Best Weapons to Use in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy

TL;DR – Quick Summary

• Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy has 8 blades to find plus a 9th pre-order bonus — each one has a unique passive ability that stays active while equipped.
• The Xiphos is the best overall blade for experienced players — it supercharges parries by dealing massively increased stun damage, though it removes the ability to block entirely.
• The Sica is the best pick for players who use Focus Attacks often — every enemy killed with it refills the Focus Gauge, making it ideal for group fights.
• The Greek Sword is the best all-rounder — its Spinning Slash replaces the single-target critical strike with a wide area sweep that hits every enemy around Sophia simultaneously.
• The Broken Spear is the best option specifically for shield-heavy encounters — its sprint attack pierces guards and shields completely.
• The Khopesh is the best sustained-damage pick — its Deep Bleed ability puts a damage-over-time effect on the last combo hit, which stacks well across long fights.
• Two blades are automatic story unlocks (Rusty Sword and Falchion). The other six require finding bull pillar tombs called Heroes’ Graves in specific chapters.
• The game lets you change blades freely outside of combat — switch based on the fight ahead, not just habit.

Knowing the best weapons to use in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy makes a real difference across the game’s harder fights and boss encounters. Each blade Sophia finds has a specific passive ability that changes how the combat loop works — some reward parry-heavy play, some help with groups, some solve specific enemy type problems. The base damage between blades is identical, so the choice is always about which ability fits the fight ahead. This guide covers all 8 blades in full — what each one does, where to find it, who it suits, and which ones are worth going out of your way for. For a deeper understanding of how the parry and critical strike mechanics that many blade abilities interact with actually work, our boss and creature guide covers each enemy type in detail so you can match the right blade to the right fight.

How the Blade System Works

Every blade in Resonance shares the same base attack speed and damage output — there is no blade that simply hits harder than another in raw terms. The difference between them is entirely in their passive technique, which activates automatically during combat while that blade is equipped. No activation button. No resource cost. The technique is always on.

You can switch blades freely outside of combat at any time by opening the pause menu and going to Sophia → Blades. The game even lets you change blades after dying before a retry — which means if a boss fight isn’t going well, you can switch to a blade whose ability counters that specific boss more cleanly before trying again. Use this. Most players stick to one blade out of habit and miss the flexibility entirely.

All blades are found in Heroes’ Graves — hidden tombs accessed via bull pillar light puzzles off the main path. The exceptions are the Rusty Sword (automatic Chapter 1 story unlock), the Falchion (automatic Chapter 2 story unlock), and the pre-order bonus Hero’s Blade (arrives alongside the Falchion). All six optional blades require finding the bull pillar, solving the three-colour beam alignment puzzle, and opening the crypt beneath. For an overview of how to find all of these, the all chapters and collectibles guide lists every location by chapter.

All 8 Blades – Full Breakdown

Blade 1 – Rusty Sword (Chapter 1)

How to get it: Automatic unlock. Given to Sophia at the start of Chapter 1 during her training with Ezra. Cannot be missed.

Ability: None. The Rusty Sword is the bare starter weapon with no passive technique. It deals standard damage across all attacks with no bonus effects of any kind.

Verdict: Replace it as soon as possible. The Rusty Sword exists to teach you the combat system in the early chapters before you have access to real techniques. Once you have the Falchion or any Heroes’ Grave blade, there is no practical reason to come back to this one. The only exception is if you need it for the Adaptable trophy — you need at least one kill with every blade, so get that kill early in Chapter 1 or 2 before moving on.

Blade 2 – Falchion (Chapter 2)

How to get it: Automatic unlock. Story reward in Chapter 2, Sub-Chapter 2 (The Carnival) when Sophia picks up her weapons from the boat near the church after the carnival section.

Ability: Wider Dodge Window. The Falchion passively increases the invincibility frames on Sophia’s dodge roll — the period during which she cannot be hit. In practical terms, this means your dodges are slightly more forgiving on timing, and rolls that would clip the edge of a swing on the Rusty Sword clear cleanly with the Falchion equipped.

Verdict: A solid early upgrade over the Rusty Sword and genuinely useful in the first half of the game when dodge timing is still being learned. The wider window gives new players more room to develop consistent dodge habits. By the mid-game when you have access to Heroes’ Grave blades, most players will find something more impactful — but it’s a reasonable carry blade for Chapters 2 through 4 before alternatives arrive. The pre-order Hero’s Blade has an identical ability and is essentially a visual variant of the Falchion — no meaningful difference between them in combat.

