Weapon Types

Tides of Annihilation features four weapon types that Gwendolyn can use. Three have been revealed; the fourth remains unannounced. All weapons interact with the spectral knight system, gaining elemental properties when knights imbue them with energy.

Swords

The primary melee weapon. Gwendolyn's default sword is actually Niniane in her weapon form, making the main sword literally the protagonist's companion. Swords offer balanced speed and damage with access to the widest range of combo chains. Most pre-release footage shows sword combat, suggesting it is the game's signature weapon class.

Fists

Close-range brawling weapons that trade reach for speed. Fist combat suggests a faster, more aggressive playstyle compared to swords. Based on the Devil May Cry inspiration that the developers have cited, fists likely enable rapid combo strings and may be effective for juggling enemies in aerial combat.

Bows

Ranged combat option for engaging enemies at a distance. Some Spectral Knights also specialize in ranged attacks, firing projectiles that create swirling domes of continuous damage or detonating after a delay. Combining bow gameplay with ranged spectral knights could create a fully ranged playstyle.

Fourth Weapon Type

The developers have confirmed a fourth weapon category but have not revealed it. Speculation from the community ranges from polearms to magic staffs, but no official information exists.

Elemental Imbuing

All weapon types can receive elemental energy from Spectral Knights. Confirmed elements include lightning from Sir Lamorak, fire from Palamedes, and ice from an unidentified knight. Elemental imbuing adds damage and visual effects to attacks. Mixing different weapon types with different elements creates a wide array of combat combinations.

Cosmetic Armor

Worth noting: while weapons define combat style, armor is purely cosmetic. There are no stat bonuses from armor sets. Progression comes through unlocking new Spectral Knights and developing player skill, not through gear upgrades. This is a deliberate design choice to keep the game skill-based.

Weapon Roles

Elemental Imbuing

Every weapon type interacts with the spectral knights through elemental imbuing. When a knight imbues Gwendolyn's active weapon, subsequent attacks gain that element until the imbue effect lapses. This produces visible changes in the weapon trail, the impact effect on enemies, and the damage type applied. The strongest visual examples in pre-release footage are Sir Lamorak wreathing the sword in red lightning before a finisher, and an unnamed ice knight launching an enemy with a freezing strike that opens an aerial combo window.

Niniane As the Sword

Because the default sword is Niniane, most combat encounters effectively pair Gwendolyn with her companion at all times even before any spectral knight enters the fight. The shapeshifting framing is presented in the campaign rather than as a hidden detail, and the bond between Gwendolyn and Niniane is treated as one of the relationships the story tracks.

Notes On Mastery

Producer Kun Fu has framed the weapon system as a skill check rather than a stat check. The cosmetic armor model means there is no DPS-by-equipment progression. Instead, the player's growth is in how fluidly they can swap weapons, chain combos, and choose the right elemental imbue for the current enemy. See Skill Tree and Progression for the broader framing.