Mina the Hollower: Best Starting Weapon

Published May 29, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT

Christian Bognar is a Writer at DualShockers with over three years of experience covering the gaming industry. Since 2022, he has written guides and reviews for publications including DualShockers, CBR, Attack of the Fanboy, PC Invasion, and The Game Slayer. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Roanoke College.

Christian has been an avid gamer since childhood and views games as one of the strongest forms of art and storytelling. As a reviewer, he makes a point of finishing a game before writing a review, helping him evaluate each title with a complete understanding of its story, systems, and overall experience.

If you are having trouble choosing a starting weapon, this guide will explain all the benefits and cons of each option, and my opinion on which one is the best. Read further to learn the best starting weapon in Mina the Hollower.

Nightstar Explained

One of the starting weapons is Nightstar, a whip that excels at hitting enemies from afar. Nightstar is great for players who like to keep their distance from enemies, as it is great at spatial control. This can make it so you don't have to get up close and personal with the enemy, which can ultimately result in you taking less damage.

The downfall of Nightstar is that it doesn't deal as much damage as the Blastrike Maul and isn't as quick as Whisper & Vesper. So, even though you can keep your distance from enemies, you are sacrificing damage and speed.

Whisper and Vesper Explained

Whisper and Vesper is Mina the Hollower's version of daggers, which focuses on close-range combat. These two daggers offer the quickest attacks in the game, allowing the player to apply chip damage and drain a health bar quickly. The greatest aspect of Whisper and Vesper is that they have the shortest recovery time between attacks compared to other weapons in the game.

However, Whisper and Vesper can be tricky to use as they require the player to get super close to the enemy. This is an issue considering there are many enemies in the game that deal a ton of damage, so being forced to be up close in order to deal any damage can result in you taking more damage more frequently.

Blaststrike Maul Explained

The Blaststrike Maul is essentially this game's version of a Strength weapon from Soulslikes. It deals the most amount of damage, and features a charge attack that can significantly increase your damage output. When charging up, the Blaststrike Maul allows Mina to execute a tactical roll toward the enemy, helping with dodging attacks and closing the gap between you and the opponent.

However, Blaststrike Maul has its downsides, especially when it comes to speed. Due to its slower speed, players will have to carefully time their attacks and find an opening in the enemy's movements in order to land hits successfully. In other words, it's tough to play aggressively with the Blaststrike Maul.

Best Starting Weapon in Mina the Hollower

Out of all the starting weapons in Mina the Hollower, the Blaststrike Maul is the best due to the incredible amount of damage it can inflict. While its speed can take a while to get used to, once you get the hang of things, you will be blasting through the enemies with ease and be able to defeat them very quickly due to its sheer power. This is especially true as you begin to upgrade your Attack stat and unlock its upgrade at the shop, Boom Charge.

However, this is just my opinion, and the simple fact is that the Blaststrike Maul fits with my playstyle. I highly recommend that you take the time to practice with each weapon when the game asks you to choose one, before proceeding further to the starting level. Choose the weapon that feels the best for you, and whichever one clicks with you fastest is likely the right choice.