The Queen's Domain best early weapons are four in number, and they come in one continuous loop around the starting beach: the Rusted Short Sword from the campfire guard, the Dagger Belt from the rocky islets, the Wooden Club from the underground crypt, and the Rusted Spear from the broken tower. Equip the Dagger Belt the moment you find it, because it is also the tool that opens the ruins switches.
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The Queen's Domain best early weapons, in the order you get them
Rusted Short Sword: handed to you by the guard at the starting campfire, 7 Power, Slash damage.
Dagger Belt: on the rocky islets by the shipwreck off the starting beach, equip it as soon as you land.
Wooden Club: at the bottom of the stairs in the crypt northwest of the first Crystal Monument, slow Impact damage.
Rusted Spear: in the broken tower past the Knight's Encampment crystal monument, 5 Power, Pierce damage, fast.
Talk to the guard at the starting campfire and he hands over the Rusted Short Sword, 7 Power and Slash damage. Before you leave, break the box beside him. It takes several hits, and the Elixir inside is free stat progress you would otherwise have to buy.
The opening walkthrough gives the full route around the campfire and the first save point.
Cross to the islets for the Dagger Belt
The Dagger Belt sits on the rocky islets by the shipwreck off the starting beach. Cross the small island, take the belt and equip it immediately. Throwing daggers make the whole opening manageable: you can pull enemies out of range, open switches you cannot reach by hand, and kill from distance without spending stamina. Charges refill on a cooldown, so there is never a reason to hold one back.
Open the crypt and take the Wooden Club
The Crypt door in the clearing northwest of the first Crystal Monument has a small diamond-shaped target beside its stone door. Equip throwing daggers and hit that target to open it.
At the bottom of the stairs you find the Endu Shrine Gate Key, and on the way down sits the Wooden Club. Slow Impact damage is exactly what the skeletons down there want, and it is the right weapon for the Shrine Guardian too. Do not keep the Rusted Short Sword out against skeleton enemies.
The crypt also holds the hidden room that gives the Pandora Blade, and an elevator that takes you back up near the save point.
If you want to reach the crypt's hidden corners, the sword jump guide has the lunge-jump timing.
Climb the tower for the Rusted Spear
Past the crystal monument by the Knight's Encampment, climb the stairs into the broken tower. The Rusted Spear waits there: 5 Power, Pierce damage, and fast. Evolved at weapon level 10 it becomes Jigeki's Serpent Thrust, whose charged strike poisons and briefly stuns, which makes it the best all-round weapon of the opening hours.
What the Dagger Belt unlocks
Two switches in the ruins respond to thrown daggers. The first opens a shortcut back toward the starting crystal monument, so you can heal and save in seconds instead of running the long way. The second opens the way down to the club and the crypt key. Both are in the same loop, and both are faster with a dagger in hand than with a sword.
The weapons list covers every throwing weapon and where the rest of them sit.
Resting and early combat
Resting at a crystal monument refills health without using items, but it respawns the enemies in that area, so expect to fight them again. Jars, vases and dried healing herbs respawn when you reload a save, which makes topping up your herb supply free before a boss or an early mini-boss.
In a fight, back up and throw a knife first, wait for an opening, and let your Power meter recover between swings. Holding the attack charges a stronger hit and cancels the recovery frames of your own swing. A full Power meter matters more than a fast one.