Today is a very special day for 3 Aces (and 7 other things), because for the first time we are looking at player cards! After our endeavours with enemies and random basic weaknesses, this week we are taking a look at Weapons. The best of the best, that is. Some weapons are gimmicky, some weapons are silly, some weapons make you go “I’d like to try that” only to fail in your initial playthrough with them, but not these weapons. Today we are going through the Top 10 Weapons That Make Murder Look Cool. The 10 weapons that not only look great, but also help you get rid of those pesky ghouls.. with style! Every class has their own theme to weapons, but that doesn’t mean that one class has a monopoly on weapons. While this certainly may have been the case in the beginning of the game, at this point of the game every class has solid combat options. So let’s celebrate our favorite mechanations of murder today!
Just so that we are all on the same page; for this list we’re only looking at cards that have the actual trait “Weapon”. So that means there is no Dynamite Blast or Coup de Grace. Other, non-weapon, damage dealing cards are all excluded. A quick hit on arkhamdb will give us 68 Weapons. I want these weapons to be able to fit in most decks by natural progression. Which means that we will remove all signature weapons and rewards from stand-alone scenarios. Even though I personally love the Mi-Go Weapon, it won’t show up here. Also to avoid duplicate cards, by title, in this list we will also remove all cards that have a higher level version. Removing all of this will net us a total of 44 cards. 44 unique weapons. Murder. Cool.
Number 10: Sword Cane
Even though the Sword Cane is quite new, there are a lot of things that make it a great weapon. For starters, it has the great Relic trait, which makes it helpful for certain enemy types. We’ve already seen me rant about Poltergeists, which could contribute to why I like this card. Furthermore, Mystics don’t have a lot consistent tools to deal with enemies. The Sword Cane provides that just. It allows for an option to either Fight or Evade an enemy. I personally prefer evading enemies with the Sword Cane. Most Mystics will have a willpower stat of 5 or 6, making it rather easy to pull the evade off. While not having a Fast-keyword, the Sword Cane doesn’t trigger attacks of opportunity, which means you can safely play it without risking loss of health or sanity. To make matter even better, the reaction on Sword Cane allows you to immediately evade (or fight) the enemy. So it might as well just say Fast!
Maybe it’s the cult of the new speaking, but I greatly appreciate this card. Granted, it might be tailored to Dexter, it’s still a great weapon to me.
Number 9: Chainsaw
You’re welcome.
Number 8: Meat Cleaver
The Meat Cleaver just oozes with theme. I love taking this card in Zoey or Agnes. I take great pleasure in envisioning Zoey running down a jungle, hunting for Vipers, while dual-wielding the Survival Knife and the Meat Cleaver screaming praises and ramblings about her God. If only real life were that simple.
But let’s get real. The Meat Cleaver does a lot of things and if you’re able to find the perfect balance in sanity and combat, it feels amazing. The static boost it gives to combat is nothing to complain about. While being low on sanity it can give you a static 2 boost, which is already insane for a level 0 card. The perfect balance, however, lies in the fact that you can take 1 horror to deal +1 damage. Thus, being on 3 remaining sanity gives the weapon the boost it needs. This will yield in a +2 combat boost and +1 damage. Also, if this kills the enemy, you will heal 1 horror. Putting you back on 3 sanity, instead of the dangerous 2. This card is a test of skill, but worth it if you truly have it.
I know I mentioned Zoey and Agnes earlier, but this weapon is also pretty good in Silas.
Number 7: Sawed-Off Shotgun
Let’s get to know each other. My favorite class is, hands down, rogue. My favorite card is a rogue-card. My favorite investigator is a rogue. My non-rogue favorite investigator has alot of splash in rogue. My favorite mechanism is (mostly) in rogue. While we will all cover this in future lists, for now we will stick to my favorite mechanism. I love the “Succeed by X”-mechanic. I know other classes also have this, but rogue really have this. The Sawed-Off Shotgun takes the quintessential form of this. Giving you a perfect opportunity for some great risk-reward-bargaining. Imagine dealing a whopping 6 damage to an enemy in 1 hit. Now imagine drawing the auto-fail; your buddy now has 6 damage. Thanks, Skids.
What I absolutely love about this weapon is its slots. Usually higher level weapons force you to use both hand slots. The Sawed-Off Shotgun allows you to only use the 1 hand. Which is great, so you can still equip a lower level weapon in your other hand for the smaller enemies, or lockpicks if you want to be fancy. The downside, naturally, is that the Sawed-Off Shotgun only has 2 shots and doesn’t give you static boost. But nothing says “Cool” like dealing 12 damage with 2 shots. This is even without a Vicious Blow or Double or Nothing!
