- What to know
- How damage testing was measured
- Early-game weapon dominance
- Mid-game shift: Daggers take the lead
- Late-game supremacy: Mace and Battle Axe return
- Ultimate abilities: raw burst damage
- The strongest ranged option: Crossbow
- How armor affects weapon damage
- So what is Hytale’s strongest weapon?
What to know
- Mace and Battle Axe dominate early and late-game DPS.
- Daggers lead mid-game tiers due to attack speed.
- Adamantite armor boosts base attack damage by ~16%.
- Crossbow is the strongest ranged weapon overall.
Weapon balance in Hytale is deeper than it appears on the surface. While attack speed and material tier matter, true damage output depends on animation timing, armor bonuses, ultimate abilities, and even advanced techniques like block-canceling. Extensive in-game experimentation using controlled DPS testing environments has helped clarify which weapons truly perform best across progression tiers.
This guide breaks down those findings with clear comparisons and explains how armor directly affects weapon damage scaling.
How damage testing was measured
To produce reliable comparisons, GhostGamerXIII, testing relied on a functional target dummy environment. Damage was recorded across full attack rotations, measuring:
- Total damage dealt.
- Training duration (time taken for full rotation).
- Calculated damage per second (DPS).
Using consistent conditions eliminated variables like enemy resistance and movement, allowing clean cross-weapon comparisons.
| Metric | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Total Damage | Measures raw output per cycle |
| Training Time | Determines attack speed impact |
| DPS | Core performance metric |
DPS ultimately determines a weapon’s strength in sustained combat scenarios.
Early-game weapon dominance
In crude and copper tiers, many players assume faster weapons will outperform heavier ones. However, testing revealed that Mace and Battle Axe variants actually produce the highest DPS, despite slower swing animations.
The reason lies in damage per hit. Although Daggers attack faster, the heavy weapons compensate with stronger individual strikes, resulting in superior sustained damage.
| Early Tier (Crude/Copper) | DPS Leader | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Mace | High | Heavy single-hit damage |
| Battle Axe | High | Wide swing arc |
| Dagger | Moderate | Fast but weaker hits |
Even at low tiers, heavy weapons show strong scaling potential.
Mid-game shift: Daggers take the lead
Once players reach iron, thorium, and cobalt tiers, the balance shifts. Daggers emerge as the strongest DPS option in mid-game content.
Their rapid attack speed allows them to edge out heavier weapons in sustained damage output. While Mace and Battle Axe remain competitive, Daggers gain a slight statistical advantage in pure DPS calculations.
Interestingly, Thorium and Cobalt materials were found to offer nearly interchangeable damage outputs across weapon types. There is no dramatic DPS spike between the two; they function more as progression alternatives rather than strict upgrades.
| Mid-Game Tier | DPS Leader | Why It Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | Dagger | Attack speed advantage |
| Thorium | Dagger | Slight DPS lead |
| Cobalt | Dagger | Fast cycle time |
Speed becomes king during this progression phase.
Late-game supremacy: Mace and Battle Axe return
With Adamantite gear equipped, the balance shifts again. In late-game builds, Mace and Battle Axe reclaim the top DPS positions.
The Mace specifically reaches 42.18 damage per second, making it the strongest sustained melee weapon tested at endgame tier.
Two factors drive this dominance:
First, higher base damage scales better with armor bonuses.
Second, both weapons can hit multiple enemies per swing, dramatically increasing effective DPS in real combat scenarios.
| Late Game (Adamantite) | DPS | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mace | 42.18 | Strongest sustained melee |
| Battle Axe | Comparable | Wide AoE advantage |
| Dagger | Slightly Lower | Strong but outscaled |
In multi-enemy encounters, heavy weapons gain a major advantage due to cleave potential.
Ultimate abilities: raw burst damage
When comparing signature abilities, the Battle Axe ultimate stands out as the strongest.
It deals 253 damage and can hit an effectively unlimited number of enemies within its radius. This makes it the highest burst-damage melee option currently tested.
For comparison:
| Weapon | Ultimate Damage | AoE Capability |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Axe | 253 | Wide radius, multi-hit |
| Crossbow | 78 | Single-target focused |
| Others | Lower | Varies |
In group encounters or boss phases with summons, the Battle Axe ultimate offers overwhelming value.
The block-cancel mechanic explained
Advanced players discovered a powerful technique known as block-canceling. By blocking shortly after initiating an attack, you can cancel the remaining animation frames and immediately begin the next swing.
This significantly increases attack speed and raises effective DPS, especially on slower weapons like Mace and Battle Axe.
With block-canceling applied, heavy weapons close or exceed any remaining gap versus Daggers in mid-game tiers. This mechanic effectively amplifies high-damage-per-hit weapons.
The result is that heavy weapons scale disproportionately well with skilled play.
The strongest ranged option: Crossbow
Among ranged weapons, the Crossbow dominates in DPS output.
It fires six arrows per clip. Two arrows deal 27 damage each, while four deal 10 damage, totaling 94 damage per full clip. Combined with its high firing rate, it achieves the highest sustained ranged DPS tested.
Its ultimate ability deals 78 damage, adding reliable burst potential.
| Ranged Weapon | Total Damage per Clip | DPS Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Crossbow | 94 | Highest |
| Others | Lower | Moderate |
The Crossbow’s blend of burst and sustained fire makes it the strongest ranged choice currently available.
How armor affects weapon damage
Armor sets do more than provide defense. They actively modify damage output depending on set bonuses.
Cobalt Armor bonus
A full Cobalt Armor set increases signature attack damage by approximately 14%. This primarily benefits ultimate abilities and special attacks rather than base swings.
| Armor Set | Primary Buff | Effective Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Cobalt | Signature damage | ~14% |
This makes Cobalt ideal for builds focused on frequent ultimate usage.
Adamantite Armor bonus
Adamantite Armor primarily boosts light or base attack damage. While the in-game tooltip displays a 14% increase, testing suggests the true DPS boost is closer to 16%.
This increase applies consistently across weapon types, meaning it balances weapon performance and narrows DPS gaps.
| Armor Set | Tooltip Buff | Actual DPS Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Adamantite | 14% | ~16% |
With Adamantite equipped, weapon choice becomes more flexible because the base damage amplification benefits all classes.
So what is Hytale’s strongest weapon?
The answer depends on progression stage.
In early tiers, Mace and Battle Axe dominate.
In mid-game tiers, Daggers hold the highest raw DPS.
In late-game Adamantite builds, Mace leads with 42.18 DPS, closely followed by Battle Axe.
If factoring in ultimate burst damage, the Battle Axe ultimate at 253 damage stands as the single most powerful melee ability tested.
For ranged combat, the Crossbow remains unmatched in sustained DPS.
Ultimately, armor synergy and mechanical skill — especially block-canceling — determine how much damage you truly output.
Weapon tier alone does not define strength in Hytale. Material scaling, animation timing, ultimate power, armor bonuses, and player technique all interact to shape DPS outcomes.
Late-game Adamantite builds level the playing field, but heavy weapons reclaim dominance when optimized properly. Meanwhile, Daggers offer efficiency and speed through mid-game progression, and the Crossbow stands tall as the ranged champion.
