Chivalry: An In-Depth Beginner's Guide to the Arsenal [COMPLETE]

New to Chivalry? Need to know what your new, shiny blade does? Looking for your new favorite weapon? In this guide I tell you what weapons are good, what not to use, and how to use them. Please give feedback! I am always looking to improve my work.

Introduction

After about 8 months of rigorous battles in Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, I have tried many weapons and fought against many more. Many weapons are good, some even overpowered, while others shouldn't even be used at all. In this guide, I'll show you the basics of each weapon and tell you how to use them properly. Nothing fancy.

Upon joining a server or practice game, you will have 2 teams to choose from. They are:

The Agathian Knights - These guys had full control of all of Agatha for a long time, until the Mason Order decided to rise against them. They lost their king, and now they're trying to piece their dying kingdom back together. Mainly made of royalty and noblility.



The Mason Order - Led by Malric Terrowin, the Order brings hope of a new, changed land for the lower-class citizens and rules with intimidation and fear.



In Chivalry, there are 4 playable classes you may choose from. They are:

Archer - A long-ranged expert, using bows, crossbows, javelins, and a sling to fight from a distance. Has nearly no armor. Not strong in close quarters combat and uses a dagger or shortsword in melee. Crossbow archers come with a pavise shield, or can opt for additional ammo instead of the shield. Melee hits scored on an enemy's back do additional damage. Usually an important target that you either want to defend or kill.


Man at Arms - A fast, close-ranged fighter optimized for hit and run kills. Can use swords, maces, axes, or a quarterstaff. Comes with throwing knives, a fire pot, or a shield of your choice. Good in close quarters and unmatched in terms of speed, but has little armor and generally is more suited for a one-on-one confrontation or to team up on enemy forces. Can dodge quickly out of the way to avoid attacks, and in some cases, to begin an attack.


Vanguard - A well-armored mid ranged fighter who often uses long-reaching, heavy melee weapons that do great damage while remaining a safe distance away from the enemy. Can use greatswords, spears, polearms, or a polehammer. Comes with throwing axes, throwing knives, or a smoke pot. Can charge into battle using a sprinting attack that does massive damage. Vanguards are slightly weaker to pierce-based damage such as bolts or bodkins.


Knight - The most heavily armored class, a juggernaut who uses large, mid-ranged weapons to cripple his enemies. Can use basta*d swords, greataxes, heavy maces, or flails. Comes with throwing axes or a shield of your choice (except with flails; flails are forcably paired with a buckler shield). High armor means high survivability which means killing other classes should not be a problem in a small skirmish. Has high resistance to everything that isnt pierce or blunt damage (and even then it's pretty decent), and uses lower amounts of stamina when blocking compared to other classes. Lack of speed is his weakness; be sure to carry a good secondary when fighting fast classes.

Archer

As an Archer, as you could expect, you're usually away from the heat of battle in the back, shooting a rain of arrows down on your foes. Your main 3 primary weapon types are Bows, Crossbows, and Javelins/Throwing Spears.

Bows
Bows are your best friend as an archer, reloading quickly and shooting quicker. They do good damage at a long range and have no major cons or pros.

The Longbow

The Longbow is your first bow, which you have from the beginning. It is average in almost every aspect. It is fair in speed, range, and power. I, personally, believe this is the best bow, as it has plenty of range and speed to satisfy your arrowslinging needs. It is also powerful enough to take down most classes in 2-3 arrows (without headshots).

The Shortbow

The Longbow's little brother, who you unlock second after 25 kills with the Longbow, is less powerful and has a shorter range than it's bigger counterpart, but shoots faster to balance these downsides. If you want to shoot quick and close, choose this one. It still does a fair amount of damage and the range is still fair game for sniping.

The Warbow

The big daddy of them all. More powerful than both the Longbow and Shortbow, this thing is a force to be reckoned with. It can take out smaller classes in one shot and bigger classes in two. The downside is that its speed is reduced. If you're the kind of guy who just wants to blow your enemy into smithereens, this is your kind of bow.


Crossbows
Crossbows are your other best friends as an archer. They are more powerful than bows, but they have to reload after every shot and leave you stuck in place while reloading. They also have a longer range to boot, along with faster projectiles.

