Bloodborne Weapons List: All Trick Weapons and Firearms Explained for New Hunters

Our full Bloodborne weapons list breaks down trick weapons, firearms, Uncanny and Lost variants, scaling, and Blood Gem slots so you can pick a build.

In Bloodborne, the weapon in your hand decides far more than your damage number — it sets your reach, your stamina rhythm, and how you answer a charging beast. That is why any useful Bloodborne weapons list has to go past raw attack values and explain how each weapon actually feels to swing. The guide below covers trick weapons, firearms, variant versions, and the upgrade rules that tie the whole system together.

New hunters often treat the starting trio as a difficulty slider, but the truth is simpler: pick the move set you enjoy. Nearly every weapon in Bloodborne can carry you to the end of the game if you build your stats around it and upgrade it properly.

Trick Weapons vs. Firearms: How the Bloodborne Weapons List Is Split

Trick weapons occupy the right hand and sit at the center of combat. Each one has a standard form and a transformed form with a genuinely different move set, and the transform attack you trigger mid-combo usually hits harder and staggers more than a plain swing. Firearms fill the left hand and spend quicksilver bullets, so they are a resource rather than a fallback.

SlotCategoryExamplesPrimary job
Right handTrick weapon (standard form)Saw Cleaver, Hunter Axe, Threaded CaneFast, low-stamina pressure
Right handTrick weapon (transformed)Kirkhammer, Ludwig's Holy Blade, Whirligig SawReach, stagger, crowd control
Left handParry firearmHunter Pistol, Hunter Blunderbuss, EvelynSetting up visceral attacks
Left handDamage firearmCannon, Church Cannon, Repeating PistolBurst and finishing blows
Left handUtility firearm or shieldFlamesprayer, Rosmarinus, Loch Shield, Fist of GratiaChip damage, defense, free stagger
Item slotsHunter ToolsBeast Roar, Old Hunter Bone, A Call BeyondArcane utility (costs bullets)

That split matters because the two halves of the Bloodborne weapons list solve different problems. A trick weapon handles sustained damage and crowd control; a firearm buys you a parry, a burst of damage, or a few seconds of breathing room. Experienced players swap between both slots constantly instead of committing to a single loadout.

Rally ties the system together. After you take a hit, landing attacks quickly restores part of the health you just lost, and every weapon carries its own hidden rally value. High-rally options like the Hunter Axe and Burial Blade reward pushing forward after a trade, while low-rally weapons ask you to disengage and heal.

Core Trick Weapons at a Glance: The Heart of the Bloodborne Weapons List

Think of the table below as a shortlist tool rather than a stat sheet — exact attack values, durability, and gem layouts live on each weapon's own page. Use it to narrow your options before you spend rare upgrade materials.

WeaponDamage focusScaling leanTransformationWhy hunters pick it
Saw CleaverPhysicalStrength / SkillFolding saw, short ↔ longSerrated bonus vs. beasts, fast R1 chain
Saw SpearPhysicalSkill-leaningSpear ↔ extended sawSerrated in both forms, strong thrusts
Hunter AxePhysicalStrengthAxe ↔ two-handed halberdCharged spin attack, excellent rally
Threaded CanePhysicalSkillCane ↔ whipLong reach, wide sweeping arcs
KirkhammerPhysicalStrengthSword ↔ hammerBlunt stagger, breaks enemy poise
Ludwig's Holy BladePhysicalStrength / SkillSword ↔ greatswordRighteous greatsword form, very versatile
ChikagePhysical / BloodBloodtingeKatana ↔ blood bladeHuge blood damage, drains HP while transformed
Blade of MercyPhysicalSkillSingle ↔ twin bladesDevastating quickstep attacks
Burial BladePhysical / ArcaneSkill / ArcaneScythe ↔ curved bladeSweeping arcs, strong rally
Whirligig SawPhysicalStrengthMace ↔ spinning sawSerrated shredder against beasts
RakuyoPhysicalSkillTwinblade ↔ sword + daggerFast combos, high skill scaling
Holy Moonlight SwordPhysical / ArcaneStrength / Skill / ArcaneGreatsword ↔ moonlit bladeRanged arcane beams
Simon's BowbladePhysical / BloodSkill / BloodtingeSword ↔ bowRanged bloodtinge damage
BloodletterPhysical / BloodStrength / BloodtingeMace ↔ blood bladeSelf-damage transform, frenzy burst
Amygdalan ArmPhysical / ArcaneStrengthClub ↔ living arm17 Strength (C) / 9 Skill (E), long reach (DLC)
Beast ClawPhysicalStrengthClaw ↔ double claw14 Strength (D) / 12 Skill (E), pairs with Beast's Embrace

A few weapons sit outside the main damage conversation. The Kos Parasite only works properly with the Milkweed rune equipped, and the Beast Claw becomes a completely different animal once you add Beast's Embrace. Community reports also flag hidden tags such as Serrated (extra damage against beasts) and Righteous (extra damage against certain foes), neither of which appears on the in-game stat screen.

