The best weapons in Dying Light: The Beast, class by class: The Rust and the Breslau Blade for melee, Double Trouble when a crowd closes in, the Hunting Bow and Hunting Crossbow for silent kills, The Elite and The Needle as your first guns, and the Sawblade Launcher when something big has to die. After Level 15, iconic Legend Level rewards such as the Bronze Bow and the Modern Wooden Crossbow start replacing them.
This list is checked against Techland's patch notes up to Anniversary Update 1.7 (17 September 2026). The weapon changes that matter are Update 1.4 (27 November 2025), which added 22 Legend Level reward weapons, and Update 1.5 (December 2025), which rebalanced their durability and mod bonus damage; the notes we read from 1.3 onward make no weapon-specific damage changes to the launch roster. With Techland's CEO saying in October 2026 that no big content drops are planned for The Beast, this roster is close to final.
How the tiers are decided
Stats scale with your level and rarity, and legendaries roll random affixes, so one screenshot's damage number tells you little. These tiers weigh what stays the same from copy to copy:
- Mods. Only melee weapons take mods (tip, shaft and grip slots; charms are separate). Guns, bows, crossbows and launchers take none, and some secret legendaries have no mod slots.
- Repairs and blueprints. IGN counts three repairs for common weapons, four for rare and five for epic, and several secret legendaries cannot be repaired, so a blueprint for crafting replacements is worth a lot.
- Ammo cost. No recipe list we checked includes bullets, while arrows, bolts, fuel, grenades and sawblades are all crafted.
- Access. How early you can get it, and whether it depends on vendor luck.
Best melee weapons in The Beast
S tier: The Rust. A 1.5-handed longsword with three mod slots that can be repaired, and its blueprint sits early on, at the Highway Bus Refuge Safe Zone on the Industrial Zone overpass. IGN pairs it with an Empowerment Grip.
S tier: Breslau Blade. Break the nine crests around the plaza outside Old Town's Town Hall (bring a gun for the high ones), then take the sword from the statue. It is fast, hard-hitting and moddable but cannot be repaired; it does come with a blueprint, so craft spares and fit a Reinforcement Grip.
S tier for crowds: Double Trouble. The axe's blueprint rests on a chair by the workbench in your Exiles' Cave room. Charged swings cut most zombies in half, and with the Windmill Power skill it mows through the horde a Chimera calls in.
A tier: the Strauss & Broda Machete, from a locked rooftop room at Nate's Market in the Industrial Zone (a hard lockpick, then keep knocking on the wall box; IGN counts 77 knocks), with three mod slots, +100% dismemberment and a blueprint. Vendor legendaries such as The Cleaver, The Legacy and The Separator can roll affixes as big as +500% parkour damage, but with no blueprint and random stock they are luxuries, not plans.
Situational: EXPcalibur II (+10% XP, no mods, no repairs) is a levelling tool, and Beaver's Stick and the Ciupaga have no mod slots. Endgame melee comes from the Legend track, where creator showcases single out Persuasive Argument (Legend Level 30, three mod slots, extra Beast meter) and Peacekeeper (Legend Level 120, strong attacks at half the stamina). A December 2025 Reddit thread swears by knuckledusters; that is taste, not data. Every location is in our legendary weapons list.
Best bow and best crossbow
Bows and crossbows answer ammo scarcity: they are silent and their ammo is crafted. KeenGamer's recipe tables list 10 scrap and 2 feathers for four arrows and 12 scrap and 2 feathers for four bolts, so feathers are the real bottleneck.
Best bow: the Hunting Bow early, from the Monastery workbench during the crafting tutorial; its blueprint climbs to Legendary with manual pages. The Composite Bow is an easy-to-repair stopgap. Late game, the Bronze Bow at Legend Level 20 is the one creators rate as the strongest bow, though it has no scope.
Best crossbow: the Hunting Crossbow, Max's reward for Hunting Yaga, a night hunt that starts at the Abandoned House Safe Zone in the National Park and reportedly needs around Level 11. IGN calls it deadlier and more accurate than the bow and just as quiet. The legendary Piercer is vendor-only with no blueprint: from Level 11, check the Town Hall and Exiles' Cave traders and refresh their stock by leaving and coming back. At Legend Level 90 the Modern Wooden Crossbow takes over; showcases put it above The Piercer on damage.
Fire and shock arrows (blueprints at the Camping Tower and Gas Station Voltage Pole safe spots) and fire and shock bolts (Farms Tower and Asylum Island Tower) turn either one into crowd control.
Best guns: pistol, SMG, revolver, shotgun and rifle
Guns cannot be modded and bullets are scarce, so spend them on armed Baron's men, Chimeras and anything out of reach; Update 1.4 also tuned how many reinforcements chained gunfire and explosions attract. Each class has a legendary in the world and an iconic Legend reward that showcases rate above it:
- Pistol: The Elite, in a train car on the railway bridge by the Monastery, opened with a Convoy Access Card from a military biter. Upgrade: Collector's Piece at Legend Level 5.
- SMG: The Needle (Treasure Map A1), in the ranger station garage near the Mountain Shelter Tower. Upgrade: Power of Belief at Legend Level 50.
