Kid Icarus: Uprising/Weapons

Kid Icarus: Uprising has nine categories of weapons, each with a dozen types, for a total of over a hundred weapons. However, every individual example of a weapon has unique properties, such as melee and ranged power, stat boosts, and status ailments. For example, two First Blades can have radically different properties. Therefore, the following guide refers to weapons in their vanilla form.

Arms
Arms are bulky, powerful weapons that sacrifice range for melee power.


 * Crusher - A standard form of the Arm.
 * Compact - High movement speed and decent shot range, but lower melee power.
 * Electroshock - Charged shots expand with distance, and can deal paralysis. Melee combos knock back foes.
 * Volcano - Has a limited range and long charge times, but all attacks can set enemies aflame.
 * Drill - Charged shots do ongoing damage, and have a high shot speed and homing ability. Great for multiplayer.
 * Bomber - Weak continuous fire and very short range, but good charge attacks that charge quickly.
 * Bowl - Potent charged shots.
 * End-All - Long charge time and slow user movement are counteracted by this weapon's destructive melee and ranged power.
 * Taurus - Big and powerful melee attacks lack homing and range, but has the most powerful melee of all arms.
 * Upperdash - Regular melee is weak, but dash attacks deal incredible damage.
 * Kraken - Slow shots, but long, homing trajectories, strong melee attack, and impressive midrange power.
 * Phoenix - Continuous fire goes twice as far as charged shots. Charged shots set foes ablaze.

Blades
Blades are the game's most balanced category of weapon. They work decently in any situation except for extremely long ranges and have some homing ability. This makes them an excellent choice for beginners. That said, Blades rarely excel at any one thing, so few of them are of any use once the player has advanced in the game.


 * First - The game's default armament, this is a balanced weapon.
 * Burst - Sacrifices Attack power and range for the abilities to shoot multiple bullets and possibly nullify incoming fire.
 * Viper - Inflicts poison damage and has above-average range and good homing.
 * Crusader - This heavy weapon is good at melee and negating enemy fire.
 * Royal - Excels at backward dashes but has weak forward dash attacks shots also get stronger the longer they travel.
 * Optical - Longest Range of any Blade, with Staff-like charge shots.
 * Samurai - Extremely fast and strong melee comparable to that of arms and a speed boost, but has weaker shots and longer charge times.
 * Bullet - Lacks homing and melee prowess, but shots travel fast and well at a distance.
 * Aquarius - Charge shots push enemies back. Melee can freeze foes.
 * Aurum - Quick Charge and high homing abilities.
 * Palutena - Sacrifices power for shot nullification, speedy dash shots, and range.
 * Gaol - Shots are stronger then those of any other blade but lack speed.

Bows
Bows work well at medium and long ranges. They also have limited homing abilities. However, their melee potential is limited, and rate of fire could be better.


 * Fortune - Fires fast homing shots, excelling at medium to long ranged combat. Fairly balanced.
 * Silver - More powerful at close ranges, high range, and good homing ability.
 * Meteor - Longest Range for any Bow. Charged shots are large and fast, but lack homing. Regular fire has heavy homing.
 * Divine - Charged shots frequently nullify enemy fire. Charges quickly and has good homing.
 * Darkness - Powerful attacks, but has low homing and long charge times.
 * Crystal - High attack and large projectiles, but limited range.
 * Angel - Excellent homing, but the slow projectiles lack power.
 * Hawkeye - Long range and the ability to nullify incoming fire are balanced by weak melee and longer charge times.
 * Sagittarius - Shots can pierce multiple opponents. Long charge time, but high damage and shot speed.
 * Aurum - Great homing and distance, coupled with being able to shoot more than the usual 3 continuous shots. Slightly weak.
 * Palutena - Shots gain speed with distance. Dash shots are stronger than normal, but standing shots are worse.
 * Phosphora - Shots travel fast Pit gains a large speed boost and charge shots have very potent homing ability. However it's continuous fire has a very short range

Cannons
Cannons are roughly the ranged equivalent of Arms. Their size slows Pit down, but their powerful shots can affect an entire small area, taking out multiple enemies. Most cannons can not shoot straight, rather, their shots arch.