Blade 3 – Greek Sword (Chapter 5)

How to get it: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 5, Sub-Chapter 3. From the Central Temple’s four-pedestal room, take the exit with the “O with 3 lines” icon above the gate. Cross the bridge, go left, drop down to the enemies, defeat them. Don’t go through the big green gate — take the opposite path to the abandoned camp with the bull pillar. Climb the ruins across from the pillar to reach the top. Stand on the floor plate at the end of the left pillar and align the three sphere beams with the bull pillar gems. The crypt opens below. Drop down and open the chest.

Ability: Spinning Slash. This is the most dramatic ability change in the game. Equipping the Greek Sword completely replaces Sophia’s standard critical strike with a new move called Spinning Slash — a wide circular sweep that deals damage to every enemy in the immediate area simultaneously. The single-target dagger finisher is removed entirely in exchange for this area attack.

Verdict: The best blade for group fights, comfortably. The Spinning Slash turns what would normally be a single critical kill into a multi-target damage burst. In any encounter where three or more enemies are clustered — which is most of the game’s major combat arenas — landing the Spinning Slash after building Stun on one target also damages the others, compressing the overall fight length significantly. The trade-off is that you lose the single-target dagger finisher, making it slightly less optimal in true one-versus-one boss encounters where the area sweep doesn’t have secondary targets. For general campaign use and group combat, this is the first blade that genuinely changes how fights are approached and worth finding immediately in Chapter 5.

Blade 4 – Sica (Chapter 6)

How to get it: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 6, Sub-Chapter 5. After the Daedalus’s Key cutscene, use the key to open the first green gate. In the next corridor, turn left through a small tunnel instead of continuing forward. This leads to the optional puzzle chamber. Stand on the lit platform on the left and align the sphere beams: Green below the bull pillar, Blue below your platform, Red at the rear-right pillar (reflects off the mirror behind it). When all three gems are lit, the axe symbol opens a staircase. Drop down and open the chest.

Ability: Focus Rush. Killing any enemy while the Sica is equipped adds to Sophia’s Focus Gauge. The more enemies you kill in sequence, the faster the yellow Focus bar fills, letting you trigger Focus Attacks (Triangle + Circle / Y + B) far more frequently than through normal play.

Verdict: The best blade for players who use Focus Attacks regularly and want them available more than once per fight. The Focus Attack — the chain spin that hits all nearby enemies — is a powerful crowd-control tool that normally requires deliberate parrying and critical strikes to charge. The Sica shortcuts that process. In a fight against four or five soldiers, killing the first two with the Sica builds enough Focus for a Focus Attack that staggers the remaining group. This creates a self-reinforcing loop: kills build Focus, Focus Attacks clear groups, clearing groups creates more kill opportunities. Particularly effective from Chapter 9 onward when enemies become more numerous. For the Inherited Brutality trophy (kill 4 enemies at once with a Focus Attack), equipping the Sica before the target encounter in Chapter 12 makes getting a full Focus bar more consistent.

Blade 5 – Khopesh (Chapter 7)

How to get it: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 7, Sub-Chapter 2. After navigating a dark underground section, you emerge into a big open area with broken pillar stumps. From the exit of the underground section, go left to find the bull pillar near a large skull head on the ground. Stand on the metal circle in front of the skull head and align the three sphere beams with the bull pillar gems. The crypt opens in front of the pedestal — drop down and open the chest.

Ability: Deep Bleed. The final hit of Sophia’s normal attack combo inflicts a bleeding wound that deals damage over time on the target. The DoT (damage over time) effect persists for several seconds after the combo ends and cannot be blocked or parried by the enemy — it just ticks down their health automatically.

Verdict: The best blade for sustained damage on durable enemies — Brutes, shielded soldiers, and bosses who take many hits to stagger. Against a standard soldier the DoT effect is almost irrelevant because the fight ends quickly anyway. Against a Brute who resists damage and takes time to bring down, the Deep Bleed ticking on every completed combo cycle adds meaningful free damage that stacks up over the course of a long exchange. Paired with Stagger Blow (the skill that makes the final combo hit deal extra stun damage), the Khopesh becomes very efficient — the last combo hit simultaneously staggers, bleeds, and fills Stun Bar faster. A good choice for Nightmare difficulty where every fight takes longer and sustained output matters more.

Blade 6 – Broken Spear (Chapter 9)

How to get it: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 9, Sub-Chapter 4. At the start of this sub-chapter you will see a man running toward you who gets grabbed by the creature. The moment you regain control, immediately turn left and take the leftmost path. Climb up the ledge. You will find a bull pillar at the top. Unlike other Heroes’ Graves, this one does not require a light puzzle — the tomb is already open. Simply enter the chamber and pick up the blade from the chest inside.

