This one is a little objective, and a little subjective, but ultimately all down to taste. I like when weapons or items give me options that are necessarily just stats but can be content or more importantly changes or add something unique to my build.
Dawnsword - Probably one of the best-made and implemented weapons in the game. Got its own story, is sentient to a certain extent but isn't chatty, and gets a cool moment in the Alissa mission and hopefully more. Doesn't lock me into a certain playstyle, not free form but at least has a kind of loadout you can play around with, and allows for a lot of experimentation across classes. The Deflection ability is great too even after the nerf because it's dependable and not rng based.
Chrysanthemum Petal - Still pretty good after the nerfs just no longer a staple in my mage build.
Circlet of Sunlight - Acts as a plot item for 2nd-Bestgirl, which is miscible by the way, short character moment for said girl, and has an amazing ability that doubles as both a buff and attack. The best abilities are the ones that do at least 2 things so it is great.
Ashlander - Honestly if you separated the character from this item I'd never use it. Locks you into a specific playstyle, no duel-wielding of any kind, and the incentive for using it is non-existent for me because it offers nothing unique. The -1 corruption yoga should've been a 1-3 rng roll to get you hooked on the mechanic or else why bother when there are far better options from Zo or Sanders? The Polish and Shafting scenes should've had some impact on the weapon of some kind like a buff for Physical damage if polished or extra fire damage if shafted, some sort of incentive. And making scenes for Ash trigger if carried in inventory should've been a thing, because she slows my playstyle down, if it weren't for SKoW writing dragons and characters like a God I'd call it shit and never use it.
War Scythe - Workhorse across multiple playthroughs. Breaking the rule for this one but it's just so dependable, you can never go wrong with her, no matter what class. Very good for acting as a filler weapon until you find something worthwhile and still good as a fallback.
Dawnsword - Probably one of the best-made and implemented weapons in the game. Got its own story, is sentient to a certain extent but isn't chatty, and gets a cool moment in the Alissa mission and hopefully more. Doesn't lock me into a certain playstyle, not free form but at least has a kind of loadout you can play around with, and allows for a lot of experimentation across classes. The Deflection ability is great too even after the nerf because it's dependable and not rng based.
Chrysanthemum Petal - Still pretty good after the nerfs just no longer a staple in my mage build.
Circlet of Sunlight - Acts as a plot item for 2nd-Bestgirl, which is miscible by the way, short character moment for said girl, and has an amazing ability that doubles as both a buff and attack. The best abilities are the ones that do at least 2 things so it is great.
Ashlander - Honestly if you separated the character from this item I'd never use it. Locks you into a specific playstyle, no duel-wielding of any kind, and the incentive for using it is non-existent for me because it offers nothing unique. The -1 corruption yoga should've been a 1-3 rng roll to get you hooked on the mechanic or else why bother when there are far better options from Zo or Sanders? The Polish and Shafting scenes should've had some impact on the weapon of some kind like a buff for Physical damage if polished or extra fire damage if shafted, some sort of incentive. And making scenes for Ash trigger if carried in inventory should've been a thing, because she slows my playstyle down, if it weren't for SKoW writing dragons and characters like a God I'd call it shit and never use it.
War Scythe - Workhorse across multiple playthroughs. Breaking the rule for this one but it's just so dependable, you can never go wrong with her, no matter what class. Very good for acting as a filler weapon until you find something worthwhile and still good as a fallback.