Wild Hearts has nine total weapons, all of which have their own characteristics, traits, and playstyles they cater to, Here’s a full breakdown on each and every one of them so you can get ahead of the curve.
In EA’s new game, Wild Hearts, we explore the world of Azuma and hunt monsters named Kemono across the lands.
Throughout your journey in Wild Hearts, you have a plethora of choices when it comes down to picking the right weapon, of which there are nine to be specific. Each weapon has its characteristics which makes it better for specific Kemono in the game.
When we first start the journey, we are given the option of five different weapons to choose from, and later in the game after Chapter 2, we are given three more weapons to choose from.
Weapons in Wild Hearts essentially function as character classes, and knowing which one would cater to your personal preferences is a key component of the combat. Upon forging your weapon, you can further acquire upgrades for the weapons to counteract their negatives.
So, in this guide, we will take a look into what each weapon does, and what sort of play style each of them caters to.
Contents
Starting weapons in Wild Hearts:
Karakuri Katana
The Katana is the weapon our character is given at the start of Wild Hearts. As melee weapons go, it is a good balance between fast attacks and high power damage. The mid-weight, short-ranged weapon has the ability to easily chain attacks one after another.
The Katana can easily chain attacks which deal a considerable amount of damage. And each individual attack has a decent amount of damage.
The wind-up time between each attack is not so slow it requires immediate upgrades, nor so fast it barely does any damage. But just like every weapon, it has flaws.
Although its attacks can be easily chained, it also means once you are locked into an attack with no way to dodge a Kemono coming at you. Leaving you vulnerable mid-attack to damage. And individual attacks can consume a significant amount of stamina.
Of course, there are upgrade paths to reduce the amount of stamina it takes up, but it exchanges it for damage.
But if you enjoy fast-paced combat that tests your prediction skills, the Katana is the way to go.
Nodachi
Heavy and sluggish, the short-ranged weapon might be a comparatively slower experience than the Katana, but it deals a significant amount of damage with every strike.
Despite its damage per second being significantly slower than the Katana, it is also significantly easier to handle. Dodging and running mid-attack is extremely easy in comparison to the Katana despite the large blade, and even its normal attacks can pack a punch.
The only drawback with it is how slow it can be. If you miss your target on your first few attacks, you are most likely going to be hit by a raging Kemono coming your way. And your character is significantly slower due to the weight.
It may be easier to handle, but it’s hard to move with.
And of course, there are upgrade paths to make the Nodachi lighter and easier to move around with, but it trades some attack damage and critical chances for mobility.
Bow
One of the two ranged weapons available, the bow is in a unique position as the only weapon in game with two different stances.
One where the bow is held horizontally, and the other vertically. It can be triggered by pressing the Attack 1 command.
The horizontal mode, called Haya, is your light damage. And the vertical, Otoya, is your heavy. Chaining a Haya and Otoya shot one after another can inflict additional damage to the Kemono, including sustained damage.
And you can also trigger continuous fire while the bow is in Haya, but it will deal significantly less damage in comparison to charging the bow in Otoya.
Of course, the main advantage of the Bow is the range of damage and mobility. You can damage Kemono from a long distance, and still be fine. And the Bow also gives increased dodge capabilities, with the player being able to press dodge once to sidestep and twice to roll.
But what you gain in range and mobility, you lose in damage. In comparison to the melee short-ranged weapons, the Bow deals significantly less damage.
Of course, there are upgrade paths to increasing its damage, but it will always be less than a melee weapon.
Maul
This is the heaviest weapon in the game. The Maul is an extremely weighty, short-ranged, weapon that deals an incredible amount of damage per hit.
The Maul is in a unique position in that not only does it offer maximum-impact attacks, but it is also so powerful it can destroy both Kemono and Karakuri. Karakuri are abilities the players can use to construct objects to aid them in combat.
The Maul also has surprisingly high mobility attacks which allow the player to easily Kemonos’ mid-attack.
