With iconic video games comes the birth of iconic and legendary video game weapons. Some of these weapons are legendary because of their power, others earn their place in video game lore because of their unique backstories or the lengths players must go to earn their prize.
Naturally, the most iconic weapons in video games are not just isolated to guns and swords.
Whether you’re on a quest that requires specific or extra firepower to succeed or attempting to terrify your fellow gamers during a PvP match, there’s a legendary weapon for everyone and every situation.
Let’s take a look at the most legendary video game weapons that have reached iconic status.
Hidden Blade – Assassin’s Creed
The Hidden Blade in Assassin’s Creed is rather aptly named. It’s also the sort of weapon that we can imagine an assassin wielding in a fight. Hidden and secretive, yet durable and strong. Your enemies will never see you coming until their throat is slit and you slinker away into the darkness, leaving a body to be found by some unfortunate soul.
They slide into place smoothly and make killing all the Templars a quick and easy task.
An assassin needs a stealthy weapon and it’s hard to think of Assassin’s Creed without this iconic tool of death.
The Gjallarhorn – Destiny 2
Sure, Destiny 2 has a huge array of weapons for you to choose from but none have made the same impact as the Gjallarhorn did. And even if nobody probably knows how to properly pronounce the thing, it’s a beautifully made weapon. It has a golden wolf carved onto the front end and is seemingly gilded with some cool carvings.
The weapon functions like a rocket launcher and is dubbed an Exotic in the Destiny 2 world. This means that it’s an extremely rare and powerful weapon to find in the game. The weapon is making its return in December 2021 as a part of Bungie’s 30th Anniversary celebration, so you can snatch it up when it goes live.
It truly is as powerful as it looks and thankfully it doesn’t seem like the devs over at Bungie are going to nerf it down anytime soon either (fingers crossed).
Kingdom Key Keyblade – Kingdom Hearts
The Keyblade is definitely one of a kind and is iconic to the Kingdom Hearts series. When you see a keyblade, you know that Mickey, Sora, Goofy, and Donald are not far behind. There have been many types of keyblades over the years, of course, but the original one wielded by Sora that started it all is our hands-down favorite pick.
The Kingdom Key is his iconic weapon and there’s no replacing it. Not only is it an interesting choice for a blade, but the keychain draws out the key’s true form and power. Even if it isn’t the most powerful keyblade out there (that honor currently goes to the Ultima Weapon), it’s the impact that this keyblade has made that allows it to reach legendary status.
Since the whole franchise and series revolves around the keyblades, it’s safe to say that they’re fairly iconic.
Blue Shell – Mario Kart
Beware the dastardly blue shell! How many times have we all gotten so close to winning a race and a blue shell appears out of nowhere and ruins everything (including friendships) in a blink of an eye? Countless, if you ask me.
Crazily enough, it almost never misses and is hard to avoid. There’s a love-hate relationship with most players leaning towards hate; when it comes to this weapon. If you’re losing, it could be the best thing in the world for some petty revenge, but if you’re winning, you’ll be cursing the gods when it hits.
The blue shell is a cheap shot at winning, but it’s still a valid part of the game. Pretty sure that it’s a weapon that’s incorporated into the game to cause nothing but mayhem.
Master Sword – Legend of Zelda
Alright, it would be a menace if we didn’t include the most obvious choice into the list, so here we have the Master Sword from Legend of Zelda. Who hasn’t felt like a winner when they finally got their hands on this thing? I get excited just thinking about it.
The Master Sword has always been a big deal in the franchise, and the road leading up to acquiring it is a fun one. It does feel like an achievement as your measly weapon gets upgraded to something that’s usually twice as powerful and has all sorts of cool new abilities.
It’s the process that makes this weapon iconic, and how the game always makes a big deal out of it. Plus in Breath of The Wild, the Master Sword is the only weapon that can withstand anything thrown its way without breaking. Even when it finally loses power, you just wait for it to recharge to get more use out of it.
Blades of Chaos – God of War
Kratos’ Blades of Chaos is a one-of-a-kind weapon that you don’t really see many main protagonists wielding. It’s made of chains with big knives attached to it and you swing them around at your enemies. It covers a wide area, and you can even use it to attack a specific target. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
For most people, the moment the Blades of Chaos became legendary was the scene in God of War (2018) where Kratos retrieves them from under his house to equip them once more. Everything feels legendary at that moment, with the swells of nostalgia as you flashback to the original God of War game and all you’ve been through to get this far.