Ability: Shield Pierce. Sophia’s sprint attack gains the ability to pierce through enemy guards and shields, dealing full damage regardless of whether the target is blocking. Standard blocked hits deal no damage against a shield-bearing enemy — the Broken Spear’s sprint attack ignores this entirely.

Verdict: A highly situational blade that becomes the best option in encounters dominated by shielded soldiers — which appear frequently in Chapters 9 through 13. Without this blade, getting through a shield requires either kicking the guard down (Triangle/Y) and hitting in the opening, or waiting for the enemy to attack and parrying. Both require precision and patience. With the Broken Spear equipped, sprinting into a shielded soldier (hold R2/RT/Shift then attack) deals full damage through the shield instantly. In mixed encounters with several shield bearers, this makes those enemies far less of a priority management problem. The trade-off is that the sprint attack has less stun value than a parry-chain, so it isn’t the fastest way to build Stun Bar — use it for the damage, not the posture break. For the boss fight against King Minos, who shields extensively, the Broken Spear’s pierce ability removes one of his most frustrating defensive habits.

Blade 7 – Minoan Sword (Chapter 9)

How to get it: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 9. Found in a hidden side area during the chapter’s exploration section — look for the bull pillar along the path through the Minoan palace ruins. This one is missable if you follow the creature’s path too closely without checking your flanks.

Ability: Resilient Strike. After Sophia takes a hit, her next attack deals increased damage and partially fills the Stun Bar of the target regardless of attack type. This ability is a recovery bonus — it specifically rewards getting hit and immediately counter-hitting rather than backing off after taking damage.

Verdict: A niche blade that rewards aggressive counter-attacking after damage. Most players will find the other blades more consistently useful since the activation condition (getting hit) is something you’re trying to avoid. However, in Nightmare difficulty where hits are frequent and you need to maintain offensive momentum to restore health through kills, the bonus damage on the immediate counter can make the recovery from a hit faster and more decisive. Think of this as a blade that turns a defensive mistake into a partial offensive advantage. Useful in the late game when enemies hit hard enough that trading blows becomes more of a reality than earlier chapters.

Blade 8 – Xiphos (Chapter 10)

How to get it: Heroes’ Grave in Chapter 10, Sub-Chapter 2. From the start of Sub-Chapter 2, go to the far right corner of the area to find a cave opening. Go through the cave and use the Grapnel to climb up at the end. You’ll reach the bull pillar at the top. Before solving the puzzle, destroy all the vases in the area — one of them is concealing the blue gem needed for the light alignment. Use the pedestal in front of the statue to activate the lights. Stand on the lit platform in the right corner and align the beams: Red = left gem / Green = middle gem / Blue = right gem (the one that was under the vase). The crypt opens in front of the pedestal. Drop down and open the chest.

Ability: Parry Break. Every successful parry deals significantly increased stun damage to the target’s Stun Bar — filling it far faster than with any other blade. The trade-off is serious: Sophia loses the ability to block entirely while the Xiphos is equipped. Holding L1/LB does nothing. Only timing-precise parries protect her.

Verdict: The highest-ceiling blade in the game for players who have mastered parry timing — and the most punishing for anyone who hasn’t. With the Xiphos, a single well-timed parry fills the Stun Bar to a threshold that would take three parries with any other blade. In practice, this means one parry → immediate stagger → dagger follow-up → critical strike, every time. Fights become dramatically faster. Brutes that would take a long exchange to stagger go down in one clean parry chain. Boss fights become structured execution exercises rather than extended wars of attrition.

The catch is absolute. There is no fallback. If you fail to time a parry on the Xiphos, you take the full hit with no block to soften it. In group fights with simultaneous attackers, the moments between parrying one enemy and turning to the next are dangerous — a hit you couldn’t respond to in time deals full damage. On Nightmare difficulty, this makes the Xiphos both the most powerful and most dangerous blade available. On Standard with the Aegean Deflect mastery unlocked (which widens the perfect parry window), the risk is significantly lower.

This is the endgame blade for players who want to fully commit to Resonance’s parry system. It is also the blade that pairs best with the Untouchable trophy (6 consecutive parries) since each parry is so impactful there’s natural motivation to chain them. Worth equipping for the Untouchable attempt on Chapter 10’s bridge encounter specifically.

Blades Ranked for Each Playstyle

Best for Group Fights

The Greek Sword wins here without question. Spinning Slash hitting every nearby enemy simultaneously changes the calculus of large encounters. Pair it with the Focus Mastery skill and you have a kit built entirely around clearing groups efficiently. Second choice: Sica, for keeping the Focus bar charged so Focus Attacks are available more frequently.

