As the world of The Walking Dead expands, the various survivors continue to be beset by newer, greater dangers. Daryl and Carol's group on the The Walking Dead finally destroyed the Whisperers, only to have Princess, Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Eugene surrounded by the Commonwealth. Morgan's Fear the Walking Dead crew surrendered to Virginia, while Morgan himself was nearly killed—first by Virginia, and then by a horrifying new foe—only to arise from the fight a man possessed. On The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the teenagers left the safety of the Campus Colony, only to find the outside world is a little more dangerous than they let on... meanwhile, their home may no longer be safe thanks to the CRM.

What do all these narratives have in common? The apocalypse is dangerous. Very dangerous. Whether it's walkers or people, you need a good weapon to survive. While there's always fascinating new options on the horizon (hello, Silas' wrench), throughout the series there have been a few weapons that truly stood out as iconic armaments. As the various denizens of the apocalypse sharpen their knives (metaphorical and real) for their upcoming battles, we look back at some of the best weapons in the universe's history.

Daryl's Crossbow

The vest, the bike, and other Daryl trademarks have come and gone, but nothing really says Daryl Dixon like the crossbow. He trademarked this weapon for himself early on in the apocalypse, and has only since become more deadly as a hunter, a walker-killer, and now as the leader of the survivors. That's partially thanks to his deadly skill with the crossbow, which allows him to skulk through the woods unseen until -- wham -- his enemy has a bolt in their skull.

Read More: Who Is TWD's Masked Man? Five Theories So Wild They Can’t Possibly Be True

Morgan's Bo Staff

Morgan has used his staff as a tool of death, of defense, of non-violence, and of recovery on his long journey from crazy guy to warrior for peace and back again. He's taught these ways to Benjamin and to Henry, who then taught it to Lydia, who's keeping it going today. That's a pretty amazing legacy for a 5 foot long stick of wood.

Watch: Cast and Creators on the New Morgan:

Rick's Python

This weapon is the stuff of TWD legends. Rick uses it prior to the apocalypse. He uses it to put down the terrifying little zombie girl in one of the series' most shocking scenes. And now its history is carried all the way to the present with Judith. There's no question this is a truly iconic weapon. The only question we have, is what will Rick use now when he returns with the CRM in the Rick Grimes movie?

Read More: Find Out How Rick Grimes Ties in to the Larger TWD Universe

John Dorie's Colt .45s

The consummate gunslinger naturally has iconic pistols that he deftly wields—it's a perfect pairing with his classic hat and coat. John can not only shoot with unbelievable accuracy, but he can spin his weapons around like a movie cowboy. These are tricks he gained from his time working at Humbug's Gulch rodeo when he performed trick shooting in their Western-themed performances. But these guns aren't mere parlor tricks for John, or even tools for survival (though he certainly uses them as that). They're tokens of his love for June, as he shares them with her before they are separated.

Negan's True Love: Lucille

Some weapons are famous for their positive contributions to the group's survival. Others? Not so much. Lucille, Negan's one true love, is the weapon that killed Glenn, Abraham, and countless others. But man... Negan loves that bat and uses it to great physical and psychological effect.

Michonne's Katana

Nobody is more deadly with a sword than Michonne. Nobody. From the moment she arrived to save Andrea, with walkers in tow, the katana was been her steady companion. No one can deny that she just looks cool as hell with that thing. (Style points are a thing!) Like Rick with his python, Michonne passed her skills down to the next generation. Judith has been seen using an admittedly smaller version of the katana at times.

Read Now: Ten Moments That Prove Michonne Is the Fiercest

Aaron's Mase-Arm

One of the survivors newest weapons is also one of their coolest: Aaron's mase-arm. Executive Producer Denise Huth says Aaron's mase attachment is "very very scary and very effective at killing walkers." Ross Marquand calls it the "best weapon ever." But the highest praise may come from Negan himself, who knows a thing or two about iconic weapons, and says "that's awesome, putting the 'ol stump to use." And he sure does put it to good use, killing walkers with abandon.

Watch: Cast and Creators on the Weaponry and Battles of TWD Season 10:

Shane's Shotgun

So part of the reason Shane chose this particular weapon was probably that it was bigger than Rick's gun, right? But whatever he may have been compensating for, you can't deny the effectiveness of Shane's iconic shotgun, used to blast walkers to pieces while looking cool doing it.

Merle’s Knife-Arm

Before Aaron, Merle had an earlier generation of this contraption with a gnarly knife set in the place of his missing hand. Merle being Merle, he used his hand for evil instead of good, terrorizing people rather than killing walkers with his version. Still, the OG version was a great moment in TWD weaponry in its own right.

These weapons only go so far in protecting the survivors from all the obstacles of the apocalypse. Read a Q&A with Lennie James to see what he thinks fans can look forward to for Morgan in Season 6 of Fear the Walking Dead.

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