Elden Ring best weapons: 24 best weapons in Elden Ring and how to get them
The best strength, dex, faith, and bleed weapons in Elden Ring
What are the best weapons in Elden Ring? An important question as you travel the Lands Between and battle your way through bosses, side quests and more. Although the best weapons in Elden Ring will vary upon opinion, playstyle, and which of the best builds you're trying out, it's good to have a complete list to refer to.
We've gathered a selection of the 24 best weapons in Elden Ring and categorised them according to strength, PvP, scaling, intelligence and more to help you find the perfect weapon. This list has been updated to include the latest patch (1.10). With it, you can perfect your current build or perhaps respec and try something new for Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree.
On this page:
- The best weapons in Elden Ring
- Best early weapons in Elden Ring
- Best strength weapons in Elden Ring
- Best dexterity weapons in Elden Ring
- Best faith weapons in Elden Ring
- Best bleed weapons in Elden Ring
- Best intelligence weapons in Elden Ring
- Best arcane weapons in Elden Ring
- Best scaling weapons in Elden Ring
12 Elden Ring Tips And Tricks To Help You Easily Conquer The First 10 Hours
The best weapons in Elden Ring
Weapons in Elden Ring are pretty complex things. Not only do different weapons deal different types of damage and scale with different attributes, but they also differ in terms of attack speed, attack type, range, status effects, skills, and more.
Below we've listed 24 of the best weapons in the game, organised into various categories, such as best early game weapons, best strength weapons, best bleed weapons, and so on. But some of these weapons are so powerful that they transcend these categories. So before we start in earnest, here's my own personal list of the very best weapons in Elden Ring.
The best weapons in Elden Ring are:
Now let's learn a little more about these and other top Elden Ring weapons, and how to get your hands on them.
Best early weapons in Elden Ring
Reduvia
An early dagger that also happens to be one of the best weapons in the game, Reduvia's call to fame is its unique skill, which gives you the ability to launch potent ranged bleed attacks.
- Type: Dagger (Unique)
- Weight: 2.5
- Requirements: 5 Str, 13 Dex, 13 Arc
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (50)
- Unique Skill: Reduvia Blood Blade - Slash with the wicked dagger, transforming its never-drying bloodstains into airborne blood blades that cause hemorrhaging. Can be fired in rapid succession.
Being a dagger, Reduvia is capable of very quick attacks, which allows you to stack bleed very efficiently on a target. It may lack the range of most weapons, but that weakness is ameliorated by the Reduvia Blood Blade skill. This skill has a low FP cost and can be spammed very effectively, giving you a very powerful mid-range weapon which remains effective even into the mid-to-late game if you keep levelling up the weapon.
As per the 1.07 Elden Ring patch, Reduvia received an additional increase to attack power and added damage detection. This enables the blade to carve out damage, not just the weapon effect.
How to get Reduvia:
To get Reduvia, you must defeat Bloody Finger Nerijus outside Murkwater Cave in Limgrave. When you approach the cave entrance from the river for the first time, you'll be invaded by Nerijus, who uses Reduvia against you. Defeat him to claim the powerful blade for yourself.
Uchigatana
The Uchigatana is the first and simplest of the katana weapons in Elden Ring, but it's tremendously powerful in its own right. This weapon has become the go-to early-game blade for many an Elden Ring player.
- Type: Katana
- Weight: 5.5
- Requirements: 11 Str, 15 Dex
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (45)
- Default Skill: Unsheathe - Skill of swordsmen from the Land of Reeds. Sheathe blade, holding it at the hip in a composed stance. Follow up with a normal or strong attack to perform a swift slash attack.
Don't let its simple nature fool you: the Uchigatana is a tremendously versatile weapon with no real downside, and you can quite happily use it throughout the entire game, all the way up to Malenia, Blade Of Miquella and beyond. It has good range, a nice bleed effect, low requirements, decent scaling, and you can put most Ashes Of War onto it to adapt it to your particular playstyle. What's not to like?
How to get the Uchigatana:
The Uchigatana is the starting weapon for the Samurai class (lucky them!), but if you don't start as a Samurai you can still get hold of it
Head to the Deathtouched Catacombs in northern Limgrave. Partway into this mini-dungeon you'll enter a room with an elevated platform, from which skeleton archers shoot down at you. Keep progressing through the Catacombs and you'll eventually reach this elevated platform. Kill the skeletons, then loot the body hanging over the edge of the platform. On this corpse is the Uchigatana.
