Sea of Thieves Best Weapons Guide October 2026

You only get two weapon slots. That’s it. Every scrap on the high seas comes down to that one limitation. What you choose to carry determines if you survive a boarding party, win a long-range duel, or get swarmed by skeletons. The wrong combo gets you sent to the Ferryman; the right one makes you a nightmare for any crew unlucky enough to cross your path.

The Eye of Reach sits in S-Tier for a reason – nothing else can swing a fight from across the water like it can. C-Tier stuff isn’t necessarily “bad,” but they’re highly specific tools for situations that don’t happen every day.

S-Tier: Eye of Reach

The sniper wins fights before the other guy even knows he’s in one.

One shot deals 70 damage. That’s 70% of a health bar gone before the enemy even registers the sound of the shot. With a scope that actually offers pinpoint precision, it’s easily the most oppressive tool in the game right now.

Why it’s top-tier:

• Perfect accuracy when you’re scoped in.
• Insane burst potential – one hit followed by literally anything else usually finishes the job.
• Punishes anyone standing still on a deck.
• Great for PvE, especially for picking off those annoying sniping skeletons.

The downsides:

• The reload takes about 3.1 seconds, which feels like an eternity mid-fight.
• Hip-fire is trash. You have to scope in to hit anything.
• The scope glint can give away your position to anyone paying attention.

Pro tip: Use the quick scope. Fire the second the scope animation starts rather than waiting for the full zoom. You’ll see a quick flash of black – that’s your cue. It’s not for long-range, but it’s a lifesaver in close quarters. Most pros pair this with a Cutlass or Blunderbuss so they aren’t helpless when someone climbs the ladder.

A-Tier Weapons

These are your workhorses. They aren’t as dominant as the sniper at range, but they handle almost everything else the Sea of Thieves throws at you.

Cutlass

The default sword is still one of the best things you can carry.

The numbers:

• 25 damage per swing.
• A three-hit combo deals 75 damage.
• A charged lunge hits for 60 damage.

The best part? No ammo, no reload. It’s always ready. The lunge is high-risk, high-reward in PvP – if you miss, you’re stuck and vulnerable. But in PvE? Spam it. One lunge deletes a skeleton instantly.

Advanced Moves:

• Block Hopping: Hold block and jump in any direction to phase through enemies and reposition.
• Sword Dashing: Lunge off a ledge into the water to skim across the surface at high speed. It’s the best way to board or escape.
• In a sword fight, the first person to land a hit usually wins the exchange. Keep your distance and time your swings.

Blade of Souls

You can only get this by taking down the Burning Blade. It adds fire damage and knockback to every swing, making it a beast for crowd control.

The catch is you can’t put it in your pocket. You carry it or you drop it. If you die, it’s gone. It’s high-stakes, but the burn damage is great for keeping pressure on a grouped-up crew.

Flintlock

The most balanced sidearm in the game, period.

It deals 55 damage and has the fastest reload at 2.3 seconds. The hip-fire is actually accurate, so you don’t even need to aim down sights half the time. If you use the quick reload (tapping your stow key twice right after firing), you can actually kill someone before they finish eating a piece of fruit. It’s the perfect all-rounder.

B-Tier Weapons

These are good, but they’re situational. Use them in the right spot and they shine; use them wrong and you’re back on the Ferry.

Throwing Knives

A weird hybrid that’s actually pretty fun. A light stab does 15 damage, a heavy stab does 70, and a standard throw hits for 60. You can even pick them back up if you miss – but so can your enemies. They’re okay in PvP for hit-and-run tactics, but they really shine in PvE where you can just stand by an ammo box and chuck them at waves of skeletons forever.

Blowpipe

This thing is all about utility. You get four dart types:

• Black Powder: 45 damage + fire.
• Poison: 10 damage + 70 poison damage over time.
• Decoy: Makes a fake loot glint.
• Mimic: Turns you into whatever you hit (even other players).

It’s got a ton of ammo, but it’s not a finisher. Use the poison to soften someone up, then swap to a real gun to end the fight.

Blunderbuss

The classic “get off my boat” gun. It fires 10 pellets, and if you’re point-blank and ADS, it can one-shot (100 damage). The hip-fire spread is huge, so don’t bother unless they’re touching you. Its real value is the knockback – nothing stops a boarder faster than blasting them off your ladder.

Double Barrel Pistol

You get two shots at 45 damage each, or a charged shot for 90. It has the most ammo (6 shots), but honestly? The regular Flintlock is better. The double barrel is less accurate, and the charge-up time makes you a sitting duck. Only use it if you really want that burst damage.

C-Tier: Niche & Utility

• Grapple Gun: Zero damage, but huge for mobility. Use it to zip onto ships or pull enemies toward you.
• Bone Caller: Summons skeletons to distract the enemy. It’s a tool, not a weapon.
• Trident of Dark Tides: Amazing for PvE bosses, but too slow for PvP.
• Blunderbomb: The knockback is legendary. Use these to disrupt a crew or knock someone off the wheel.

Best Loadouts

• Eye of Reach + Cutlass: The “Sweat” loadout. Covers long range and close quarters. It’s the meta for a reason.
• Cutlass + Blunderbuss: The Boarding Specialist. Great for defending your ship or causing chaos on theirs.
• Flintlock + Cutlass: The All-Rounder. Reliable, fast, and works in almost any situation.
• Double Gunning (Sniper + Pistol/Blunder): High risk. You need to land your shots because you have no sword to fall back on, but the burst damage is insane.

Pro Tips for Combat

1. Quick Reload: Hit your stow key (X on PC, B on Xbox) twice quickly after shooting to skip the end of the animation.
2. Quick Swap: Shoot, swap, sprint for a millisecond, then aim and fire your second gun. It’s the fastest way to two-tap someone.
3. No Headshots: Don’t bother aiming for the head; it doesn’t do extra damage in Sea of Thieves. Just hit the body.
4. Bullet Travel: Everything is a projectile. You have to lead your shots at a distance because bullets have travel time and drop.

The meta changes every season, but right now, precision and movement are king. Pick a loadout that fits how you play, stay stocked on ammo, and don’t miss.