Crossbow

The standard crossbow. Not much to say about it other than that it is a very powerful single-shot weapon. The only big downside is how slow the reloads are. It could definitely be worse, though!

Light Crossbow

As Shortbow is to Longbow, Light Crossbow is to Crossbow. The Light Crossbow reloads much quicker than it's larger counterparts and still has the stopping power of a crossbow. Its range is also reduced, like the Shortbow's.

Heavy Crossbow

Remember when I said it could get worse? It just did. The Heavy Crossbow as you might expect is very, very powerful and has a longer range than the other two. It is the closest thing you'll get to a sniper rifle in this game.


Javelins
Javelins are very powerful, mid-ranged weapons that are the Archer's main close-ranged firepower. If daggers and shortswords won't do, go for the javelins! Throwing these things are a little tougher than aiming a bow, but if you manage to hit someone with a thrown javelin, they're either dead or damn near close to it. Javelins come with a buckler no matter what. Watch out for enemies with shields, they're a javelin archer's worst nightmare! Stabs with these weapons kill in 2-4 hits.

Javelin

The good old plain javelin. Archers will die in one throw to the chest, and MAAs and vanguards will be killed from headshots. 5 can be carried.

Shortspear

A faster, slightly less powerful version of the javelin. 6 carried.

Heavy Javelin

A monster to deal with at close range. It's a great melee weapon and an even greater projectile, and anyone who has one of these in their chest will either die or have a massive amount of health taken from them. 4 carried.

And finally, what you've all been waiting for...

THE SLING

This thing is totally worth all those stones you picked up to use as ammo. Not only does it have unlimited ammo (if you use Pebbles), but it does ABSOLUTELY NO DAMAGE! Isn't that fantastic?
In all seriousness, the sling is terrible. If you want to use it, use its other ammo type, the Lead Ball. They do more damage (which isn't saying much) and you have 20 of them, which should last you long enough.


Moving on, secondary weapons are your only source of melee combat unless you're using a javelin. Get used to using them, because you will be a lot.

Daggers
Very fast, but very short range and low damage. Have unique parrying animations. Get good with these and you'll love them. It is important to know how to parry effectively to use a dagger.

Broad Dagger

The Broad Dagger is, as such, a broad dagger. It is fast, short, and weak, although strongest in its class. Chaining stabs together in a non-stop flurry of attacks can be very effective, as the enemy might lose their cool if you attack them so much.

Hunting Knife

An even faster, weaker, shorter Broad Dagger. The shortest weapon in-game.

Thrusting Dagger

Best dagger for unleashing a surprise stab on your foes. The thrusting dagger is best for stabbing enemies instead of using overhead attacks or slashing attacks, as implied by the name. Fastest speed of the daggers, tied with the Hunting Knife, but has more damage and reach.

Small weapons
Small weapons that aren't daggers. Each of them is different, so they have no one weapon type.

The Shortsword

A classic shortsword. Short, as the name would imply. Fair damage and speed, stabs are best.

The Saber

Long reach, fast speed, but not so damaging. Stab damage is not as good as one would think. Overheads and slashes are much better.

The Cudgel

Fast as a shortsword AND more damaging with a longer range too? Yes please! The third unlock in the second class of Archer's secondary weapons, the cudgel is ridiculously fast and does good damage too. It also does blunt damage, so it's great to fight knights with. Stabs deal abysmal damage.


Tertiary Weapons/Consumables
All classes have a third class of weapons, usually throwing weapons. The Archer, however, is different.

The Buckler Shield

The Archer's only shield. Can only be used with a javelin, and you are forced to use it with a javelin. A reliable shield, but it is small and is not great for blocking projectiles. It can sort of block melee hits, but it costs a LOT of stamina to do so.

The Pavise Shield

Can only be used with Crossbows. It cannot be used as a conventional shield. It is a placeable shield that is used to cover your body while you reload. It is fairly reliable, but you can still be shot in the head by a skilled archer, and melee classes can charge you at close range to kill you. It IS breakable and can be picked up once placed. Blocks projectiles while on your back.

Extra Ammo
Only for crossbows. You can, in place of your pavise shield, opt for extra crossbow bolts, increasing your ammo count by 10.

Broadhead Arrows/Bodkin Arrows
Broadhead arrows do more damage to Archers/Men-at-Arms, and Bodkin arrows do more damage to Vanguards and Knights. Bodkins are usually the better choice.

