Kenshi Weapon Grades Explained — Rusted to Meitou
Weapons come in up to 15 grades from Rusted Junk (level 5) to Meitou (level 100), and the grade swings a weapon's damage hard: a Katana cuts 0.385 at Rusted Junk and 2.2 at Meitou. On a Katana you can craft up to Edge Type 2; a Meitou you have to take from someone.
- Grades156 makers, Rusted Junk to Meitou
- Katana cut0.385 to 2.2the same weapon, worst to best grade
- Best you can craftEdge Type 2on a Katana; Meitou is on no bench
- Meitou carriers22named characters, from the wiki
Five short sections: what the grades are, what they change, which one to want, how to craft up the ladder and where the top grade comes from. Every weapon's own grade table is on its page in the weapon database.
On this page
1. The six makers and the grades they own
A weapon's grade is a name (Rusted Junk, Refitted Blade, Mk II, Edge Type 3 and so on) and a level number, and every grade belongs to a maker. Our files list 15 grades from 6 makers. The maker's multipliers apply to the whole band, so 3 Edgewalkers grades share the same price, cut, blunt and weight factors and differ only in level.
| Maker | Grades | Levels | Price | Cut | Blunt | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Rusted Junk to Rusting Blade | 5 to 10 | x0.3 | x1 | x1 | x1 |
| Ancient | Mid-Grade Salvage to Refitted Blade | 15 to 25 | x0.8 | x0.9 | x1 | x0.7 |
| Catun Scrapmaster | Catun No.1 to Catun No.3 | 30 to 40 | x1.2 | x1 | x1.2 | x1.2 |
| Skeleton Smiths | Mk I to Mk III | 50 to 60 | x1.2 | x1 | x1 | x1 |
| Edgewalkers | Edge Type 1 to Edge Type 3 | 70 to 80 | x1.4 | x1.1 | x1 | x1 |
| Cross | Meitou | 100 | x2 | x1.1 | x1 | x1 |
How to read the table
The multipliers are the maker's: x1.1 cut means 10 percent more cut damage than the weapon's base record. They are not the whole story, because the level also scales the weapon (see the next section). Ten weapons also carry four grades from a seventh maker, Truth Two- (Mk 0, Mk IV, Mk V, Mk VI), that sit in those weapons' own tables.
2. What a grade really changes
Take the Katana. Its table from the wiki runs the same weapon through the grades, and the damage climbs steeply with the level: 5.7 times from the worst grade to the best. The weight stays close to 2 apart from the Ancient grades (lighter) and Catun (heavier), so a better grade is mostly a sharper blade at the same carry cost.
| Grade | Cut | Weight | Attack bonus | Sell value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusted Junk | 0.385 | 2 | 3 | 282 |
| Refitted Blade | 0.6525 | 1.4 | 4 | 1,291 |
| Catun No.3 | 0.98 | 2.4 | 4 | 3,597 |
| Mk III | 1.32 | 2 | 4 | 6,902 |
| Edge Type 3 | 1.826 | 2 | 4 | 10,355 |
| Meitou | 2.2 | 2 | 4 | 15,739 |
- Cut is the damage multiplier the wiki lists for that grade; blunt is 0 for a blade.
- Attack bonus barely moves (3 at Rusted Junk, 4 at Meitou) and the defence penalty eases from -5 to -4. The grade shows up in the damage.
- Sell value is why the top grades also pay: a Meitou Katana lists at 15,739 against 282 for the Rusted Junk one. How to make money covers selling gear.
3. Which grade to want
There is no single best maker, because each band trades one number for another. Pick by what you need.
- Most cut damage: Meitou (level 100), then Edge Type 3 (level 80). Both carry x1.1 cut. Meitou also sells for x2, the highest price factor of any grade.
- Best you can make yourself: the Edgewalkers grades (x1.4 price, x1.1 cut). Weapon Smith III lists all three, though the Katana's crafting table stops at Edge Type 2.
- Heaviest blunt hit: Catun (x1.2 blunt). It is also the maker with the heaviest weapons, x1.2 weight.
- Lightest: Ancient (x0.7 weight). The price is x0.8 and cut x0.9, so these are cheap, light, weaker blades: a starter's choice, not an endgame one.
- Do not buy for the price factor. Rusted Junk and Rusting Blade carry x0.3 price at levels 5 and 10: loot to scrap, not a weapon to carry.
Pairing with armour
Armour has no weapon grades. Its ladder is Prototype, Shoddy, Standard, High, Specialist, Masterwork, worst to best in our data. For what to wear with a good blade, read best armor.
4. How to craft up the ladder
You craft at a weapon smith bench, and the bench decides which grades it can roll. Three benches exist, each an upgrade of the last. The tech level, speed and power draw are the game's; the research is the wiki's tree (our tech tree shows the full chain).
| Bench | Grades on its list (full weight) | Speed | Power draw | Unlocked by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Smith | Old Refitted Blade, Refitted Blade | x1 | 8 | Basic Weapon Smithing (2 Book, 2 h) |
| Weapon Smith II | Catun No.1, Catun No.3, Catun No.2 | x1.5 | 12 | Advanced Weapon Smithing (1 Ancient Science Book, 3 h) |
| Weapon Smith III | Edge Type 1, Edge Type 3, Edge Type 2, Mk I | x2 | 30 | Advanced Weapon Smithing 2 (2 Ancient Science Book, 4 h) |
- Research Basic Weapon Smithing (2 Book) and build a Weapon Smith bench. It crafts Old Refitted Blade and Refitted Blade.
