Bloodborne Best Early Weapon: Which to Pick First

Early in Bloodborne you are handed a choice of three starting trick weapons in the Hunter's Dream, and like the origin decision, players tend to treat it as more permanent than it is. You can buy the other starting weapons later with Blood Echoes and Insight, so your first pick is really about which weapon will carry you comfortably through the opening hours against the beasts of Yharnam.

Bloodborne released in 2015 and has not changed mechanically in years, so the details here are stable. I cross-checked the specifics against the Bloodborne Wiki on Fextralife, the Fandom Bloodborne Wiki, and the r/bloodborne community, all checked in October 2026. Where an exact numeric value could mislead, I have kept it qualitative and pointed you to verify it in-game or on the wiki.

The three starting trick weapons

Every hunter begins by choosing one of three weapons: the Saw Cleaver, the Hunter Axe, or the Threaded Cane. All three are trick weapons, meaning each has two forms you swap between on the fly, and that transformation is central to how they feel. The Saw Cleaver folds between a compact fast blade and an extended heavier saw. The Hunter Axe shifts from a one-handed axe to a long two-handed poleaxe. The Threaded Cane changes from a rigid cane into a whip.

In terms of scaling, the Saw Cleaver and Hunter Axe both favor Strength with some Skill, while the Threaded Cane favors Skill. That makes the Cleaver and Axe the natural fits for a Strength or quality start, and the Cane the pick for a Skill-focused hunter. None of them requires high stats to be effective early, so your choice comes down to feel and the kind of fighting you prefer.

It is also worth remembering that the Saw Cleaver and Saw Spear both carry the serrated property, which deals bonus damage to the beast enemies that make up most of the early game. That single trait is a big reason the Cleaver is so widely recommended for a first playthrough.

Saw Cleaver: the all-rounder

The Saw Cleaver is the most commonly recommended starting weapon, and for good reason. In its folded form it swings fast with good reach and the serrated bonus against beasts. Transformed, it becomes a slower but harder-hitting saw that is excellent for staggering enemies. It is light on stamina, forgiving to use, and strong against exactly the enemy type you face most in the opening areas.

For a new player who is still learning dodge timing and enemy patterns, the Cleaver asks the least of you while delivering reliable damage. It is the weapon most guides point blind players toward, and it remains viable deep into the game. If you are unsure, the Saw Cleaver is the safe, strong default.

Hunter Axe: reach and crowd control

The Hunter Axe trades the Cleaver's speed for weight and range. One-handed it is a solid, heavy swing; transformed into its two-handed poleaxe form it gains impressive reach and a spinning charged attack that can clear groups of enemies and build up stagger. Its charged attacks hit hard enough to stance-break many foes, which makes it feel powerful against larger enemies and crowds alike.

The trade-off is stamina and speed. The Axe's big swings cost more stamina and leave you committed, so it rewards patience and spacing over fast trading. Players who like to control distance, stagger enemies, and land heavy punishing blows often prefer it to the Cleaver. It scales primarily with Strength, making it a natural fit for a Strength-leaning hunter from the very start.

Threaded Cane: the Skill pick

The Threaded Cane is the outlier. In its rigid form it is a quick thrusting and slashing weapon, but its signature is the whip transformation, which gives it exceptional reach and lets you hit multiple enemies while staying at a safer distance. It scales with Skill, so it is the clear choice if you intend to build a finesse hunter.

The whip is lower damage per hit than the Cleaver or Axe, and the Cane can feel underwhelming to players expecting raw power. What it offers instead is safety and crowd coverage: the long reach keeps you out of harm's way and is genuinely useful against groups and in tight corridors. It is a connoisseur's starting weapon, excellent in the right hands but less immediately forgiving than the Cleaver.

Ludwig's Holy Blade, available surprisingly early

One of the best early upgrades is not a starting weapon at all. Ludwig's Holy Blade can be purchased from the Bath Messengers in the Hunter's Dream once you have gathered the right item in the Cathedral Ward, which is reachable fairly early in a normal playthrough. The Holy Blade is a quality weapon that scales with both Strength and Skill, transforming from a short sword into a large greatsword.

It is one of the most beloved weapons in the entire game because it covers every situation: the short-sword form is quick and precise, and the greatsword form delivers heavy, satisfying damage with good reach. Many players grab it as soon as possible and never look back. If you start with a Cleaver or Axe to survive the opening and then transition to the Holy Blade, you have a weapon that will carry you through the whole game and well into the DLC.

Our recommendation

For a first playthrough, start with the Saw Cleaver. It is fast, forgiving, strong against beasts, and the easiest weapon to learn the game's rhythm with. If you know you want a Strength bruiser, the Hunter Axe is a fine alternative; if you are committed to a Skill build, start with the Threaded Cane. Then, as soon as you can, buy Ludwig's Holy Blade and let it become your mainstay. To plan where your character goes from there, read our best weapons guide and, if you are leaning heavy, our dedicated Strength build guide.

Upgrading your first weapon

A weapon's raw power in Bloodborne comes as much from upgrades as from the weapon itself. At the workshop in the Hunter's Dream you reinforce a weapon using Blood Stone materials, starting with shards and progressing to twin shards, chunks, and finally the rare Blood Rock, raising its upgrade level and its damage substantially. A fully upgraded starting weapon comfortably out-damages a fresh exotic weapon, which is why committing to one weapon early and feeding it your materials is usually better than spreading those materials across several.

Blood Stone Shards drop from enemies in the early areas and can be bought in limited numbers, so there is no reason to hoard them on a first playthrough. Pour them into the weapon you actually use. The blood gem imprint slots also open as you reinforce a weapon, so upgrading is what unlocks your ability to gem it later. Think of reinforcement as the backbone of your early power curve rather than an afterthought.

Let your firearm do half the work

Your firearm is not a primary damage tool early on; its real job is the parry. Firing it at the right instant as an enemy winds up a melee attack staggers them and opens them to a visceral attack, a devastating riposte that deals huge damage and can restore health. Mastering the parry timing trivializes many early enemies and even some bosses, and it matters far more to your success than which starting weapon you chose.

The standard pistol is precise and ideal for parrying a single enemy, while the blunderbuss sprays a wide shot that is more forgiving for parrying fast or multiple foes. Both run on Quicksilver Bullets, so keep a reserve, and remember you can convert a portion of your health into extra bullets with the Blood Bullet feature when you run low during a long fight. A hunter who parries confidently makes any early weapon look strong.

One early skill worth drilling before you worry about weapons at all is the dodge. On the ground, tapping the dodge button performs a quick sidestep that is excellent for weaving around a beast's swipes, while dodging while locked on and holding a backward direction produces a longer step, and dodging while sprinting gives a rolling evade. Each costs stamina, so spacing your dodges matters as much as spacing your attacks. The opening streets of Central Yharnam are the perfect place to practice, full of slow, readable enemies that punish greed but reward a clean dodge-and-counter. Spend your first hour learning to sidestep through an attack and immediately answer with a swing, and you will find that your choice of starting weapon matters far less than your ability to create openings. This habit, built early, carries you through every boss in the game, because Bloodborne is fundamentally about reading an attack, evading into it, and punishing the recovery.

Skip the grind if you already own the game

If you have played Bloodborne before and simply want to jump back in with resources ready to spend on weapons and upgrades, the store offers a max Blood Echoes, Insight and consumables package that gives you the currency to buy and upgrade weapons without farming, and the full selection lives on the Bloodborne page. It is a convenience for existing owners, not a substitute for learning how each weapon feels.

Frequently Asked Questions