99 Nights in the Forest Best Weapons and Tools

# Best Weapons and Tools, Ranked

Welcome to our comprehensive weapon tier list for 99 Nights in the Forest. Whether you’re fighting off nightmarish creatures on Night 1 or challenging the final bosses after Day 99, your weapon choice can mean the difference between life and death. This guide ranks every weapon and tool in the game, from the humble stone dagger to legendary endgame relics. We evaluate each piece of gear based on raw damage, durability, attack speed, special effects, resource cost, and overall utility across different stages of the game. Use our tier list to prioritize your crafting and looting, and check the linked guides for deeper dives into specific mechanics.

Understanding the Tier System

We’ve assigned each weapon a tier from S (best) to D (worst). Here’s what each tier means:

• **S-Tier:** Overpowered or best-in-class weapons. Highest damage, best perks, or irreplaceable utility. You should aim to acquire these as soon as possible.
• **A-Tier:** Excellent alternatives that perform nearly as well as S-tier, but may lack a slight edge in one area.
• **B-Tier:** Solid and reliable. These weapons will carry you through most content, though you’ll eventually want to upgrade.
• **C-Tier:** Niche or situational. Usable in specific scenarios but generally outclassed by higher-tier options.
• **D-Tier:** Avoid these unless you have no other choice. Low damage, poor durability, or impractical crafting costs.

Melee Weapons Tier List

Melee weapons are your bread and butter. They never run out of ammo and often provide crowd control or high single-target damage.

S-Tier Melee Weapons

#### The Reaper’s Axe

• **Damage:** 120
• **Durability:** 800
• **Speed:** Slow
• **Special:** Lifesteal on kill (10% HP recovery)
• **How to get:** Defeat the Warden boss in the Deepwood Crypt (Night 65+).
• **Why S-Tier:** The lifesteal makes it unmatched for sustained combat, allowing you to clear night hordes without consuming healing supplies. Its slow speed is off-set by massive reach and cleave damage.

#### Starforged Greatsword

• **Damage:** 140
• **Durability:** 950
• **Speed:** Very Slow
• **Special:** Starfall – heavy attack summons a meteor that deals AoE fire damage.
• **How to get:** Crafted using 5 Star Metal Ingots (found in meteor crash sites, rare).
• **Why S-Tier:** Highest burst damage in the game. The meteor ability trivializes groups of enemies. Only drawback is the very slow swing and extreme resource cost.

A-Tier Melee Weapons

#### Flaming Mace

• **Damage:** 85
• **Durability:** 600
• **Speed:** Medium
• **Special:** Ignites enemies for 5 seconds (15 fire damage/sec).
• **How to get:** Craft with 10 Iron Ingots, 5 Coal, and 1 Fire Essence.
• **Why A-Tier:** Reliable damage-over-time and decent speed. Great for players who prefer a balance of offense and defense.

#### Serrated Bone Blade

• **Damage:** 75
• **Durability:** 500
• **Speed:** Fast
• **Special:** Bleed (10 damage/sec for 8 sec, stacks 3 times).
• **How to get:** Loot from Bone Horrors or craft with 20 Bone Shards.
• **Why A-Tier:** Fast attack speed and stacking bleed shred high-HP enemies. Low durability is a downside, but cheap to repair.

B-Tier Melee Weapons

#### Reinforced Stone Club

• **Damage:** 60
• **Durability:** 700
• **Speed:** Slow
• **Special:** 20% chance to stun for 2 seconds.
• **How to get:** Craft with 15 Stone and 5 Wood.
• **Why B-Tier:** Accessible early and stun helps against tough enemies, but damage falls off in mid-game.

#### Iron Spear

• **Damage:** 45
• **Durability:** 400
• **Speed:** Fast
• **Special:** Long reach, can hit through small gaps.
• **Why B-Tier:** Great for safe kiting and poking from distance. Ideal for new players but lacks the punch of heavier weapons.

