Great swords and great axes.
In the sea of options between these two weapon classes, a warrior’s choices may still not seem all that clear. So let’s try resolving that with a few recommendations.
5. Bravura
Bravura is the weakest weapon in this list for a warrior to reasonably use. It doesn’t really have a great relic weapon skill, it’s more of a niche weapon, and is designed for optimized or special situations. For example, this is fantastic when players know they’ll be taking high amounts of damage, such as when dealing with large amounts of enemies at once. A warrior may use Metatron’s Torment for its aftermath, granting -20% Damage Taken and 15HP/tick Regen, massively reducing the amount of incoming damage they receive. However, the Bravura is one of the best accuracy options available in a warrior’s armory, totaling a very high +60 accuracy. And its aftermath allows warriors to use some gearing flexibility, where they once may have used Damage Taken -% gear, they may now opt for damage-focused equipment instead. Bravura’s additional effect is Evasion Down, which has a duration of around 40 seconds, and reduces an enemy’s evasion by 40 – which is a fairly high amount, but possesses a proc rate of about 10%, so it might not happen all too often. Metatron Torment offers average damage. As such, players are better off using other great axe weapon skills once they gain the aftermath effect. The -18.75% Defense Down effect is very inaccurate, and is better off being applied much more reliably by other means such as Armor Break, a weapon skill also belonging to great axes. Being a relic weapon, it’s one of the easier weapons in this list to obtain, but can be somewhat difficult to upgrade.
4. Conqueror
Conqueror is much more damage-focused, but also suffers slightly from having an average weapon skill. While King’s Justice is by no means awful, it falls behind when compared to other much stronger attacks in the great axe category. However, using it’s still a great choice for warriors; it offers the mythic aftermath effect, granting +40% Double Attack and +20% Triple Attack at level 3, drastically increasing a warrior’s TP gain! Conquerors also come with the handy Augments Berserk V effect, boosting Berserk’s attack modifier to 33.5%, and it additionally adds a 14% critical hit rate! To some interest, Conqueror can be unequipped after using Berserk, and players will still benefit from the Berserk attack bonus, but the enhanced critical hit rate isn’t retained. Aftermath level 3 can be tricky to maintain too, since it requires a hefty 3000 TP commitment. This is especially tricky in situations where warriors may be unable to attack or act, such as when suffering from petrification or sleep. Having to build up 3000 TP to reapply the aftermath can really hinder DPS. Since it’s a mythic weapon, it’s one of the harder weapons in this list to obtain, so players might find the next item on this list to be a more realistic prospect.
3. Ukonvasara
This empyrean weapon bears a healthy balance of power and accessibility. Its related weapon skill—the critical-hit capable—Ukko’s Fury is incredibly strong, and has the potential to be a warrior’s most powerful attack. It’s able to easily create Light skillchains by being used twice in succession, and benefits greatly from the strength stat, evidenced by this weapon’s massive +50 Strength. Ukko’s Fury also works very well when paired with Blood Rage, allowing it to critically hit much more often. Maintaining empyrean aftermaths are a lot more forgiving than mythic ones, and the 50% chance to deal triple damage on auto attacks makes this weapon a very powerful white damage option too, for those able to auto attack multiple times quickly enough. It’s no exaggeration to say this weapon will massively boost critical hits, too. It’s not uncommon for a multi-attack round from to be the equivalent of a single weapon skill, critical hits and aftermath procs permitting, of course! Ukonvasara unfortunately stumbles on its need for fairly heavy buffs, often requiring outside help from the likes of Corsairs, Geomancers, Bards, and even other Warriors if synergizing the usage of Blood Rage. This weapon also doesn’t do very well against enemies with critical defense bonuses, due to the weapon’s reliance on critical hits in general. Ukonvasara is an empyrean weapon, and is one of the easiest and most accessible weapons for players to obtain and upgrade.
2. Chango
Here’s a warrior’s second-best option, and obtaining one will propel their damage considerably. Sporting a massive TP Bonus +500 and Store TP +10, this weapon is built for skillchains and party synergy, enhancing all great axe weapon skill damage across the board. Additionally, it adds the unique Light skillchain property to Upheaval, enabling it to skillchain with ease similarly to Ukko’s Fury. However, this weapon can be very hard to obtain – unless players are part of a Linkshell that does aeonic content. So unless you’re playing a warrior seriously, this might be a far off or even non-existent goal. Obtaining it is worth it, however, as it opens up a completely new way to skillchain with the job.
1. Ragnarok
Ragnarok is a great sword, as opposed to all other weapons in this list being great axes. But Ragnarok takes the top spot because of the very unique synergy it has with Warrior’s 1-hour ability Mighty Strikes. It also bears a hefty +60 accuracy, often easing accuracy concerns. It also has a very nice Critical Hit Rate +14%. Unfortunately, you’ll never really be using its relic weapon skill, Scourge. Its damage is low, and its aftermath can easily be supplemented by other means. Instead, you’ll be using Resolution most often. When combined with Mighty Strikes, this 5-hit attack will forcibly critical hit each time, turning Warriors into chart-topping powerhouses. This alone is why Ragnarok is so popular amongst warriors in the current meta. Even without Mighty Strikes, Resolution is a fantastic weapon skill in its own right. And this weapon is practically built for it with its high accuracy supplementing Resolution’s 4 hits. Ragnarok is a relic. It’s easier to obtain than Chango, but slightly harder to upgrade than an Ukonvasara. Most warriors will generally be aiming toward this due to its best overall mileage.