Great Épée
The Great Épée is a powerful early-game thrusting sword with an excellent reach, and a versatile moveset which is excellent for 1v1s and fighting while outnumbered.
- Type: Heavy Thrusting Sword
- Weight: 6.5
- Requirements: 15 Str, 16 Dex
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Default Skill: Impaling Thrust - Skill that lets piercing armaments overcome enemy shields. Build power, then lunge forward for a long thrust that pierces an enemy's guard.
The Great Épée is the earliest of the Heavy Thrusting Swords in Elden Ring, a weapon type characterised by their excellent ranged thrust attacks. It hits hard, and its light attacks are surprisingly nimble for a weapon of its size. Like the Uchigatana, when fully levelled the Great Épée can contend with any boss in the game.
Additionally, The Great Épée's Impaling Thrust skill received an additional buff from the Elden Ring 1.07 patch. In this patch, the skill was given an increase in motion speed and attack power along with a reduced delay between the end of the skill animation and performing an action. This should make it easier for players to roll or perform another action in combat after executing the Impaling Thrust.
How to get the Great Épée:
The Great Épée can be found in an encampment a short distance northeast of the Forlorn Hound Evergaol at the bottom of Limgrave. Next to some ruins are a couple of tents guarded by a handful of mercenaries. Defeat them, then open the chest under the right-hand tent to obtain the Great Épée.
Best strength weapons in Elden Ring
Prelate's Inferno Crozier
Very high strength requirements should give you an idea of the awesome power of the Prelate's Inferno Crozier, a massive fiery hammer that can send smaller enemies flying into the air.
- Type: Colossal Weapon
- Weight: 23.5
- Requirements: 45 Str, 8 Dex
- Damage Type: Strike
- Unique Skill: Prelate's Charge - Slam armament into the ground to create a surge of flames, then charge in. Hold to continue the charge.
As with most high strength weapons in Elden Ring, the Prelate's Inferno Crozier is a very slow weapon to wield. But it deals tremendous damage with each hit, and with heavy attacks it can easily break even large enemies' stances. The Prelate's Charge skill is also a fun one, allowing you to lead a fiery charge towards (and through) an enemy before ending with a large uppercut strike.
How to get the Prelate's Inferno Crozier:
To get the Prelate's Inferno Crozier, you need to defeat the Fire Prelate inside Fort Laiedd on the west coast of Mt Gelmir. The outside of the fort is guarded by Flame Chariots and other enemies, but you can easily avoid most of them and simply enter the fort to fight the Prelate alone.
Brick Hammer
The Brick Hammer is another hammer with extremely good strength scaling, and has the advantage of being accessible far earlier in the game than the Prelate's Inferno Crozier.
- Type: Great Hammer
- Weight: 12.5
- Requirements: 31 Str
- Damage Type: Strike
- Default Skill: Barbaric Roar - Let loose a bestial roar to rally the spirit and increase attack power. While active, strong attacks change to savage combo attacks.
When fully levelled, the Brick Hammer is one of very few weapons in the game that can reach an S-Tier strength scaling grade, which allows it to keep up with the initially higher damage output of the Crozier.
Additionally, as per the 1.07 update, the Barbaric Roar skill received an extended effect duration and reduced recovery time. This means players using the skill can perform an action afterwards more quickly and capitalise on the Great Hammer's follow-up damage.
How to get the Brick Hammer:
The Brick Hammer is found inside Stormveil Castle in Limgrave. Retrieve the Rusty Key from the room with the Banished Knight inside, then use it to open the door visible from the outside of that room. Climb the ladder to the top and head right. Follow the platform to its end (jumping over the gaps along the way), and you'll find a corpse overhanging the ledge at the end. Loot it to obtain the Brick Hammer.
Grafted Blade Greatsword
The Grafted Blade Greatsword is one of the 9 Legendary Armaments in Elden Ring. A very formidable greatsword, it can buff the stats of its wielder at their will.
- Type: Colossal Sword (Unique)
- Weight: 21
- Requirements: 40 Str, 14 Dex
- Damage Type: Standard
- Unique Skill: Oath Of Vengeance - Swear an oath upon the greatsword to avenge the clan, temporarily raising all attributes for a certain duration. While the oath's effects are active, poise will also be increased.
