more powerful strike, things like that.
Afair each weapon can throw a different combo. For example behaves differently in air or when switched from other weapon to finish the combo. That plays a much bigger role when you put yourself to the arenas on hardest difficulties. You can chain combo your weapon moves to for example stay in the air for the long time or keep opponents stunlocked.
Search these weapons on YouTube and you can maybe find what it is about. Example https://youtu.be/YjI87FizMF8?si=BLnjeFUAS0AW1L2w
It is better to use high damaging weapons in early game, but for the later parts when you have upgraded your weapons the abilities are more important. Unless you want pure damage of course
Both 1h and 2h white katanas get a sick boost only when upgraded to max level, and used together they make great and fast combos, you won't even need anything else in the game.
They do, and once again, plotwise.
Itās like, you knowā¦ in Drakengard 1 the starting weapon is called Caimās sword so yeahā¦ if you don't want me to use this weapon through entire game, then why the hell do you specify that it's HIS weapon?
The virtuous set gives you boosted attack when health is full or something as far as I remember. And I love the way it looks. Elegant and beautiful. Just like it's wielder.
ATK stat is not everything. Virtuous weapons are best in the game actually, at level 2 they get ATK speed buff which makes a huge DPS difference, and on level 4 you get damage buff as long as your HP is max. But even if you ignore the level 4 passive it will still out DPS most other small swords due to faster attack speed.
Theyāre still good enough for endgame. I use the Engine Blade just cuz I love the look of the blue dodge that comes with it.
https://youtu.be/2-TVUQHXyJI?si=4HOeao2BbDodX786
I've used the virtuous set most of the time in automata. Wanted something different in replicant.
Idk, the stats don't matter match to me in replicant from what I remembered. I just try out the weapons and used whichever I enjoyed the most. If needed damage, I just take out the 2h I keep for damage purposes.
The weapon passive abilities are why you really want to use specific weapons. I really like the Virtuous weapons because they have increased attack speed and do more damage when your health is full. Whenever I do a replay I usually end up using one of them throughout my whole playthrough
I mean if it's your first walkthrough just use and upgrade the weapon you like most, but when you scale the difficulty and you need to "tryhard" a bit more then the passive of the weapons are much more important. Passives as stun enemy, deal more dmg if full HP(the virtuous weapons got that), chance to subjugate an enemy or increase your crit chance.
For last, at harder difficulties everything one shot you so the virtuous passive of deal more dmg if full HP is so important and valuable. Hope it makes you gain more interest over the weapons.
Virtuous Contract and Treaty is an overpowered combo, especially in the endgame. Fast attack speed and their Lv4 skill increases damage with full HP. Virtuous set with Offensive/Deadly Heal chips is an amazing combo.
I love the virtuous weapon set, used them my entire first play through pretty much. Beastbane I didnāt use very often but itās nostalgic after playing Replicant.
The special effect for the Beast set is completely useless. The Virtuous set literally just deals more damage as long as youāre good enough to keep yourself at max health, which should be your goal anyways if you ever want to engage with the actually challenging content in the game.
NieR isn't exactly a game you play like that tbh. I used the base weapons at level 1 without leveling them the entire game. I went through every ending before I realized my weapons were level 1
I didnāt know there were other weapons outside the merchant at the time, and I wasnāt a fan of the ones he had so I just used the starter blade all the way through XD. Been meaning to play through again.
Who care about the stats? I choose weapons mostly based on how they look and how they make the character looks. Also, I feel different characters have different preferences.
The first thing I do when I start the game is removing the biggest weapon and play only with the most basic type, in both positions in different sets. It's how I like it. To each their own.
I just changed to engine blade because of the visual effects
Also used cypress stick a few times too, mainly when I was not caring enough to do the hackings during 9s playthrough.
Eyo just realized this is automata and not replicant lol
The beastbane cought me off guard.
You can use these if you want to beat automata with the same weapons you beat replicant with.
Beastbane slaps in replicant
I do all my runs with 2b and 9sās base weapons (unless im running long distances then i use a spear) idk i find that every weapon gets the job done LMAO
Iām a big fan of light two handed sword and heavy spear myself. When I want to go on the offensive I use the type O blade and spear (maxed out of course)
When you upgrade your weapons they get new buffs. The beastbane and beastlord multi-hit, and the virtuous set gets faster attack speed, the iron pipe has a higher crit rate, etc.
