Weapons

Weapons are the canonical category of every melee, ranged, and throwing instrument that a character uses to deal damage in Britannia. The weapon roster is vast — dozens of unique types spanning swords, maces, fencing weapons, axes, archery bows, throwing weapons, and special-class items — each with its own combat profile, weapon-skill requirement, base damage range, swing speed, and accessible special moves. The weapon a character chooses is the canonical "combat foundation" of their build: weapon class determines which weapon skill (Swordsmanship, Mace Fighting, Fencing, Archery, Throwing) is used; it determines which special moves are available; and it determines which artifact-tier upgrades fit the build's optimization path.

Beyond the weapon-skill split, weapons are categorized by handedness (one-handed vs two-handed), damage tier (Base Damage range), speed (swings per tactical period), and race-restriction (Throwing weapons are Gargoyle-only). The full weapon roster is documented in detail across the per-weapon-class flagship articles.

Weapon categories

Each category has a per-weapon-skill flagship article (Swordsmanship, Mace Fighting, etc.) that lists the full Min/Max table, swing speeds, special moves, and craft sources.

Weapon properties

Every weapon carries a set of properties that determine its combat performance:

The combination of these properties determines whether a weapon fits a specific build — a Mage looking for Mage Weapon chooses differently from a Sampire looking for an axe + Slayer.

How to choose a weapon

The weapon choice is canonically tied to the damage stack — Tactics + Anatomy + Strength + Lumberjacking + DI all multiply the Base Damage roll, and weapon class determines the Min/Max range that's being multiplied.

Weapon acquisition

The canonical "get the right weapon" workflow:

1. Craft a Halberd (or chosen weapon) at Exceptional with Maker's Mark.
2. Bring to Imbuing station; imbue desired properties (DI, HCI, Slayer, etc.).
3. (Optional) Reforge for randomized property re-rolls.
4. Use Powder of Fortifying to extend durability.

Weapon damage formula

Every weapon's damage is computed by the canonical formula:

Damage = Roll(weapon_min, weapon_max)
       × (1 + Tactics_pct + Anatomy_pct + STR_pct + Lumberjack_pct + DI_pct / 100)
       × Slayer_multiplier
       × Exceptional_multiplier
       × Phys_split × (1 - target.PhysResist / 100)

See Base Damage for the full breakdown.

Weapon and special moves

Each weapon has 1-2 special moves — specific combat techniques accessible via primary/secondary special slots:

The choice of weapon is canonically tied to which specials the player wants — every weapon's tooltip lists its primary and secondary specials.

Weapon repair and durability

A canonical end-game build maintains its weapons via periodic Powder of Fortifying + Blacksmithy repair cycles. Weapons that "break" (durability reaches 0) are gone permanently — sometimes the Maker's Mark signature is the only thing left on the broken weapon item.

Weapon enchantment vs. property tier

The canonical "weapon optimization tier" reaches its peak at imbued + reforged + slayer-tagged Exceptional weapons. Beyond that, only specific Doom or Peerless drops offer property combinations imbuing can't roll.

Weapon as a build identity

The weapon a character carries is the canonical "signature" of their build — when other players look at a character's paper doll, the weapon tells them what archetype they're dealing with.

See also

• Base Damage — the canonical Min/Max table for every weapon
• Damage Increase — the post-craft multiplier
• Skill Required — the per-weapon skill threshold
• Slayer — the post-cap multiplier
• Maker's Mark — the Exceptional craft signature
• Imbuing — the property-stamping system
• Whirlwind Attack — canonical 2H weapon special
• Swordsmanship — canonical 1H sword skill
• Archery — canonical ranged weapon skill
• Throwing — Gargoyle-only weapon skill