The Grafted Blade Greatsword may be the easiest of the Legendary Armaments to obtain, but it's certainly no slouch. Now the blade is more powerful thanks to 1.04's patch buffing its base damage and patch 1.07 extending the skill duration. This sword is capable of dealing massive damage with its slow, sweeping strikes. It's an excellent boss-killing weapon thanks both to its stun potential and its skill, which acts as a temporary mini-Godrick Great Rune, buffing all attributes for a short time.
How to get the Grafted Blade Greatsword:
The Grafted Blade Greatsword is obtain by killing Leonine Misbegotten, the boss of Castle Morne in the Weeping Peninsula south of Limgrave. It's also worth noting that the weapon is part of a quest between Irina and Edgar. Edgar will not leave Castle Morne until the Leonine Misbegotten is killed, because he cannot allow it to maintain control of the Grafted Blade Greatsword. But don't worry - Edgar won't take the Greatsword away from you after defeating the boss - you'll still get to keep it.
Broadsword
Though it may look and sound mundane, the Broadsword is one of the best strength-scaling weapons on offer in Elden Ring. It's startlingly quick, startlingly strong, and as an added bonus it comes equipped with the very powerful Square Off skill.
- Type: Straight Sword
- Weight: 4
- Requirements: 10 Str, 10 Dex
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Default Skill: Square Off - This skill starts with the sword held level. Follow up with a normal attack to slash upwards through enemy's guard, or a strong attack to perform a running thrust.
If you're dubious, give the Broadsword a try. It's a versatile weapon that fits into many builds, and it just has no downsides at all. In many ways it's like the strength equivalent of the Uchigatana, with the added benefit of the Square Off skill, which has become a staple in both PvE and PvP thanks to its quick, strong, high-reach attacks.
How to get the Broadsword:
The Broadsword is the starting weapon for the Confessor, but you can also purchase it very early on from the Nomadic Merchant a short distance from the Coastal Cave on the west coast of Limgrave. The cost of the Broadsword is 1,800 Runes - an absolute bargain for one of the best strength weapons in the game.
Best dexterity weapons in Elden Ring
Bloodhound's Fang
Bloodhound's Fang is a devastating curved greatsword which deals high damage despite its propensity for dex scaling. Its skill, Bloodhound's Finesse, is also fantastic for safely dealing high damage to enemies.
- Type: Curved Greatsword (Unique)
- Weight: 11.5
- Requirements: 18 Str, 17 Dex
- Damage Type: Slash
- Passive: Bleed (55)
- Unique Skill: Bloodhound's Finesse - Slash upwards with the Bloodhound's Fang, using the momentum of the strike to perform a backwards somersault and gain some distance from foes. Follow up with a strong attack to perform the Bloodhund's Step attack.
Bloodhound's Fang has an awful lot going for it. Not only does it deal high damage at a surprisingly good range, but it's also capable of bleed attacks using a moveset that isn't nearly as slow as you might expect from a weapon of its size. This weapon could have been included in the best early-game weapons list as well, because it's a Limgrave weapon that can easily be taken to the very end of the game.
How to get Bloodhound's Fang:
Bloodhound's Fang is wielded by Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, located in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol in the south of Limgrave. The Evergaol is only a short distance north of the bridge which separates Limgrave from the Weeping Peninsula. Defeat Darriwil to obtain the Bloodhound's Fang greatsword.
Godskin Peeler
A wicked-looking twinblade used by the Godskin Apostles, the Godskin Peeler is a fast and deadly weapon capable of conjuring powerful blackflame attacks.
- Type: Twinblade
- Weight: 8
- Requirements: 17 Str, 22 Dex
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Default Skill: Black Flame Tornado - Spin armament overhead and then plunge it into the ground to summon a raging vortex of black flames. Hold to create an initial flame tornado while spinning the armament.
Aside from the Black Flame Tornado skill allowing you to look like an absolute badass on command, the Godskin Peeler is a very formidable weapon thanks to its high speed, reach, and great Dexterity scaling. This is definitely a weapon that you can take to the endgame if you wanted.
How to get the Godskin Peeler:
To get the Godskin Peeler, you'll need to journey to the far northern reaches of the Altus Plateau until you reach the Windmill Village. Fight your way up to the top of the hill upon which the village resides, and you'll find a Godskin Apostle boss using this very weapon. Defeat the Apostle to claim the Godskin Peeler for yourself.