Firearms and Hunter Tools: The Other Half of the Bloodborne Weapons List

Firearms are easy to overlook, but a good parry tool changes fights more than a few points of attack rating ever will. Match the firearm to your build: bloodtinge characters lean on Evelyn, strength builds enjoy the Cannon's burst, and arcane hunters get more from sprays and Hunter Tools.

FirearmTypeBullet costBest used for
Hunter PistolPistol1Fast, reliable parries
Hunter BlunderbussShotgun1Wider parry window, spread stagger
EvelynPistol1Bloodtinge-scaling damage
Repeating PistolPistol2Quick burst damage
Ludwig's RifleShotgun1Longer-range parries
Piercing RifleRifle1Hitting several enemies in a line
CannonCannonHeavyMassive single-shot burst
Church CannonCannonHeavyArcing explosive shots
FlamesprayerSprayContinuousFire chip damage against beasts
RosmarinusSprayContinuousWide arcane mist coverage
Fist of GratiaFistNoneFree stagger without spending bullets
Loch ShieldShieldNoneBlocking arcane attacks and projectiles (DLC)
Wooden ShieldShieldNonePhysical blocking, weak to arcane

Hunter Tools are the exception to the hand-slot rule: they live in your item slots, not your left hand, and still consume quicksilver bullets. Beast Roar, Old Hunter Bone, Empty Phantasm Shell, Tiny Tonitrus, Executioner's Gloves, and A Call Beyond all reward arcane investment, and they scale with the Arcane stat rather than your weapon's attack rating.

Uncanny and Lost Variants: The Hidden Layers of the Bloodborne Weapons List

Every trick weapon exists in three versions: Normal, Uncanny, and Lost. They share the same move set and base damage — what changes is the shape of the Blood Gem imprints and where you find them. Normal copies come from the main game and The Old Hunters, while Uncanny and Lost copies are generally Chalice Dungeon finds, and player experience suggests those drops are chance-based rather than guaranteed.

WeaponNormal imprintsUncanny imprintsLost imprints
Amygdalan ArmRadial / Radial / TriangularRadial / Radial / WaningRadial / Triangular / Waning
Beast ClawRadial / Triangular / RadialRadial / Waning / RadialRadial / Triangular / Waning

Why chase a second or third copy? Because gem shapes decide which bonuses you can stack. Radial gems are the most common and easiest to farm, while Triangular and Waning slots open the door to rarer effects. If your build depends on a specific gem type, the "worse" version of a weapon may actually be the better one for you.

Upgrade Paths and Build Tips for Your Weapons

Weapon fortification happens at the Workshop in the Hunter's Dream, and you handle it yourself — there is no blacksmith NPC to visit. Each upgrade step raises base damage and requires a specific material tier.

MaterialUpgrade rangeTypical source
Blood Stone Shard+1 to +3Early Yharnam enemies, Bath Messenger
Twin Blood Stone Shards+4 to +6Mid-game enemies and chests
Blood Stone Chunk+7 to +9Late-game areas, Chalice Dungeons
Blood Rock+10Rare, limited per playthrough
  • Respect the soft caps. Strength, Skill, Bloodtinge, and Arcane all give diminishing returns after 25, with a second cap near 50.
  • Match your gems to your stats. A physical gem on a bloodtinge weapon wastes a slot; check what actually scales.
  • Watch rally, not just damage. Aggressive players get more value from high-rally weapons than from a slightly higher attack rating.
  • Exploit hidden tags. Serrated weapons chew through beasts; Righteous weapons perform better against specific enemy types.
  • Test before you commit. Swing a new weapon in the Hunter's Dream to feel its stamina cost and transform timing before spending Chunks.
  • Remember there is no respec. Stat points are permanent, so plan your requirements early — the Amygdalan Arm's 17 Strength requirement is a real commitment.

If you want the publisher's own overview before diving deeper into builds, the official Bloodborne page on PlayStation is a solid starting point.

FAQ

What is the best weapon in the Bloodborne weapons list? There is no single best pick. The Saw Cleaver and Ludwig's Holy Blade are the most forgiving for newcomers, the Chikage and Bloodletter shine for bloodtinge builds, and the Whirligig Saw is a beast-shredding favorite for strength characters. Choose the move set you can execute consistently.

How many trick weapons are in Bloodborne? Community counts put the total at 26 trick weapons — 15 in the base game plus 11 from The Old Hunters expansion. Each one also exists in Normal, Uncanny, and Lost versions, which pushes the collectible count much higher.

Do Uncanny and Lost weapons deal more damage? No. They share identical base stats with the Normal version. The difference is which Blood Gem shapes fit into their slots and where you have to farm them, which is why community reports treat them as build-specific sidegrades rather than upgrades.

Can you respec in Bloodborne? No — stat allocation is permanent, so plan ahead. Check a weapon's minimum requirements before investing, since a poorly planned spread can lock you out of the Bloodborne weapons list you actually wanted to use.