If you want to stand a chance against the biggest, toughest, and most dangerous Others in Scarlet Nexus, you’ll need a weapon that can dish out some major damage. Your base weapons can get you through the early stages of weak mobs, but sooner rather than later, you’ll want to upgrade those starter weapons for ones with a bit more punch to them, especially when going into the endgame content. As with most RPGs, you’ll be picking up and buying new weapons all the time to keep your character on pace with the ever-increasing challenges.
Because this is a single-player experience and not a game intended to be grinded out for weeks or months with new content constantly added, there are weapons that stand above all the others that you can get as the most powerful in the game. The tricky part is that you will want to get them for every character, not just your primary one — and the process of actually getting your hands on them isn’t easy, either. If you need some hints about the best weapons in Scarlet Nexus and how to get them, check out this guide.
Further reading
- The best anime video games of all time
- The 10 best JRPGs of all time developed by Japanese studios
- The best Final Fantasy games, ranked from best to worst
How to get the best weapons
There are two main steps you need to take in order to get the best weapons for any character in Scarlet Nexus. The first is to actually get the weapon in question. You can get weapons either through random drops, quest rewards or by purchasing them from the shop. The absolute best weapons, which is what you came here for, only become available after you pass certain thresholds in the game’s story. Once you’ve reached the specific phase, you have a chance of finding that weapon out in the world as a random drop, but the most reliable way to get your hands on them will obviously be through the shop.
Next, once you have the weapon, you will, of course, want to upgrade it to the maximum level. Upgrading a weapon requires different materials that drop from enemies. Once you reach the final level of upgrade for either Yuito or Kasane, however, you will need a special material called Phantom Art that you can only get after beating the main campaign. Your party member’s final weapon upgrades will also take rare materials you can only pick up in post-game side quests, but they’re not limited to one per playthrough, like Phantom Arts are.
The best weapons for each main character
Yuito
Your katana-wielding male lead, Yuito, has one of the best weapons in Scarlet Nexus, called the Otori. The base weapon you start with is called the Douji Setsu Ami, which will set you back a hefty 5,000 Kin at the shop. The first upgrade you need to get for it — by going to the shop and navigating to the Exchange section to upgrade — requires the base weapon, two Rat Species Subjugations, and three Battle Record S. The Rat Species Subjugations are dropped from the rat species enemies located in the abandoned underground railroad level, or the Sumeragi land 1 level. Battle record S are less specific drops and simply have a chance of appearing after you beat stronger types of regular Others.
The final upgrade to make this weapon into the Otori requires the upgraded Douji Setsu Ami, obviously, plus one Phantom Art and one Buddy Rummy Analysis. Again, we covered how to get Phantom Arts above, but the Buddy Rummy Analysis comes from the Buddy Rummy Others you encounter on the Kunad Highway: Entrance to Suoh. Get all this to the shopkeeper, and you’ll have the awesome phoenix-inspired katana.
Kasane
Your mid-range fighter’s best weapon is the Hitori. These throwing knives pack a major punch but take a bit of work to get. First, as always, you need to get the base weapon to upgrade. In this case, you’re looking for the Mao Kai, again costing 5,000 Kin from the shop. To upgrade it, you’ll need to track down two Pendu Species Subjugations and three Battle Record S. The Pendu Species Subjugations are dropped from the Pendu Others on the Kunad Highway: Entrance to Suoh, and we already covered where to get the Battle Record S with Yuito.
Once upgraded, to make the final form of the Hitori, you will need your one Phantom Art plus one Rainy Rummy Analysis, which are rare drops from the Rainy Rummy Others.
The best weapons for party members
The only note to make off the top here for getting the materials required for your party member’s ultimate weapons is that they all require a special Phantom Art material that comes from a specific side quest. We’ll note what side quest that is, but bear in mind that these will only open up once you’ve beaten the main story.
Kagero
Never underestimate what a blade is capable of, no matter how small. Kagero’s Sekiei may be a tiny dagger but will dice up Others before they know what hit them. Purchase the Invisible Dancer V6 first, then go out and collect two Pound Species Subjugation and three Battle Record S to get the first upgrade. Pound enemies can be found in Sumeragi Land 5. From there, add in the Phantom Art: Lizard and Judy Chinary Analysis to create the ultimate form in the Sekiei. The quest you’re looking for to get the Phantom Art is called Help with a Report, and Judy Chinary Others can be fought at Mt. Hino or Sumeragi Land 7.
