Weapons

## Overviews

**Weapons** are items that increase the player's ability to deal damage on structures, mobs, or other players. While holding a weapon, a player's movement speed is substantially slower, stacking with the slowing effects of the winter and ocean biomes. Also, **weapons** cannot be unequipped immediately after equipping; there is a timer of several seconds before you can unequip. This timer can be avoided by dropping your weapon, but this is not recommended as other players could pick it up. This is something to keep in mind during PvP and when hunting mobs. There are three types of **weapons** in Starve.io - swords, spears and bows.

## Usage

### Other

More damage than Spears, but less range.

Swords are able to deal the highest damage, but have smaller hit-boxes in return. Swords have nine tiers, from wood to lava. There's also the Pirate Sword, which you can only obtain from treasure chests. Fighting creatures safely with a sword requires more effort to be put in regarding distancing. There is also the cursed sword, which is unobtainable, and legend says that it can mine all resources.

Swords are good for:

* Dealing the most damage
* Close combat in PvP (more damage on hits)
* Killing mobs much faster compared to spears while hitting, transitively conserving health.

## Spears

Spears deal less damage than swords, however they can be better sometimes in PvP or few mobs in situations; Players mostly choose their **weapons** from preference. It is much easier to hunt rabbits with spears, for one thing! Spears have nine tiers, from wood to lava. There's also the crab spear which does the damage of a stone spear and can also calm and heal crabs.

Spears are good for:

* Attacking mobs or players behind structures
* Saving resources (Most spears cost 20% less of highest tier materials compared to swords)
* Kiting in PvP (allows one to easily escape enemies while still being able to hit them)
* Gathering food like berries, pumpkins,etc. (but keep in mind that if you hit a small berry bush in a plantbox a bunch of times, it will be destroyed.)

## Usage

### Other

Ranged PvE

Bows deal high damage to players and mobs, and can be used at long range. They require arrows to be used, which have their own tiers. Bows don't deal damage themselves, but an arrow requires a bow of its tier to be used. For example, a stone bow can only fire stone and wooden arrows, and not gold or higher. Bows are not economically efficient, however, and arrows are too costly to be a primary source of damage.

Bows are good for:

* Hunting mobs and players
* Attacking players that are unreachable with spears or swords
* Kiting

## Usage

### Other

Little damage, little defense.

The shields are used to run away in PvP. Once it gets hard to keep up with the enemy and you are getting severely wounded, a shield's use can be somewhat viable. Although, its defense bonus is pitiful, and should not be used as a primary strategy.

## More Information

All **weapons** except the wooden sword and wood spear require a workbench in order to craft. In addition, amethyst-tier **weapons** require an IKEA manual equipped as well, in order to finish the craft without the player dying of hunger or thirst. Finally, the dragon/lava sword and dragon/lava spear requires a workbench, heat source and a body of water (ocean or lake) together in order to start the craft.The wooden bow is one of the only wooden items that requires a workbench.

See also:

* **Equipment**
* **Tools**
* **Swords**
* **Spears**
* **Bows**
* **Shields**