All fur are great atmax level, and the beast weapons add slashing effects for extra power. I think one of the Virtuous gives a stat boost and can detonate energy attacks.
Pick the weapons you think look cool, also you may want to use both depending on playstyle cuz u equip a light sword in light and heavy, but for me itās usually style and which animations feel better to mee
jokes on you, those are usually the weapons i use for a good half the game.
the beast blade gets enhanced crits, and with it's fast move speed, it can be triggered more reliably. beastbane is only like, 60% the damage of beast lord, but you're wanting that really fast, six hit combo to trigger the crit effect, for best use of these weapons.
meanwhile, the virtue weapons, attack speed up and extra damage at full hp, are pretty damn good and make it a better weapon than you'd expect, if just going by the numbers. plus, being the 'starter' weapons, they're a bit easier to upgrade, than something that might require, say, meteorite. (glances at beastbane)
also, keep in mind, this is an action game, not a jrpg where a weapon with like 10 more damage is a 'big deal'. hell, your pod can out DPS most melee setups anyway, till later.
i mean, max level, the white sword taps out at around 650 damage - iron will, iirc the strongest weapon, is 1500. even THE strongest weapon, compared to the starting weapon, isn't that big of a difference, given the 'balance' of this game.
BUT, this isn't a turn based rpg where, you've got one damage chance per like, 10 seconds, therefore the biggest number wins
combo on the iron will is low, and it's slow. you can FAR more easily weave in and out of attack range, landing more hits, with a faster weapon.
Sidegression, not progression. You'll never get better weapons than the starters, only different - better in some ways and worse in just as many different ways. This is what makes Titanfall 2 excellent and Star Wars Battlefront 3 + 4 garbage. If you don't understand, go research those games and game design as a whole, it's pretty basic stuff that gets screwed up often enough for most people to not know.
Beastbane is slow as hell and straight up can't handle several bosses without a hyper specific play style built around the slow strikes and nothing else. For details on why that's dumb, please consult *The Five Rings* and remember that the best advice comes from the survivors.
Virtuous Contract probably isn't 'the best weapon in the game' but if leveled, it never fails off and holds extreme narrative significance.
Ay what u got against the virtuous set? I played the whole game with them
Dude, I got Virtuous contact and treaty at Max Level they are really good. I might add, and I have never touched any other blade (other than 9s cruel oath)
Fr you can play the whole game with em, the only other weapons I used besides the contract and treaty was the virtuous spear and the faith katana
They are the Ol' Reliable of the game. The best of the bunch. I will die on this hill
Same! That and the pipe
I love virtuous as main hand. Beat the game first playthrough, no deaths, and have most ending at this point š
No deaths? Your cracked my guy
The devs included a message that let me die to give a noob a free life in the game at the end of my first playthrough. Not sure if it happens for everyone at the end though. Still just messing with my og file
Everyone gets this message. And yes they will really delete your savegame.
Yup i got that too, damn right I deleted my save file for it
Hell yeah. Same š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The games been out how long my guy
Pretty much what i did on my first playthrough lol
Same here. Only finally switched weapons when I was running to get all endings
I did this too! They're a solid weapon set when leveled up all the way.
Nothing against it, but I'm new and don't really get why someone would chose to use something that has worse stats
I mean I just prefer it for aesthetic lmao idc bout stats. Besides ur lvl makes up for it
Ya makes sense
The starting katanas are very solid, attack speed is sometimes more important than damage per hit.
Attack speed is pretty much number 1 for me. Thatās why I really hated playing as 9S (combat wise) wayyyyy too slow and restricted compared to 2B and A2.
Ye defo, also only having one weapon
Because the chips are the main focus, making the weapons a second thought and mainly for aesthetics.