Kyoka
The talented crossbow wielder Kyoka’s best weapon is the Houga, somewhat resembling a bee in design. The base weapon you’re working with is the Buronguhorn 286. The first set of materials you need are two Pendu Species Subjugation and three Battle Record S. The Pendu Others show up on Kunad Highway: Entrance to Suoh, and by now you know where to get Battle Record S. From there, to create the Houga, you’ll need the Phantom Art: Honey Bee and one Dispen Fisher Analysis. This Phantom Art comes from the Want to Learn More quest and the analysis as a reward for beating the Dispen Fisher boss.
Arashi
What’s not to like about a chainsaw-wielding lady? Arashi’s weapons normally have some more creative names, but her best weapon is the more elegant Ayame. That doesn’t mean it isn’t deadly, though. To start off, make sure you get Arashi the Innocent Rabbit Hug 6. Combine this with two Pound Species Subjugations and three Mysterious Ecology S to get the first upgrade. Pound Species are in Sumeragi Land 5 during the Memory of Rebellion, while Mysterious Ecology can be found from powerful Others in the Abandoned Subway: Suoh Line 9. Your final upgrade will need the Phantom Art: Horse and a Brawn Yawn Analysis. This Phantom Art is a reward for doing the Enchanted by Weapons side quest, and Brawn Yawn enemies spawn in the Kunad Highway: Entrance to Suoh area.
Shiden
Shiden is a dual wielder who utilizes his Electrokinesis to deal a shocking amount of damage lighting fast. His ultimate weapons are the Kan’nen, which start out as the Special Guard Stick Rikugo Kai. Once purchased, you will need to farm two Yawn Species Subjugations and three more Battle Record S. The Brawn Yawn Others you need to farm spawn at the Kunad Highway: Entrance to Suoh. To turn the Rikugo into the Kan’nen requires one Phantom Art: Catfish and one Rotunda Pagoda Analysis. This Phantom Art comes from completing the For the Exhibition side quest, and just take down Rotunda Pagodas until you get the Analysis.
Luka
Completely contrasting Luka’s somewhat smaller stature, his massive hammers are always a sight to behold, especially the Shojin. Adorned with golden elephants, this thing is just as tough as its animal inspiration. The base weapon here is the Weight Hammer V6. Upgrade this with two Yawn Species Subjugation and three more Battle Record S. The Yawn enemies show up on the Kunad Highway: Entrance to Suoh. From there, get yourself the Phantom Art: Elephant from the For the Exhibition side quest and one Coat Mote Analysis by beating the enemy of the same name to unlock the Shojin.
Gemma
Who needs a weapon when you can just pull on some gloves and let your fists do the work? Gemma is all about that close-range, knuckle-bleeding combat, and the Kiseki gloves let him hit with all his might. To get his best weapon, using that term loosely, you start out by getting the Gou Musou Land Type and upgrading it with two Bound Species Subjugation and, you guessed it, three Battle Record S. Bound Others spawn in Sumeragi Land 5. From there, combine that weapon with the Phantom Art: Turtle and one Coil Moil Analysis, the former of which you get for completing the No Interference! side quest and the latter for beating the Coil Moil boss.
Tsugumi
Tsugumi is perhaps the smartest member of your team, just for the fact that they are using a gun, and Tsugumi’s firearms still follow the RPG systems of having different stats. To get her best pistol in the game, the bird-like Enmu, you first need to get the Lily Bell M20-6. Take that and two Pool Species Subjugations and yet another three Battle Record S to hit the first upgrade. The Pool Species Subjugations come from Scummy Pool Others located in either the Abandoned Subway: Suoh Line or Hirasaka Station entrance and exit. The final upgrade into the Enmu requires the Phantom Art: Swallow and one Naomi Randall Analysis. This Phantom Art is your reward for the Verifying the Secret quest, and you will need to beat the Naomi Randall boss for their analysis.
Hanabi
Hanabi’s best torch weapon is very appropriately modeled in the aesthetic of a monkey and is just as beautiful as it is deadly. Named the Kaen, this torch is the perfect fit for Hanabi’s fire-based abilities. The base weapon you will be working with is the Torch Type 6. Add in two Paw Species Subjugations and three more Battle Record S to pump it up one upgrade level. Paw species Others can be found in a few places, such as the Kikuchiba: Middle-level Shopping District and Arahabiki Control Layer: Purification Bridge. To turn this torch into the Kaen, add in the Phantom Art: Monkey and one Gankin Fisher Analysis. This primate-themed Phantom Art is the reward for completing the Important Mission side quest, and you can find the analysis simply comes from killing any Gankin Fisher-type Others.
