The Blood of Dawnwalker gives Coen well over a hundred swords, but only about a dozen are worth building a run around. This list ranks the best sword and the best weapons in The Blood of Dawnwalker, with stats, where to get each legendary, and the early blades that carry you until then. It was re-checked on November 10, 2026, against Update 1.1, which is still the latest patch. 1.1 changed one thing that matters a lot here: you can now respec, so your weapon no longer has to make up for a skill build you can't undo.
Quick answer (as of November 10, 2026, Update 1.1): The best sword in The Blood of Dawnwalker is the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai, a legendary greatsword. GamesRadar calls it "the best sword", and KeenGamer ranks it the "strongest all-purpose weapon": at level 50 it hits for about 451–651 damage with -15% Swordmastery cooldown, +15% crit chance, +22.5% crit damage and +32% damage against supernatural enemies. You get it from A Monk and a Saint and Forge It Anew. Next come The Vrakhir (vampirism builds), Erkas's Sword (supernatural slayer), The Purge (stamina) and The Kingslayer (perfect blocks). Durandal is the best early legendary. Since Update 1.1 you can respec with a Draught of Mind Rebirth, so build your skills around the sword you like rather than the other way round.
Below: how weapons work after 1.1, the full tier list with stats, where to get every legendary, the best early swords, and which blade fits each build.
How do weapons work in The Blood of Dawnwalker?
Swords are the one tool Coen uses in every fight. Hexes only work by day and vampire claws only by night, but the Fextralife wiki says weapons "can be used by Coen at any time of the day." Your sword is the constant, so it matters more here than in most RPGs.
Swords come in three classes with very different feel:
- Greatswords: slow, heavy hits that win one-on-one duels. Mihai, The Vrakhir and The Kingslayer are all greatswords.
- Longswords: balanced reach, damage and recovery. Durandal and Erkas's Sword are the standouts.
- Shortswords: fast and close-range. The Gladius, The Prizewinner and The Runner-Up are all shortswords.
Item names can mislead: the Burnished Battlesword, for example, is a greatsword. Rarity climbs from Common to Superior, Master, Epic and Legendary. Most legendaries on this list also have a Weapon Art, a special move with its own cooldown that also costs Activation Charges and Stamina. Mihai's spins and knocks down nearby enemies. The Purge's is called Shred.
Update 1.1 (October 22, 2026) changed four weapon-related things. The official Update 1.1 patch notes on Steam, verbatim:
- "Items can now be equipped in both presets (day, night) simultaneously." Your favourite sword no longer has to be swapped between your day and night loadouts.
- "Rebalanced the cost of upgrading items, especially on higher levels." The notes don't say which way, so check your own smith prices.
- "Added a 'Buyback' feature when interacting with merchants." If you sell a blade by mistake, you can buy it back.
- "Quest rewards can no longer be obtained twice." The duplicate-legendary trick is gone.
The biggest change is the Draught of Mind Rebirth, which lets you "forget all your Swordmastery, Witchcraft, and Vampirism abilities" and spend the points again. Before 1.1 there was no respec at all. Our respec guide covers where to buy it (Anca, the Matriarch in Uriash Village, and other Witchcraft vendors) and the time-segment trap on the reset screen.
What is the best sword in The Blood of Dawnwalker? Full tier list
The ranking is about overall usefulness and build fit, not just raw damage. Damage and effects are level 50 values from KeenGamer's legendary-weapon breakdown and match Method's list where they overlap. The Kingslayer, Gladius and Hand of Fate rows show base values instead, because no level 50 figures are published for them.
