Luminary Weapon Tier List

This weapon tier list ranks Luminary sword and shield, bow, and magic glove for Steam Early Access launching August 11, 2026. Refractive Entertainment balances a small-team ARPG with real-time swap combat, use-based proficiency, and three-player co-op—tiers will shift as bow accuracy, block stability, glove cooldowns, and camp AI patch. Use this page as a planning snapshot, not permanent meta gospel; revisit after each major update and cross-check proficiency investment plans.

Tier criteria include solo clear speed, co-op party value, tower weak point access, proficiency growth rate, skill floor for new players, and swap synergy from weapons overview. Locomotion-heavy routes from locomotion controls favor ranged scouting but do not override frontline need at camp gates.

Tier definitions

S tier — Reliable in most Early Access content with low party friction; strong proficiency return on time invested.

A tier — Excellent in specialized contexts or with swap support; minor gaps solo or for beginners.

B tier — Viable with proficiency and party cover; weaker until patches or gear tiers catch up.

C tier — Niche or undertuned in current build; still required for swap tutorials and future balance buffs.

Solo Early Access tier list

Tier	Weapon	Summary
S	Bow	Strong kiting, tower weak points, safe add clear with demo accuracy improvements
A	Sword and shield	Stable melee, forgiving block learning curve, slower remote targets without swap
A	Magic glove	High burst when swap chains set up; weaker extended single-target without proficiency

Solo players benefit from bow S tier for partial map exploration where elevation matters. Melee rises to S when swap chains include bow/glove transitions mastered via melee build and ranged build.

Three-player co-op tier list

Tier	Weapon	Summary
S	Sword and shield	Frontline anchor for drop-in parties per roles and party tips
S	Bow	Elevated camp sniper roles, add control while melee holds aggro
A	Magic glove	Burst windows when party callouts stagger elites; undertuned if party lacks melee

Co-op elevates melee because random drop-in groups need a default tank. Glove rises to S in coordinated statics that voice-call swap windows.

Swap flexibility tier

Tier	Approach	Summary
S	Tri-weapon swap generalist	Covers mixed camps; demands binding comfort from controls hub
A	Melee + bow dual main	Most practical proficiency split per proficiency
B	Single-weapon main	Strong in one lane; struggles when party duplicates roles

Content-specific notes

Camp destruction — Melee S for gate entry, bow S for wall archers, glove A for courtyard clusters.

Tower liberation — Bow S for weak points; melee A for ground adds; glove A for phase burst if telegraphs allow.

World exploration — Bow A for scouting; melee B for ambient pulls unless proficiency high; traversal favors ranged positioning from locomotion controls.

Investment priority by player type

New players: invest melee proficiency first for survivability, bow second for versatility—matches how co-op works drop-in reality. Veterans: tri-weapon parity for swap S tier. Steam Deck players may weight bow per Steam Deck controls comfort.

Patch watch list

Monitor Steam patch notes for bow strafe animation changes, shield block stamina costs, glove area-of-effect radius, and camp elite health pools. Re-rank this list monthly during Early Access. Deep build tactics remain in magic build and builds hub. Shared power context: shared progression.