- Research the weapon type you want. Each type is its own blueprint, priced in cats and hours. The cheapest is Sabres at 1,500; Katanas cost 10,000 and Nodachi 15,000.
- Climb the grade research. Five Basic Weapon Grades steps cost 20 Books in all, and five Advanced Weapon Grades steps cost 15 Ancient Science Books. Our files list their costs but not which grade each step opens.
- Upgrade the bench. Advanced Weapon Smithing (1 Ancient Science Book) gives Weapon Smith II, and Advanced Weapon Smithing 2 (2 Ancient Science Book) gives Weapon Smith III, the one that crafts Edge Type grades. Ancient Science Books are scarce: see Engineering Research and Ancient Science Books.
| Blueprint | Unlocks | Cost (cats) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabres | Horse Chopper | 1,500 | 8 h |
| Cleavers | Flesh Cleaver and Moon Cleaver | 2,000 | 4 h |
| Ninja Blades | Ninja Blade | 2,500 | 4 h |
| Polearms | Heavy Polearm and Polearm | 3,000 | 4 h |
| Katanas | Katana and Guardless Katana | 10,000 | 6 h |
| Nodachi | Nodachi | 15,000 | 6 h |
| Exotic Weapons | Falling Sun | 20,000 | 12 h |
Meitou is on no bench
Each bench gives the grades on its list full weight and leaves the rest at 0. Meitou is on none of the three lists, and the Katana's crafting table in the wiki stops at Edge Type 2. The top grade is a find, not a build.
5. Where a Meitou comes from
Meitou is made by the maker Cross and is on no bench, so the only ways to hold one are to take it or to find a shop that has it. Our files hold no shop that lists Meitou, but they do hold who carries one. In the unique-character records, 26 characters use Cross as their weapon maker, and 22 named characters have a weapon marked (Meitou), for example Gorrillo, Mad Cat-Lon, Longen, Holy Lord Phoenix and Savant.
That is a list of who carries one, from the wiki's character pages. How hard each of them is to beat, and whether they drop the weapon, is not something our files record: the bosses page has each one's stats and location.
Open all 22 Meitou weapons by character
| Character | Meitou weapon | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Esata the Stone Golem | Fragment Axe | Admag |
| Eyegore | Desert Sabre | not placed in our data |
| General Hat-12 | Heavy Jitte | Ashland Dome IV |
| General Jang | Guardless Katana | Ashland Dome III |
| Gorrillo | Exile Plank | The Old Prison |
| Head of Agriculture | Short Cleaver | Ashland Dome I |
| Holy Lord Phoenix | Paladin's Cross | Blister Hill |
| King Gurgler | Combat Cleaver | Island Lab |
| Lady Kana | Wakizashi | Port North |
| Longen | Longsword | Trader's Edge |
| Mad Cat-Lon | Falling Sun | Cat-Lon's Exile |
| Mukai the Mountain | Fragment Axe | not placed in our data |
| Ponk | Holed Sabre | Tower of Abuse |
| Queen of the South | Polearm | Southern Hive |
| Red Sabre Boss | Horse Chopper | Red Sabre Hideout |
| Rhinobot | Topper | Ashland Dome II |
| Savant | Nodachi | Skinhouse HQ |
| Screamer the False | Heavy Polearm | Tower of Abuse |
| Slave Mistress Grace | Wakizashi | Slave Farm South |
| Slave Mistress Ren | Wakizashi | Slave Farm |
| The Preacher | Moon Cleaver | Cult Village |
| Valamon | Longsword | Ark |
Common mistakes
- Comparing weapons by name. A Rusted Junk Katana is far weaker than an Edge Type Katana; always compare the same grade.
- Hunting a Meitou blind. Its carriers are named bosses and leaders; read their stats on the bosses page before you go.
- Researching a blueprint without a bench. The blueprint does nothing until a Weapon Smith bench stands in your base.
- Treating the maker multiplier as the whole grade. The level scales the damage too; read the weapon's own grade table.
FAQ
What are the weapon grades in Kenshi?
15 grades in 6 bands: Unknown (Rusted Junk to Rusting Blade); Ancient (Mid-Grade Salvage to Refitted Blade); Catun Scrapmaster (Catun No.1 to Catun No.3); Skeleton Smiths (Mk I to Mk III); Edgewalkers (Edge Type 1 to Edge Type 3); Cross (Meitou). Level runs from 5 to 100.
What is the best weapon grade in Kenshi?
Meitou, level 100. The best you can craft is Edge Type 2 for a Katana.
Can you craft a Meitou weapon?
No. Meitou is on no weapon smith bench's list in the game files.
Where do I find a Meitou weapon?
22 named characters carry one, listed above with their location. Our files do not list a shop that sells Meitou.
Do armour and weapons use the same grades?
No. Armour uses Prototype, Shoddy, Standard, High, Specialist, Masterwork; weapons use the 15 grades above.
Does the grade change a weapon's attack and defence bonus?
Barely. The Katana's attack bonus goes from 3 at Rusted Junk to 4 at Meitou; its cut goes from 0.385 to 2.2.
Pages to keep open
Related pages
Sources
- Kenshi game files 1.0.68: weapon makers, grades and smith benches (via the Kenshi Interactive Map extract)
- Kenshi Wiki, Weapons (CC BY-SA 4.0), dump of 2026-10-13
- Kenshi Wiki, Category: Unique (the Meitou carriers)
- Kenshi Wiki, Weapon Smith
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