The best Elden Ring weapons

Here are the stat requirements for each and where to find them.

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The bestElden Ringweapons can be the difference between struggling through The Lands Between inch by inch, or carving a brisk and bloody path towards your rightful Elden Lordhood. And while yes, there’s clout in taking on every boss with a wooden club, there are so many weird and wonderful tools for murder hidden across the world that are well worth hunting down.

A solid sword and shield will do you well, but Elden Ring’s most interesting weapons sport unique Ashes (read: abilities) that form the cornerstone of a devastating moveset. Swords that turn you into a cloud of fury, whips that harden into lances, bows that unleash thunderous torrents of magic-infused arrows. SomeElden Ring bossesdrop “remembrances” which can then be turned into boss weapons, offering arguably stronger skills.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking for a new tool to spice up your arsenal, here’s what we reckon are the best Elden Ring weapons.

The best Elden Ring weapons

The best Elden Ring weapons

The best Elden Ring weapons across the game’s entire arsenal are the kind of items you suit your build for, not the other way around. These weapons are must-haves if you want to become the hot knife for all your buttery enemies.

Elden Ring: Best weaponsElden Ring: Godslayer’s GreatswordElden Ring: Dark Moon GreatswordElden Ring: Sword of Night and FlameElden Ring: Marais Executioner’s SwordElden Ring: Golden Order Greatsword

The best sword: Sword of Night and Flame

The best sword: Sword of Night and Flame

Requirements:12 strength💪, 12 dexterity🏃‍♂️, 21 intelligence🧠, 24 faith😇Location:Caria Manor, Liurnia

The Sword of Night and Flameis the sword with a weapon skill that lets you send out a massive beam of magic or gusts of fire. It’s not quite as broken as the Comet Azur spell, but makes up for it by being a solid sword. It’s fairly easy to get to early on in the game if you’re nimble enough to get into Caria Manor and past its crawling residents.

The best katana: Moonveil

Requirements:12 strength💪, 18 dexterity🏃‍♂️, 23 intelligence🧠Location:Gael Tunnel, Caelid

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TheMoonveilis unfair. This incredible katana has a weapon skill that sends out a wave of magic energy. It’s fast and stuns enemies too. This is a fantastic weapon with a fairly low stat requirement.

The best axe: Icerind Hatchet

Requirements:11 strength💪, 16 dexterity🏃‍♂️Location:Temple Quarter, Liurnia

There’s a reasonspeedrunnerslove the Icerind Hatchet. This weapon’s skill sends out a cone of frost shards that build up Frostbite on enemies, inflicting good, consistent damage. It has low stat requirements and comes with a pretty solid moveset too.

The best staff: Lusat’s Glintstone Staff

Requirements:10 strength💪, 52 intelligence🧠Location:Sellia, Town of Sorcery, Caelid

Thisstaffis the ideal caster weapon. If you’ve got the high intelligence requirement handled, Lusat’s Glinstone Staff will deal massive amounts of damage in the mid- to late-game. It has incredibly scaling and can be combined with the Cerulean HiddenCrystal Tearin your Flask of Wondrous Physick, which lets you cast an unlimited amount of spells for 10 seconds.

The best colossal sword: Greatsword

Requirements:31 strength💪, 12 dexterity🏃‍♂️Location:Dragonbarrow, Caelid

The Greatsword is a classic weapon that deals devastating amounts of damage. It’s exactly what it says on the box (or blade): an iron lump of an ultra greatsword that mows down foes with its incredible weight. You can pick this thing up fairly early and it will carry you through the rest of the game with its stellar strength scaling.

Best boss weapons

The best Elden Ring boss weapons

Blasphemous Blade

A nasty sword that can be set on fire to steal HP.

Starscourge Greatsword

A massive greatsword that deals magic damage and can create a gravitational well to pull enemies in.

Best Swords and Katanas

The best Elden Ring swords and katanas

Uchigatana

A classic Souls katana that deals blood loss buildup.

Sword of Night and Flame

An incredibly strong magic sword that pulverizes foes.

Moonveil

Magical katana that shoots out bolts of light.

Rivers of Blood

A katana that deals both fire damage and blood loss buildup. Its skill can create blood slashes.

Eclipse Shotel

A decorative curved sword and one of the legendary armaments. Deals holy damage and can inflict the death ailment on foes.

Wing of Astel

A curved sword that deals magic damage. Strong attacks unleash a wave of enchanted light, and its skill can create an exploding cloud of stars.

Best Greatswords

Best Elden Ring strength weapons

GreatswordA clear homage to Berserk, this greatsword has a devastating moveset.

Lordsworn’s GreatswordA trusty greatsword with the stamp skill that lets you deal powerful upward slashes.