Man-at-Arms

As the Man-at-Arms, you are usually not far from the heat of battle, but not in the middle of it either. You move faster than the other classes, making you a perfect hit-and-run class. Your specialty is fast, light melee weapons for quick but deadly stabs and slashes. Your weapons of choice are swords, hand axes, and maces.

Swords
Swords are pretty much the average melee weapon in this game. They don't excel in any one area and usually are fairly balanced.

The Broadsword

Pretty average. Good for stabbing knights and vanguards. Fast and deadly, with a decent reach. A very solid weapon.

The Norse Sword

Slightly faster and slightly weaker than the Broadsword. Less range. A fairly reliable sword that does well with stabs, just like the Broadsword.

The Falchion

Powerful and yet still quick while giving up some range, the Falchion is a powerful choice. It comes with blunt AND swing damage, so Knights should not be nearly as much of a problem as they were before. Stab damage is lacking.


Axes
Axes have a much shorter range than swords while doing more damage and being faster. They all have swing/blunt damage, so they're better for taking out Knights than swords. Quick overheads are hard to anticipate, so use them wisely.

Hatchet

The hatchet does a lot of damage quickly, but is much shorter than other weapons. In fact, it is the shortest non-dagger weapon in the game besides fists.

War Axe

Sacrifices speed for range and damage. Decent enough with stabs, but slashes and overheads are your main moves.

Dane Axe

Slowest of all axes, but the reach is increased considerably. If you aren't comfortable with using a short axe, use this one. Almost as long as swords while doing more damage. Stabs suck.


Maces
All of the maces do blunt damage, and some have pierce damage. All-in-all, they're the mix of Axes and Swords. Sort of short, pretty good damage, and high speed. Great knight slayers.

Flanged Mace

Has blunt damage only. Good for overwhelming enemies quickly in a flurry of attacks. Considered a "berserker weapon" by many for this reason. High speed, good damage, low reach. Stabs suck.

Morning Star

Higher range, less speed, and less damage than the flanged mace, but has the blunt/pierce hybrid damage. Stabs are lacking.

Holy Water Sprinkler

Yes, you heard me right, the "Holy Water Sprinkler". Very quick, sacrificing damage and reach for speed. Also has blunt and pierce damage like the Morning Star. Stab spam annoys players greatly, dont be too big of a douc*e.


Special weapon
The Man-at-Arms has a special weapon, similar to the sling of the Archer, except it is not garbage.

The Quarterstaff

The Man-at-Arms' only two-handed weapon. As such, you cannot use a shield alongside it. It does only blunt damage. It is extremely quick, but has lower reach and "eh" damage. Can take down any class effectively provided you know how to use it.

Secondary Weapons
Refer to "Archer" section, Man-at-Arms secondary weapons are identical

Tertiary weapons/Consumables
Like the archer, who had the pavise shield and special ammo, the Man-at-Arms and other classes have special tertiary weapons as well.

The Oil Pot

Exclusive to the Man-at-Arms, the oil pot is a consumable throwing item specifically useful for lighting multiple enemies on fire and doing damage over time. It does about 1/5th of a enemy's health.

The Buckler Shield

Usable by the Archer, Man-at-Arms, and the Knight, the Buckler is a fast shield capable of blocking hits near instantly at the cost of extreme stamina consumption on blocks. It does a poor job of blocking arrows from afar, but is okay for melee fights, as it can block effectively. Heater shields are generally better.

The Heater Shield

Slightly slower than the Buckler shield, but it is bigger and costs less stamina to block with. It is effective to use to block any form of attack, be they from afar or up close.

Throwing Knives

Coming in a pack of 4, you can throw these knives to do a fair amount of damage. They are a bit tricky to aim, but if you land a hit, you have an instant advantage. You can refill these, like arrows, throwing axes, and smoke/oil pots at an ammo chest. Great for finishing off fleeing enemies or pis*ing off archers from afar.

Vanguard

As a Vanguard, you should try to use your longer range to your advantage as much as possible. You have the longest weapons in the game, so why shouldn't you? You're also armored, so blades wont do quite as much to you. Your 3 main weapon types are Greatswords, Spears, and Polearms.

