Summary
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalonis an open-world, first-person RPG from an indie developer, something rarely seen in gaming releases. The game hasclear inspirations from first-person RPG classics like theElder Scrollsseries, while incorporating more challenging combat with active blocking, parrying, and dodging mechanics. Along with its unique aesthetics and dark fantasy tone, the game has more than enough to draw in fans of RPGs, both old and new.
The game’sintroductory sequencegives players the option to use some basic weapon types like bows and shortswords, but it isn’t long until players are thrown into an unforgiving world with only those basic tools to work with. That means it can be helpful to go in knowing where to look for the best early weapon for a given character type. InTainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, this means a weapon that aligns with the stats a player is investing in when they level up.
All gear in the game has stat requirements that must be met to be used effectively. For example, a two-handed sword might need a high strength stat, whereas a spear will need a balance of strength and dexterity. Players can use a weapon they don’t have the stats for, but the damage will be lowered, and any magical effects won’t activate. With that in mind, these are some of the best weapons players can obtain in the early game ofTainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon.
1Spear Of An Ancient Hero
Buried Treasure
The Spear of an Ancient Hero has a lot of advantages for an early game player. It has low stat requirements, it can be wielded with a shield, and it has a pretty useful enchanted effect that makes up for relatively low base damage. It can also be found within minutes of arriving on the mainland after the game’s tutorial. The spear is in a chest buried on the beach, to the southwest of the Keeper’s Fort in the Horns of the South.
Unfortunately, there’s an Ogre guarding the spot where the chest is buried, and this can be a tough fight for a low-level player. If players have a ranged option, they can use a nearby hut to kite the ogre quite effectively, butmelee playerswill need to be cautious and time their dodges well.
2Hexed Bow
Enchanted Arrows
The Hexed Bow is an early game enchanted bow that can be obtained easily and only requires a small amount of dexterity and spirituality to use. The enchantment isn’t going to stay powerful for long, since it won’t scale like the base damage of the bow, but in the game’s early portion, 5 extra damage per shot is quite a lot.
The bow can be found close to the Ruined Broch fast travel point, in a locked chest at the top of a crumbling watchtower to the west.
3Swift Dagger
Fingerless Colm
The Bandit Leader bounties are probably one of the first side quests players will come across inTainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. They’re placed front and center when players first enter theKeeper’s Fortin the Horns of the South, and the bounty board is hard to miss. These bandit leaders can be tough foes, but they each have loot that’s worth claiming as well as the reward on their heads.
Fingerless Colm is among the easier targets, and his dagger, as well as his amulet, will be useful for dexterity players early in the game. The Swift Dagger gives 25% increased melee damage after players dash, enabling a dodge-focused melee playstyle.
4Tide Piercer
Terror Of The Seas
Tide Piercer is a high-damage one-handed sword with a powerful enchantment that can be found early in a player’s journey, though they’ll need to invest a few attribute points before they can use it. The sword allows players to use heavy attacks to spend mana and launch a wave of energy that pierces foes. The waves deal 150% of the weapon’s damage and can hit multiple enemies, making this apowerful melee weaponfor a hybrid strength and spirituality build.
To get the sword, players should first pick up the associated quest in Ron’s Tavern at the Keeper’s Fort. A woman at the back of the tavern will ask players to track down a shipwreck that contains a powerful artifact. Following this quest will eventually lead players to a cave beneath the Dal Riata camp at the Temple of the All-Mother, where they can loot the sword if they defeat the boss found inside.
5Wand Of Festering Rot
Stolen Power
The Wand of Festering Rot is an excellent early game weapon for players who are focusing on spirituality and magic over strength or dexterity. Once players can enter the Dal Riata camp at the Temple of the All-Mother, they can loot the wand from a chestbehind a shrinebetween the camp and the temple.
The only caveat is that this will count as stealing, but there’s no one to observe players looting the chest in stealth. The wand inflicts poison on hit, and also has the useful effect of increasing poison buildup from any poison damage, making it highly effective when combined with poison spells.
6Giant’s Sword
Senan The Giant
For players focusing on strength as their main stat, the Giant’s Sword is an early two-handed weapon that can deal some big damage. Players need to follow the Senan the Giant bandit leader bounty, and loot the sword from the defeated bandit. Senan hits hard and is backed up by some bandit allies, sonew playersmight want to make sure they have at least got some basic gear and early levels before going after this sword.
The weapon has high base damage for the early game, and the enchantment restores stamina on a kill. It doesn’t deal additional damage, but two-handers are stamina-intensive, so this ability comes in very handy in fights against multiple enemies.
7Honorary Blade
Knight’s Duel
The Honorary Blade is a powerful one-handed sword that can be found right outside the Keeper’s Fort, the player’s first destination once they get to the mainland. It’s not quite that easy, though, as players will need to win the sword in a duel to the death. As players approach the fort along the main road, a knight is sitting by a ruined building. He doesn’t have a lot to say, but he does offer to fight the player if they wish.
He’s no easy foe for a fresh player, but defeating him gets players his full Duel Knight’s armor set as well as the Honorary Blade, which is a set that can easily carry players through Act One, once they have the stats. The enchantment will work best forsword and shield players, as parrying an enemy can easily deplete their stamina quickly.
8Hammer Of Stupefaction
Ogre’s Treasure
The Hammer of Stupefaction is one of the highest damage weapons players can find in the first area of the game, though it has a relatively high strength requirement before players will be able to use it effectively. While the weapon will only suit players who are investing heavily in strength, it deals incredible damage for the early game, and the enchantment will stun foes 20% of the time, so the Hammer will blast through early melee fights with ease.
The Hammer can be found in a buried chest at the Ruined Broch, though players will need to defeat the Ogre guarding the area to loot it. Killing the Ogre also gets players a bounty from the bounty handler in the Keeper’s Fort, though, so the rewards are well worth the effort.
