- Bloodhound's Fang is the best weapon a new character can hold before level 30. It sits in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol in southern Limgrave and carries most builds to Leyndell.
- The strongest boss killers in PvE are still Blasphemous Blade, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear and a Heavy Giant-Crusher with Lion's Claw. None of them has been knocked off that list by a patch.
- Affinities matter more than the weapon's name: a Keen Uchigatana, a Heavy Greatsword or a Cold Twinblade beats most legendary weapons at the same level.
- The upgrade level is your real damage stat. A +12 weapon at level 40 beats a +3 weapon at level 70. Buy the bell bearings and keep one main weapon current.
- Shadow of the Erdtree adds the best Dexterity weapon in the game (Backhand Blade) and the best raw Strength weapon (Bloodfiend's Arm). Both are found in the first zone.
- Patch 1.17 (27 August 2026) buffed throwing weapons, perfume bottles and the Carian Sorcery Sword. It did not nerf any of the top PvE picks.
Elden Ring has more than 300 weapons in the base game and over 100 more in Shadow of the Erdtree, and the honest answer to "what is the best weapon" is always "for which build, at which point in the game". This guide answers that question the way the game actually poses it: first the systems that decide damage (scaling, affinities, Ashes of War, upgrades), then ranked lists per build with requirements, scaling and the exact place to find each weapon, then the picks that are overrated, the ones nobody talks about and the mistakes that cost the most runes.
How weapon damage works in Elden Ring#
Every weapon has a base attack power and a set of scaling grades from E up to S for Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith and Arcane. The grade tells you how much of your stat is converted into extra damage. A weapon with B in Dexterity gains far more from each Dexterity point than one with D, and the letter changes as you upgrade: Bloodhound's Fang starts at D in Strength and C in Dexterity and ends at C and B at +10.
Three rules explain most of the damage numbers you will ever see:
- Stat requirements are not suggestions. If you fall short in any required stat, the weapon loses most of its damage and its skill often stops working properly. Two-handing counts your Strength as 1.5 times its value, which is why a character with 40 Strength can two-hand the 60-Strength Giant-Crusher.
- Scaling has soft caps. Gains from Strength and Dexterity slow down markedly past 55 and almost stop past 80. Casting stats behave the same way at 80. Spreading points past those caps is the most common way to waste levels.
- Upgrade level multiplies everything. A standard weapon goes from +0 to +25 and roughly two-and-a-half times its base damage on the way. A somber weapon goes to +10 and gains about the same in proportion. No talisman or buff replaces that.
Split damage is the last piece. Weapons like Sword of Night and Flame deal physical, magic and fire damage, and each part is reduced separately by the enemy's resistances. Against a boss with high magic resistance, a pure physical weapon with the same total attack rating hits noticeably harder. This is why pure physical picks such as Nagakiba or the Greatsword keep showing up in boss-killer lists even though their numbers look lower on paper.
Affinities explained: Keen, Heavy, Quality and the rest#
An affinity changes what a weapon scales with. It is applied at a Site of Grace through the Ashes of War menu, it is free to change, and it is only available for weapons that upgrade with regular Smithing Stones. Somber weapons like Moonveil or Blasphemous Blade have fixed scaling and cannot take an affinity.
Each affinity is unlocked by a whetblade, and every whetblade sits in a fixed spot in the world.