Greatswords
Average. They are good in all 3 stats, having no distinctive pros or cons aside from the usual speed issues of Vanguard/Knight weaponry. They have a bit of a problem with hurting knights.

Greatsword

The most average of them all. somewhat slow attacks make timing important. Could be slower. Your reach is great, make sure to close in with stabs and then cut them to bits with overheads and slashes. Can oneshot archers with an overheadshot.

Claymore

An iconic sword used in many games. Twice as fast as the Greatsword with only 2/3rds the damage. The speed and reach give you great crowd control. Knights are a claymore user's worst enemy, as they take 3-5 hits to bring down. Make sure to overwhelm your enemies with its sheer speed.

Zweihander

The Greatsword, but stronger and longer at the cost of more speed. Oneshots archers and MAAs with an Overheadshot.


Spears
These are the longest weapons in the game, so make good use of the reach. They have ridiculous reach and high speed. As one could assume, they are best with stabs/thrusts. Overheads are more damaging and longer reaching, stabs are quicker and shorter.

Thrusting Spear

The longest reach of any melee weapon in the game. Very stab-heavy playstyle, like other spears. Lower damage than polearms and greatswords, but makes up for it with the speed and reach.

Fork

An eating utensil. Makes for a poor excuse of a weapon. A slight speed advantage over the spear, but has crap damage and much less range. I can't reccomend using it seriously.

Brandistock

Higher damage, very slightly less range, and lower speed than the Thrusting Spear. The speed difference is not terrible and the range difference is nearly unnoticeable. I would use this if you can afford to get 100 kills with the Thrusting Spear, as overheads with this weapon are brutal and can 2-shot anything. Kinda scummy to use though.


Polearms
Strong with a long reach, and somewhat sluggish. They are the longer versions of greatswords and have varying stats.

Bardiche

The most powerful and longest polearm is the first one you get. It is the third longest weapon in the game and has the power of a Zweihander. It is also faster than the Zweihander. Oneshots MAAs and archers with an overheadshot, and can 2shot other classes. The only problem with this weapon is low stab damage and its tendency to teamkill because of its huge reach and high damage, so watch where you're swinging! (trust me, it gets real annoying to get teamkilled by someone with this thing 10 times in a row)

Billhook

Shorter range and lower damage for greater speed. Sort of an "all-rounder" weapon. Not too bad in any one stat. Kills most classes in 2-3 hits.

Halberd

Nearly the same as the Billhook, but has MUCH more range and slightly less speed. Stabs are sort of implied at this point, what with the giant spike on the top. Stabs and overheads deal the most damage, but dont be afraid to slash for crowd control.


Special weapon
As with every weapon, the Vanguard also has a special fourth weapon class.

Polehammer

A hammer on a pole. What more could you ask for? It does both blunt and pierce damage; Blunt on slashes and overheads, pierce on stabs, as you would expect. It is also extremely powerful against every class and has good range and speed, although stabs are slightly lacking. Can 2shot anyone with overheads. A very good weapon of choice for any vanguard. In my opinion the most effective vanguard weapon around. Pick this in FFA, mash Left mouse button, and win every time.


Tertiary Weapons/Consumables

Throwing Axes

Remember the Man-at-Arms' hatchet? That, but you can throw two of them. You come equipped with two of these, and they both do heavy damage, even to knights. They have far less range than the throwing knives, though, so make sure you're not trying to kill someone across the map with a throwing axe. Can be picked up from wherever they land if you get to them before they disappear.

Smoke Pot

420. Remember the Oil Pot? This is the Smoke Pot. It makes a thick smoke that works as a nice "screw you" to archers, throw one at them and you force them to move, giving you time to close the distance or get to cover. You can also throw one into a crowd to start some mayhem. There aren't many other uses for this; personally I prefer to take the knives or axes over these.

Throwing Knives

You get 4. Fast, painful, and annoying. Can be picked up from wherever they land if you get to them before they disappear.

Knight, pt. 1

Knights are heavily armored and incredibly durable warriors that excel in close to mid-ranged combat. Their primary weapons consist of b*stard swords, heavy blunt weapons, and greataxes. They are special in that they block using less stamina and have extremely high resistances compared to the other classes. Their secondary weapons are swords and maces, and they are the very same ones that the men at arms use as a primary weapon. For the most versatility, I reccomend you take one blunt weapon to take out knights and one bladed weapon for everything else.

