Wandering Sword: Best Weapon Guide for Early and Late Game

Wandering Sword gives your protagonist, Yuwen Yi, something almost no one else in the game has: the ability to wield every weapon type. That freedom is exactly what makes the “best weapon” question feel harder than it should. The short, practical answer is that you should start with the Sword because the game funnels early loot and martial arts toward it, then specialize once you understand how each weapon’s attack shape fits your party.

The short version

• Five weapon types: Sword, Saber, Polearm, Fist (Unarmed), and Hidden Weapons. Most companions are locked to one type; only Yuwen Yi can learn and switch between all of them.
• Attack shape matters more than raw “tier”: Sword hits in a straight line, Saber hits a column, Polearm hits the tiles around you, Fist is single-target for 1v1 fights, and Hidden Weapons attack from a distance.
• Best opener: Sword. The early game pushes swords on you with the most available manuals and gear.
• Best for clearing crowds: Polearm (hits everything adjacent) or Saber (hits a full column) — not the Sword.
• Best for ranged safety: Hidden Weapons, the type the rest of the game and most guides forget exists.
• Endgame answer: there is no single best type. Pick the attack shape your team needs, then back it with mastery and a strong unique in that family.

The five weapon types and what they actually do

Most weapon guides only talk about four types. Wandering Sword has five, and the missing one — Hidden Weapons — changes how you think about positioning. Here is what each type does on the battlefield, by attack shape rather than vibes:

• Sword: hits in a straight line. Reliable reach and clean single-target pressure, which is why it feels like the default.
• Saber: hits a column of tiles. Stronger than the Sword when enemies line up in front of you.
• Polearm: hits the tiles around you. This is your real area-clearing tool — it strikes everything adjacent, so it shines when you are surrounded.
• Fist (Unarmed): single-target, short reach. Built for 1v1 duels rather than mobs.
• Hidden Weapons: ranged attacks from a safe distance. The way to deal damage without putting a character in the front line.

The takeaway: you are not picking a power level, you are picking a geometry. A Polearm user in the middle of a pack does work that a Sword user simply cannot, and a Hidden Weapons user keeps a fragile character alive by never standing where the enemy wants them.

Why you start with the Sword

Sword is the best opener for one concrete reason: the early game hands you the most sword content. Manuals, gear, and the path of least resistance all point at it, so you can get a sword build online faster than any other type. When you are playing blind, the game is clearly steering you toward swords.

A common myth is that the Sword is also the best for clearing groups. It is not. The Sword hits a straight line — good for poking a target down a row, weak against a cluster. If your problem is being swarmed, the Polearm (hits everything around you) and the Saber (hits a full column) clear faster. Start Sword because it is available and easy, not because it wins the crowd-control debate.

Yuwen Yi vs. your companions

This is the detail that should drive your decision. Your companions are locked into a single weapon type, but Yuwen Yi can learn and switch between all five. That means you should not pick his weapon in a vacuum — pick it to cover the gap your roster has.

• If your companions already lock down single targets, give Yi a Polearm or Saber so someone can hit clusters.
• If your front line is solid but you have no reach, give Yi Hidden Weapons to deal damage from the back.
• If you keep losing 1v1 duels or boss splits, Fist arts are built for exactly that.

Because Yi is the only flexible slot, his weapon is the one lever you can pull to rebalance an entire party. Treat it as a team-composition decision, not a personal-power one.

When to switch weapon types

The Sword carries you early, but the right time to specialize is when your build can support it. Weapon mastery and your martial-arts manuals are the real engine; the weapon type just decides where the damage lands. Switching is worth it when:

• Your fights keep going wide. If you are routinely surrounded, move Yi to a Polearm so he clears the tiles around him every turn.
• Enemies stack in a line or column. A Saber turns that formation into one swing.
• You want a damage dealer who never gets hit. Hidden Weapons let a glass-cannon character contribute from the back row.
• You acquire a strong unique in another family. A great unique you can actually equip beats a “better” type you have not invested any mastery in.

If you want a deeper look at how to spread these decisions across your whole party as the story progresses, see our companion piece on building the best teams by story stage.

Common mistakes

• Treating the Sword as the best crowd-clearer. It hits a straight line. The Polearm hits everything around you and the Saber hits a column — those are your area weapons.
• Forgetting Hidden Weapons exist. It is the fifth type and the only ranged option. Ignoring it means ignoring an entire playstyle.
• Picking Yi’s weapon for personal power. He is the only character who can switch — use him to patch your team’s missing attack shape instead.
• Swapping types with no mastery. A new weapon family with zero invested mastery and manuals will feel weak even if the type is strong. Build the support first.
• Chasing a tier list over availability. A weapon you can equip and master now beats a theoretically stronger one you cannot reach yet.

Practical takeaway

Start Yuwen Yi on the Sword — it is the type the early game supports best, and a straight-line attacker is a clean opener. Once you can read your fights, stop thinking about which weapon is “best” and start thinking about attack shape: Polearm for being surrounded, Saber for columns, Fist for duels, Hidden Weapons for safe ranged damage. Use Yi’s unique all-weapon flexibility to cover whatever your single-type companions cannot, back the choice with mastery and a strong unique, and you will outperform any rigid tier list.