- Revolver: Sunray (Treasure Map B2), in a villa safe (code 2-2-19). Upgrade: Sheriff's Revolver at Legend Level 110.
- Shotgun: The Statement (Treasure Map B1), on a garage workbench in Pembroke. Upgrade: Big Game Shotgun at Legend Level 300.
- Rifle: The Eraser (Treasure Map A3), near the Farms Tower in The Vale. Upgrade: Pacifist at Legend Level 160.
Early on, The Elite and The Needle are the picks: both are reachable in the opening hours, and Gamer Guides notes The Needle is silenced. Our ammo guide covers keeping them fed.
Special weapons: Sawblade Launcher, Flamethrower, Grenade Launcher
Sawblade Launcher, the damage pick. Its blueprint is on the Silos Safe Zone workbench in The Vale once you climb up and restore the generator. IGN rates it the top ranged weapon for raw damage, and GameSpot notes its blades carry on into enemies behind the target, which makes it the best ranged answer to Chimeras if you can live with the long reload. Two sawblades cost 20 scrap, 5 leather and 3 blades, so save it for bosses.
Flamethrower, the swarm pick: one Survival skill point, cheap ammo (10 resin and 3 fuel make 200), and fire without the explosion that draws Virals and Volatiles. Grenade Launcher, the utility pick: another Survival skill, with explosive, freezing, incendiary, shock and UV rounds at 10 scrap and 8 cans plus one extra part each, which adds up fast.
Early-game picks vs endgame
On a new save, grab The Elite and the Last Hand of gloVa at the railway bridge by the Monastery, The Rust's blueprint at the Highway Bus Refuge and the Breslau Blade in Old Town, then do Hunting Yaga around Level 11. After Level 15 your XP turns into Legend XP and the iconic rewards start arriving, as our max level guide explains, and higher New Game+ tiers add stronger, rarer drops on top.
| Class | Early pick and where | Endgame pick and where | Why it ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-handed melee | Breslau Blade (nine crests at Old Town's Town Hall) | Breslau Blade crafted from its blueprint, or Strauss & Broda Machete | Fast and moddable; the blueprint covers the no-repair rule |
| Long (1.5-handed) melee | The Rust (blueprint, Highway Bus Refuge Safe Zone) | The Rust upgraded, or a well-rolled vendor Legacy | Three mod slots and repairable |
| Two-handed melee | Double Trouble (blueprint, your Exiles' Cave room) | Double Trouble, or The Separator from a trader | Charged swings cleave crowds and Chimera adds |
| Bow | Hunting Bow (Monastery workbench) | Bronze Bow (Legend Level 20) | Silent, with cheap arrows |
| Crossbow | Hunting Crossbow (Hunting Yaga, about Level 11) | Modern Wooden Crossbow (Legend Level 90) or The Piercer (trader) | Silent and harder hitting than bows |
| Pistol and SMG | The Elite (Monastery rail bridge), The Needle (Map A1) | Collector's Piece (LL5), Power of Belief (LL50) | Early access, then iconic upgrades |
| Revolver, shotgun, rifle | Sunray (Map B2), The Statement (Map B1), The Eraser (Map A3) | Sheriff's Revolver (LL110), Big Game Shotgun (LL300), Pacifist (LL160) | Burst damage where melee is risky |
| Special | Flamethrower (Survival skill) | Sawblade Launcher (Silos Safe Zone) | Cheap crowd fire vs top boss damage |
Skipping the grind
Most of these weapons cost hours of exploring, vendor refreshing or Legend XP. If you would rather start loaded, the Full Inventory in-game transfer delivers 15 legendary weapons, 999 ammo and 9,999 resources on PlayStation, Xbox or PC, and our other Beast services sit on the Dying Light hub. Everything above is still obtainable in a normal playthrough, so treat that as a shortcut, not a requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best weapon in Dying Light: The Beast?
There is no single best. The Rust is the strongest all-round melee pick (three mods, repairable), the Sawblade Launcher is IGN's pick for raw ranged damage, and creator showcases rate the iconic Legend rewards above the launch legendaries in each gun class.
What is the best bow in Dying Light: The Beast?
Early, the Hunting Bow from the Monastery workbench, upgraded with manual pages. Late, the Bronze Bow from Legend Level 20, which creators rate as the strongest bow; it has no scope.
What is the best crossbow in Dying Light: The Beast?
The Hunting Crossbow from the Hunting Yaga side quest for most of the game. The legendary Piercer is vendor-only, and the Modern Wooden Crossbow at Legend Level 90 is the endgame pick.
What is the best melee weapon?
The Rust for a repairable all-rounder, the Breslau Blade for speed (craft spares from its blueprint) and Double Trouble for crowds and Chimera fights.
Where do you find the best weapons early?
The Elite and the Last Hand of gloVa at the railway bridge by the Monastery, The Needle from Treasure Map A1, The Rust's blueprint at the Highway Bus Refuge and the Breslau Blade in Old Town.
How do you throw weapons in Dying Light: The Beast?
Charge a heavy attack, then press Throw (R3 on PlayStation, RS on Xbox, F on PC). Only melee weapons can be thrown, IGN warns they can be lost if they clip into scenery, and the Ciupaga has +100% throw power.