If you’ve been exploring the Living Lands thoroughly in Avowed, there’s a good chance you stumbled across some precious Starmetal fragments and are eager to put them to use. Unfortunately, you won’t figure out what they’re used for until the last major area, Galawain’s Tusks. There are four Starmetal fragments in Avowed, with one in each region. Once you reach Solace Keep in Galawain’s Tusks, you’ll find a dwarven blacksmith who can actually put these Starmetal fragments to use. Forgemaster Dela can turn your Starmetal into two unique weapons – the Moonstrike arquebus and/or the Meteor Blade.

If you’re short on Starmetal fragments, you’ll have to decide which of these unique weapons in Avowed is the better option. This will depend on your build and playstyle, of course, and both the sword and arquebus are among the best in the game for each of their respective weapon types, so choose wisely. It will help to know what each weapon’s enchantment upgrades include, as well as the general builds each weapon is best suited for. Here’s a look at whether you should use the Starmetal in Avowed for the unique arquebus, Moonstrike, or the unique sword, the Meteor Blade.

The Starmetal Arquebus Is Better For Ranged Builds In Avowed

Moonstrike Is Upgraded To The Heavenstrike Arquebus

There are some obvious reasons to choose one Starmetal weapon over the other, primarily whether your build incorporates ranged vs. melee abilities and equipment. Both weapons are ideal for builds incorporating elemental damage, particularly Frost. They share the same basic ability, Freezing Lash, which causes hits to deal +10% bonus Frost damage. Additionally, both weapons can be further enhanced using another fragment of Starmetal to turn them into their upgraded counterparts – Heavenstrike and Ondra’s Offense – which carry over the same basic abilities and enchantments, but with improved stats.

The Moonstrike and its Heavenstrike upgrade are both incredible ranged arquebus options and will fit any sort of stealth archer/sniper Ranger build in Avowed. Their starting Primary Enchantment is Ondra’s Scorn, which allows power attacks to deal moderate Frost accumulation to all nearby enemies. This enchantment can be upgraded to Ondra’s Anger, enhanced to deal high Frost accumulation instead. With this upgrade, you’ll be able to freeze groups of enemies in place with a fully powered-up snipe. Alternatively, the enchantment can be upgraded to Lunar Champion, which gives you +5% damage reduction for 10 seconds after a kill.

The Starmetal Sword Is Better For Melee Builds In Avowed

The Meteor Blade Is Upgraded To Ondra’s Offense

If you’re more into close-quarters combat, the Meteor Blade and Ondra’s Offense swords are equally useful in freezing up enemies, but include some interesting enchantment options that will take your melee build to the next level. The basic enchantment, Lamenting Flurry, allows full combo attacks to inflict -20% damage output from the target for 15 seconds, which can be further upgraded to -40% with the Crashing Tide enchantment option. These are powerful defensive abilities for tanks or any sort of warrior Fighter build in Avowed. Being a one-handed sword, the Meteor Blade and Ondra’s Offense are versatile and can be utilized in any number of builds.

The other option is to lean into Frost with the Tidecaller’s Revenge upgrade, which is based on parrying abilities and ideal if you’re playing a melee Ranger or assassin. A successful Parry deals high Stun and Frost accumulation to all nearby enemies – this is easily one of the best enchantment options if you’ve honed your Parrying skills. High Stun on top of high Frost build-up, plus the basic Frost damage bonus is a deadly, winning combination. If you really want to make the most of your Starmetal, this might be the way to go.

Which Avowed Starmetal Weapon Is Better

The Starmetal Sword Has A Slight Edge

If you have to choose between one or the other, the Meteor Blade and Ondra’s Offense are probably the better option for most build types, the exception being any purely range-based builds that don’t include any melee options at all. The Starmetal sword options are more versatile and the enchantments are more beneficial if you know how to use them. Adding to this versatility is the fact you can equip the sword in your secondary loadout to take advantage of the passive buffs from Freezing Lash, plus have another off-hand slot to use to your benefit, whereas the arquebus options take up both slots.

Further, the Tidecaller’s Revenge upgrade provides two distinct conditions, Frost and Stun, both at the highest possible accumulation rate. There aren’t too many one-handed sword options this powerful and versatile in all the Living Lands, and the Meteor Blade and Ondra’s Offense will both be Starmetal well spent. While the Moonstrike and Heavenstrike arquebuses are probably the best ranged arquebus options available, they will only be OP with a relatively narrow playstyle and specific ability and attribute investment. For that reason, you should spend your Starmetal on the Meteor Blade if you have to pick just one for the time being.

You Can Forge Both The Sword & The Arquebus With Starmetal

Collect All The Starmetal To Get The Best Of Both Worlds

Ultimately, the best option is to get both the arquebus and sword with your Starmetal fragments, considering there are four available in the game. These weapons, combined in your loadouts, are a powerhouse Frost build that will literally leave enemies smashed to pieces across the battlefield. The amount of Frost accumulation from both weapons will give you a constant edge during combat, leaving enemies slowed or immobilized entirely. The one disadvantage to leaning into this build is that enemies who are resistant or immune to Frost buildup will be slightly more of a challenge.

If you don’t have all four pieces of Starmetal, it’s worth going and tracking them down, even if you don’t want to use either of these weapons. Once created, they can always be broken down for valuable upgrade parts and materials, and might allow you to upgrade your existing weapons sooner than anticipated. And while it isn’t advised, they can technically be sold as well if you are really strapped for cash. At the end of the day, if Starmetal is in short supply, you’re probably better off choosing the sword option, Meteor Blade, while it’s definitely advised to get both unique weapons in Avowed and their upgraded forms.