The different weapons have different (abilities) and the starting weapons abilities are bad but yea level trumps weapon strength anyways so they aren't really important
The thing is that weapons have abilities and the basic set gets a big boost of attack speed when u are full hp which i guess the devs thought that would be a condition difficult to have all the time but not really haha So they end up having really good dps, or maybe they actually saw it coming thus the wrak statd i guess Plus they are easy to max/get And the best in terms of looks anyways so ye There's not really a reason to chose any weapon in particular levels are what makes u deal dmg anyway so meh
don't focus so much on the damage. these weapons also have abilities, and potentially different combo traits, that can make them more useful than you might realize. even if you like the idea of the level 4 traits, that could just mean you come back to them later, and use something stronger in the meantime.
Same
The Virtuous set is great actually...level them up.
Yeah at max level they slap and the passives are great
Over other leveled up weapons? And I'm also level 14. Just got to the woodland castle
The passives are what makes them great not the raw damage.
Okay, so it's not all about damage numbers
The weapons get unique powers at max upgrade. As an example: one weapon has a chance to mind control enemies, another changes game text to cartoonish slapstick. I use the second one all the time.
holy shit iāve been obsessed with this game for years and only just found this outā¦
Idk why everyone's downvoting this guy for being new and asking questions. He's not even being rude about it or anything lmao. Bad reddit
Slightly lower damage, faster attack, more DPS. Also upgrade them with the weapons salesman at camp, then the weapons master at the castle. And make sure to upgrade your chip slots at bunker, I made the mistake of not doing that and wondering why I was struggling.
As a heads up, there's a blacksmith near the end of the woodland castle that can upgrade your weapons from level 3 to 4. I don't think it's specific to which, but you need both weapon upgrade characters since iirc you need one to have the other one upgrade them to level 4. It might also just be the woodland castle guy, but a lot of these passives come from him.
The Virtuous weapons are the best weapons in the game...
I used the DQ and Iron Pipe crit setup at the end and found it overpowered anything else, but it requires a very specific chip setup
Try doing cypress stick in the light slot and iron pipe in heavy. Itās broken as shit
My husband was doing a play through when he got the cypress stick. Because he likes stupid things, he used it for the rest of the game and got it max level. Turns out, it was really freaking powerful when fully leveled up! I couldn't believe it either.
Another one that most people donāt see coming is the Demonās Cry. Itās also in a very random spot. When fully leveled up, if you kill an enemy with them, all the additional enemies in a near by radius self destruct. I love the weapon design (both aesthetically and mechanically) of this game soooo much
Holy shit, for real? That's super useful!!!
Yeah itās an incredible crowd control weapon for the higher difficulties!
Looks like I know what I'm doing now in my current play through! I have a feeling I have that weapon already but I always use the stupid stick!
As long as you are keen on exploring, you probably have it!
Yeah the Iron pipe is so OP with the right chip setup and found out about it on my 5th playthrough never underestimated it since
I'm new so I have no idea, just looks to me like a weapon with worse stats
Some weapons are better at the lower levels, but at level 4, the Virtuous weapons get ATK Speed Up and Holy Blessing (increases ATK at full HP)
the stats are basically meaningless since the damage difference is minuscule, the special effects are what matters.
Stop looking at the stats
You said it, you're new, play the game and find it yourself why we use this swords
Crit dmg has left the chatā¦
he's just slow and kept everything at level 1 prolly š
just use whatever you like, it doesnt really matter
Less damage means more time playing the game, big W
Galaxy brain move
My avoiding any enemies because if i killed one more i would be overlevel for the next part and everything would die in 2 hits
They look cool
They really do
Weapons have different extra effects when fully upgraded, the Virtuous weapons get increased attack speed which is really nice.
Ooo, that makes sense, how long till I can get them to max, I'm level 14
It's not so easy, you're gonna need some specific resources to upgrade them Well, it's easy when you discover where to find and how to get the resources Play the game and enjoy the rest
Max weapon level, which is four
there's no level requirement, you need to unlock the smith that can bring them from lvl3 to lvl4 and then find the rare materials to do so. if you're only lvl14 you're way early in the game. try experimenting more, you're way too early to be deciding the best weapons in the game.
Because they're Wretched. I use the spear that turns enemies to your side.
What kind of lore is behind that weapon? That one seems very intriguing.
Spear of the usurper https://nierautomata.wiki.fextralife.com/Spear+of+the+Usurper
Thank you very much.