 * EZ - Bouncing shots have above average homing.
 * Ball - Very powerful charged and rapid shots, but shots do not explode like most cannons. Arch of shot is small.
 * Dynamo - Charged shots detonate upon impact, and attacks may paralyze enemies.
 * Rail - Greatest range of a cannon, but attacks a smaller area. Comparable to a Staff in some respects.
 * Doom - Charge attacks take more time to prepare and are slow moving, but affect a huge, expanding area after hitting.
 * Twinbellows - Roasts foes. Backwards dash charge shots create explosions.
 * Cragalanche - Powerful attack, but lacks speed and creates smaller explosions.
 * Predator - Raises speed and has the best melee of any cannon.
 * Poseidon - Entangles enemies and shoots rapidly.
 * Fireworks - Strong homing, a fast charge, wide explosions, and the ability to knock foes into the air are balanced by low power and range.
 * Leo - Shoots incendiary bombs that explode. Tricky to aim.
 * Sonic - Wide continuous fire with good homing. Long range and expanding charge shots also make it a great long range weapon.

Claws
Claws are fast weapons that speed up Pit. They work best as melee tools, allowing for five-part combos rather than the standard three, but have a limited ranged attack. Since they lack range and their power isn't boosted, they are best used with a defense modifier.


 * Tiger - Basic version of Claws.
 * Wolf - Set foes aflame, and charged shots are homing, but has limited range.
 * Bear - Very powerful melee attacks, with strong but short-ranged shots. Beware of the VERY slow melee strikes during together mode.
 * Hedgehog - Charge quickly and provide a speed boost. Lack homing ability and attack power, but have rapid fire.
 * Brawler - Have the largest speed boost of any weapon. With a powerful speed modifier one becomes almost impossible to hit in multiplayer.
 * Stealth - invisible and silent continuous fire, but low melee power. Melee combo strikes, however, are the fastest in the game.
 * Raptor - Strong attacks, but slow charge times.
 * Artillery - Poor melee and homing, but have impressive shot range, decent distance, and allow for quick movement.
 * Cancer - Good melee, hovering charge shots, and a user speed boost during continuous fire.
 * Viridi - Features a strong Homing ability, long stretches of continuous fire, and charge shots with a one in three chance of paralyzing opponents
 * Pandora - Backward Dash creates a barrier and combos can knock opponents into the air.
 * Beam - Shots are fast moving and don't weaken over distance, but lack homing and power. Melee combo also knocks back foes.

Clubs
Clubs slow down the player, and lack a rapid-fire ranged option. However, they are very powerful at a close range, can deflect enemy shots and feature powerful charged shots. This makes them difficult to use, but arguably the best weapon to use in Together mode, due to the fact that powerful versions often feature one-shot kills.


 * Ore - A basic variant of the Club.
 * Atlas - Behaves a lot like non-Club weapons. Allows users to move quickly, and dash attacks have high homing. However, shots don't pass through obstacles.
 * Babel - Longest charge time of any weapon, but charged shots deal consecutive strikes.
 * Skyscraper - Charged shots deal massive damage at a close range. Notably decreases user speed.
 * Halo - This lightweight club is weak at melee, but charged shots can paralyze foes.
 * Earthmaul - Longest range of any weapon, with charge shots that go over 400 in-game feet.
 * Black - High attack power an homing, but long charge times and slow shots. Charged shots can cancel enemy fire.
 * Capricorn - Charge shots lack range, lose power over time, and don't cancel out other shots. However, these shots are fast and recharge quickly.
 * Hewdraw - Charge shots have high range and homing ability, but lacks power. Melee, on the other hand, is particularly powerful.
 * Ogre - Has slow, but large charged shots. Most powerful melee in the game.
 * Aurum - Charge shots have limited range and lack homing, but are large, can go through obstacles, and nullify much enemy fire.
 * Magnus - Boosts speed and deals super high melee damage, but has the shortest range of any weapon.