Hand Of Malenia
The Hand Of Malenia may be tough to obtain, but it's undoubtedly one of the strongest dexterity weapons in the game, and allows the use of Malenia's devastating Waterfowl Dance attack.
- Type: Katana (Unique)
- Weight: 7
- Requirements: 16 Str, 48 Dex
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (50)
- Unique Skill: Waterfowl Dance - Perform a series of one-footed leaps in the manner of a waterfowl to unleash a swift yet graceful slashing combo. Repeated inputs allow for up to two follow-up attacks.
As with most katanas, the Hand Of Malenia has excellent dexterity scaling, great reach, and a good balance between damage and attack speed. The Waterfowl Dance skill sllows the users to unleash a long flurry of fast attacks, which synergise perfectly with the blade's passive bleed effect.
How to get the Hand Of Malenia:
The Hand Of Malenia can be obtained from the Remembrance of the Rot Goddess, which you receive after defeating Malenia. Take the Remembrance to Enia at the Roundtable Hold, and you'll be able to use up the Remembrance in order to receive the Hand Of Malenia.
Nagakiba
The Nagakiba is a very similar weapon to the Uchigatana, but comes with the benefit of increased range similar to the Hand Of Malenia.
- Type: Katana
- Weight: 7
- Requirements: 18 Str, 22 Dex
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (45)
- Default Skill: Piercing Fang - A skill used by Bloody Finger Hunter Yura. Starting with your blade held horizontally, make a powerful thrust that cannot be blocked.
There's not much to say about the Nagakiba - it's just a really good katana, perfect for any dexterity-based character. The Piercing Fang default skill is a good skill for dealing damage through enemy defences, but you can also switch it out for any other Ash Of War that you'd like.
If you do decide to stick with the Piercing Fang skill, it received a nice little boost in the Elden Ring 1.07 patch. It should now have increased motion speed, attack power and poise damage. The skill has also received a reduced animation delay, meaning you'll be able to perform subsequent actions faster.
How to get the Nagakiba:
The Nagakiba is the weapon of choice of Yura, Bloody Finger Hunter. You can either kill him at his camp north of Murkwater Cave, or progress his questline until you meet him at the Second Church Of Marika in the Altus Plateau. There you can talk to him and obtain the Nagakiba.
Best faith weapons in Elden Ring
Blasphemous Blade
The Blasphemous Blade greatsword is such a strong weapon that there is a whole section of the playerbase using what has become known as Blasphemous Blade builds.
- Type: Greatsword (Unique)
- Weight: 13.5
- Requirements: 22 Str, 15 Dex, 21 Fai
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Unique Skill: Taker's Flames - Raise the sacred sword aloft to set it ablaze with blasphemous flames, then bring it down to fire off a forward blast. The flames steal HP from those they touch.
The Blasphemous Blade is one of only a few weapons that naturally deals fire damage with each attack. It's a powerful greatsword that deals lots of damage with every hit, but its true strength comes from the Taker's Flames skill, which can easily cut down the health bar of an enemy while staying just out of their effective range.
How to get the Blasphemous Blade:
The Blasphemous Blade is obtained by defeating Lord Rykard, the lord of Volcano Manor in Mt Gelmir. Take the Remembrance of the Blasphemous back to Enia at the Roundtable Hold in order to unlock the use of the infamous Blasphemous Blade.
Sword Of Night And Flame
Another sword around which many builds are created, the Sword Of Night And Flame is a potent magical artifact which can be used to cast two very powerful spells against enemies.
- Type: Straight Sword (Unique)
- Weight: 4
- Requirements: 12 Str, 12 Dex, 24 Int, 24 Fai
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Unique Skill: Night-And-Flame Stance - Hold the sword level and prepare to cast a sorcery. Follow up with a normal attack to cast the Comet Azur sorcery, or a strong attack to sweep forward with a burst of flames.
The Sword Of Night And Flame is one of the legendary armaments like the Grafted Blade Greatsword, but this blade deals a three-way split between physical, magical, and fire damage, making it powerful against many different enemy types. But the real value of this sword is its skill, Night-And-Flame Stance, which can be used to cast the extremely powerful Comet Azur sorcery spell at will - a spell that can melt enemies even in late-game areas.
