Weapons in Anvil Empires fall into a handful of broad families. Each family is tied to a damage type and to a tier ladder that runs from improvised flint or stone tools through bronze, iron, and superior variants. Higher-tier weapons of the same family roll consistently higher damage on hit, but the family's role and damage type stays the same across tiers.
Melee Families
Family | Damage Type | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Sword | Slashing | Crude Short Sword, Bronze Sword, Iron Sword, Superior Short Sword |
Axe | Slashing or Cleaving (Combat Axe) | Stone Axe, Bronze Axe, Iron Axe, Iron Broadax |
Mace | Crushing | Iron Mace |
Knife | Slashing | Flint Knife, Bronze Knife, Iron Knife |
Tool weapons | Varies | Pickaxes, hammers, scythe, fists when unarmed |
Maces deal Crushing damage that hurts stability, making them the standard answer to heavily armoured infantry. Combat Axes are repurposed in the current build to deal Cleaving damage that also damages siege weapons, which makes them a critical part of any anti-siege team.
Hybrid Family: Spears
Spears straddle the melee and ranged line. The family runs Flint Spear, Bronze Spear, Iron Spear, Superior Spear, and Javelin variants. They can be used as a thrusting melee weapon or thrown for ranged damage at a closer range than a bow.
Ranged Family: Bows
Bow | Notes |
|---|---|
Short Bow | Entry-tier bow; faster firing, lower damage range. |
Long Bow | Higher damage range and reach; slower draw. |
Superior Short Bow | High-tier short bow with the strongest damage roll among short bows. |
All bows deal Missile damage. Damage rolls within a tier-defined range, so the same bow can land different damage values from one shot to the next.
Throwables
Burning Oil – flask thrown to apply Burning damage; also damages siege engines directly when used from fort defenses.
Oil Flask – smaller throwable variant of Burning Oil.
Rock Slab – Crushing damage; useful for stunning targets in narrow chokes.
Water Bucket – Water damage; extinguishes burning effects on structures and players.
Torch – Light source and Burning damage tool.
Siege and Specialised
Arrows and Scorpion Arrows for ranged volume; the latter fired from emplaced Scorpions on town walls.
Catapult Boulders for the Catapult and similar siege artillery.
Traps placed in chokepoints to slow attackers.
Heavy Armour Restriction
Important: Bows and Spears cannot be armed while wearing reinforced or heavy Armours. Skirmisher and archer roles must commit to light armour to keep their weapon up. A heavy-plated infantry line with a hidden bow in their pack will simply find that the bow refuses to draw.
Tier Progression
Most families progress through Crude (improvised) → Bronze → Iron → Superior. Each tier shifts the weapon's damage range upward; tier improvements come from the Forge and Furnace pipeline. See the Crafting and Resources article for the Furnace-to-Forge ingot flow.