Number 6: Beretta M1918
Another “Succeed By X”-weapon; The Beretta M1918 has some pretty heavy kick to it. Not only gives this weapon you a great boost of 4 combat, but it has a potential of dealing 3 damage in 1 hit. Having 4 shots makes this weapon deal a consist 12 damage. Whereas our Sawed-Off Shotgun in Number 7 doesn’t give a boost to your combat stat, the Beretta ensures you either hit and trigger all the “Succeed By X”-effects or you miss completely. This weapon is the most rogue weapon out there, in my eyes, while still being very efficient! A lot of rogue weapons have silly gimmicks or tricks to them. Not the Beretta M1918. Just aim and shoot, ready the weapon, do it again!
Number 5: .45 Thomspon (3) (Guardian)
I know, I know, I just said that I love rogues. So why isn’t the rogue .45 Thompson here? Even though the rogue .45 Thompson has the “Succeed by X”-effect? Well, I’m glad you asked. See, there is one thing I love more than succeeding, and that is resources. The .45 Thompson(3)(Guardian) not only gives a great static boost or provides a lot of ammo; the ammo you spent become resources! This weapon basically costs 1 resource! 1 resource for a consistent 2 damage shot! I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but this card being in the poorest class, gives it some great potential. It’s even better in Tommy, who already swims in money!
Number 4: Enchanted Blade (3) (Mystic)
At first glance this card seems okay, at best. It occupies an arcane slot, so why would you take this? But this card could easily replace one of your arcane slots that you love to run. Who needs an upgraded Shriveling or Azure Flame, when you can sport this great weapon? Let’s look at some of the great things about the Enchanted Blade (3)(Mystic). It has 4 charges. It gives a static 2 combat boost. If allows you to empower once or twice. Meaning you can choose to either get the boost of 2, take a boost of 3 with 2 damage, or go to a boost of 4 with 3 damage. The Enchanted Blade is just versatile and provides flexibility. It only takes up 1 hand slot, which arguably doesn’t matter that much in mystics, but still. To top it all of; It has the Relic trait. You guys know what that means, right!? Pesky geists are pesky no more!
Number 3: Machete
There is a very logical reason why the Machete got taboo’d the way it did. The Machete was a long time staplecard in most decks. Guardians consistently ran this card. Making a combat-focused guardian deck without the Machete used to be considered “wonky”. Why would you not run this card? Equip it in one had, while wielding a gun in the other, in case you got overwhelmed by enemies. The machete has the great advantage of not having ammo or charges! As far as initiating an attack goes, the Machete provides a consistent answer to enemies for a level 0 card. You could play this turn 1 and be considered “combat-ready” for the rest of the scenario. Over time people have grown to love the Enchanted Blade (0) as a worthy replacement, but the Machete still sits at the top of the level 0 weapons.
Number 2: Timeworn Brand
1-Hand slot.
Relic-trait.
Consistent combat boost.
Consistent damage boost.
Strong one-time effect that let’s you deal 4 damage and draw cards.
Sure, it costs 5xp to include in your deck and 5 resources to play, but once this card hits the table.. Enemies actually have to make a willpower test to not take horror from your awe-inspiring presence!
FLAMETHROWER 1: FLAMETHROWER
No, that was not a typo. The Flamethrower is such an amazing weapon that it can represent itself as a number. It got taboo’d, like the Machete, for a good reason. It doesn’t even matter that it costs 5xp (originally), we don’t even care about the body-slot it occupies. We just want to set the world ablaze and chew bubble gum, and honey, we are all out of bubblegum!
So
Did you not like the position of the Timeworn Brand? Are you hating me for not including the Baseball Bat? Probably yes, that’s cool. Let me know why. I mean, I know why, but let me know anyway! Which weapon do you really love? Which weapon is here that shoudn’t be here?
Just to reiterate; I love to make entertaining lists and spark conversation. But please remember, this is all my opinion. Disagreeing is totally fine, but please be nice and respectful when providing feedback or in arguments about this topic. I hope to see you soon for the next Top 10 List!
P.S.: This is list is based on the current releases and will not be updated to include future weapons. The most recent release is “In Too Deep” and “Dark Revelations”.
3 Aces (and 7 other things) 
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