Primary Weapons

Greataxes
These weapons are hard hitting and excel in delivering greatly damaging blows. They are usually somewhat slow to swing and their range is moderate.

The Double Axe

The hardest hitting of all the heavy axes as well as the starting twohanded axe, the Double Axe delivers devastating overhead and slash attacks that will slay your enemies in 2 hits. The range is pretty low though, so be sure to get up in their face and time your attacks carefully. Stabs don't do that much damage, as one would expect. Long range weapon using enemies will be a problem.

The Poleaxe

Gadwin's personal favorite weapon. The Poleaxe is a versatile weapon that does Blunt (overhead), Pierce (stab), and cutting (slash) damage. It deals great amounts of damage, and has a decent speed and range, with the ability to 2-shot anything. (It can only 2-hit knights if you get 2 overheadshots on them). Stabs are the strongest out of every knight weapon, and overheads are brutal. Slashes are a bit lacking when fighting armored targets. This is the second weapon in the twohanded axe tier.

The Bearded Axe

This weapon is the king of counterattacks when it comes to axes. Overheads are very fast, and if you block an attack and overhead immediately after, your attack will be insanely fast. The bearded axe is great for fighting one opponent at a time, and can 2 shot the 3 weaker classes. The range is slightly less than the poleaxe's, but shouldn't be too big of a problem. Stabs with this weapon do little damage. This is the third weapon in the twohanded axes tier.

Heavy Blunt Weapons
These weapons specialize in devastating blunt power at the cost of range and speed. All of these weapons can two shot knights, and one of them can one hit kill anything if you're accurate with it. These weapons are exclusively for knights.

The Warhammer

It's a hammer, you hit stuff with it. Slashes and overheads are fast and devastating, and kill anything in 2 hits. The weapon is barely longer than a dagger. All attacks dealt with this weapon do blunt damage. Stabs dont really do anything for obvious reasons. This is the first heavy blunt weapon you start out with.

The Maul

Quite possibly the most entertaining weapon in the game, the maul deals the most damage out of any weapon in the arsenal. Overheads that hit enemy heads will instantly kill them and leave you giggling like a schoolgirl. The maul deals nothing but blunt damage, and is also the slowest weapon in the arsenal. The range isn't great either, but its definitely manageable. Stabs suck, but why would you bother with those when the next kill is one overhead away? This is the second weapon in the heavy blunt tier.

The Grand Mace

The grand mace has slightly less damage than the maul with more speed and range. Slashes and overheads can still twoshot any class, and the stab is somewhat viable. The grand mace is unique in that it is the only twohanded weapon that deals the "blunt/pierce" hybrid damage, which is great for ramming through armored targets. However, I reccomend using a broadsword or norse sword as your secondary weapon with this, because men at arms and archers are difficult to kill with it. This is the third weapon in the heavy blunt tier.

CONTINUED IN PART 2

Knight, pt. 2

The Bast*rd Swords

These blades are unique in that they can be used with a shield, onehanded, or twohanded. onehanding or using these weapons with a shield makes them deal slightly less damage, but its hardly noticable. These weapons are great for cutting down men at arms, archers, and vanguards, but fall off when fighting other knights. For this reason, a mace would be a good choice as your secondary weapon if you wield one of these as a primary.

To change the manner of wielding, press "1" on the keyboard to switch between onehanding with a shield and twohanding. To onehand the weapon without a shield, you must have a shield as your third weapon.

Press 2 to swap to your secondary, then press 3 to put the shield away. Then press 1 twice to bring out your primary and switch to onehanded mode.

The Longsword

The first and most balanced of the Bast*rd swords, the Longsword specializes in slashing and overhead attacks. It has considerable reach, a good speed, and twoshots up to vanguards. The stab deals pierce damage, but doesn't deal as much damage as the other two methods of attack. Can onehit archers on overheadshot.

The Sword of War

The Longsword's little brother. This weapon is faster than the longsword at the cost of some damage and reach, but it is different in that it specializes with stabs and overheads. Slashes with this weapon are lacking and should be used only for crowd control. Stabs deal pierce damage which helps when facing vanguards and knights. This is the second weapon in the Bast*rd sword tier.