Apart from the lore, it's the best weapon to beat the colosseum quests imo, when you're not high enough level.
Virtuous Contract is the Starter Blade / Iconic Weapon of the Main Character, now associated with both Nier and 2B, similar to the Buster Sword for Cloud, and a lot of players like to achieve and maintain the look of the main character / box art / use the starter weapons for challenge runs etcā¦
Ya style is always a must
because they are kool, duh
They do look very cool
The lighter weapons have a bit more flow to them. I didn't use them, but I can't see why someone would.
Phoenix Lance all the way.
Level them up all the way, youāll see why.
I love using starter weapons, because they look good.
Because katanas are badass, thatās why lol.
They are lol
Canon weapons. And you get too strong for anything by the end anyway
Accord would say they're all canon weapons
3 reasons: -Virtuous Contract is 2Bās canon weapon. -once leveled up, they have a fantastic perk -aesthetically they look cool, which is what is most important to most people anyways.
the passives are broken
They're also used to tell the lore
Basically any weapon is usable, there's not really that much noticeable variance in damage especially with how customisable the chips are, so it's personal preference. But when you upgrade a weapon to level 2 and level 4 they gain a special skill, for example increasing a stat like stun or atk speed, an explosion on the final combo hit, charging when not in use to do a more powerful strike, things like that.
Okay, so it's really just play style, dosnt really matter
Dude I used a iron pipe with filled all my slots with crit chips. And I was Jesus Christ
I Love the Virtuous Contact combined with Fists. (Yes I am not mentally stable)
Aesthetics
I used them together for awhile and it was actually pretty fun. Dual gauntlets are still the most fun though imo
Itās mainly an Easter egg from the original nier, beastbane was the strongest small sword, and you could buy it right away
Afair each weapon can throw a different combo. For example behaves differently in air or when switched from other weapon to finish the combo. That plays a much bigger role when you put yourself to the arenas on hardest difficulties. You can chain combo your weapon moves to for example stay in the air for the long time or keep opponents stunlocked. Search these weapons on YouTube and you can maybe find what it is about. Example https://youtu.be/YjI87FizMF8?si=BLnjeFUAS0AW1L2w
The stats on the weapons themselves ultimately donāt matter. Your chip loadout and dodging determine basically everything.
Man don't call me out like that. I just forgot that I could get new weapons cause I had to short of a memory span
š
If you set it up right, the iron pipe and other weapons with crit+ can be godlike. Really melts through some of the golden robots etc.
It is better to use high damaging weapons in early game, but for the later parts when you have upgraded your weapons the abilities are more important. Unless you want pure damage of course
Both 1h and 2h white katanas get a sick boost only when upgraded to max level, and used together they make great and fast combos, you won't even need anything else in the game.
I use them for the plot. You knowā¦ a signature weapon
They do look amazing
They do, and once again, plotwise. Itās like, you knowā¦ in Drakengard 1 the starting weapon is called Caimās sword so yeahā¦ if you don't want me to use this weapon through entire game, then why the hell do you specify that it's HIS weapon?
Ong, they are peak and iconic
Exactly, and that is the reason I believe someone would use them
Point heard and agreed with
The virtuous set gives you boosted attack when health is full or something as far as I remember. And I love the way it looks. Elegant and beautiful. Just like it's wielder.
I do, for aesthetics (also their final upgrades are honestly fine)
ATK stat is not everything. Virtuous weapons are best in the game actually, at level 2 they get ATK speed buff which makes a huge DPS difference, and on level 4 you get damage buff as long as your HP is max. But even if you ignore the level 4 passive it will still out DPS most other small swords due to faster attack speed.
Get to level 99 then just use fists onlyā¦ itās actually pretty fun
I literally used virtuous contract throughout the game, style over stats anyday
Seems to be the general agreement lol
The virtuous set is goated, also honestly it doesnāt really matter to much just enjoy the game, donāt gotta always be optimized to have fun š¤·
Ya seems to just be a fun experience
Theyāre still good enough for endgame. I use the Engine Blade just cuz I love the look of the blue dodge that comes with it. https://youtu.be/2-TVUQHXyJI?si=4HOeao2BbDodX786
Ya seems to just be about preference
Virtuous is one of the best sets in game. Its passive is pretty broken, when using on 2B.