Additionally, thanks to the 1.07 patch, the skill can now be repositioned up and down and has had an increase in overall attack power. The weapon has received improved damage detection meaning you'll be delivering consistent damage with both the blade and Night-And-Flame Stance skill.
How to get the Sword Of Night And Flame:
The Sword Of Night And Flame is located in a hidden area of Caria Manor, but fortunately it's not that difficult to reach. Proceed through the grounds until you reach the Manor Lower Level grace, then proceed along the rootftops. Take the first left, then turn right, and jump off the left side of the walkway onto the rooftop below.
Hop down to the next rooftop and climb the ladder down to reach a hidden room. Open the chest in this room to receive the Sword Of Night and Flame.
Sacred Relic Sword
The Sacred Relic Sword has possibly the most powerful unique skill of any weapon in Elden Ring. Sadly, it's only available after beating the final boss of the game.
- Type: Greatsword (Unique)
- Weight: 11
- Requirements: 14 Str, 14 Dex, 22 Fai
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Unique Skill: Wave Of Gold - Imbue the sword with bygone golden glory, then fire it at foes. A wide, golden wave fans out forwards, sweeping through all enemies caught in its path.
The Sacred Relic Sword is a powerful greatsword with great reach and strong attacks which deal holy as well as physical damage. It's a formidable weapon in itself, but the Wave Of Gold skill is its real asset, unleashing a giant wave of light which deals severe damage in a wide arc in front of you. It's also been buffed further in patch 1.04, giving it reduced FP cost and faster cast and recovery speeds.
It's worth noting that if you're thinking of using this skill in PvP, per the 1.09 patch, the damage and poise damage of Wave of Gold were scaled back slightly. This only affects opponents that are a certain distance away and does not affect main game stats.
How to get the Sacred Relic Sword:
The Sacred Relic Sword is obtaining by trading in the Elden Remembrance with Enia at the Roundtable Hold. The Elden Remembrance is received upon defeating Radagon and the Elden Beast, the final boss in Elden Ring.
Black Knife
The Black Knife is a fast and vicious knife that deals holy damage, and has the ability to send forward projectiles which reduce the target's maximum HP for a time.
- Type: Dagger (Unique)
- Weight: 2
- Requirements: 8 Str, 12 Dex, 18 Fai
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Unique Skill: Blade Of Death - Unleash the power of the Rune of Death to fire off a blade-like projectile. In addition to dealing immediate damage, the blade reduces the enemy's maximum HP and continues to wear down HP for a while.
The Black Knife occupies a similar niche to Reduvia, as a quick dagger that can fire off mid-range projectiles to offset the blade's poor range. But instead of dealing bleed, the Black Knife instead deals holy damage, and its projectiles burn away the target's health for a time while also lowering their maximum HP temporarily. This effect was increased further with a nice little buff in the 1.07 patch update.
How to get the Black Knife:
The Black Knife is the weapon of a particular Black Knife Assassin who resides in the Altus Plateau. Head to the entrance of the Sainted Hero's Grave, and defeat the Assassin sitting on the front step to claim the Black Knife.
Best bleed weapons in Elden Ring
Rivers Of Blood
The Rivers Of Blood katana is still one of the most dominant weapons in Elden Ring, thanks to the devastating bleed attack combos afforded by its unique skill. As such, cultivating the best Rivers of Blood build has become a labour of love for many players.
- Type: Katana (Unique)
- Weight: 6.5
- Requirements: 12 Str, 18 Dex, 20 Arc
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (30)
- Unique Skill: Corpse Piler - Forms a blade of cursed blood for repeated, interweaving successive attacks. Follow up with an additional input for further successive attacks.
Essentially, Rivers Of Blood is what you get when you take an Uchigatana, add some fire damage to every attack, and then give it a skill which allows you to unleash so many attacks in a short space of time that you can inflict blood loss on nearly any enemy instantly. This weapon is a veritable boss killer, as well as a very popular weapon in PvP, because it can end many fights before they even get started.
Although the bleed build-up potential of the weapon was slightly nerfed in the 1.06 update, the attack power was subsequently buffed in patch 1.07. As such, the Rivers of Blood katana remains one of the best bleed weapons in Elden Ring.
How to get Rivers Of Blood:
To get Rivers Of Blood, you need to journey to the Mountaintops Of The Giants and defeat Bloody Finger Okina, who invades your world as you approach the Church Of Repose to the east.