The Messer

Some weird combination of cutlass, falchion, and bast*rd sword, The Messer is the powerhouse of these weapons. It deals swing/blunt damage and specializes in overheads and slashes. It offers decent speed, high damage, and slightly low range. Stabs with this weapon are lacking and shouldn't be used often. The Messer may be seen as an axe-type weapon, given the spot-on similarities. High rank players almost exclusively use this.

The Special Weapons
Knight has not one but TWO primary weapons in its fourth tier. These flails specialize in being unpredictable, hard-to-block weapons that throw enemies off-guard, and when using one a heater shield MUST be chosen as your third weapon.

The Flail

The flail is the least predictable weapon in the game, as well as the fastest knight weapon. These two factors, when combined with the weapon's dependable blunt damage and short range, make it a beast to be feared and respected. Stabs with this weapon come in the form of shield bashes, akin to the ones javelin-wielding archers use.

The Heavy Flail

It's basically a flail that hits harder at the cost of speed. I wouldn't reccomend using it, as the regular flail's sheer speed and unpredictability are the reasons why it does so well.

The following bit of information regarding special features of the flail was contributed by this user. Thanks!

1. The flails primary swing wraps a little beyond 180 degrees allowing you to hit multiple targets or catch someone trying to dodge.

2. The flails overhead swing does the same thing, allowing you to strike opponents behind you!

3. Unlike other weapons, the flail cannot be...flailed around. It is meant to be used when the opponent is open or off guard. This is where the heater comes in since it can be used to very quickly stab an opponent to stop their swings or catch them off guard. A heater flail combo is pretty quick and allows you to quickly open the target up to remove their head with the flail.

4. Lastly, the animations are hard to determine where the flail is going (left right/ up down) making it awkward to fight against unless you have a shield. Getting into an opponents face not only makes this even harder to determine and block against but causes panic allowing you to wield the flail more.

Secondary Weapons

Knights' secondary weapons are the man at arms' primary swords and maces. Visit that section for more info.

Tertiary Weapons / Consumables

Knights have two shields that only they can use, as well as the 2 throwing axes that vanguards can use. Knights may also use a buckler, but only when a flail is equipped.

The Kite Shield

The choice of stylish knights who prefer visibility over blocking strength, the kite shield offers lots of coverage and fast guard and recovery times. It takes slightly more stamina to block with than if you parried with a weapon. This will deflect most projectiles when raised.

The Tower Shield

A more defensive alternative to the kite shield, offering extreme coverage and laughable stamina consumption for guarding at the cost of slow guard and recovery times. Using this shield in first person view is a nightmare, as it covers 90% of the screen. It is nearly impossible to be hit with a projectile from the front if you crouch and block with this shield. When standing and blocking, only the most experienced projectile-bearers will be able to hit you.

How to quickly unlock weapons

In Chivalry, You unlock weapons through killing other players. However, on certain objective maps, NPCs will spawn in that you have to either protect or kill depending on your team. These NPCs count towards weapon unlocks. This means one could grab a friend, go into stoneshill team objective, join mason, tell your friend to let you kill the peasants, and then proceed to slaughter every peasant for a free ~20 kills towards an unlock of your choice.

Conclusion

So many weapons, so little time. Every class is different, so it's worth trying them all out and seeing which one you like. All of their weapons are worth checking out (except for that darn fork). If you enjoyed this guide, please give us feedback! We'd love to improve it as much as possible in order to give you the full detail of each and every weapon. Leave a comment if you wish, and rate/follow for more guides like this (for other games too)!

Thank you for reading!

[Turkey Sandwich]

good guide :)

[MainlySpoons]

I'm late to the game but nice guide!!

[Wald Jr]

Thank you mate !

[[Daos]BUREBISTA]

What are the light wepon for the achievement?

[Stabby McTaco]

Great guide, best one i've read for this game ^^ Cheers

[Ragnawagna]

its not working can you send me a server ip what for farming ?

[小号多的数不过来的FEI]

GOOD
XD

[Pimpin Pippin]

Amazing guide!
Is it all up to date with the last balance changes and DLC?

[Kropolis]

You are a fucking god article. (⌐͜ >⌐)

[Lemming of the BDA]

great guide! helped me stay away from the fork and opt for the Claymore!