C-Tier Melee Weapons

#### Rusty Machete

• **Damage:** 35
• **Durability:** 300
• **Speed:** Medium
• **Why C-Tier:** Only worth using for the first few nights. Upgrades quickly become available.

#### Makeshift Shiv

• **Damage:** 20
• **Durability:** 200
• **Speed:** Very Fast
• **Why C-Tier:** Almost no damage; only useful as a last resort when unarmed.

D-Tier Melee Weapons

#### Broken Bottle

• **Damage:** 10
• **Durability:** 50
• **Why D-Tier:** Purely a desperate emergency weapon.

Ranged Weapons Tier List

Ranged weapons let you deal damage from safety, but ammo management is key.

S-Tier Ranged Weapons

#### Nightstalker Crossbow

• **Damage:** 110
• **Durability:** 600 shots
• **Special:** Bolts silence enemies, preventing horde calls for 10 sec.
• **How to get:** Found in the Abandoned Hunter’s Lodge (requires key from Night 40 quest).
• **Why S-Tier:** Silencing ability changes nighttime dynamics entirely. One-shot most standard enemies with headshots.

A-Tier Ranged Weapons

#### Compound Bow

• **Damage:** 80
• **Durability:** 800 shots
• **Special:** Precision aim; arrows recoverable 50% of the time.
• **Why A-Tier:** Excellent ammo economy and high damage. Carries you from mid-game to endgame.

#### Scrap Pistol

• **Damage:** 65
• **Durability:** 500 rounds
• **Special:** 15% chance to stagger.
• **How to get:** Craft with 15 Metal Scraps and 5 Gunpowder.
• **Why A-Tier:** Fast fire rate and common ammo type make it a reliable backup.

B-Tier Ranged Weapons

#### Slingshot

• **Damage:** 25
• **Durability:** Unlimited (uses pick-up stones)
• **Why B-Tier:** Infinite ammo and silent, but damage is low. Good for hunting small game and distracting enemies.

#### Makeshift Javelin (Thrown)

• **Damage:** 55
• **Special:** Can be retrieved, but throw distance limited.
• **Why B-Tier:** A solid early-game ranged option, but quickly outclassed.

C-Tier Ranged Weapons

#### Blowgun

• **Damage:** 15 (poison: 5/sec for 10 sec)
• **Why C-Tier:** Low immediate damage and slow reload.

Tools-as-Weapons Tier List

Many tools double as surprisingly effective weapons. Here’s how they rank.

S-Tier Tool Weapons

#### Chainaxe

• **Damage:** 100 (tool)
• **Durability:** 1000
• **Special:** Also harvests wood 3x faster. Revving up before combat increases damage by 30%.
• **Why S-Tier:** A tool that out-damages many dedicated weapons. Essential for wood farming and combat alike.

A-Tier Tool Weapons

#### Pickaxe of the Depths

• **Damage:** 70
• **Durability:** 800
• **Special:** 50% bonus damage to rock-type enemies.
• **Why A-Tier:** Great in cave areas and against stone golems.

B-Tier Tool Weapons

#### Iron Hatchet

• **Damage:** 40
• **Durability:** 600
• **Special:** Quick chop speed.
• **Why B-Tier:** Decent early combat option; later, it’s better to use dedicated weapons.

C-Tier Tool Weapons

#### Stone Pick

• **Damage:** 20
• **Why C-Tier:** Only use if nothing else is available.

Special & Event Weapons

Some weapons are obtained through special events or hidden rituals.

S-Tier Special

#### Eldritch Staff

• **Damage:** 95 (magic)
• **Durability:** 700
• **Special:** Channeled attack that summons tentacles to immobilize foes.
• **How to get:** Sacrifice 10 Lost Souls at the Altar of Night.
• **Why S-Tier:** Unrivaled crowd control and safe damage.

A-Tier Special

#### Sonic Emitter

• **Damage:** 40 (area)
• **Special:** Dazes all enemies in a cone for 3 seconds.
• **Why A-Tier:** Perfect for escaping or setting up heavy attacks.

