Thymesia: Best Plague Weapons

Thymesia eschews a traditional magic system in favor of its plague weapon mechanic, which allows you to absorb weapons from your enemies and use them in retaliation. Early in the game, you also unlock the ability to choose a plague weapon to equip and use at will--provided you have enough energy to do so. By farming enemies who wield the weapons, you can earn skill shards to level up your plague weapons even further, making you into a force to be reckoned with. In this guide, we'll list five of the best plague weapons you can carry with you to aid in battle, with a focus on early to mid-game options.

Handaxe

The Handaxe is excellent for dishing out huge wound damage, and it can stagger enemies for a short while. It casts fairly fast and has solid forward momentum to ensure that you land your hits, and it can be leveled quite easily because there are tons of enemies who wield it. Once you've leveled it up, not only will its energy cost go down quite a bit, but you'll also gain the ability to double tap the button to throw the Handaxe for a ranged attack--though it's worth noting that doing so will do less damage than the standard melee-range attack.

Passive: When you've leveled your Strength stat to 10, you'll be able to break an enemy's Super Armor with the Handaxe. When you've leveled your Vitality to 10, you'll reduce damage intake by 25% when casting the Handaxe.

Halberd

The Halberd is a powerful option that is easy to level up due to how many halberd-wielding enemies are wandering around. Using it allows you to perform three consecutive stabbing attacks that each dish out decent damage, with the final jab dealing additional wound damage. Once you've leveled it up, you'll be able to cast it for less energy and earn the ability to double tap the button to perform a spinning attack that can knock enemies back.

Passive: When you've leveled your Strength to 10, you'll gain one stack of "Offensive" buff each time you land the third Halberd jab. When you've leveled your Strength to 20, your third Halberd hit will also break an enemy's Super Armor.

Scythe

The Scythe may not hit as hard as some plague weapons, but it can be an incredible choice for sustainability. It hits with a diagonal slash that deals decent damage while also healing you for a decent chunk of health. Once you've leveled it up, you'll be able to cast it for less energy while also earning the option to double tap the button for two swings for a bit of extra damage. Since it's easy to find enemies that use the weapon, you shouldn't struggle to level it up, either.

Passive: When you've leveled your Plague to 10, you'll double the restored health and gain a bonus 5% of your maximum health with each Scythe hit. When you've leveled your Plague to 20, you'll gain one stack of "Offensive" buff and one stack of "Defensive" buff when landing a Scythe attack while your health is full.

Whip

The Whip is among the best options in the game when performed perfectly. While it can deal some alright damage when used normally, there is a sweet spot that allows the tip of the whip to hit the enemy and pull you to them, dealing massive damage and getting you in close for claw attacks. This takes some practice, but once mastered, you can begin dealing with even the most difficult enemies rather quickly. Once you've leveled it up, it'll cost less energy and open up the ability for you to double tap the button to bring enemies to you instead. Unfortunately, finding skill shards for maxing it won't come as easily as some other choices on this list.

Passive: When you've leveled your Plague to 10, you'll gain one stack of "Offensive" buff when landing a Whip attack and two stacks when landing it with the tip. When you've leveled your Plague to 20, you'll increase the Whip's casting speed.

Hammer

The Hammer is a dangerous plague weapon to wield against your enemies. It slams on the ground for an AOE attack that deals huge damage to foes and can often knock them down. Once you've leveled it up, you'll be able to cast it for less energy and learn how to double tap the button for a powerful whirlwind attack that can devastate anything in its path. It's truly something to behold and an incredible tool to have at your disposal, but you might have to do some extra farming for skill shards, as Hammer-wielding foes are few and far between in most levels.

Passive: When you've leveled your Vitality to 10, you'll reduce damage intake by 50% when casting the Hammer. When you've leveled your Strength to 10, you'll gain one stack of "Offensive" buff when landing a Hammer attack.

For more on Thymesia, check out our Beginner's Guide or list of Best Talents To Get First.