How to unlock new weapons and the best weapon for you in Wild Hearts

Wild Hearts weapons gives players plenty of options to decide how they want to tackle the game.

With a total of eight weapons available, players can build them in a multitude ways through the game’s expansive weapon inheritance system.

Read on for details about how and when you can obtain new weapons, and the best weapon choice for you, depending on your playstyle.

Wild Hearts weapons list

Before we get into how to unlocking new weapons and our picks for the best weapons for you, here is the full list of weapons in Wild Hearts:

• Karakuri Katana
• Nodachi (Greatsword) – first available
• Bow – first available
• Maul (Hammer) – first available
• Bladed Wagasa (Bladed Umbrella) – first available
• Hand Cannon – unlocked from chapter two, “Ancient Technology”
• Claw Blade (Dual Blades) – unlocked from chapter two, “Ancient Technology”
• Karakuri Staff – unlocked from chapter two, “Ancient Technology”

Grid View

How to unlock new weapons in Wild Hearts

There are a total of five weapons that are immediately available to the player upon starting Wild Hearts. Outside of the prologue of the game, wherein you’re forced to use the Karakuri Katana, you can pick from any of them as soon as you are able to construct a Field Forge.

How do you unlock a Field Forge in Wild Hearts?

The weapons you can craft immediately are the Karakuri Katana, Nodachi (Greatsword), Bow, Maul (Hammer), and Bladed Wagasa (Bladed Umbrella).

Players can unlock the Field Forge by following the main scenario quest line and defeating the Ragetail. While Natsume will be with you at the Giant Tree Trunk Camp in chapter one, “Azuma Land of the East,” she is not required to be around for you to forge any weapons or armor. So don’t be afraid to build Field Forges at any of your other camps once you get to building them, as they will allow you to freely create and upgrade any of your weapons and armor without needing to head back to the hub town of Minato.

Progressing the main story will net you an additional three weapons. However, these only become available after defeating the Earthshaker at the end of chapter one. Don’t worry about grinding gear to that point, as the Earthshaker fight will primarily focus on you using one of Natsume’s Hand Cannons to prime you for handling these new weapons — and it’s a relatively easy fight to boot. So if you want to rush through the main storyto unlock the three extra weapons, you won’t have too much of a problem.

After beating the Earthshaker, and starting chapter two, “Ancient Technology,” you can craft three new weapons: the Hand Cannon, Claw Blade (Dual Blades), and Karakuri Staff.

Image: Omega Force/Koei Tecmo/Electronic Arts

What is the best weapon for you in Wild Hearts?

In terms of playstyle, the Karakuri Katana, Nodachi, Bow, and Maul are fairly straightforward. Using them in tandem with the Crate and Spring Karakuri yields the best results, and allows you to have more dynamic movements and attacks with the Nodachi, Maul, and Katana specifically. So make sure to incorporate the use of these Basic Karakuri into your combos, or when the situation presents itself.

The Bladed Wagasa, on the other hand, is perhaps the most complex of the starting weapons. This umbrella relies on players to parry enemy attacks to build the weapon’s special meter. With high mobility and penetration, the Bladed Wagasa is a great weapon if you dedicate the time to understanding enemy attack patterns to perfect parry even the deadliest of Kemono attacks.

Later in the game, the Hand Cannon focuses on building a meter and to unleash devastating damage once it’s on the verge of overheating. Like the Bow, it’s fairly straightforward and great for those looking to deal massive damage from afar.

On the other hand, the Claw Blades are a high risk high reward weapon, similar to the Bladed Wagasa, but don’t have the same skill curve. Efficient at taking down flying enemies like the Fumebeak, the Claw Blades allow for players to attach themselves to any part of a Kemono and dash forward, even while in the air, to deal bits of accumulated burst damage that finishes with a massive strike that can do upward of 300 damage. However, maneuvering while attached to a Kemono can sometimes be difficult, and may result in you taking unexpected damage if you charge into a Kemono as it’s attacking.

Finally, the Karakuri Staff is a weapon that can transform based on combo inputs. Depending on when you transform the weapon, it can change into a pair of Tonfa, a Naginata, a Bowstaff, and a Shuriken. Each of these transformations have their own unique combos, and the Karakuri Staff is best utilized when you understand when to transform your weapon into one of its several forms.

Ultimately, all weapons in Wild Hearts work perfectly well against any of the Kemono you will encounter. With the option to switch your weapon at any Field Forge, you can test them out at any point during a mission. (We recommend the claw blades, which can deal massive damage with every hit when upgraded.) So don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for you.

Also know that upgrading your weapon doesn’t need to be a permanent choice. Wild Heart’s weapon upgrade tree may seem intimidating at first, but you can always refund all materials used to upgrade and branch out into one of its several paths at the cost of gold.

For more help with Wild Hearts, read our beginners guide and explainers on multiplayer, fast travel, stamina, and building camps.