Mina The Hollower: Every Weapon Ranked From Worst to Best

From the very moment you begin your journey through Ossex, Mina the Hollower makes it clear that customization is key, offering a diverse arsenal of weapons that accommodate drastically different playstyles.

There are five unique weapons to collect in total throughout the campaign. At the start of the adventure, you are locked into choosing one of three starting weapons, but you can quickly track down the remaining options to experiment with your build as you make story progress.

And since we have already braved Yacht Club Games’ brand-new game, we have also analyzed each option to create a ranking based on their inherent advantages, disadvantages, and potential synergy with their unique upgrades, keeping in mind that every single weapon features two distinct power-ups to discover.

Of course, it is important to remember that each weapon is designed to favor a specific type of player. Just because a particular choice sits a bit lower on our ranking does not mean it is complete garbage – it simply means it has fewer mechanical possibilities than the others. Ultimately, the best weapon is the one that clicks with your personal reflexes and positioning! With that in mind, let’s dive into how every weapon handles in the gothic world of Ossex.

5 Whisper and Vesper

Double Trouble

Whisper and Vesper are a pair of nimble daggers, which allow you to stab in quick succession, making them easily the best fit for players who love to maintain close range with enemies and can attack quickly to escape at any moment.

Despite doing this well, this weapon ends up being a bit limited compared to the other options, since it naturally has the lowest damage per hit and makes you get exposed much more easily to enemy attacks (because you need to be glued to them). Also, your attacks have a recoil, which means that Mina gets slightly pushed backward when delivering hits, requiring you to move forward again to continue unleashing your attacks rapidly. This, for example, makes you get cornered by multiple enemies much more easily, and falling into a hole when dealing with flying enemies on narrow platforms becomes a scenario that is just too common.

The sad part is that not even the upgrades offer a mechanical shift different enough to compensate for these weaknesses. The first one only adds the possibility of throwing one of the daggers in a straight line, but you need to go over to it to pick it up again (which is not a very comfortable thought if you threw it in the direction of a big boss), while the second is a short forward slash, which honestly I saw more as a good “dodge” alternative to escape enemy attacks than to actually attack them, since its damage is quite low.

4 Nightstar

Unleash Your Inner Belmont

You know that saying “jack of all trades, master of none”? Well, it could easily serve as a description for the Nightstar, a crushing mace, affixed to a flexible chain (or simply Mina the Hollower’s whip), and it can be a compliment or not, depending on your point of view.

This is because it makes it the most balanced and middle-of-the-road weapon in the game, with an easy learning curve and attacks that, besides being fun to deliver, are also very, very stylish with a comfy touch of Castlevania, making you feel almost like a Belmont when facing the darkest creatures. If being able to strike from a distance makes the experience more comfortable, then it is a nice pick for players who are still adjusting to the game’s challenging level.

Its upgrades, however, when compared to the others, might not be as flashy. This is because the first one applies only extra damage to the tip of the whip (which is activated when you hit literally just the tiny tip on the enemy), and the second allows you to control the whip, creating a “barrier” that repels projectiles and enemies, which is excellent for pushing away that annoying crow or clearing an area of weak monsters toward the end of the game.

3 Guardian Casket

When Defense is the Best Offense

I must confess that this one surprised me a lot, since the Guardian Casket is basically a shield (in the shape of a coffin, by the way), but curiously excellent for offense!

This is because it relies on a parry-focused gameplay that is pretty great: if you block at the right time, it summons arms that push the enemy away, making it excellent for common enemies and even bosses, offering a great window of opportunity for you to run away or heal. It also has a good mechanic to make the learning curve less harsh, where you can hold to block up to 3 quick hits until you catch the timing of the weapon.

The same cannot be said for its upgrades, however. The first one makes Mina throw the coffin to deal extra damage and have a bit more damage control, but it requires you to press the attack button twice to be activated and prevents you from parrying (which is the soul of the weapon). As for the second upgrade, it improves the damage of the counter-attack and reflects projectiles, which ends up being useful only against enemies that hurl projectiles.

2 Battery Buster

Versatility Is My Middle Name

If the Nightstar was meant to make you feel like you were in Castlevania, the Battery Buster brings a flavor of Mega Man to Mina the Hollower, since it transforms Mina's right arm practically into a long-range weapon.

And the curious thing is that your first moments with this weapon are going to feel a bit clunky and weird, but precisely because it is so different from the others, it turns into something incredibly fun and also useful once you finally understand how to best take advantage of it. And, most importantly, it also offers a kit with a lot of versatility, being effective in practically any situation in the game with two different modes that allow close and long-range combat.

Its upgrades are still just as unique as the base weapon. The first one adds the charged shot, which is excellent when identifying an opening in the middle of the enemies' attack patterns, while the second is a charged bash that deals a lot of damage, costs zero ammunition, recovers your resources based on the charge level, and even turns Mina's front side into an active damage shield. Literally one of the best upgrades in the game, if not the best!

1 Blaststrike Maul

One Hit Is All It Takes

The Blaststrike Maul is for those players who prefer to blow only one hit that rips away half of the boss's health bar instead of delivering a thousand quick strikes. This is because it basically transforms the game into a rhythmic dance of dodging and brutal mechanical impact.

And yes, it really makes Mina slower to move and basically more vulnerable, but the secret for the weapon to work is positioning: a charged attack clears common enemies, and two resolve your life against the larger ones – and the feeling of defeating them like this is immensely rewarding! In addition, as a bonus, the massive damage generates much more Plasma, which punishes you less in case you make a mistake and gives you a much more comfortable window to heal yourself.

Not to mention that its two upgrades add a spinning attack that is excellent for chaining combos (throwing you forward and in the direction you want, finalizing with a direct charged hit) and an even slower, but even stronger charged attack. This last one is very situational, but it buffs the spin of the first upgrade, increases the area of effect, and deals massive damage – so much so that it is capable of detonating the Sandfalls dynamite puzzles all by itself (!!!). So if you like heavy weapons and have the patience for a larger learning curve, you will feel right at home.