The Relic First Guardian weapon types and skill trees
Officially there are five weapon types and twelve exclusive skill trees you can blend into hybrid builds, and every weapon exists only once in the world. Sword and shield, dual daggers, blades, battle axes and staves have appeared in coverage, but no full official list or ranking exists yet.
What is officially confirmed
Three weapon facts appear consistently on the official Steam page, the Perp Games site and the PlayStation Blog systems overview:
- Five weapon types, chosen from the start, each designed around a distinct emotional theme and combat rhythm.
- Twelve exclusive skill trees, and abilities can be blended across them to form what the developers call a class of your own.
- Every weapon and piece of armor exists only once in the game world. There are no duplicate drops or incremental “+1” variants; each item is a named artifact with an inherited story.
How exactly the twelve trees map onto the five weapon types has not been laid out in any official source — do not trust charts that claim a full mapping before launch.
Weapons shown so far
No official page enumerates the five types by name. This table tracks only weapons that have actually appeared in official material, trailers or the hands-on preview:
| Weapon | Where it appeared | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sword and shield | Hands-on preview starting loadout; pre-order DLC | The pre-order weapon “Unextinguished Vigil” is a sword-and-shield set |
| Dual daggers | Combat deep-dive trailer coverage | Described as fast, slicing rhythm in contrast to heavy blades |
| Blade (heavy swing) | Combat deep-dive trailer coverage | Framed as the high-damage, weighty option |
| Battle axes | Release announcement coverage | Listed among types that can be imbued with abilities |
| Staves | Release announcement coverage | Listed alongside blades and axes; likely ties into Relic Magic — not yet verified |
Treat the table as a sightings log, not the official roster. Some of these may be the same type under different descriptions.
How weapons play: the stamina and skill rules
Weapon combat sits on top of two confirmed system rules. Attacking never consumes stamina — stamina exists for dodging and defense only — and weapon skills run on cooldowns with no resource cost. The design intent, per the official description, is aggressive, uninterrupted offense where your defensive resource is the only thing you manage. The practical implications for new players are covered in the beginner guide.
The hands-on preview adds texture (preview build, not yet verified): swings carry real momentum, there is no heavy attack — early Relic Magic covers burst damage instead — and weapon-specific upgrade trees unlock new buffs and attacks as you invest.
Where weapons come from
Because every weapon is unique, acquisition is exploration-driven. The preview build showed two sources: loot found in the world and a blacksmith NPC. Official material frames each weapon as a story fragment — a knight’s final blade, a shield representing a family’s vow — which suggests set locations rather than random drops, though location data is exactly the kind of thing that only post-launch testing can confirm. Bosses are also a stated source of power growth; see the bosses overview for who guards what.
The only weapon with fully official provenance right now is the pre-order sword-and-shield set, Unextinguished Vigil, detailed with its armor and relic counterparts on our release date and editions page.
No tier list yet — here is why
We do not publish weapon rankings for this game yet, and it is worth being clear about the reason: no damage values, scaling rules, moveset frames or upgrade costs have been published anywhere. The five types are explicitly balanced around rhythm and theme, and skill trees cross-pollinate, so early “best weapon” claims cannot be grounded in anything testable. After July 31 we will run each type against real bosses and update this page with findings — clearly separated from official facts, and tied into the relic system covered in relics, runes and progression.
FAQ
- What is the best weapon in The Relic First Guardian?
- Unknown, and anyone claiming otherwise before July 31, 2026 has not played the release build. No damage numbers or full movesets are public. We will test and update after launch.
- Can you use more than one weapon style?
- Official material says the twelve exclusive skill trees can be blended, letting players form a custom hybrid class, so builds are not locked to one tree.
- Are weapons random drops?
- No duplicates exist — officially every weapon and armor piece appears exactly once in the world, each with its own backstory. The preview also mentions a blacksmith and loot as weapon sources.
Sources & verification
- Store page Official Steam page accessed 2026-07-26
- Official PlayStation Blog — systems overview by the creative director accessed 2026-07-26
- Press RPG Site — release announcement coverage accessed 2026-07-26
- Press Worthplaying — combat deep dive trailer coverage accessed 2026-07-26
- Press Final Weapon — hands-on preview (PC build) accessed 2026-07-26
- Official Perp Games — pre-order DLC announcement (Unextinguished Vigil) accessed 2026-07-26
Related guides
Getting started
The Relic First Guardian beginner guide — confirmed basics
What to focus on in your first hours of The Relic First Guardian, based on the officially described combat, stamina and relic systems — no invented builds.
Game systems
Relics, runes and progression in The Relic First Guardian
How progression works in The Relic First Guardian without levels — relics (runes) with 70+ passive effects, relic magic, skill trees and one-of-a-kind gear.
Combat
The Relic First Guardian bosses — every named Brutal so far
Every boss (Brutal) named so far in The Relic First Guardian, the up-to-80 boss count explained, and which details wait for post-launch testing.
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