Ghiza's Wheel
Ghiza's Wheel may seem like a bit of a meme weapon, but this Bloodborne-esque blade's chainsaw-like Spinning Wheel skill turns it into one of the most powerful bleed weapons in the game.
- Type: Colossal Weapon (Unique)
- Weight: 19
- Requirements: 28 Str, 18 Dex
- Damage Type: Standard
- Passive: Bleed (70)
- Unique Skill: Spinning Wheel - Strike the wheel against the ground to set it spinning at top speed. Hold to keep the wheel spinning. Can be used while walking to push the armament into enemies.
Being a colossal weapon, Ghiza's Wheel is not a very nimble armament - which is the reason for its high bleed amount per attack. However, the wheel can also be revved up like a chainsaw using the Spinning Wheel skill, allowing you to walk into an enemy while the wheel is spinning at top speed. Enemies hit by this spinning wheel will be more or less instantly inflicted with blood loss.
If you're concerned about the manoeuvrability of the weapon, the Spinning Wheel attack was given a buff to speed in the 1.09 patch. Also, the game introduced a way to cancel rolls and heavy attacks when wielding the weapon.
How to get Ghiza's Wheel:
Ghiza's Wheel is dropped by Inquisitor Ghiza, a humanoid boss who invades your world in the dining hall of Volcano Manor. To reach this hall, simply proceed up the stairs from the room where you can find Lady Tanith and the Volcano Manor grace site.
Eleonora's Poleblade
Eleonora's Poleblade is probably the most stylish bleed weapon you can get your hands on. Its chains of quick attacks make it an ideal weapon for inflicting blood loss.
- Type: Twinblade (Unique)
- Weight: 6
- Requirements: 12 Str, 21 Dex, 19 Arc
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (33)
- Unique Skill: Bloodblade Dance - Leap at foe to perform a flurry of tornado-like attacks. Follow up with an additional input to perform an attack that ends in an evasive manoeuvre.
Like all Twinblades, Eleonora's Poleblade is a dexterity-based weapon which is capable of delivering flurries of very fast attacks - much like a dagger, except with increased range. Eleonora's Poleblade has the benefit of inflicting bleed with every hit, a fact which synergises with its Bloodblade Dance skill which allows you to unleash, as the skill explains, "a flurry of tornado-like attacks". Enemies who are susceptible to bleed will be inflicted with blood loss at a moment's notice against this weapon.
How to get Eleonora's Poleblade:
To acquire Eleonora's Poleblade, you'll need to defeat Eleonora at the Second Church of Marika in the Altus Plateau. She'll only invade your world here once you progress Yura's quest beyond the point where you help him defeat the Ravenmount Assassin in the Raya Lucaria Academy, and then speak to him afterwards. Once you do this, you can then find Yura at the Second Church Of Marika. After speaking to him, Eleonora will invade, and you can defeat her to obtain her Poleblade.
Best intelligence weapons in Elden Ring
Dark Moon Greatsword
The spiritual successor to the Souls series's legendary Moonlight Greatsword, the Dark Moon Greatsword is a magic-damage-dealer that can send waves of moonlight at the wielder's foes.
- Type: Greatsword (Unique)
- Weight: 10
- Requirements: 16 Str, 11 Dex, 38 Int
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Passive: Frostbite (55)
- Unique Skill: Moonlight Greatsword - Raise the sword aloft, bathing it in the light of the dark moon. Temporarily increases magic attack power and imbues blade with frost. Charged attacks release blasts of moonlight.
The Dark Moon Greatsword may have high intelligence requirements to wield, but the reward is well worth the time spent levelling up. It's a formidable greatsword with natural magic damage that deals frostbite with every attack; but the real value here is the Moonlight Greatsword skill, which works a bit like an upgraded version of Reduvia's skill, sending forth a powerful damaging wave which can hit from a surprising range, and inflicts severe frost buildup.
Whilst the blade was already formidable, as per the 1.07 update, it received added damage detection to the weapon part of the attack and a reduction in stamina consumption for strong and charged attacks. This further improves the smooth experience you can have when wielding this fantastic greatsword.
How to get the Dark Moon Greatsword:
The Dark Moon Greatsword is your reward for completing Ranni's quest in Elden Ring, so be sure to read our guide on this questline for full details. Once you reach the Moonlight Altar, head to the Cathedral of Manus Celes to obtain the Greatsword.