Bloodhound’s FangA curved greatsword that deals blood loss buildup damage.

Sword of MilosA barbed greatsword made from a giant’s backbone that causes blood loss. Its skill lets you shriek and reduce and opponent’s damage negation.

Royal GreatswordA greatsword that deals magic damage and has the Wolf’s Assault skill that somersaults you into enemies. Wielded by Blaidd, theElden Ring wolf man from the tower.

Best Axes, Flails, and Cleavers

FlailA ball and chain that causes blood loss buildup, with a skill that lets you wave it in front of you.

Highland AxeA one-handed axe with a warcry ability that increases attack power.

GreataxeA large and heavy single-bladed axe.

Butchering KnifeA butcher’s cleaver with a downward charged smash. The weapon of Anastasia Tarnished Eater.

Best Hammers

BrickhammerAn extremely heavy-headed stone hammer.

Large ClubA classic Souls weapon, this massive wooden club with the barbaric roar skill.

Battle HammerA large, iron warhammer that raises attack, defense, and stamina recovery with its skill.

Great StarsA giant blood-covered mace with spikes sticking out of it. Causes blood loss build up.

Nox Flowing HammerA metal hammer wielded by the monks of the eternal city. Has a unique skill that lets it transform into a metal whip.

Best Polearms and Spears

Banished Knight’s HalberdAn early-game weapon with nice, fast attacks.

Golden HalberdA heavy halberd with a skill that can raise the attack of you and nearby allies.

Dragon HalberdAn ancient halberd whose skill can infuse it with frost and lightning.

TreespearA great spear that deals holy damage.

Best Bows and Crossbows

Crepus’s Black-Key CrossbowA sniper crossbow that can fire Black-Key Bolts that deal Scarlet Rot buildup.

Pulley BowA mechanical longbow that uses a complex series of springs and pulleys to work.

Horn BowA bow wielded by the ancestral hunters of Siofra. Deals magic damage.

Best Twinblades

TwinbladeA very useful early-game weapon with a nice moveset.

Twinned Knight SwordsA twinblade capable of dealing rapid strikes.

Best Daggers and hand weapons

Best Elden Ring dex weapons

ReduviaA dagger that deals blood loss buildup damage and can fire blood projectiles with its skill.

Erdsteel DaggerA curved dagger that deals magic damage.

MiséricordeA doctor’s dagger with an especially high critical stat.

Ivory SickleA sickle fashioned from ivory that deals magical damage.

Cipher PataAn unblockable blade made of ciphers that deals holy damage.

Scorpion’s StingerA dagger with a high crit that deal scarlet rot buildup.

HookclawsFast-slashing claws that deal blood loss buildup damage.

Clinging BoneA sharpened skeletal arm that deals magic damage. Its skill can perform a lifesteal fist.

Best Sacred Seals

Best Elden Ring faith weapons

Godslayer’s SealA sacred seal that boosts godslayer incantations.

Clawmark SealA sacred seal that boosts bestial incantations.

Golden Order SealA sacred seal that boosts fundamentalist incantations.

Best Staffs

Meteorite StaffA staff that boosts gravity sorcery.

Carian Glintstone StaffA staff that boosts Carian sword sorcery.

Demi-Human Queen’s StaffA Glintstone Staff wielded by a queen of the demi-humans.

Prince of Death’s staffA staff that boosts death sorcery.

Best Colossal weapons

GreatswordYour typical Berserk-esque slab of heavy metal. A colossal greatsword with a wide swinging arc.

Troll Knight’s SwordA colossal greatsword that deals magic damage.

Watchdog’s StaffA giant stone staff embedded with glintstone.

Prelate’s Inferno CrozierA colossal flame hammer that lets you do a flaming version of that Smough move from Dark Souls where he slides it along the floor.

Dragon GreatclawA colossal hammer that deals lightning damage.

Staff of the AvatarThe heavy decorative mace used by the Avatars of the Erdtree.

Best Melee shields

Marred Wooden ShieldA light wooden shield that causes blood loss buildup.

Spiked Palisade ShieldA very spiky greatshield that deals blood loss buildup damage.

Best Reapers

ScytheA basic, but strong scythe weapon that causes blood loss.

Winged ScytheA nice wide-sweeping weapon to dual wield with, and it causes blood loss.

Grave ScytheA killer scythe for both damage and roleplay, and it also causes blood loss.

Halo ScytheA powerful scythe with blood loss buildup.

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Sean’s first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for secrets or bashing his head against puzzles, you’ll find him revisiting old Total War campaigns, agonizing over his Destiny 2 fit, or still trying to finish the Horus Heresy. Sean has also written for EDGE, Eurogamer, PCGamesN, Wireframe, EGMNOW, and Inverse.

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