Best Games With Scythe Weapons

In real life, “scythe technology” has not developed sufficiently to justify its continuation on the farm field, never mind the battlefield. However, in video games, via the rule of cool, the scythe has been a staple in mob-murdering activities forever, and there are plenty of examples of the humble harvesting tool being transformed into a formidable weapon.

From RPGs to action games, its ominous design evokes an air of deathliness, making its wielder a taker of souls (and, in many cases, literally). A certain mastery of movement is required to use a scythe, but those with the right amount of finesse can effortlessly take down multiple foes at once. With a scythe as a viable weapon, reaping becomes its own reward.

The Outer Worlds

Slashing Right Through The Red Tape Of Bureaucracy

While a medieval-style weapon might seem out of place in a game about spaceships and a sterile, system-wide supercapitalism ravaging all hope for the future, a touch of feudalism fused with searing plasma technology is perfectly in line with the times of The Outer Worlds.

Most of these two-handed flesh-rippers go by the name of Inferno Scythes (a manufactured product and trademark of Aramid Ballistics) and are perfect for tearing through fleshy enemies but not as effective against automechanicals or heavy armor. The premium “Inferno Scythe Gold” is also available to purchase (or find) by higher-level players.

Final Fantasy 14

Exclusive To The Soul-Shrouded Reaper

The reaper class was introduced with Final Fantasy 14‘s “Endwalker” expansion. These voids-channeling avengers use what was once their humble farming implements to harvest the souls of their foes in the most vicious way possible, becoming a living memento mori for every mortal’s grim fate. However, hints of their botanist roots are still sown throughout the reaper’s skills.

Naturally, the reaper is an expert at unloading high levels of damage bursts up close to all enemies in range, at least after Whirl of Death is unlocked. The only downside to this class is that there is a level-70 base requirement to play them, meaning that players have to sow their experience before they are allowed to reap the rewards of channeling their inner grimdark edgelord.

Dante’s Inferno

Winnowing The Sinners From The Saints

After being threatened with eternal damnation and then somehow defeating Death himself in one-on-one combat, Dante wrestles control of the reaper’s scythe and soon after vows to redeem himself for the sake of his loved ones. However, after returning home, his father and wife’s souls are snatched away. Naturally, Dante breaks into Hell to wage war with Lucifer and his armies.

Dante’s Inferno‘s scythe cuts in wide arcs and smashes down hard as it impacts the poor, rotten souls of the underworld. Flawless strikes build up a combo meter, which unlocks deadly finishing moves. As Dante continues to explore the circles of Hell, he can gain new abilities to complement his scythe attacks.

Grim Dawn

A Worthy Weapon To Cull The Endless Influx Of Trash Mobs

For a game with the word “grim” in its title, it may come as no surprise that a two-handed scythe is available as a melee weapon in Grim Dawn. Thanks to its mix-and-match class system (or “mastery system”), just about any build can potentially benefit from using it. For example, the Necromancer is perfectly paired with the Soldier or Shaman.

Grim Dawn is a game about mowing down hundreds of thousands of squishy, blood-bursting enemies, and there is no greater feeling of popping those undead hordes than with this weapon, which can be found as a random drop. High-end scythes can be found at the end of the game, but thanks to the Illusionist NPC, any two-hander can be converted to a scythe skin.

Guild Wars: Nightfall

The Whirling, Wind-Walking Dervish

With the ability to strike at three close-ranged targets at once with a high damage output, Guild Wars‘ scythe weapon should meet the demand for sweeping damage any scythe enthusiast would expect. Scythe Mastery is one of the dervish’s skills, but if taken as a secondary class, just about any profession in Guild Wars can make use of one so long as they have the means to reach the Elona map.

This melee mystic is exclusive to the Nightfall campaign but can be ferried to the other games. Although Guild Wars is a multiplayer game, playing solo is totally viable. Partly thanks to their wide suite of skills, scythes are the most powerful area-of-attack weapon in the game.

Darksiders 2

The Only Thing Better Than One Scythe Is Two

Few scythe-friendly games feature a farmer as a class or protagonist and instead use the old grim-reaper-inspired archetype. Darksiders 2‘s protagonist is the bonafide bone-rider himself, Death. In the first Darksiders, his brother-in-darkness, War, occasionally borrowed his scythe in battle.

Not to be outdone, Death dual wields them. His most prized weapon is “The Harvester,” which he can summon with a thought. Harvester can morph into whatever shape its master needs, including jagged blades of sinewy shadow or a wide arc of energy. Death also has the ability to shift into his “grim reaper” form to make quicker work of his corpse crops.