Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2.Daryl will be carrying not one but two signature weapons when The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon returns for its third season. From Negan’s barbed wire baseball bat to Rick Grimes’ Colt Python, The Walking Dead is packed with iconic weapons, but no character is more attached to his equipment than Daryl Dixon is to his crossbow. The weapon has become synonymous with Norman Reedus’ character across The Walking Dead‘s timeline, remaining Daryl’s steadfast companion through wars, winters, and Whisperers.

Daryl’s The Walking Dead spinoff series took the bold step of separating its titular character from his famous weapon. Daryl lost his crossbow before crossing the Atlantic, and one of the survivors who witnessed his capture in the U.S. later claimed it as a prize. Daryl has been forced to find alternative ways of killing zombies in Daryl Dixon ever since, utilizing everything from chemical weapons to old-fashioned rifles. Daryl Dixon season 3, however, will take a new approach by letting its protagonist wield a combination of two different signature weapons.

Daryl Gets His Crossbow Back, But Still Carries The Flail Into Daryl Dixon Season 3

If Daryl Wasn’t Someone To Be Messed With Before…

It did not take Daryl long at all to replace his missing crossbow. Since picking up a medieval flail in the abbey where Laurent and Isabelle lived, Norman Reedus has continued to carry the swinging melee weapon throughout both seasons of Daryl Dixon, and the spiky ball effectively took the crossbow’s place. Nevertheless, Daryl Dixon season 2’s ending saw Carol restore the status quo. Having relieved the aforementioned thief of the stolen item, she lugged Daryl’s crossbow across the Atlantic to finally reunite it with its rightful owner on French shores.

One might assume that, upon feeling the warm comfort of his familiar weapon once again, Daryl would drop the flail like he dropped responsibility for looking after Judith, no longer requiring its twirly services. The Daryl Dixon season 2 finale proved otherwise, as Daryl whipped out the flail during the episode’s climactic Channel Tunnel battle. The scene effectively confirmed that Daryl will be making use of two different signature weapons when Daryl Dixon season 3 begins – a first for the character in The Walking Dead.

Daryl’s Two Signature Weapons Are A Promising Sign For Season 3’s Action Sequences

Prepare For A Visual Spectacle In Daryl Dixon Season 3

Daryl Dixon has offered up an impressive selection of spectacular action sequences, especially in season 2. Daryl’s one-man rampage against the Union soldiers, which also included a ridiculous single-shot sequence, could have been plucked straight from a John Wick movie, and the final shootout to protect Ash’s plane stands among the most high-octane sequences in The Walking Dead history. Despite setting a high bar, Daryl’s two signature weapons promise even better fight scenes in Daryl Dixon season 3.

With the crossbow perfect for mid or long-range attacks and the flail better for close-quarters battles, the combination of both unlocks a host of stunt possibilities. By blending the potential of Daryl’s new arsenal with the intense choreography demonstrated in Daryl Dixon season 2’s Daryl vs. the Union battle, season 3 has a clear way to raise its visual game.

D aryl Dixon season 2 elevated Norman Reedus to the status of bona fide action hero, but probably exhausted what could be achieved with a rifle, a regular bow, and the flail alone. Mixing the novelty of the flail with Daryl’s more traditional crossbow technique means Daryl Dixon season 3’s Spanish villains should be very afraid.

Daryl Dixon’s Flail Weapon Was First Introduced In Season 10

This Isn’t Daryl’s First Flail-deo

While Daryl Dixon has certainly made the flail his own since arriving in France, his history with the weapon stretches back to The Walking Dead season 10 episode “Morning Star.” Daryl used a larger version of the weapon while battling undead at Hilltop, and occasionally returned to it until The Walking Dead‘s ending. While this may explain why Daryl picked out a flail when perusing the Abbey of Saint Bernadette’s selection of weapons, The Walking Dead‘s main series never utilized it as much as Daryl Dixon has, and would typically defer to the crossbow or a firearm.

The Walking Dead refers to Daryl’s weapon as a morning star, but this term is more often associated with a spiked ball mounted on a solid stick without any chain.

Being deprived of his crossbow has forced Daryl Dixon to develop into a more rounded combatant. Norman Reedus’ character has always been among the most formidable survivors in The Walking Dead‘s world, but fighting in France without any home comforts means Daryl is far more skilled than when he was first captured, and much better at using the flail compared to season 10. Being able to seamlessly switch between two signature weapons means that when The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon decides to actually bring him home, Daryl will return to the Commonwealth far better equipped to protect his loved ones.