| Tier | Weapon | Class | Damage | Key effects | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Imbued Sword of St. Mihai | Greatsword | ~451–651 (Lv 50) | -15% Swordmastery cooldown, +15% crit chance, +22.5% crit damage, +32% vs supernatural | Best overall |
| S | The Vrakhir | Greatsword | ~409–585 (Lv 50) | +32% vs mortals, +45% Vampiric Health, -24% vampiric ability cost, -15% vampiric cooldown | Vampirism builds |
| A | Erkas's Sword | Longsword | ~401–576 (Lv 50) | +32% vs supernatural, +15% crit chance, +22.5% crit damage, +45% Human Health | Monster hunting |
| A | The Purge | Not listed | ~393–568 (Lv 50) | +45% Health, -45% attack stamina, -15% Swordmastery cooldown, -36% Omniblock stamina | Stamina and human fights |
| A | The Kingslayer | Greatsword | ~51–73 base; RPS: Lv 21 item | Bigger perfect-block window, less block stamina, more stamina from perfect blocks | Parry players |
| A | Durandal | Longsword | ~384–551 (Lv 50) | +32% vs supernatural, -45% attack stamina, -45% dodge stamina, -15% Swordmastery cooldown | Best early legendary |
| B | The Runner-Up | Shortsword | ~367–526 (Lv 50) | +75% perfect-block window, +45% stamina from perfect blocks, crit bonuses | Perfect-block builds |
| B | The Prizewinner | Shortsword | ~351–501 (Lv 50) | +45% Human Health, +32% vs supernatural, crit bonuses | Fast crit builds |
| B | Gladius | Shortsword | Item Lv 15 | +8% vs mortals, +15% Vampiric Health, crit bonuses (base) | Early night play |
| B | The Hand of Fate | Not listed | Not listed | +15% passive Activation Charge restoration, +8% Witchcraft damage, -5% Witchcraft cooldown | Witchcraft builds |
Mihai is the best sword. It has the highest damage of any named weapon, and three of its four effects (cooldown, crit chance, crit damage) help in every fight. The fourth adds damage against supernatural enemies. We'd pick The Vrakhir or Erkas's Sword over it for builds that lean hard into one damage type. KeenGamer says the same: "The Vrakhir, Erkas's Sword, The Purge, and Durandal can outperform it in specific builds or situations."
On the Kingslayer: Rock Paper Shotgun lists it as a "level 21 Legendary Greatsword", and KeenGamer puts its base damage second only to Mihai among the greatswords it covered. Many players prefer its buffs. One player on r/DawnwalkerOfficial put it this way: "technically Mihai's sword is the strongest one in the game but the Kingslayer has way better buffs."
Where do you get the best legendary weapons?
Locations below are cross-checked against Method, KeenGamer, GamesRadar and Rock Paper Shotgun. Where they disagree, we say so.
Imbued Sword of St. Mihai (S)
It's a two-quest chain, and the sword isn't sold anywhere. Method's order: Echoes of Silenced Bells > Between the Words > A Monk and a Saint. Beat the undead Mihai at Svartrau Cathedral for the Broken Sword of St. Mihai. Then Forge It Anew sends you after three sword shards in kobold dens (Do Not Disturb, Hostile Takeover, Executive Order). The Uriashi blacksmith in north-west Briar Sloughs reforges the blade, and a final fight against the Echoing Anger in a nearby cave imbues it. Our Sword of St. Mihai guide has every shard location.
(Our earlier version of this page tied the sword to "A Bulwark Against Darkness". That is the Arbiter armor quest, not the sword. Corrected November 10, 2026.)
Level: RPS got it as a Level 21 greatsword on an early finish, and KeenGamer's numbers are for a level 50 copy. GamesRadar's advice: "remember to upgrade it with any blacksmith to keep it at your level!" Update 1.1 also fixed at least five bugs across A Monk and a Saint and Forge It Anew, including the chalice and grave objectives, so a save that got stuck in September may now finish.
The Vrakhir (S)
Complete the Our Rotten Roots questline and defeat the echo of Isbrand (KeenGamer). Its Weapon Art is Cross and Slash. If you've maxed out the Vampirism tree, this sword beats Mihai.
Erkas's Sword (A)
Complete The Champion of Old and defeat Erkas (KeenGamer). It's the strongest supernatural-slayer longsword, and its +45% Human Health makes it the most forgiving top-tier blade.
The Purge (A)
Loot it from Rurg the Honourable, the Rebel Hunter captain, in Bakir's Headhunters: Matter of Honour (KeenGamer). Method says it's also sold by the Uriashi Hermit and by the Silver Merchant in Svartrau.
The Kingslayer (A)
Guides disagree on this one, and all three routes seem to exist:
- Dig it up. Method and KeenGamer both send you to a buried treasure on the riverbank west of Svartrau City. Bring a shovel. Method says the dig costs one Time Notch.
- Buy it. Method says the Silver Merchant in Svartrau's southern quarter sells it for "just shy of 5,000 Denarii", and certain skills lower the price.
- Drop. RPS says a tough guard drops it at the soldiers' outpost during Forge It Anew: Executive Order.
If you're doing the Mihai chain anyway, check the Executive Order camp first, because it costs you nothing.
Durandal (A)
The best early legendary. Ask the Svartrau innkeeper for gossip to start The Cursed Chasm, then drop into the gorge by the wrecked bridge in the Briar Sloughs and loot the destroyed cart (Method, RPS, KeenGamer). Method says the boss, Echo, is a different story: "it'll wear you down fast if you let it drain you". Arrive at night and you can ride straight down the chasm wall.
