Why Fists in Deepwoken Need a Buff

Fists have always been a unique and fun weapon choice in Deepwoken, offering fast attacks and mix-ups. However, after several nerfs, they’ve been left in a state where almost no one uses them. Compared to other weapons—especially the recently released Bow—Fists feel underwhelming. Here’s why they need a buff:

1. Overnerfed to the Point of Irrelevance

Fists used to be a solid choice, but after multiple nerfs, they have fallen completely out of the meta. Their damage and swingspeed was reduced, their hitstun became weaker, and some of their mix-up potential was taken away. As a result, barely anyone uses them anymore. A weapon class shouldn’t be so weak that it’s practically abandoned—Fists need a buff to be a viable option again.

2. Hard Countered by Passive Heavy & Medium Users

One of the biggest issues with Fists is that they get completely countered by Heavy and Medium weapons, especially when the opponent plays passively. Since Fists rely on getting in close and pressuring the opponent, anyone using a Heavy weapon can just space them out, wait for a mistake, and deal massive damage. Medium weapons, while not as extreme, can still outtrade Fists with their superior range and damage. This shouldn’t be the case—Fists should have tools to deal with passive play, not be helpless against it.

3. Way of Navae’s Critical Attack Is Nearly Useless

Way of Navae, a fist style built around speed and mix-ups, suffers from an overnerfed critical attack that is almost impossible to land. The Navae crit has such a short range and slow startup that it only works against bad players or if you have a specific setup, like Ice Grab. Unlike other weapons, whose crits provide strong offensive pressure or utility, Navae’s crit doesn’t contribute meaningfully to its playstyle because it never lands due to the slow windup .

4. How New Mechanics Have Indirectly Nerfed Fists Even More

Previously, Fist users could wear large hats to cover up their attack animations, making it harder for opponents to react to their mix-ups. But now that players can toggle hats invisible, this strategy is completely gone, making it much easier to predict and react to Fist attacks.

Meanwhile, other weapon types weren’t affected nearly as much because they already had better range, damage, or crit utility. This change, combined with previous nerfs, has made Fists feel even worse in comparison.

5. New Weapons Keep Releasing That Are Just Better Versions of Fists

New weapons and weapon types continue to be added to Deepwoken, and some of them completely outclass Fists to the point where Fists feel like an outdated weapon choice. A perfect example is the new Bow, which has almost the same swing speed, more damage, significantly more range, and even deals slash damage instead of blunt—which most players have less resistance to.

This makes no sense because the Bow essentially has Fist stats but is outright better in every way. Instead of Fists being adjusted to stay relevant, newer weapons keep getting introduced that overshadow them, leaving them even further behind in the meta.

6. New Additions to Fists Are Too Inaccessible or Not Worth Using

Recently, Deepwoken introduced a new Fighting Style and a new Cestus, but neither of them has helped Fists become relevant again.

The new Cestus is locked behind the hardest boss in the game and isn’t even droppable, meaning that only a small handful of players have access to it. Most of the people who do have it either built their entire character around farming the boss or are voiding it with exploits—which, unfortunately, many competitive players resort to. This means that, despite being a "buff" to Fists, this new Cestus isn't even a practical option for most players.

As for the new Fighting Style, while it has good animations and seems decent on paper, no one really uses it because Fists are still so easy to counter. The lack of range and poor matchups make it hard to justify using any Fist style, no matter how flashy or well-designed it is. Until Fists get meaningful buffs, new styles and weapons won’t matter if the core weaknesses of the weapon class remain the same.

7. It Feels Like There’s a Bias Against Fists

Heavy weapons have always been insanely strong in Deepwoken, but the problem isn’t just that they’re powerful—it’s that people don’t even find them fun to play. Many players only use Heavy because it lets them win fights they shouldn’t, allowing them to be significantly worse than their opponent and still come out on top just because they’re using Heavy.

You can even ask good competitive players, and they’ll tell you the same thing—Heavy isn’t enjoyable, it’s just too effective to ignore. Meanwhile, Fists, which require far more effort and skill to play well, keep getting nerfed into irrelevance.

At this point, it feels like there’s a bias against Fists, as they have been nerfed multiple times while Heavy weapons remain dominant with little consequence. Even when Fists aren’t directly nerfed, new mechanics or weapon releases often make them worse by comparison, further pushing them out of the meta. Instead of balancing the game properly, Fists continue to be left behind while Heavy remains the go-to choice for easy wins.