Best for Boss Fights

The Xiphos is the strongest boss blade for players confident in parry timing. One parry to stagger, then dagger, then critical strike. Bosses go down in fewer exchanges. For players who aren’t ready to give up blocking, the Greek Sword is the safer strong option — Spinning Slash still deals meaningful damage even against single targets. Against King Minos specifically, the Broken Spear is worth equipping for its shield pierce on his frequent guard phases.

Best for Long Fights and Attrition

The Khopesh. Deep Bleed ticking on every completed combo cycle adds reliable free damage that no other blade generates. Against Brutes and heavily armoured soldiers who absorb multiple parry chains before going down, the DoT accumulates into significant additional damage over a 30-second sustained exchange.

Best for Nightmare Difficulty

The Xiphos for experienced players — faster kills means more health restored sooner. The Sica for players who want Focus Attack availability as a safety net when surrounded. Avoid the Xiphos on Nightmare if your parry timing is inconsistent — the loss of blocking is too costly when enemies hit as hard as they do on this setting.

Best for Trophy Hunting

• Sica — Inherited Brutality (4 kills with one Focus Attack). The Focus Rush ability makes getting a full gauge before the attempt more reliable.
• Xiphos — Untouchable (6 consecutive parries). Pairs with the Aegean Deflect mastery and is best attempted at Chapter 10’s bridge encounter on Nightmare difficulty.
• Greek Sword — Sharp Enough For You? (25 critical strike kills). The Spinning Slash counts as a critical strike variant and hits multiple targets, farming the 25 kills faster in group encounters.

All Blades Quick Reference

• Rusty Sword — Chapter 1, automatic. No ability. Replace immediately.
• Falchion — Chapter 2, automatic. Wider dodge window. Good early carry blade.
• Greek Sword — Chapter 5 Heroes’ Grave. Spinning Slash — area critical strike hits all nearby enemies. Best for groups.
• Sica — Chapter 6 Heroes’ Grave. Focus Rush — kills fill the Focus Gauge. Best for Focus Attack builds.
• Khopesh — Chapter 7 Heroes’ Grave. Deep Bleed — last combo hit causes damage over time. Best for sustained damage.
• Broken Spear — Chapter 9 Heroes’ Grave (no puzzle needed). Shield Pierce — sprint attack ignores all blocks and shields. Best against shielded enemies.
• Minoan Sword — Chapter 9 Heroes’ Grave. Resilient Strike — bonus damage on the hit immediately after taking damage. Niche recovery tool.
• Xiphos — Chapter 10 Heroes’ Grave (break vases first). Parry Break — massively increased stun damage per parry, but blocks are removed. Best overall for parry-focused players.

Tips for Getting the Most from Your Blades

• Switch blades before difficult fights, not during them. You can’t swap mid-combat. When you die and see the retry prompt, check which blade you have equipped and whether a different one would have made the fight easier. The game allows this specifically.
• Don’t ignore the Greek Sword because you like your current blade. The Spinning Slash is one of the most impactful ability changes in the game. Even if you plan to use the Xiphos long-term, having the Greek Sword equipped during multi-enemy encounters from Chapter 5 through Chapter 8 is genuinely the strongest combat option available at that point in the story.
• Find the Broken Spear before you forget during the creature chase. Chapter 9’s bull pillar is the only one in the game that doesn’t require a light puzzle — just walk in. But it’s very easy to sprint past in the tension of the creature appearing. The moment you see the man get grabbed, stop, turn left, and climb. Don’t let the urgency of the chase push you past it.
• Break the vases before solving the Xiphos puzzle in Chapter 10. The blue gem needed for the light alignment is hidden under one of the vases in the area. Starting the puzzle before breaking them means the blue beam has no target and the solution appears impossible. Smash everything first.
• The Xiphos and the Aegean Deflect red parry mastery are the strongest combination in the game. Together they mean: you can parry every attack type (red and yellow), each parry deals massive stun damage, and enemies stagger after one parry chain. This combination is worth building toward as a late-game goal.
• Don’t forget the Adaptable trophy. You need at least one enemy kill with every blade. The fastest way to handle this is to equip each new blade the moment you find it, enter the next fight, get one kill, then switch back to your preferred option. Leaving it to the end creates unnecessary cleanup work.

If you want to understand how the blades interact with Sophia’s skill tree — particularly how the Xiphos pairs with Aegean Deflect and how the Greek Sword works alongside Focus Mastery — the best skills to unlock first guide covers every skill branch with priority recommendations. For a complete picture of Sophia’s combat system including how parries, the Stun Bar, and critical strikes all interact with blade abilities, the Sophia combat breakdown goes into the full mechanical detail. The game is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. More at the official Focus Entertainment site.

Frequently Asked Questions