The secret to surviving Dark Jay Studio's brutal bullet heaven lies in the strict five-weapon limit, and the current arms of god best builds exploit this by pairing the Primaris Templar with the Ember Sword and Hellblade for infinite AoE damage. Hoarding every drop is a trap. Picking a sixth weapon automatically converts it to permanent stats, leaving you with a disjointed arsenal incapable of handling the elite waves that spawn after Level 40. To reclaim The Cathedral and restore the Templar Order, you need focused, mathematically optimized loadouts.
Since its Early Access launch on June 8, 2026, the meta has rapidly evolved. The game features 60 grueling levels and over 60 distinct weapons, but only a handful of combinations scale effectively into the late game. Below is the definitive tier list of loadouts that actually work, grounded in raw DPS output and elemental synergies.
The 5-Weapon Limit and Auto-Conversion Math
Every run in this heavy-metal autoshooter forces you to manage the mechanical arm rig. You have one primary slot and four auxiliary arms. Picking a sixth weapon automatically converts it to permanent stats. This means haphazardly grabbing loot will leave you underpowered when hitting the elite waves at Level 40.
Arms of God in-game screenshot
You must understand the underlying math to forge a viable loadout. For example, the Ember Sword outputs 11 Physical and 18 Fire Damage with a 1.31 Attack Speed, whereas the Cutter provides 12 Holy Damage at a slower 1.08 Attack Speed. Building around Base Damage and Attack Speed is mandatory. If you fill your slots with low-tier physical guns, you will lack the elemental burst needed to crack shielded enemies.
Core Loadout Rules:
- Slot 1 (Primary): High attack speed weapon (e.g., Sanctified Gatling).
- Slot 2 & 3: Elemental damage dealers (Ember Sword, Cutter).
- Slot 4 & 5: Utility or area-of-effect (AoE) weapons waiting for fusion.
The Holy Fire Engine (Primaris Templar)
The Primaris Templar transforms the game into a walking inferno. This character scales inherently with elemental damage, making physical-only weapons obsolete by Level 20. By combining the Hellblade and the Flare Cannon, you create a massive area-of-effect visual explosion that covers half the screen and melts incoming demon hordes.
Arms of God in-game screenshot
The June 8, 2026 Early Access patch (v0.506) made this even more devastating by introducing the Aura Emitter. When fully upgraded alongside the Primaris Templar's base stats, this setup generates a 300 HP shield and a 12k DPS screen-wide zone that instantly melts lesser demons. Your primary goal is to stand your ground in the center of the arena and let the fire damage tick.
Execution Strategy: Do not chase enemies. Let the horde collapse on your position. The overlapping hitboxes of the Hellblade and the Aura Emitter will stagger foes before they can break your shield. Save your dash exclusively for the telegraphed AoE attacks from the Level 20 and Level 40 bosses.
The Thunder Pierce Setup (Warden)
If the Primaris Templar is about area denial, the Warden is about surgical single-target execution. The Warden’s base stats grant a massive bonus to the Pierce and Bounce mechanics. This makes the Thunder Xbow the undisputed best weapon for this class, as its lightning bolts will chain across five different targets before dissipating.
To maximize this loadout, equip the Plasma Crossbow in your second mechanical arm slot and the Cutter in your third. The Cutter’s 12 Holy Damage shreds the shields of the Level 40 boss, while the Plasma Crossbow handles the dense packs of fodder. Keep moving in wide circles around the arena edge to group enemies into a tight cluster, maximizing your Pierce value.
Execution Strategy: Never stop moving. The Warden has the lowest base HP of the starting roster. You rely entirely on the Thunder Xbow to clear a path through the mob. If you get boxed in, fire the Plasma Crossbow directly into the thickest part of the horde to utilize its infinite pierce stat and carve an escape route.
The Autonomous Drone Commander (Synthar)
Unlocking Synthar fundamentally changes the game because Synthar replaces mechanical arms with autonomous drones. Instead of managing firing arcs and aiming your rig, you focus entirely on positioning. You evade elite waves while drones clear the map for you.
Arms of God in-game screenshot
These drones scale directly with Attack Speed rather than raw damage. To support them, equip the Sanctified Gatling to provide suppressing fire and the Plasma Crossbow to add high pierce stats. Prioritize movement speed upgrades during your run; if you get cornered by a horde, Synthar lacks the burst damage to punch a hole through the mob.
Execution Strategy: Build entirely for evasion. Because the drones autonomously target the highest-threat enemies, you do not need to face the bosses directly. Kite them through the environmental hazards scattered across the later levels while your drones chip away at their health pools.
Cathedral Hub Meta-Progression Priority
Between runs, you return to The Cathedral to spend Iron, Demonic Blood, and Holy Relics. Your upgrade path here dictates your baseline power for the next 60 levels. Do not spread your resources evenly. The Armory unlocks critical weapon fusion paths, while the Alchemy Chamber provides permanent passive stat boosts that carry over between deaths.
Arms of God in-game screenshot
Once your damage output is stable, visit the Bell Tower to summon new characters or the Training Ground to increase your base health. Upgrading the Training Ground to Level 3 early on gives you a flat 15% movement speed buff. This is mandatory for surviving the projectile-heavy boss fights in the later stages, as base movement speed is too slow to dodge the Level 60 final encounter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when you pick up a sixth weapon? Because you only have five mechanical arms, picking a sixth weapon automatically converts it to permanent stats for the remainder of the run. This prevents you from endlessly stacking active damage sources and forces you to think critically about your build.
How do you unlock Synthar? Synthar is summoned via the Bell Tower in The Cathedral. You will need to farm 500 Holy Relics from elite waves to afford the unlock cost.
Does the Primaris Templar work for the Single Purpose achievement? No. As confirmed in the v0.506 patch notes, all achievements requiring you to kill enemies with a single weapon are disabled for the Primaris Templar due to their inherent elemental scaling.
What is the best starting weapon? The Ember Sword is the best starting weapon for area-of-effect builds due to its 18 Fire Damage, while the Cutter is optimal for single-target setups thanks to its 12 Holy Damage.
How do weapon fusions work? Once you max out two compatible weapons (e.g., Ember Sword and Holy Lasers), a fusion prompt will appear when you level up. Merging them creates a new, indestructible tier weapon (like the Hellblade) and frees up one of your five mechanical arm slots.