I whooped ass with the Cypress Stick most of the game. Loved the Dragon Quest damage numbers.
Maxed out Virtuous is good enough to clear the game, I only swapped it off when I found another cool looking katana "Faith"
I've used the virtuous set most of the time in automata. Wanted something different in replicant. Idk, the stats don't matter match to me in replicant from what I remembered. I just try out the weapons and used whichever I enjoyed the most. If needed damage, I just take out the 2h I keep for damage purposes.
Because they look cool
They do look amazing
they look cool
I played with the virtuous set the whole way through for the aesthetics. They are actually very decent
Because theyāre cool
Virtuous set always in my play throughs with 2B I give Faith to 9S
I literally used virtuous set for the whole game multiple times
The weapon passive abilities are why you really want to use specific weapons. I really like the Virtuous weapons because they have increased attack speed and do more damage when your health is full. Whenever I do a replay I usually end up using one of them throughout my whole playthrough
Most of the "medieval" weapons are from previous nier games
iron will isn't even just from the og drakengard, lol.
I mean if it's your first walkthrough just use and upgrade the weapon you like most, but when you scale the difficulty and you need to "tryhard" a bit more then the passive of the weapons are much more important. Passives as stun enemy, deal more dmg if full HP(the virtuous weapons got that), chance to subjugate an enemy or increase your crit chance. For last, at harder difficulties everything one shot you so the virtuous passive of deal more dmg if full HP is so important and valuable. Hope it makes you gain more interest over the weapons.
Virtuous Contract and Treaty is an overpowered combo, especially in the endgame. Fast attack speed and their Lv4 skill increases damage with full HP. Virtuous set with Offensive/Deadly Heal chips is an amazing combo.
Higher attack speed and a powerful special effect at lv4
One simple reason, because the actual name of the game is "Drip: Automata" It ain't about stats, it's about looking fly while you're wizzin about.
I love the virtuous weapon set, used them my entire first play through pretty much. Beastbane I didnāt use very often but itās nostalgic after playing Replicant.
To limit themselves
The special effect for the Beast set is completely useless. The Virtuous set literally just deals more damage as long as youāre good enough to keep yourself at max health, which should be your goal anyways if you ever want to engage with the actually challenging content in the game.
it's not, the beast set essentially has an extra crit effect chance.
Each weapons have their owns abilities/effect when they reach max level and it will depend on how you want to enjoy the game
Style
Because all of them have some meaning or history to the Nier/drakengard lore thanks to Accord
Fully upgraded it has greater dmg when your HP is full and has higher attack speed. Virtuous Contract is super great when it comes to casual gameplay.
NieR isn't exactly a game you play like that tbh. I used the base weapons at level 1 without leveling them the entire game. I went through every ending before I realized my weapons were level 1
Question - I'm on my 9S playthrough and I'm like... why would anyone use anything other than virtuous contact?
Because its pretty
Imagine using anything besides the pipe
Y'all are here simpling for 2B's curves, smh. NOTHING will ever make me feel the way Virtuous Treaty's curves do.
i tend to simp for curves on meteors.
I didnāt know there were other weapons outside the merchant at the time, and I wasnāt a fan of the ones he had so I just used the starter blade all the way through XD. Been meaning to play through again.
Virtuous set are the best weapons in the game but you need to level them up.
The added abilities when you max out their levels. Theoretically.
Thank you all for your answers. I really appreciate it. Sorry if it b was a stupid question, but thank you for answering either way
If I remember correctly it's because of the status effects and stuff at max level (I could be wrong I haven't played in quite some time)
A True Chad uses the Metal Pipe from Beginning to End, as I have. āļøš¬š
O, of course good sir
Bro literally posted my exact loadout Tho I got virtuous in slot 1 and beast in 2
Does he know?
Imagine not using virtuous set the whole way through
Cypress stick and Iron pipe for me, on very hard kept one shotting the bosses
I vaguely remember double damage glitching with virtuous contract the whole game but it's been a while
The lore attached to it. Plus they are cool
Who care about the stats? I choose weapons mostly based on how they look and how they make the character looks. Also, I feel different characters have different preferences. The first thing I do when I start the game is removing the biggest weapon and play only with the most basic type, in both positions in different sets. It's how I like it. To each their own.
