New weapons are a core part of Valiance, meant to add more varied play styles to combat. Be it obtained from crafting or mob loot, each fills its own niche in the ecosystem of battle.
(Note, all craftable weapons will be shown in iron, but can be made from all usual materials, and upgraded to Netherite.)
Daggers are a deadly melee weapon, dealing a whopping 5 more damage than an average sword. They're also slightly faster than swords, however their reach is decreased by 3/4 of a block.
Daggers benefit greatly from the Sharpness enchantment, due to their massive damage, a critical hit from a Sharpness dagger can one-hit almost all mobs, even without say, Smite.
The greatsword, while powerful, is extremely heavy. It is best used when combined with tanky armor, as its weight slows down the player drastically when it is held, hindering the ability to escape.
If you can access any speed bonuses, the greatsword is a real powerhouse.
Spears are slightly weaker than swords, but come with a whole 2 extra blocks of reach, making them a much more secure method of dishing out damage.
Their cheaper cost makes a stone or iron spear an excellent early game weapon, and their reach makes them good for picking off late game heavy hitters such as Piglin Brutes, or Guardians.
Hammers are a peculiar weapon, for multiple reasons. First off, they have a very unique ability to chip away at the effectiveness of their target's armor, making them especially good in situations where mobs will have a lot of armor.
Second, hammers cannot be crafted in any way, and can only be found inside Trial Chambers or Big Dungeon vaults, or dropped from mobs carrying them, being zombies and their variants. One will certainly be useful in PvP combat, that is if you can get your hands on one.
Lances are rather tricky to use, only dealing a small amount of damage on their own, but more than doubling when wielded atop a mount. This can be any vanilla mount; horses, striders, even pigs.
As its durability is lowered, the a Lance will start to oxidize, being made of copper. When repaired either using iron ingots at an anvil, or using the Mending, enchantment oxidation will not be reversed, so you can choose one look and stick with it.
Adapting to Lance combat takes time, and is rather risky, as you may be caught in a corner that a large mount cannot get out of. But the Lance's raw damage is only rivaled by the obviously more powerful Mace when properly enchanted.
The Gauntlet is a weapon refined for fast-paced melee combat, having no attack cooldown and a block ability like shields. It has lower damage than most iron weapons, but makes up for it with its ability to land multiple critical hits in rapid succession. The block also is as strong as an iron shield (See the shield rework) which frees up the off hand for a Totem of Undying or Totem of Irregularity.
Gauntlets cannot be crafted and can only be obtained from Brutes which have a chance of carrying one. But be careful, this will make them stronger than usual.
If you miss early Minecraft combat, I am sorry to say but you are playing the wrong data pack. But the Gauntlet is made to resemble the old method.
While initially as strong as a mere iron sword, the Katana will gradually increase in strength as its blade heats up the longer the player is in combat, doubling in strength at its strongest state. After not using it for over a minute, the Katana will start to cool off to its base state.
Katanas cannot be crafted, and instead are obtained by by trading 10 Rubies with the Vigilante after the Wither Skeleton bounty is complete.
The Katana is a weapon not made for the everyday run in with a Zombie or Skeleton, but rather long and heated brawls and extensive hunts.