Wing Of Astel
Wing Of Astel is a very powerful intelligence-scaling weapon with heavy attacks that fire waves of light a short distance, and a unique skill that can demolish groups of enemies at once.
- Type: Curved Sword (Unique)
- Weight: 2.5
- Requirements: 7 Str, 17 Dex, 20 Int
- Damage Type: Slash
- Unique Skill: Nebula - Imbue the Naturalborn's stars with magic to perform a sweeping strike. This attack leaves a dark cloud of stars in its wake that lingers briefly before exploding.
This curved sword's skill, Nebula, is actually shared with another weapon of similar origins - the Bastard's Stars flail. But we prefer Wing Of Astel thanks to the blade's heavy attacks, which unleash small waves of light to give the weapon a far greater reach than you might expect. It's a very versatile weapon that fits wonderfully with any intelligence-heavy setup.
How to get Wing Of Astel:
To get hold of Wing Of Astel, you'll need to journey to Uhl Palace Ruins, a section of the Ainsel River underground network. Use the teleporter in Renna's Rise behind Caria Manor to reach Ainsel River (you'll need to pledge allegiance to Ranni to unlock this teleporter). Then head south through the ruins and through the tunnel on the other side. Take a left turn and you should find a cliff edge with a T-posing scythe-wielding statue standing on the precipice.
Skirt around the right-hand side from this statue and you'll find a platform with a chest on it. First you should deal with the Malformed Star enemy guarding this area, as it will throw rocks at you every so often, making progress difficult. Use ranged attacks to kill the creature, then open the chest to obtain Wing Of Astel.
Moonveil
The powerful blade known as Moonveil is sort of like a katana variant of Wing Of Astel, with the extra benefit of bleed attacks on top of its powerful ranged wave attacks.
- Type: Katana (Unique)
- Weight: 6.5
- Requirements: 12 Str, 18 Dex, 23 Int
- Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (50)
- Unique Skill: Transient Moonlight - Sheathe blade, holding it at the hip in a composed stance. Follow up with either a normal or a strong attack to draw the blade at great speed for an instant slash attack. Both attacks fire off a wave of light.
Moonveil deals roughly similar DPS to Wing Of Astel, but with the added benefit of bleed attacks, many players may prefer to use Moonveil. Otherwise the strengths of both weapons are clear, with their skills providing excellent and easy to use ranged attacks that can tear into enemies with ease.
How to get Moonveil:
Moonveil is dropped as a reward for defeating the Magma Wyrm in the Gael Tunnel. This dungeon is found on the border between Limgrave and the Caelid Wilds, and so it is surprisingly easy to reach for such a powerful weapon. But of course, you'll need to be able to defeat the Magma Wyrm first.
Best arcane weapons in Elden Ring
Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear
Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear is a powerful Great Spear which utilises impressive reach, fire damage, and a powerful AoE skill that inflicts successive bleed attacks on all nearby enemies over time.
- Type: Great Spear (Unique)
- Weight: 10
- Requirements: 24 Str, 14 Dex, 27 Arc
- Damage Type: Pierce
- Passive: Bleed (73)
- Unique Skill: Bloodboon Ritual - Raise the sacred spear and pierce the body of the Formless Mother. Stab up to three times, creating explosions of blood with each thrust. This skill will coat the armament with bloodflame for a while.
All Great Spears in Elden Ring are dangerous weapons thanks to their extreme range, but Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear is a cut above the rest, delivering massive bleed damage as well as fire damage with every attack. It scales impressively with your Arcane stat, and the unique Bloodboon Ritual skill, while tricky to employ perfectly, can lay waste to whole groups of enemies at once if you can channel it for long enough. Although the range of this skill was slightly reduced via the 1.07 patch, the damage remained unchanged and positively lethal.
How to get Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear:
To get Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, you'll need to defeat Mohg, Lord of Blood in his underground palace, and trade the Remembrance of the Blood Lord with Enia at the Roundtable Hold. A tall order, but not as difficult as certain others on this list... Looking at you, Hand of Malenia.
Marais Executioner's Sword
If you want a strength-based weapon that also takes advantage of a high Arcane stat, then the Marais Executioner Blade and its deadly corkscrew attack will serve you well into Elden Ring's late-game.
