Expeditions: Rome — Best Weapons Skills For Each Category

Weapon Skills are but one facet of Expeditions: Rome, but they are an important one. Characters can use class-specific abilities and skills provided by weapon rolls. We’ve already discussed the class skills for the Princeps, Veles, Sagittarius, and Triarius, breaking their key roles and who should look to play them. 

As such, this Expeditions: Rome guide aims to help you with the weapon skills that you’ll discover as you make your way through the game. It includes a list of notable skills for each weapon category, as well as how to equip weapon skills in the first place.

How to Equip Weapon Skills in Expeditions: Rome

Most weapon skills in Expeditions: Rome are rolled randomly. With that in mind, it’s possible to find two weapons that are similar in name and quality but have different stats. There are even instances where a weapon might be of lower quality but rolls with more or better skills.

Likewise, remember that you can only equip up to three weapon skills for your active loadout. For example:

• You can have a weapon for your first loadout so you’ve got offensive capabilities. Or you could go unarmed for your second loadout so you can use Aid to help downed allies.
• Alternatively, you can have weapons for both loadouts to choose between different skills when you swap. This can make you more flexible, but you won’t be able to use Aid if your teammates are incapacitated.

Best Weapon Skills in Expeditions: Rome

Unarmed Skills

Characters gain access to unarmed skills if their loadout doesn’t have an active weapon. Unarmed offensive abilities cause bludgeoning damage. Here are some of the best options:

• Aid (all classes) — Remove bleeding, burning, burned, knocked down, and stunned; stabilizes an incapacitated ally.
• Soothe Pain (Syneros) — Restore the target’s HP.
• Intimidate (Caeso) — Pick an enemy and cause them to lose -25 morale.
• Throw Sand (Bestia) — Blind up to three adjacent enemies.
• Quietus (Julia) — Do a lethal takedown against a flanked enemy who’s below 25% HP.
• Nutcracker (Deianeira) — Deal double damage to male targets.
• Tackle (Princeps) — Knocks down an enemy.
• Dismantle (Triarius) — Deal 3 armor shred.
• Haymaker (Veles) —Generate +1 Focus; guaranteed to be a critical hit if the character is prowling, bloodthirsty, or boasting.
• Throw Something (Sagittarius) — Applies harried on a target; -10% to all resistances and -25% damage.

Sword Skills

Swords can be wielded by any class. However, the combo abilities can only be used if a shield or dagger is equipped in the off-hand. Below are examples of notable sword skills in Expeditions: Rome.

• Lunge — High piercing damage; adds critical damage to the attack.
• Cutting Slash — Hit your initial target and an enemy to their left; causes bleeding.
• Sword Charge — Run in a straight line and deal slashing damage; modified by +10% damage depending on how far you are from a foe; cause shieldbroken if you move in from more than 3 hexes away.
• Overpower — A weapon will deal the maximum possible damage, but it can’t be a critical hit.
• Shield Hook – Deals piercing damage and pulls the target’s shield away to leave them vulnerable.
• Gouge (dagger combo) — Deals slashing damage; +3 damage for every stack of bleeding on the target; removes bleeding on hit.
• Defensive Strike (shield combo)—– Deal slashing damage and deflect the next attack.

Shield skills

Shields can only be equipped by the Princeps class. Below are examples of shield skills in Expeditions: Rome.

• Hunker Down — Any attack from your front is automatically deflected.
• Committed Blockade — Gain +50% shield strength maximum; restore shield strength by the amount that was gained.
• Shield Crash — Deal high bludgeoning damage; removes the strong buff on your character.
• Shield Push — Deal bludgeoning damage and push a target back by a single hex.
• Shield Bash — Deal bludgeoning damage; can stun targets; your character becomes exposed (unable to block as though they have zero shield strength).

Dagger Skills

Daggers can be equipped by any class in their main hand. However, only the Veles class can wield daggers as an off-hand weapon. Below are examples of dagger skills in Expeditions: Rome.