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And unsurprisingly, the Maul uses a considerable amount of stamina due to its heavy attacks. There are upgrade paths to reduce stamina depletion, but it comes with trade-offs for its damage.
Bladed Wagasa
Based on the real-world traditional Japanese umbrella, the Bladed Wagasa is a lightweight, short-ranged weapon. It offers fast attacks which can’t be stopped.
It is also unique in the weapon pool in that it is the only weapon that allows the player to block attacks coming from Kemonos’. Although it does not function as a shield, rather a well-timed deflection and parry of the attack, so you will need to be quick-fingered to react to incoming attacks.
It also allows chain attacks, both on the ground and airborne.
The Wagasa is a very mobile weapon, with hunters being able to easily dodge incoming attacks, and if you can’t dodge, you can always deflect it.
Although, its main drawback is its low attack output. Despite still being able to deal high penetration damage, it still ultimately does not deal the largest amount of damage.
Weapons unlocked after reaching Chapter 2 in Wild Hearts:
Hand Cannon
This is the only other ranged weapon available to the player. The Hand Cannon is the Bow’s heavier counterpart.
Just like the Bow, it is a long ranged weapon, which allows you to damage Kemono from a distance without the fear of being killed. But the Cannon has a higher damage output per attack in comparison.
The Cannon has two gauges the player must be aware of to use it effectively. The Charge gauge shows the amount of Celestial Thread stored in the cannon and the Heat gauge which shows the temperature of the weapon.
With each usage of the weapon, the Heat gauge increases and Charge gauge decreases, so being able to balance the gauges is essential to dealing an effective stream of damage.
To charge up the Charge gauge, you will need to stand on top of a base. In order to create a base, you just need to press the Attack 1 button which will place it on the ground. Pressing Attack 2 will shoot a base at the target.
To deal an effective amount of damage, you are essentially bound to the base, leaving you quite vulnerable to attacks. And due to its base restrictions, mobility is not the greatest while trying to deal damage.
Claw Blade
This is the lightest weapon in the game. The Claw Blade specializes in quick movements and aerial combat, and offers the greatest mobility of any weapon.
The Claw Blade allows the hunter to hook into a Kemono like the claw wire and attack them in the air as long as your claw gauge lasts.
To build up the claw gauge, you just need to attack the Kemono, and it will gradually fill up the gauge.
With every landing of the claw wire onto the Kemono, it will further increase the power of aerial attacks. And while airborne, pressing the dodge button allows you to rotate mid-air and comboing it with the Special Attack will allow you to lunge at the Kemono.
The Claw Blade allows for effective attack chains, and the fastest-paced playstyle of any weapon in the game.
Although the damage output for each individual attack is relatively low in comparison to the other weapons, if you combo your attacks correctly, it can deal just as much damage per second to any Kemono.
Karakuri Staff
The Karakuri Staff is a medium-weight weapon and is probably the weapon with the highest skill ceiling in the game.
The Staff is unique in that it can transform between five different forms, each mutating into a weapon that has its own characteristics. The five modes are:
- Staff
- Polearm
- Shuriken
- Double Blades
- Juggernaut Blade
The weapon offers only short-ranged attacks, but easily cycles between heavy and light damage with a good amount of mobility.
The staff can be easily transformed into whichever mode you would like by just pressing the Special attack button. And you can mutate the Staff into its sixth, and most powerful mutation, the Giant Sword, by pressing the Special attack and Attack 2 buttons together.
The Staff is most effective when chaining together transformation attacks from different modes. But to do it takes considerable mechanical skill as you will need to constantly switch from mode to mode while attacking and making sure you are using the right mode for the specific Kemono.
With each usage of a transformation attack, the Karakuri Staff’s transformation level increases, which increases the power of each mode, and enhances the performance of the Giant Sword.
Of course its main drawback is its steep learning curve. But if you decide to put in the work into mastering the Staff, you will be rewarded with one of the next damage-dealing weapons in the game.