Best Early Weapons

Your weapon is gated by your Strength (for melee) or Dexterity (for bows), so the best pick is usually the strongest thing your current stats can equip. Most standout early weapons are one-handed swords and maces, with bows filling the ranged slot. The list below spans Chapters 1 and 2 and reflects early-game impressions; raise Strength and Dexterity through Diego to climb it.

Early weapon comparison

Weapon	Type / Damage	Requirement	How to get
Old Sword	1H Sword, 12 Edge	8 STR	Free at the foot of a large dead tree in the canyon on the way to the Old Camp (Diego can clear the Juvenile Scavengers there).
Shortbow	Bow, 20 Point	10 DEX	Free from Drax for delivering the Hunter's Knife.
Lurker's Bite	1H Sword, 21 Edge	15 STR	Free from a chest in a riverside cave near the New Camp entrance, or buy from Fisk.
Rider's Bow	Bow, 24 Point	14 DEX	Looted from Shrike in the New Camp (via the A Roof Over My Head quest); also sold by Fisk.
Sting Mace	1H Mace, 25 Blunt	22 STR	Looted from Mordrag (road to New Camp) or Shrike (New Camp).
Bloodfly Sting	1H Mace, 26 Blunt	21 STR	Looted from Lefty during the Thirsty Farmers quest in the New Camp.
Steel Tongue	1H Mace, 29 Blunt	26 STR	Looted from Baal Parvez (weaken him during the escort to the Swamp Camp, then kill him).
Judgement Sword	1H Sword, 30 Edge	20 STR	Bought from Fisk in the Old Camp from Chapter 2 onward.
Longsword	1H Sword, 40 Edge	30 STR	Bought from Fisk in the Old Camp from Chapter 2 onward.

Ranked rundown

Lurker's Bite (15 STR, 21 Edge) is the best Chapter 1 pick. It is reachable around level 2, comes free from a cave near the New Camp, and can also be bought from Fisk.
Bloodfly Sting (21 STR, 26 Blunt) is a hard-hitting Chapter 1 mace looted from Lefty. Once One-Handed is Trained, its underhand swing can knock enemies down.
Judgement Sword (20 STR, 30 Edge) is a Chapter 2 buy from Fisk that one-shots Scavengers and Molerats, and asks for the same 20 Strength most players already build toward.
Longsword (40 Edge) is the top one-handed sword here, but it needs 30 Strength and a bigger Ore outlay than the Judgement Sword.
Rider's Bow (14 DEX, 24 Point) is a clear upgrade over the Shortbow for ranged work, looted from Shrike or Lefty.
Steel Tongue (26 STR, 29 Blunt) is a strong mace from Baal Parvez, but its high Strength requirement holds it back early.
Sting Mace (22 STR, 25 Blunt) is a solid blunt option that comes free from common quest kills.
Old Sword (8 STR, 12 Edge) is the free starter you grab on the road to the Old Camp; weak, but enough to begin with.
Shortbow (10 DEX, 20 Point) is the free starter bow from Drax and your first ranged tool.

Several of these come from quests that also hand you loot and progress at once, so you rarely need to spend much Ore on weapons early. Save your nuggets for the Chapter 2 swords from Fisk.

Looking ahead

Once Strength climbs past the early-game range, heavier weapons open up. The Battlesword (33 Edge, 23 STR) is a free unlocked-chest find in a Black Goblin cave southeast of the Old Camp, and the Warder's Sword (32 Edge, 22 STR) is an Old Camp Warder reward. Beyond those sit the high-Strength two-handers and orc weapons such as Krush Pach (50 Edge, 42 STR), which require far more investment.

Damage types matter against different enemies and armor: Edge for swords and axes, Blunt for maces and hammers, Point for bows. Carry both an Edge and a Blunt option when you can.