The Vanguard class in Chivalry 2 is a perfect blend of the speed of the Footman and the strength of the Knight. The Vanguard is a class that is more than willing to rush into the fray of battle, get a few mighty swings in, then duck out before the enemy has time to think.
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It's a great class for taking advantage of open enemies thanks to the Vanguard's ability to charge forwards with a leaping strike. This strike deals more damage and has a good chance, on a good hit, to instantly kill most enemies.
10 Cudgel – Holy Water Sprinkler, Spiked Club, War Club
The cudgel is a relatively short-range melee weapon available to Vanguards in Chivalry 2. Vanguard excel when they can jump into battle, deal serious damage, and get to a better position for another leaping strike – short-range weapons just don't cut it.
The cudgel isn't the shortest-range melee weapon Vanguards can use, but it's the least effective. The relatively small hitbox paired with the Vanguard's low health makes it a bad choice in most situations.
9 Hatchet – Hunting Hatchet, Utility Hatchet
The hatchet is another short-range weapon available to Vanguards in Chivalry 2, and although the class doesn't do well with short-range weaponry, the hatchet makes up for its lack of reach with its damage output.
Avoid leaping strikes with a hatchet, except to get into combat initially, and instead try to focus on swinging often and connecting those hits.
8 Short Sword – Carolingian, Katzbalger
The short sword is, perhaps surprisingly, not that short of a weapon at all. The two swords available to Vanguards are longer than the Archer/Footman's arming sword or broadsword, but their reach still pales in comparison to other, more effective weapons.
Short swords are great for situations where a longer weapon just wouldn't cut it, like on maps with small corridors or against teams that like to bunch together.
7 Battle Axe – Double Axe, Bowtie Axe
The Battle Axe is the best close-range weapon for the Vanguard bar none, thanks to its reliably huge damage output and its damage potential against all class types. It's a great close-range weapon for the leaping strike, and it's the only melee weapon that can be justifiably used over a longer-reaching one.
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The Battle Axe is best used in close combat situations where teammates and enemies alike are warring it out in a cluster of blood and steel. Use the battle-axe to break apart the crowd and thin out enemies without worrying as much about taking out allies on accident.
6 Maul –Maulnir, Spiked Maul
The maul is similar to the cudgel, in that it deals blunt close range damage, but it has a little bit more reach and swings a little bit slower to deal more damage. The Vanguard benefits off of huge attacks, even if they take a second to cool down from, and the maul successfully lets the Vanguard take out an enemy with a leaping strike.
The maul has a chance to crush the enemy's head, too, and the giant face of the hammer means you'll be connecting hits above the neckline pretty reliably.
5 Glaive – War Scythe
The glaive is an extremely effective weapon in the Vanguard's hands, as it lets them both chase down enemies and keep their distance from oncoming foes at the same time. The downside of the weapon, though, is its relatively low damage compared to other reach weapons.
The glaive is an excellent choice for just about any Vanguard strategy, but it does have downsides that other long-range melee weapons don't have, thanks to its gigantic low-damage handle.
4 Executioner's Axe – Beheader Axe, Bowed Axe
The executioner's axe, specifically the Beheader Axe and the Bowed Axe, are very effective weapons for the Vanguard, though they do have a bit less reach than the similar Dane Axe. The executioner's axe synergizes well with the Vanguard's long jump, though it has to connect at the tip to do any decent damage.
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As with all reach weapons, be very careful not to get too close to your target or you won't hit them with the damaging part of your blade. The executioner's axe is not very forgiving when it comes to accurate hits.
3 Dane Axe – Dane Axe, Headsman Axe
The Dane axe is, appropriately, an axe modeled after the long-handled axes originally designed to break shield blocks. The Dane axe in Chivalry 2 is available to the Vanguard, and despite being a one-handed weapon, is very good for its reach and damage output.
It swings more slowly than other one-handed weapons, but it synergizes well with the Vanguard's ability and its reach makes it easily outclass the Battle Axe and Hatchet.
2 Two-Handed Hammer – Nadzjak
The two-handed hammer and the greatsword are often tossed up as the best weapon for the Vanguard class. The two-handed hammer is extremely powerful, able to kill Archers and other low-max-HP players in a single, mighty swing.
The downside of the two-handed hammer compared to the greatsword, though, is that the player must take care not to hit their opponent with the long hilt. When you connect with the head of the hammer, you'll know it.
1 Greatsword – Greatsword, Zweihander
The greatsword, including the Zweihander and the normal greatsword, are easily the best weapons for the Vanguard class. The Vanguard excels at getting to the enemy backline and taking Archers and other players by surprise, and the slashing damage of a greatsword dispatches these foes faster than King Henry VIII killed some of his wives.
While the greatsword deals less damage to armored opponents, it is one of the few Vanguard primary weapons that will deal significant damage no matter which part of the weapon is used – the entire blade will trigger normal damage, and it can be used to thrust, slash, and overhead strike just as well as any more specialist weapon.