Best Weapons in TotK — Top Melee Weapons & Fuse Combinations

Intermediate
best-weapons
melee
fuse
lynel-horn
gibdo-bone
attack
damage
weapons-guide
ranking
endgame

Best Weapons in TotK — Maximum Damage Guide

Weapon damage in TotK comes from two sources: the base weapon attack stat and the fused material's bonus. The highest DPS weapons combine a high-base weapon with the highest-attack fusion material. This guide ranks the best options at each stage of the game.


How Weapon Damage Works

Total weapon attack = Base weapon attack + Fuse material attack bonus

Example: Royal Claymore (41 base) + White-Maned Lynel Saber Horn (+55 fusion) = 96 total attack

Both components matter. A weak base weapon with a great fusion is worse than a strong base weapon with the same fusion.


Best Fusion Materials (Sorted by Attack Bonus)

| Material | Attack Bonus | Source | |----------|-------------|--------| | White-Maned Lynel Saber Horn | +55 | Silver Lynel (drops as weapon) | | Gibdo Bone | +25 | Queen Gibdo, regular Gibdo (Depths) | | Lynel Horn (Blue-Maned) | +30 | Blue-Maned Lynel | | Lynel Horn (regular) | +20 | Red/Brown Lynel | | Black Bokoblin Horn | +16 | Black Bokoblin | | Dragon Fang (any) | +20 | Any elemental dragon | | Hinox Toenail | +15 | Hinox |

Bottom line: White-Maned Lynel Saber Horn fused to a high-base weapon is the highest melee damage available outside the Master Sword.


Best Base Weapons

Two-Handed (Highest Damage Per Swing)

Royal Claymore (41 base attack)

  • Best craftable two-handed base weapon
  • Drops from Black Lizalfos, Silver enemies, Hyrule Castle chests
  • Combined with Lynel Saber Horn: 96 total attack — one charge swing per stagger cycle

Mighty Lynel Crusher (36 base)

  • Dropped by Lynel enemies
  • Heavy club type — slower but massive per-hit damage
  • Lynel Horn fusion: ~86 total attack

Great Thunderblade / Flameblade (35 base variants)

  • Elemental two-handers with decent base attack
  • Adding fusion on top of existing elemental damage creates strong elemental builds

One-Handed (Best Balance)

Royal Broadsword (36 base attack)

  • Most balanced one-handed option
  • Found in Hyrule Castle chests, elite enemy drops
  • Fast attack speed + high base = good DPS against fast enemies

Eightfold Longblade (40 base)

  • One of the highest base one-handers
  • Found in specific Depths locations

Savage Lynel Saber (32 base)

  • Carried by Silver Lynels — take it after defeat
  • Good when used with the Saber's fast attack animation

Spears (Best Reach + Mounted Combat)

Royal Halberd (26 base attack)

  • Longest reach melee weapon
  • Good for mounted combat and safe fighting
  • Fuse Lynel Horn for competitive total attack despite lower base

Lightscale Trident (22 base)

  • Zora special weapon — bonus damage in water, fast animation
  • Pairs well with Shock Arrows and water-adjacent fights (Mucktorok, Sidon-related)

Best Weapon by Tier

Early Game (First 3 Temples)

Best available: Knight's Claymore or Soldier's Broadsword fused with any Hinox Toenail or Bokoblin Horn

  • Knight's Claymore: 28 base + Hinox Toenail (+15) = 43 total
  • Find Knight's weapons by defeating elite Bokoblin/Lizalfos groups at camps and caves

Upgrade path: Prioritize reaching Lynels for their dropped weapons. Even a Red Lynel drop is a major upgrade over Knight's tier.

Mid Game (Temples Completed)

Best available: Lynel weapons from defeated Lynels + Gibdo Bone fusion

  • Mogma Mitts + Silver Bokoblin Horn fusion: competitive if Lynels are avoided
  • Best mid-game target: Blue-Maned Lynel weapons — attack boost weapons that outlast most alternatives

End Game (All Temples + Depths Explored)

Best combination: Royal Claymore (41 base) + White-Maned Lynel Saber Horn (55 fusion) = 96 total attack

With Attack Up Level 3 food + Fierce Deity/Barbarian armor: 96 × 1.6+ = ~153 effective attack per swing

Alternative endgame: Master Sword after pulling from Light Dragon — the beam attack and 30+ base attack with elemental bonus make it competitive overall despite lower raw fused attack.


Weapon Durability and the Fuse Economy

All weapons break eventually. The metagame strategy:

  1. Hoard high-base weapons — save Royal/Knight tier weapons for boss fights
  2. Use weaker base weapons for regular exploration — fuse junk materials to trash weapons
  3. Save best fusion materials for best base weapons — don't fuse Lynel Horns to a Bokoblin Club
  4. Depths run = refill — the Depths has excellent weapon drops and fusion material caches

Special Mention: Master Sword

The Master Sword deserves its own note:

  • Base attack: 30 (but effectively higher with beam damage at full health)
  • Advantage: Charges after 10 minutes of real time (approximately 50–100 swings) — infinite durability over long sessions
  • Best use: Consistent fights where you don't have excess fusion materials; long-session grinding
  • Get it: Pull from the Light Dragon's forehead after collecting all Dragon's Tears memories

Related Guides

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Nintendo Switch — pick up your copy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Affiliate disclosure: Hyrule Archive may earn a commission from purchases made through Amazon links on this site at no extra cost to you.


© 2024-2026 Hyrule Archive — n2ai.io. All Rights Reserved.

v1.0.0-rc1 · Build #424 · trunk:bc1db15 · 3/15/2026, 10:18:07 AM

Maren

Maren