B-Tier Special

#### Firecracker Bundle

• **Damage:** 20 (area, 6 uses)
• **Special:** Scares away wildlife and minor enemies.
• **Why B-Tier:** Useful distraction but low damage.

Early Game Weapon Guide (Nights 1-30)

In the first 30 nights, resources are scarce. Prioritize crafting a Reinforced Stone Club or Iron Hatchet. The Stone Club’s stun is invaluable against early tree-dwellers. Collect bones to upgrade to a Bone Blade as soon as you can. Avoid engaging large groups without a spear to keep distance. Ranged options are limited; a Slingshot can distract and pull single enemies.

| Night Range | Recommended Weapon | Alternative | |-------------|-----------------------------|--------------------| | 1-5 | Makeshift Shiv / Stone Club | Slingshot | | 6-15 | Reinforced Stone Club | Bone Blade | | 16-30 | Iron Spear / Flaming Mace | Serrated Bone Blade|

Mid Game Weapon Progression (Nights 31-60)

By Day 31, you should have access to iron. Craft an Iron Spear and Flaming Mace. Hunt Bone Horrors for the Serrated Bone Blade. Start stockpiling arrows and bolts for the Compound Bow or Nightstalker Crossbow. The Crossbow’s silence ability makes outdoor nights dramatically safer. Invest in a Chainaxe if you can find one in the Sawmill Ruins.

Late Game and Endgame Arsenal (Night 61+)

Post-Day 60, enemies scale up sharply. Farm the Warden for The Reaper’s Axe and search meteor sites for Star Metal to craft the Starforged Greatsword. These two weapons will carry you through the final nights and optional bosses. Keep a Nightstalker Crossbow for special threats like Banshees. Upgrade your armor to synergize (see our [Armor Set Bonuses and Crafting guide](/guides/armor-set-bonuses-crafting)).

Best Weapon Combos with Armor Sets

Weapon performance can be drastically improved with the right armor. For example, the Berserker’s Plate increases attack speed by 20% when wielding two-handed weapons, making the Starforged Greatsword even deadlier. The Shadow Cloak set enhances backstab damage, perfect with fast daggers. Check our detailed [Armor Set Bonuses and Crafting guide](/guides/armor-set-bonuses-crafting) for full synergy breakdowns.

Crafting and Upgrading Your Weapons

Many weapons require rare materials. Prioritize exploring [hidden caves and secret areas](/guides/hidden-caves-secret-areas) to find unique resources. Upgrading weapons at the Arcane Anvil increases damage and unlocks special abilities. Remember to always bring spare tools; nothing is worse than a broken weapon mid-horde. See our [Essential Crafting Recipes guide](/guides/essential-crafting-recipes-guide) for exact resource lists.

Situational Weapons: Boss Fights and Night Hordes

Some weapons excel in specific contexts. The Reaper’s Axe is king during night hordes because lifesteal keeps you topped off. For bosses, the Starforged Greatsword’s meteor can stun-lock certain enemies if timed correctly. The Flaming Mace is great against enemies weak to fire, like the Thornheart Boss. Always swap weapons based on the threat.

Where to Find Rare and Hidden Weapons

Many top-tier weapons are tucked away in [hidden caves and secret areas](/guides/hidden-caves-secret-areas). The Reaper’s Axe is a guaranteed drop from the Warden, but the Nightstalker Crossbow requires a quest chain starting on Night 40. The Star Metal Ingots for the Greatsword spawn in random meteor events; use the Star Map item from the Observatory to track them. For more secrets, explore our [Hidden Caves and Secret Areas guide](/guides/hidden-caves-secret-areas).

Conclusion

This tier list should give you a clear path from the first night to the final sunrise. Start with rocks and sticks, upgrade to bone and iron, and eventually claim legendary weapons that make you the hunter instead of the hunted. Experiment with different combos and don’t be afraid to retreat and rearm. For more survival wisdom, browse our [Beginner’s Guide to the First Night](/guides/beginner-guide-first-night-survival) and [Combat & Boss Guide](/guides/combat-boss-guide). Good luck in the forest!