Orbitars
Orbitars can target either one or two enemies at a time. They are best used at a range. The common feature among orbitars is that, other than power, they have no fail.


 * Standard - Lack power, but are good in most other regards.
 * Guardian - Charged shots create a powerful shield with incredibly low range, making this a highly specialized weapon.
 * Shock - Unspectacular speed and range, but charged shots have high homing, and projectiles disperse upon impact.
 * Eyetrack - Extremely high homing, making them very easy to use. However, they lack power and have a slow charge time.
 * Fairy - Charge quickly and can confuse enemies.
 * Paw Pad - Short range, but shots bounce like a cannon's.
 * Gemini - Charge shots start by going straight, but then veer towards a target.
 * Boom - The most powerful orbitars, they slow the player somewhat and lack homing ability but have blazing fast shot speed, making them the best choice for players with good aim.
 * Jetstream - Lack homing, but have powerful shots, especially at a close range.
 * Centurion - Fire shots in arcs, have a long range, and are strong at close ranges. Backwards dash charge shots fire shields.
 * Aurum - Limited range, but extremely fast attacks.
 * Arlon - Longest range of any orbitars.

Palms
Palms perform similarly to bows. In comparison, they sacrifice power and range for a high rate of fire and extreme homing abilities.


 * Violet - Relatively Basic Palm. Rapid fire, but basic range.
 * Burning - Sets enemies on fire, and has the strongest melee for Palms, but lacks charge speed and range.
 * Needle - Fast shots with limited homing.
 * Midnight - Easily nullifies incoming fire, with powerful but slow shots.
 * Cursed - Charged shots move slowly and lose power over time, but have great homing. Good for melee.
 * Cutter - Powerful, but lacks charge speed and regular homing ability
 * Ninja - A very mixed weapon. Its perks are fast moving shots, speed and agility boosts, and melee. Its weaknesses are power, range, and homing.
 * Pudgy - Short charge time and strong homing.
 * Viridi - Great at consecutive hits, with good accuracy over a distance.
 * Great Reaper - Long charge speed, but charged shots cut regular enemies' health in half.
 * Virgo - The longest range of any palm and growing shots are balanced by weaker power and homing. Backwards dash charged shots create a defensive wall.
 * Aurum - Minimal homing, but up to one charge shot per second.

Staffs
Staffs are the best long range weapon. Their shots gain power the further they travel, and their zoom feature allows for sniping. However, most are useless as melee weapons, and slow Pit down due to their size. They are, unless the player has prodigious aim, not ideal choices for multiplayer.


 * Insight - A balanced version of the staff.
 * Orb - Increased melee and shot size, but low damage, distance, and knock-back.
 * Knuckle - Sacrifices range, power, and charge speed for melee strength. Lacks rate of fire, but has melee that tops all staffs.
 * Ancient - Charged shots linger and paralyze foes.
 * Flintlock - Shots gain power with distance and move quickly. Possibly the worst melee in the game.
 * Somewhat - Behaves similarly to a Blade.
 * Scorpio - Sacrifices range for poison and Pit's speed.
 * Laser - 2nd best range in the game, but slow charge. Continuous fire doesn't alert foes, making it similar to a sniper rifle.
 * Thanatos - Continuous fire produces a stream of bats, while backwards dash charge sots conjure a giant floating skull.
 * Lancer - Charges quickly and has decent melee. Shots move slowly, but are effective at a close range. It has extremely powerful continuous fire.
 * Rose - Charges fast, and has exceptional attack power, but shots are comparably slow. It has decent melee power. Excellent for flight battles.
 * Dark Pit - Charged shots do 4x damage of continuous fire at maximum range. Continuous fire is powerful, but lacks size and range.