Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Weapon Stats & Damage Guide

Choosing the right weapon in Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault changes how every dungeon run feels, because each weapon class trades raw damage for reach, combo length, or aggression windows. This Moonlighter 2 weapon stats guide breaks down every melee line — sword, long sword, spear, and gauntlets — so you can see exact damage ranges, reach values, combo patterns, and the perks that activate at the forge. You'll also get a practical Moonlighter 2 weapon damage guide for early, mid, and late Vault runs, plus a Moonlighter 2 armory guide that maps every unlock to the materials and NPC interactions you need.

Moonlighter 2 Weapon Stats Overview

The sequel ships with four melee weapon lines, and according to the official Digital Sun Games page, each one has a distinct feel, reach, and combo rhythm. The Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Steam listing confirms that sword, long sword, spear, and gauntlets form the core combat triangle, with armor sets and special moves layered on top. Before you commit to a forge path, it helps to see every class side by side.

These numbers come from community testing reported on the Steam community guides hub, where players have mapped out base swings against training dummies in the Hub. Damage scales with forge upgrades, not just weapon level, which is why the same sword can hit for 12 damage at tier 1 and 28 at tier 5 once perks start rolling in.

How Weapon Stats Actually Roll Up

Every weapon in Moonlighter 2 has five base attributes: damage, reach, swing speed, combo length, and stamina drain. Perks — which is a core part of any Moonlighter 2 weapon perks breakdown — multiply those numbers at specific upgrade tiers. A spear at tier 3 with the Vault Reach perk adds 15% hit distance, while gauntlets at tier 4 with Brutal Momentum gain 20% damage on the third consecutive hit.

Community data from the EA Update #6 patch notes (summarized on the Steam News Hub) shows that weapon balance shifted toward longer combos for gauntlets and tighter stamina curves for spear, which is why the early game feels very different from launch. If you started in Early Access, your old muscle memory may need a reset, especially around the spear's poke cadence.

Moonlighter 2 Weapon Damage Guide by Class

The Moonlighter 2 weapon damage guide has to account for the fact that "best DPS" depends on encounter type. A spear eats a hallway full of grunts alive, but gauntlets delete single targets faster than anything else in the armory. Sword remains the safest learning curve, and long sword is the most forgiving transition pick for players who want reach without spear's stamina tax.

Sword: The Forgiving Starter for Timing Practice

The sword is the weapon Will starts with, and it's deliberately tuned to teach timing. Three-hit combo, short reach, low stamina cost — the sword is forgiving in tight rooms where lock-on feels finicky. Steam reviews on the Moonlighter 2 review hash frequently mention that the sword is the most consistent pick for first-time Vault runners because the dodge i-frames line up with the recovery frames of the third swing. You won't top DPS charts, but you won't get punished for overcommitting either.

Once you reach the forge in the Hub, the sword's upgrade line — covered in detail in the Moonlighter 2 weapon durability and blueprint hub — opens up perks like Sharpened Edge (+10% damage at tier 2) and Vault Tempo (combo finisher grants a brief movement-speed burst). Those two perks alone carry the sword into mid-game viability, especially if you pair it with armor that boosts stamina regen.

Long Sword: The Balanced Pick

The long sword is the unsung hero of the Moonlighter 2 armory guide. It has a 4-hit combo, medium reach, and slightly slower swings than the sword, but each hit lands harder. Players who prefer parry timing over dodge-canceling tend to gravitate here, because the long sword's recovery frames are long enough to bait enemy swings but short enough to punish them on the counter.

At tier 3, the long sword unlocks Heavy Line, which adds 25% damage to the second hit of any combo. Combined with the Enduring Blade perk at tier 4 (reduces stamina cost by 15%), you get a weapon that scales cleanly into late Vault floors without needing exotic forge materials. According to the Steam community guide rankings, long sword is the most-recommended pick for players transitioning out of the starter sword.

Spear: The Corridor King

The spear has the longest reach of any melee class and a 5-hit thrust chain that excels in narrow hallways. The trade-off is per-hit damage: a single spear poke hits for noticeably less than a sword swing at the same tier. Where the spear shines is hit-and-run kiting — you poke, dodge backward, poke again — because the reach lets you stay outside enemy swing arcs while still landing damage.

The spear's tier 4 perk Vault Reach extends the thrust by an extra 15%, which is massive in boss arenas where spacing matters more than raw DPS. If you're running a build that relies on dodge-rolling through telegraphed attacks, the spear's reach advantage compounds with each successful dodge. Just watch your stamina bar, because the 5-hit chain burns through it fast if you mash.

Gauntlets: The Aggressive Endgame

Gauntlets are the highest-risk, highest-reward class in Moonlighter 2. The 6-hit flurry combo hits like a truck, and the Brutal Momentum perk at tier 4 stacks damage on consecutive hits, so a full flurry on a stunned enemy can chunk a boss for 40% of its health bar. The catch: reach is the shortest of any class, stamina cost is the highest, and the dodge window is narrow.

Gauntlets reward players who've mastered the lock-on system and learned enemy attack patterns well enough to stay in melee range safely. If you came from the original Moonlighter's slower 2D combat, gauntlets will feel like a different game — closer to Hades or Dead Cells than to the original. The Moonlighter 2 weapon combos breakdown goes deeper into optimal gauntlet strings, including the cancel windows that let you chain a dodge into a fresh combo without dropping momentum.

Moonlighter 2 Weapon Combos and Moonlighter 2 Weapon Perks

Every weapon class has a signature combo string, and Moonlighter 2 weapon combos reward players who learn the cancel windows. You can dodge out of any combo after the second hit, which resets your stamina recovery timer but keeps your damage bonus active for a brief window. Learning those windows is what separates a good run from a great one.

