Wild Hearts: All 8 weapons and how to unlock them - Game Guide

 Eight weapon types are available to you in Wild Hearts. However, you will have to be content with a smaller number of weapons for a while. In this guide, you will learn how to unlock the remaining weapons and what differentiates them from each other in combat.

The five starting weapons

After successfully completing the Wild Hearts tutorial, you will gain access to a total of five different weapon types. You were allowed to try out the Karakuri Katana at the start of the game. There is also the Bow, Blade Wagasa, Nodachi, and Hammer. In the following we will introduce you to these weapons in more detail:

Karakuri katana

The Karakuri Katana is the perfect weapon for beginners.

The Karakuri Katana is a medium-heavy weapon that you hold in your hands at the start of the game and is easy to use. Successful hits fill a bar just above your health bar. When the meter is full, you can temporarily transform the sword into a chain blade with the shoulder button (PS: R2, Xbox: RT), which increases both the range of your attacks and the damage.

Tip: If you are unlikely to be able to land any more attacks in transformed mode or try to flee the kemono, you can return the sword to its original state (PS: R2 + circle, Xbox: RT + B) and thus the unused energy save.

arc

The bow is the optimal choice for long-range fighters.

You can hold the bow in two ways: Vertical handling allows you to use slow but stronger attacks. The horizontal stance allows you faster but weaker attacks. However, the weapon only unfolds its true power when you switch back and forth between the two stances after a few hits. Charged attacks also allow you (depending on your stance) to unleash a hail of arrows at your opponent or fire off a particularly powerful shot.

Blade Wagasa

Parries attacks with the umbrella. 

The Blade Wagasa is a light weapon that gives you fast chain attacks. The more hits you land in a short time, the stronger your attacks will be. What makes this unusual screen special is its ability to parry attacks from Kemonos. The parry proves particularly useful when stopping large-scale attacks that would otherwise be difficult for you to escape from.

nodachi

Heavy weapons enthusiasts might prefer the Nodachi. 

The greatsword is, of course, a heavy weapon whose attacks are correspondingly slow. However, this can pay off: After all, hardly any other weapon does more damage per hit. Filling the weapon's gauge unlocks powerful (albeit unique) special attacks that vary based on your character's stance.

hammer

A hammer, like a barrel.

Do you want the nodachi to do the most damage per hit? Well, not quite: Basically, the hammer can unleash even nastier attacks on a Kemono, but how to use it needs to be learned. The attack surface increases if you choose the right timing from attack to attack. So you can cause area damage, which not only sends several small Kemono to Nirvana at once but with a bit of bad luck also nearby Karakuri.

How can I unlock new weapons?

Luckily that wasn't all. As you progress further in the game, you can unlock three more weapon types. For this, you have to complete some main quests until you complete the second chapter of Wild Hearts. Only when you have stomped the so-called Earthshatter into the ground do you get access to the clawed blade, the cannon, and the karakuri staff. We will now tell you what distinguishes these three types of weapons:

claw blade

The clawed blade allows for swift attacks.

The Talon Blade is a light weapon that allows for extremely swift attacks. It is best suited for sneak attacks. Strike a few times, step back, and perform more combos when the time is right. You can do this more easily with a special attack: you can chain yourself to a kemono, use the dodge button to change position in the air, and quickly pull yourself to the monster to damage it with a few attacks before running away again.

cannon

The cannon limits your mobility but does a lot of damage.

The cannon is an alternative to the bow, but it is a heavier weapon. On top of that, you have to keep an eye on two displays when using it: the Qi bar and the heat display. The Qi bar discharges with every shot you fire. You can refill it by creating zones on the ground and staying within that area. The heat meter fills up with each hit and decreases again when you pause between your shots. If the bar is full, the weapon overheats and you are forced to take a longer break. These obstacles represent a disadvantage that is offset by the cannon's devastating damage.

Karakuri Staff

The Wild Hearts Wand.

The Karakuri Staff is not just an ordinary stick. Instead, there are five types of weapons in this weapon (tonfas, giant shuriken, pike, staff, great sword), which is why it is difficult to use them, especially in the beginning. Hitting a combo with each weapon type fills the gauge for a powerful special attack that uses the Greatsword.