- Type: Greatsword (Unique)
- Weight: 11.5
- Requirements: 24 Str, 14 Dex, 23 Arc
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Unique Skill: Eochaid's Dancing Blade - Infuse the sword with energy, then fling it forwards in a corkscrew attack. The sword continuously deals damage while violently spinning. Charge the attack to increase reach and duration of the spin.
A Legendary Armament wielded by the Bell Bearing Hunter, this greatsword's greatest strength is Eochaid's Dancing Blade, an attack which can be charged up before thrusting the sword forward in a corkscrew attack that deals continuous damage. As of patch 1.04, Eochaid's Dancing Blade now has even greater range and can be cancelled early to avoid putting you into dangerous positions with a mistimed or misplaced attack.
How to get the Marais Executioner's Sword:
To obtain the Marais Executioner's Sword, you need to journey to the Shaded Castle to the north of the Altus Plateau, and defeat the main boss there - Elemer Of The Briar, also known as the Bell Bearing Hunter. On death he will drop this sword.
Regalia Of Eochaid
The Regalia Of Eochaid sword is essentially a smaller variant of the Marais Executioner's Sword, making it perfect for those who don't want to opt into strength builds.
- Type: Straight Sword (Unique)
- Weight: 5.5
- Requirements: 12 Str, 18 Dex, 15 Arc
- Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
- Unique Skill: Eochaid's Dancing Blade - Infuse the sword with energy, then fling it forwards in a corkscrew attack. The sword continuously deals damage while violently spinning. Charge the attack to increase reach and duration of the spin.
The Regalia Of Eochaid favours Dexterity over Strength, which means that while it deals less damage than its greatsword counterpart above, it attacks faster and weighs less. It also comes with the same skill, Eochaid's Dancing Blade, which allows you to deal similar continuous damage to an enemy in front of you - albeit at a lesser rate than the Marais Executioner's Sword.
How to get the Regalia Of Eochaid:
To get the Regalia of Eochaid, you'll need to head through the Gaol Cave near the southern edge of the Limgrave-Caelid border. Once you beat the Frenzied Duelist boss at the end of this cave, head through the tunnel leading out of the boss room and you'll reach a small outside area of Limgrave from the floor in front of a gravestone.
You can also reach this area in a rather cheesy unintended manner by using Torrent to make some very precise jumps up the cliff from the Limgrave side. Enough people have found this shortcut that you can just follow the messages left behind by other players to make this process easier.
Best scaling weapons in Elden Ring
As you may know, different weapons in Elden Ring scale based on different attributes. When you inspect a weapon in-game, the letter grade next to each attribute denotes how strongly the weapon's damage scales with that attribute, with S being the best, and E being the worst.
Aside from staves and seals, it's quite unusual for any weapon to reach an S-level scaling in an attribute, but those that do will scale better than any other weapon in the game. Below I've listed all the weapons which can reach S-level scaling in Elden Ring, excluding staves and seals, which almost always start with S-Tier scaling.
Here are all the best scaling weapons in Elden Ring:
- Brick Hammer (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Gargoyle's Great Axe (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Gargoyle's Halberd (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Giant-Crusher (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Nightrider Glaive (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Warped Axe (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Watchdog's Greatsword (Heavy +25: S-Tier Strength Scaling)
- Great Knife (Keen +25: S-Tier Dexterity Scaling)
- Parrying Dagger (Keen +25: S-Tier Dexterity Scaling)
- Urumi (Keen +25: S-Tier Dexterity Scaling)
- Ripple Blade (Standard +25: S-Tier Arcane Scaling)
- Ripple Crescent Halberd (Standard +25: S-Tier Arcane Scaling)
Do bear in mind: just because a weapon has excellent scaling with a certain attribute, doesn't mean it's necessarily better than a weapon with an inferior scaling grade. Scaling is just one aspect of a weapon's power. Other things, like reach, attack speed, status effects, skills, and base damage also play a large part. So don't treat scaling as the final word in Elden Ring's weapons meta.
That wraps up this comprehensive guide on the very best weapons in all of Elden Ring. If you're looking for some mighty adversaries to test out your new weapons against, check out our maps of all the Elden Ring boss locations. If you're stuck on what to do next, consult our Elden Ring walkthrough. Alternatively, you can complete your character's setup with our list of the best armour in Elden Ring and the best Talisman locations.