• Rupture — Deal low piercing damage, but you apply +2 stacks of bleeding; best used with Gouge.
• Backstab — Deal piercing damage; +100% damage if the target is flanked.
• Swift Strike — Deal piercing damage; generates double the Focus if dodging or tactical is active.

Spear Skills

Spears in Expeditions: Rome can be equipped by any class. However, the combo skills are only possible if a shield or dagger is wielded as an off-hand armament. Here are some notable skills:

• Precise Stab — Deal piercing damage that can’t be blocked or resisted.
• Thrust — Deal piercing damage; applies bleeding.
• Lacerate — Deal slashing damage that has a +50% increase if the target is already bleeding.
• Humiliating Slash — Deal slashing damage; reduces a target’s morale by -20.
• Spear Charge — Run in a straight line and deal piercing damage; modified by +10% damage depending on how far you are from an enemy; apply +2 bleeding stacks if you move in from more than 3 hexes away.
• Piercing Thrust (shield combo) — Deal piercing damage; excess damage to a shield decreases a target’s HP.
• Flurry (dagger combo) — Deal low bludgeoning damage that doesn’t cost an action point.
• Hidden Blade (dagger combo) — Deal decent piercing damage; make an extra off-hand attack if the target is already flanked.

Staff and Pike Skills

Staves and pikes can only be equipped by the Triarius class. Many of the abilities between them are similar, including a way to shred armor. However, the damage types are different (e.g., staves deal bludgeoning damage and pikes deal piercing damage). Below are examples of staff and pike skills in Expeditions: Rome.

• Reach (staves and pikes) — Deal bludgeoning or piercing damage to a target that’s 2 hexes away.
• Extend (both) — Deal bludgeoning or piercing damage to a target that’s 3 hexes away.
• Push and Shove (both) — Deal low bludgeoning damage; you can choose two targets; the skill can push the target back.
• Shielded Thrust (pike) — Deal piercing damage; +25% damage for each adjacent ally wielding a shield.
• Hamstring (pike) — Deal piercing damage and applies stuck (movement is reduced to zero).
• Shove (staff) – Push yourself and your target apart if there’s space behind you.
• Heavy Blow (staff) — Deal bludgeoning damage; knocks down a target if they’re already blinded, harried, or weakened.
• Concussive Strike (staff) — Deal bludgeoning damage and applies weakened.
• Broad Swing (staff) — Hit up to four adjacent characters in front of you with bludgeoning damage; -25% damage for each character that’s struck.
• Spin Attack (staff) – Attack the enemy five times, with each hit dealing 20% of the weapon’s damage and shredding +1 armor.
• Whirlwind (staff) — Deal bludgeoning damage and hit everyone adjacent to your character, including allies.

Bow Skills

Only the Sagittarius class can use the bow. It deals piercing damage, but the projectiles can be deflected by shields unless sundered or broken. Here are some examples of bow skill effects in Expeditions: Rome.

• Aimed Shot — –10% to all resistances and -25% damage.
• Crippling Shot — –50% movement.
• Fire Arrow — Applies burning and can also be used to cause flammable objects to burn or explode.
• Barbed Arrow — Piercing damage is slightly higher; causes bleeding.
• Overdrawn Shot — Piercing damage is slightly higher; a critical hit is guaranteed but the shot has -50% accuracy.
• Half Draw — Shoot two individually selected targets for half the damage and -30% accuracy.

Miscellaneous Expeditions: Rome Weapon Skills

These are some miscellaneous weapons that you’ll find in the Expeditions: Rome campaign. Any class can use them, but they offer minimal benefits.

• Broom: Whack — Deals bludgeoning damage.
• Pickaxe: Hack — Deals slashing damage.
• Knife: Stab — Deals piercing damage.
• Pitchfork: Fork Thrust — Deals piercing damage.
• Rake: Rake Swing — Deals piercing damage.

And that’s it for the best weapon skills for each weapon category in Expeditions: Rome. For more tips and tricks, consider heading over to our full guides page for the game, which includes articles on companion romance, quests, and class skills.