| Affinity | Adds scaling in | Effect on the weapon | Whetblade and where to find it | Can be buffed with greases and spells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Unchanged | Keeps base damage and both physical scalings | Whetstone Knife, chest at Gatefront Ruins, Limgrave | Yes |
| Heavy | Strength | Raises Strength scaling, removes Dexterity scaling, lowers base damage | Iron Whetblade, Stormveil Castle armory (behind an imp statue, one Stonesword Key) | Yes |
| Keen | Dexterity | Raises Dexterity scaling, lowers Strength scaling and base damage | Iron Whetblade | Yes |
| Quality | Strength and Dexterity | Balanced scaling, lowest base damage of the physical affinities | Iron Whetblade | Yes |
| Magic | Intelligence | Adds magic damage scaling with Intelligence | Glintstone Whetblade, Raya Lucaria Academy, corpse on the balcony of the Debate Parlor side office | No |
| Cold | Intelligence | Magic damage plus frostbite buildup, lower scaling than Magic | Glintstone Whetblade | No |
| Fire | Strength | Adds fire damage scaling with Strength | Red-Hot Whetblade, Redmane Castle, past the Abductor Virgin | No |
| Flame Art | Faith | Adds fire damage scaling with Faith | Red-Hot Whetblade | No |
| Lightning | Dexterity | Adds lightning damage scaling with Dexterity | Sanctified Whetblade, Fortified Manor in Leyndell, corpse near the anvil | No |
| Sacred | Faith | Adds holy damage scaling with Faith | Sanctified Whetblade | No |
| Poison | Arcane | Adds poison buildup and Arcane scaling | Black Whetblade, Night's Sacred Ground in Nokron, corpse before the altar | No |
| Blood | Arcane | Adds bleed buildup and Arcane scaling, lowers base damage | Black Whetblade | No |
| Occult | Arcane | Pure physical damage scaling with Arcane, boosts the weapon's native status buildup | Black Whetblade | No |
The practical rules that follow from that table:
- Heavy on a big Strength weapon is almost always right, because Strength weapons have poor Dexterity scaling to lose anyway. A Heavy Greatsword or Giant-Crusher at 60 Strength outdamages the Standard version by a wide margin.
- Keen is the default for anything you swing fast. Katanas, twinblades, curved swords and the Backhand Blade all reach A or S in Dexterity with Keen at +25.
- Quality is only worth it at 40 in both Strength and Dexterity or higher. Below that, pick the stat you are actually levelling.
- Cold is the best hybrid affinity in the game. It keeps decent physical scaling, adds Intelligence scaling and puts frostbite on every hit, and frostbite deals a burst of damage and reduces enemy damage negation. Cold Twinblade or Cold Nagakiba is a complete build on its own.
- Blood is about buildup, not attack rating. It shines on fast weapons with native bleed (Uchigatana, Nagakiba, Twinblade, Godskin Peeler) and on anything you pair with Seppuku. The lower base damage is the price for bosses losing a tenth of their health bar every few hits.
- Occult is what you use on a weapon that already has a status effect when you want the damage back. It scales the physical part with Arcane and raises the native buildup at the same time.
Ashes of War: how they work and which ones to grab first#
An Ash of War is a skill you attach to any regular-upgrade weapon, and the ash decides which affinities that weapon can take. Lion's Claw allows Heavy, Standard and the elemental affinities; Bloody Slash forces Blood or Standard; Seppuku gives Blood; Hoarfrost Stomp gives Cold. You need the Whetstone Knife from the chest in Gatefront Ruins before the Ashes of War menu even appears at a Site of Grace, and you need the matching whetblade for each affinity.