A weapon that is good in long and short-range, the Blades of Chaos is a weapon of mass destruction reminiscent of its wielder and his temperament. Oh, it also catches fire sometimes, kind of like how Kratos gets fueled by his fiery rage.
Portal Gun – Portal
The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device or more aptly nicknamed ‘Portal Gun’ does exactly as its name dictates – shoot portals for you to move from one space to the next. It is the signature weapon of the Portal series and is part of the gameplay’s mechanics. Without the Portal Gun, you won’t be able to get very far.
You can use this gun to transport items and even create infinite falls if you feel like torturing yourself. Either way, we haven’t seen a proper Portal Gun resurfacing in any other games that are worthy enough to be remembered as the Portal franchise itself.
The weapon has a clean design and straightforward functionality that makes it so much fun to use. The portals are even color-coded so it’s easier for you to differentiate each location. Although you can’t really kill anyone with the gun, it’s still fun to try.
Energy Sword – Halo (Bungie Inc)
With a sword that is made up of pure energy and has the potential to one-hit kill your enemies, it’s only natural for players to swoon over the Energy Sword. Its official title is ‘Type-1 Energy Sword’ if you are curious as to what its capabilities are and would like to look it up. This sword has been reproduced in most of the Halo games and it gets better each time.
Again, and I know we say this a lot, but she is a solid 10/10 glimmering beauty. The Energy Sword is legendary because of its concept, power, and efficiency. It is a close-range weapon, but with the updates in Halo 5, the weapon now allows for more range and lunge distance.
Over the span of several games, this unique weapon has constantly been enhanced and upgraded to what it is today, and we’re really excited to see it in action in Halo Infinite’s release. We’re interested to see what sort of enhancements has been made to the weapon, and how much it has changed when compared to its predecessors.
Diamond Sword – Minecraft
A powerful weapon crafted from one of the most powerful materials in the game – Diamonds! You can also find it in Minecraft Dungeons, but since it is a rare weapon, you’ll have a hard time finding one that has been randomly dropped.
The Diamond Sword is legendary not only because it is made of the most sought-after material in the game, but because of its immense power. Every Minecraft player has aspired to one day yield the Diamond Sword in battle as it deals extra damage as a perk.
You can easily slay everything in your path with no remorse! Plus, how cool is a Diamond Sword?! Some have speculated that if it were to be replicated in real life, the Diamond Sword would cost billions. Guess we’ll stick with the Minecraft one for now.
The Moonlight Greatsword – Dark Souls
A rare dragon-made weapon from the Dark Souls series, this one’s an absolute beauty while being an absolutely powerful weapon. Obtained and fashioned through the dragon scales of Seath The Scaleless’ tail, this makes the weapon imbued with magical powers.
It can be hard to get as the requirements are high and the process is tiresome. You’ll have to cut off the dragon’s tail and run to cut off the middle tail as well in order to have all the pieces for the weapon. But the end product is worth it, especially if you prefer dealing damage with magic.
This greatsword is a reinterpretation of the typical Moonlight Sword that is a constant in the FromSoftware franchise. In a way, this is an iconic sword for Dark Souls and FromSoftware fans.
Plasma Cutter – Dead Space (Electronic Arts)
When you think about it, the plasma cutter was not even a weapon, to begin with. It was made into a weapon because your character is desperate for survival. Indeed, in order to survive in Dead Space, you have no choice but to learn how to kill aliens and use a modified plasma cutter for killing rather than harvesting minerals.
This is what makes it a weapon you will remember forever. Not only is it easy to use, but the origin and story behind it are what make it memorable. This also goes to show that anything can be made into a weapon, especially the items we use in our everyday lives. You do what you can to survive after all.
Gold Gun – Goldeneye 007
I debated putting this on the list since it’s practically ancient at this point, but the Gold Gun is a legendary weapon that everyone still quotes when talking about legendary weapons in today’s day and age. Why? Because it is THAT good. You can one-shot kill with this gun, and it’s made out of gold.
This gun has spawned countless homages, having made its appearance in games from Fortnite to Valorant. There’s a remake of this game released in 2010, but even that is 11 years old now (at the time of writing).
It wouldn’t be a legendary weapons list without the golden gun in it, so bask in its presence!
To Conclude
There are all sorts of weapons out there, in different shapes and forms. So it’s safe to say that weapons don’t get the legendary status without any rhyme or reason. There has to be a reason, be it a legendary story, a groundbreaking mechanic, an overpowered ability, and so on. We’re excited for more future legendary and iconic weapons to emerge from new franchises in the future of gaming!