Gladius, The Prizewinner, The Runner-Up and The Hand of Fate (B)
- Gladius: Kill the Beast of Balaur near Mount Balaur, west of Parlita. Go at night: after the fight, don't leave the cave, and use a vampiric traversal point above the arena to reach the chest (KeenGamer). allthings.how lists it at item level 15 with a required level of 11. Method adds that you also get a Gladius for beating Brencis at the end.
- The Prizewinner: Sold by the Uriashi Hermit, the same smith you visit during Forge It Anew (Method; KeenGamer names her Nareh). You need the Bewitching Influence Witchcraft perk to unlock the sale (Method).
- The Runner-Up: Sold by the Svartrau blacksmith near the cathedral when it's in stock (KeenGamer).
- The Hand of Fate: In a chest under Father Florin's ruins during A Hero's End, opened with the Stone Key from the Treasury. It also turns up in the Svartrau blacksmith's or Uriashi Hermit's stock.
What are the best early weapons before you get a legendary?
You won't finish the Mihai chain in your first few hours. Rock Paper Shotgun's early-weapons list is the best guide here:
- Exquisite Greatsword: from the Ancient Circle: Northern Swamps, south of Laslea Glen. It's daytime only because you need Astral Communion to start it.
- Burnished Battlesword: drops from The Bloodletter in Ambrus's Collectors quest Wetland Helpers. RPS calls it "a level 22 Epic Greatsword", and the same fight gives you a Phial of Bakir's Blood, which unlocks Shadowstorm.
- Durandal: your first legendary, as soon as you reach Svartrau.
A simple rule: pick the early blade that matches the legendary you're aiming for. Use a greatsword early if you'll end on Mihai or the Kingslayer, or a fast blade if you'll end on the Gladius or the Prizewinner.
Which sword is best for each build?
Since 1.1 you can respec, so pick the sword first and build your skills around it. Our best build guide covers the skill side.
- Swordmastery duelist: Imbued Sword of St. Mihai. The -15% Swordmastery cooldown feeds the abilities you're investing in.
- Vampire build: The Vrakhir. The -24% vampiric ability cost means more Blood Surges and Mesmerises per fight.
- Monster hunter: Erkas's Sword, or Mihai if you want more raw damage.
- Parry / perfect block: The Kingslayer for heavy hits, or The Runner-Up for the largest published perfect-block bonus on this list (+75%).
- Witchcraft caster: The Hand of Fate. It restores Activation Charges faster so you can cast hexes more often.
- Stamina-starved dodger: Durandal or The Purge, both with -45% attack stamina.
Pair your blade with the right armor from our best armor guide, and keep it upgraded: our crafting and upgrade guide explains smith costs.
More guides for The Blood of Dawnwalker: builds, bosses and quest walkthroughs, kept up to date for Update 1.1.
- Sword of St. Mihai: all 3 shard locations
- How to respec with the Draught of Mind Rebirth
- Best build for Update 1.1
FAQ
What is the best sword in The Blood of Dawnwalker? The Imbued Sword of St. Mihai. At level 50 it deals about 451–651 damage with -15% Swordmastery cooldown, +15% crit chance, +22.5% crit damage and +32% damage against supernatural enemies (KeenGamer). GamesRadar also calls it "the best sword". The Vrakhir is better for pure vampire builds.
How do you get the Imbued Sword of St. Mihai? Finish A Monk and a Saint for the Broken Sword, collect the three shards in Forge It Anew, have the Uriashi blacksmith in north-west Briar Sloughs reforge it, then beat the Echoing Anger to imbue it. It isn't sold anywhere.
What is the best early weapon in The Blood of Dawnwalker? Durandal, a legendary longsword from The Cursed Chasm in the Briar Sloughs, which you start by talking to the Svartrau innkeeper. Before that, the Exquisite Greatsword from the Ancient Circle south of Laslea Glen is the best pickup.
Can you respec in The Blood of Dawnwalker? Yes, since Update 1.1 on October 22, 2026. Drink a Draught of Mind Rebirth to forget all Swordmastery, Witchcraft and Vampirism abilities and spend the points again. Before 1.1 there was no respec.
Is the Kingslayer better than Mihai's sword? For raw damage, no: Mihai is ahead. The Kingslayer's perfect-block and stamina effects suit parry-heavy players, and it's much quicker to get. Mihai is the better all-round weapon.
Does every weapon have a Weapon Art? No. Most top legendaries do, for example Mihai's spinning strike and The Purge's Shred, but many common and superior blades don't. Check the item tooltip before you upgrade.
