I’ve sunk more than 130 hours into Where Winds Meet over the past few months, testing every weapon type across open world exploration, 8-player boss raids, and ranked 3v3 PvP arenas. One of the most common questions I see new players ask in community forums is which weapons are actually worth investing in, since upgrading gear takes a ton of rare materials and you don’t want to waste resources on a weapon that falls off in endgame. That’s why I put together this where winds meet weapon tier list, to break down every weapon’s performance, niche use cases, and who should (and shouldn’t) main each one. I’ve skipped the overly complicated math and focused on real in-game performance, so you can pick the right weapon for your playstyle in seconds.
How This Where Winds Meet Weapon Tier List Is Ranked
I didn’t just pull these rankings out of thin air. Every weapon was tested across three core content types: open world PvE, endgame boss raids, and ranked PvP, with scores averaged out to get the final tier placement. I also accounted for ease of use for new players, synergy with common stat builds, and how much of an investment you need to make to get the weapon to its full potential. A weapon that only works when fully upgraded with rare endgame runes won’t rank as high as one that performs well even at early levels.
I also adjusted rankings for how accessible each weapon is to new players. For example, the Dragon Slayer Sword has insane stats, but it only drops from the final boss on hard mode, so it’s not a realistic pick for 90% of the player base. I focused on weapons you can get within the first 10 hours of gameplay, so you don’t have to wait until the end of the game to use a top-tier pick.
It’s worth noting that tier rankings can shift a little based on balance patches, but the core performance of each weapon has stayed consistent across the last three updates, so these picks will hold up for the foreseeable future.
S-Tier Weapons: The Meta Picks You Can’t Go Wrong With
S-tier weapons are universally strong across every content type, no matter your skill level or build. You can pick any of these up and see immediate improvements to your performance, even if you don’t have perfect build synergy yet.
The Guandao sits at the very top of the list for good reason. It has insane AOE damage that clears groups of open world mobs in one or two hits, and its heavy attack stun lock combo works on both boss adds and enemy players in PvP. The only downside is its slightly slow attack speed, but that’s easy to offset with a light armor set that boosts attack speed by 15%. I’ve mained Guandao for most of my playtime, and I’ve used it to clear every raid boss on hard mode and climb to diamond rank in PvP without any major issues.
The Shadow Bow is the best ranged weapon in the game by a wide margin. Its charged shots deal 2x damage to enemy weak points, and you can attach poison runes that stack up to 5 times, dealing continuous damage over 10 seconds. It’s perfect for taking down flying enemies in the open world, and it’s a staple in raid groups for hitting boss weak points that melee weapons can’t reach. It’s also a great pick for players who prefer hit-and-run PvP playstyles, since you can attack from far away and reposition before enemies get close to you.
The Jade Talisman Staff is the top magical weapon, and it’s non-negotiable for any raid group. It deals AOE magical damage to enemies while healing nearby allies at the same time, so you can fill both a DPS and support role at once. Even if you prefer solo play, the self-heal from the staff makes it much easier to survive tough open world fights without wasting healing items.
A to C Tier Weapons: Niche Picks for Specific Playstyles
Weapons in A, B, and C tiers aren’t bad, but they only work well in specific scenarios or with specialized builds. Don’t write them off entirely, but don’t invest all your resources into them unless you know they fit your playstyle.
A-tier weapons are solid, but they lack the universal utility of S-tier picks. Dual blades, for example, have incredibly fast attack speed and great dodge cancel combos that make them perfect for 1v1 PvP, but their low base damage makes them almost useless against high-armor raid bosses. The Great Hammer has the highest single-target damage in the game, but its extremely slow attack speed and tiny AOE range make it terrible for clearing groups of mobs in the open world.
B-tier weapons are fun to use, but they require a very specific build to be viable. The Ice Fan, for example, deals charm and freeze debuffs that can shut down entire enemy teams in coordinated PvP, but it has almost no base damage, so it’s useless in solo play. Poison daggers fall into this tier too – they only work well if you’re running a full poison build that boosts debuff damage by 70% or more.
C-tier weapons are only good for challenge runs or very early gameplay. The starting wooden staff and basic short sword fall into this category – they work fine for the first 2 hours of the game, but they’re completely outclassed by other options once you get to mid-game content.
Before you pick a lower-tier weapon, ask yourself these three questions:
Don’t sleep on niche A-tier picks if they fit your playstyle. I’ve seen players climb to grandmaster rank in PvP using dual blades, simply because they’ve mastered the weapon’s combos and prefer the fast playstyle over the slower Guandao.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Your Weapon
Even with a good tier list, it’s easy to make mistakes when picking your main weapon that will slow down your progression. These are the three most common mistakes I see new players make all the time.
The first mistake is picking a weapon solely based on tier list rankings without testing it first. I’ve talked to so many players who forced themselves to main Guandao just because it’s S-tier, but they hated the slow playstyle and performed way worse than they did with the A-tier dual blades. If you don’t enjoy using a weapon, you won’t put in the time to master its combos, so you’ll never get the full benefit of its high stats.
Another mistake is ignoring weapon upgrades and runes. Even an S-tier Shadow Bow is useless if you leave it at level 5 and don’t attach any runes to boost its damage. You should be upgrading your main weapon every time you level up, and you should swap out runes to match the content you’re playing – use poison runes for PvP, and weak point damage runes for boss raids.
The third mistake is forgetting to match your weapon to your team comp. I once joined a raid where four players were running Guandao, and we wiped three times because we had no healer or ranged damage to hit the boss’s flying weak points. Once two of us swapped to the Jade Talisman Staff and Shadow Bow, we beat the boss on the first try. If you’re playing group content, always check what your team needs before you lock in your weapon.
It’s also a bad idea to spread your resources across too many weapons at once. Upgrading a weapon to max level takes dozens of rare materials, so you’re better off focusing on one or two main weapons first before you start experimenting with other options.
At the end of the day, this where winds meet weapon tier list is just a starting point to help you narrow down your options. The meta shifts slightly with every balance patch, but the core rankings have stayed consistent for the past three updates, so you can invest in S-tier picks without worrying about them getting nerfed into uselessness next month. If you love using a B or C tier weapon and you’re getting good results with it, keep using it – fun always beats meta when it comes to enjoying the game. But if you’re stuck on a hard boss or can’t climb out of the bronze PvP ranks, swapping to one of the top tier picks will almost always give you the edge you need to progress faster.