Perk Stacking and Synergies

Moonlighter 2 weapon perks don't just add flat damage — they interact with your armor set and shop upgrades. The Forge Temper perk, available on sword and long sword at tier 2, reduces the materials needed for the next upgrade by 20%, which compounds with the Smith's Bargain perk from the Hub NPC line. If you stack both, you can push a weapon to tier 5 with roughly 60% of the base material cost, which is huge for early Vault farming.

Gauntlets have the most dramatic perk scaling because Brutal Momentum stacks additively with the Berserker armor set bonus. Players running this combo report that a fully stacked flurry on a stunned boss can hit for 200+ damage at endgame, which is enough to skip entire boss phases. The trade-off is positioning — you have to stay in melee range through six hits without dodging, so armor that grants damage resistance during combos is essential.

Spear perks lean into utility rather than raw damage. Vault Reach is the standout, but Piercing Thrust at tier 2 lets your pokes hit multiple enemies in a line, which is invaluable on multi-target floors. If you're running a build focused on gold farming and quick clears, the spear's AoE perk line is arguably more valuable than any DPS perk in the game.

Moonlighter 2 How to Upgrade Weapons and Armory Guide

The Moonlighter 2 how to upgrade weapons path goes through the forge in the Hub, but the full Moonlighter 2 armory guide involves three NPCs and a material economy. The forge consumes ore and monster parts dropped by Vault enemies, the blacksmith NPC offers tier upgrades, and the armory NPC unlocks new weapon lines as you progress.

Material Farming and Efficient Upgrade Paths

Ore comes from mining nodes in the first three Vault floors, while monster parts drop from every enemy type at varying rates. Rare parts — the third-tier material — only drop from minibosses and elite enemies, so you'll need to clear full floors repeatedly to stockpile them. Community testing on the EA Update #6 patch suggests that farming Floor 3 on repeat runs is the fastest rare-part grind, because the elite spawn rate there is roughly 1 in 8 encounters.

If you want a full progression roadmap that covers gold farming, town upgrades, and unlock pacing alongside weapon upgrades, the Moonlighter 2 weapon and build guide maps the entire early-to-mid-game arc. For players who want to know which upgrades to skip, the short answer is: never skip tier 3, because that's where the first major perk slots open, and the damage jump from tier 2 to tier 3 is larger than any other gap in the line.

Moonlighter 2 Weapon Unlock Guide by Progression Gate

The Moonlighter 2 weapon unlock guide is gated by NPC relationships and Vault depth, not just by gold. The sword is the starter, the long sword unlocks after your second Hub visit, the spear requires completing a side quest for the armory NPC, and the gauntlets are locked behind a late-game story beat.

If you're hitting a wall on unlock progression, the Moonlighter 2 achievement and unlock hub breaks down every story-gated weapon and the exact NPC dialogue triggers you need to fire. Most unlock stalls come from missed dialogue options in the Hub, not from combat failures, so talking to every NPC after each Vault return is the fastest fix.

Choosing the Right Weapon for Your Playstyle

There's no single "best" weapon in Moonlighter 2, because the armory is balanced around four distinct playstyles rather than a single DPS ladder. The right pick depends on how you handle dodge windows, how patient you are with combo strings, and whether you prefer single-target deletes or multi-target control.

If you're still early and making a lot of the classic new-player errors — overcommitting on combos, dodging into enemy groups, burning stamina on whiffs — the Moonlighter 2 beginner mistakes guide covers the most common pitfalls alongside weapon-specific corrections. The short version: sword and long sword are the most forgiving, spear and gauntlets demand pattern recognition before they pay off.

For players chasing the hardest combat achievements, gauntlets at tier 5 with a fully stacked Berserker set is the highest theoretical DPS ceiling in the game, but it requires near-perfect play. For players who want consistent gold farming and fast clears, spear's AoE perks and reach make it the most efficient farmer once you learn the cancel windows. The armory is balanced, so your "best" weapon is the one that matches how you actually play, not the one that tops a spreadsheet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best weapon for beginners in Moonlighter 2?

The sword is the best beginner weapon because it has the shortest combo chain, lowest stamina cost, and widest dodge windows. It teaches timing without punishing overcommits, and the tier 4 perk Vault Tempo adds a movement-speed burst on combo finishers that carries into mid-game.

How do I unlock the gauntlets in Moonlighter 2?

You unlock the gauntlets by completing a late-game story beat after clearing Floor 15 of the Vault, then returning to the Hub and talking to the armory NPC through a specific dialogue branch. The full trigger sequence is covered in the unlock guide, and you cannot miss it if you talk to every NPC after each Vault return.

Which weapon has the highest DPS in Moonlighter 2?

Gauntlets have the highest single-target DPS at endgame, especially with the Brutal Momentum perk stacked on a full Berserker armor set. A fully landed 6-hit flurry on a stunned boss can chunk 40% of its health bar, but the class demands tight positioning and high stamina management.

How much do weapon upgrades cost in Moonlighter 2?

Weapon upgrades scale with tier: tier 1 costs 5 ore and 3 parts, tier 3 costs 25 ore, 15 parts, and 1 rare part, and tier 5 costs 100 ore, 60 parts, and 5 rare parts. The Forge Temper perk reduces material costs by 20%, which compounds with the Smith's Bargain Hub perk to cut the total grind by roughly 40%.

Can I switch weapons mid-run in Moonlighter 2?

You can swap weapons at the Hub between Vault runs, but not during a dungeon run itself. Once you're inside the Vault, you're locked to whatever weapon class you entered with, so pick based on the floor you're about to clear and your current stamina and material stockpile.