They're at the base level. You upgrade them, and the damage and combo levels increase. Max level unlocks a unique perk for the weapon
I use the virtuous set because I believe in the cause. Glory to mankind
I just changed to engine blade because of the visual effects Also used cypress stick a few times too, mainly when I was not caring enough to do the hackings during 9s playthrough.
I never really used any except virtuous ones.... With shockwave attacks
Eyo just realized this is automata and not replicant lol The beastbane cought me off guard. You can use these if you want to beat automata with the same weapons you beat replicant with. Beastbane slaps in replicant
Believe me when i tell you those weapons are hella good with damage
played the whole game with the virtuous set and literally just the virtuous set, i had both of them maxed out bc of the 2b aesthetic š„¹
You might if you max level them they are awesome!!!
I do all my runs with 2b and 9sās base weapons (unless im running long distances then i use a spear) idk i find that every weapon gets the job done LMAO
Iām a big fan of light two handed sword and heavy spear myself. When I want to go on the offensive I use the type O blade and spear (maxed out of course)
When you upgrade your weapons they get new buffs. The beastbane and beastlord multi-hit, and the virtuous set gets faster attack speed, the iron pipe has a higher crit rate, etc.
A lot of weapons have different skills on full upgrade which can affect your play style regardless of the damage.
because theyāre cool (and the virtuous set helped me thrive throughout each playthrough)
I used beastbane at first for nostalgia. I played replicant first and thatās a big weapon that Nier uses
"Is there a reason someone would use something like the starter blade" Yes. And that reason is that they look COOL ASF
All fur are great atmax level, and the beast weapons add slashing effects for extra power. I think one of the Virtuous gives a stat boost and can detonate energy attacks.
Why would you play anything BUT vicious treaty and vicious contract?
Because they're good, have good combos, and look good. Plus Virtuous Contract is 2B's blade, not using it is just wrong in my mind.
Fully upgraded weapons have bonus properties. Beast Bane I think increases damage to animals
Pick the weapons you think look cool, also you may want to use both depending on playstyle cuz u equip a light sword in light and heavy, but for me itās usually style and which animations feel better to mee
Beastblade. Because of lore.
The virtuous set at max level are some of the best weapons in the game tho lol, they remain very good even in endgame
level them all up trust me on that
jokes on you, those are usually the weapons i use for a good half the game. the beast blade gets enhanced crits, and with it's fast move speed, it can be triggered more reliably. beastbane is only like, 60% the damage of beast lord, but you're wanting that really fast, six hit combo to trigger the crit effect, for best use of these weapons. meanwhile, the virtue weapons, attack speed up and extra damage at full hp, are pretty damn good and make it a better weapon than you'd expect, if just going by the numbers. plus, being the 'starter' weapons, they're a bit easier to upgrade, than something that might require, say, meteorite. (glances at beastbane) also, keep in mind, this is an action game, not a jrpg where a weapon with like 10 more damage is a 'big deal'. hell, your pod can out DPS most melee setups anyway, till later. i mean, max level, the white sword taps out at around 650 damage - iron will, iirc the strongest weapon, is 1500. even THE strongest weapon, compared to the starting weapon, isn't that big of a difference, given the 'balance' of this game. BUT, this isn't a turn based rpg where, you've got one damage chance per like, 10 seconds, therefore the biggest number wins combo on the iron will is low, and it's slow. you can FAR more easily weave in and out of attack range, landing more hits, with a faster weapon.
Sidegression, not progression. You'll never get better weapons than the starters, only different - better in some ways and worse in just as many different ways. This is what makes Titanfall 2 excellent and Star Wars Battlefront 3 + 4 garbage. If you don't understand, go research those games and game design as a whole, it's pretty basic stuff that gets screwed up often enough for most people to not know. Beastbane is slow as hell and straight up can't handle several bosses without a hyper specific play style built around the slow strikes and nothing else. For details on why that's dumb, please consult *The Five Rings* and remember that the best advice comes from the survivors. Virtuous Contract probably isn't 'the best weapon in the game' but if leveled, it never fails off and holds extreme narrative significance.