Ashes are found on Teardrop Scarabs, dropped by specific enemies and sold by Knight Bernahl at Warmaster's Shack in Stormhill. These are the ones that carry a build:
| Ash of War | Affinity it grants | Where | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lion's Claw | Heavy | Dropped by the Lion Guardian in Fort Gael, Caelid | The best stance-breaking skill on a colossal weapon; 20 FP, somersault with hyper armour, staggers most bosses in two uses |
| Savage Lion's Claw | Heavy | Small camp northwest of Three-Path Cross, Gravesite Plain (Shadow of the Erdtree) | Three-hit version, more total damage, faster, a little less stance damage |
| Bloody Slash | Blood | Godrick Knight on the ramparts of Fort Haight, Limgrave | 6 FP, costs a sliver of HP, a wide blood arc that breaks stance and applies bleed from range |
| Seppuku | Blood | Invisible scarab on the frozen lake east of the Freezing Lake grace, Mountaintops of the Giants | Costs 15 percent of max HP plus 100, then raises attack and bleed buildup for 60 seconds; the backbone of every bleed build |
| Flame of the Redmanes | Fire | Invisible scarab outside the Fort Gael North grace, Caelid | Cheap fire burst with enormous stance damage; works on almost every melee weapon |
| Cragblade | Heavy | Scarab near the sword monument west of Impassable Greatbridge, Caelid | Plus 15 percent physical damage and 10 percent stance damage for 60 seconds, no HP cost |
| Giant Hunt | Quality | Night's Cavalry on the road between Bellum Church and East Raya Lucaria Gate, Liurnia (night only) | Low-stance upward thrust with huge single-hit damage on greatswords and spears |
| Hoarfrost Stomp | Cold | Invisible scarab in the shallow water southeast of Caria Manor, Liurnia | Trail of freezing mist; still one of the best crowd tools despite the 1.03 nerf |
| Bloodhound's Step | Keen | Night's Cavalry on the bridge in front of Lenne's Rise, Dragonbarrow | A dash with invisibility frames; weaker after patch 1.06 but still the best mobility skill |
| Blind Spot | Keen | Comes on the Backhand Blade, Gravesite Plain | A hop to the enemy's side that ignores blocking and gives brief invulnerability, 9 FP |
The rule for pairing: Ashes of War inherit the affinity's scaling. Bloody Slash on a Blood Uchigatana scales with Arcane and upgrade level; Lion's Claw on a Heavy Giant-Crusher scales with Strength. A buff skill like Cragblade or Seppuku is where you put the high-damage weapon; an attack skill like Lion's Claw or Flame of the Redmanes is where stance damage does the work.
The upgrade path: Smithing Stones, Somber Stones and the bell bearings#
Upgrading is done by Smithing Master Hewg at Roundtable Hold or by Smithing Master Iji in Liurnia (Road to the Manor). The smithing table at Church of Elleh only goes to +3. Regular weapons use Smithing Stones [1] to [8] plus one Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone for +25. Somber weapons use Somber Smithing Stones [1] to [9] plus one Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone for +10.
The numbers you actually need:
- Regular weapons need 12 stones of every tier: two, four and six for the three levels each tier covers. That is 12 of [1] for +1 to +3, 12 of [2] for +4 to +6, and so on up to 12 of [8] for +22 to +24. The final step to +25 takes a single Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
- Somber weapons need one stone per level, tier [1] for +1 through tier [9] for +9, then one Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone for +10. Total rune cost from Hewg is about 97,000.
- Buy the bell bearings and hand them to the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold. Each one turns a stone tier into an unlimited purchase.
- Spend Ancient Dragon stones on weapons you will still be using at the end. There are 13 in the base game and 8 more in Shadow of the Erdtree, and they cannot be bought.
| Bell bearing | Unlocks | Exact location |
|---|---|---|
| Smithing-Stone Miner's [1] | Smithing Stone [1] and [2] | Crystalian boss at the end of Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel, Liurnia |
| Smithing-Stone Miner's [2] | Smithing Stone [3] and [4] | Chest in the first hidden room of Sealed Tunnel, Altus Plateau |
| Smithing-Stone Miner's [3] | Smithing Stone [5] and [6] | Chest at the bottom of the stairs in Zamor Ruins, Mountaintops of the Giants |
| Smithing-Stone Miner's [4] | Smithing Stone [7] and [8] | Dropped by the Godskin Duo in Crumbling Farum Azula |
| Somberstone Miner's [1] | Somber [1] and [2] | Fallingstar Beast at the end of Sellia Crystal Tunnel, Caelid |
| Somberstone Miner's [2] | Somber [3] and [4] | Crystalian pair at the end of Altus Tunnel |
| Somberstone Miner's [3] | Somber [5] and [6] | Corpse outside the First Church of Marika, Mountaintops of the Giants |
| Somberstone Miner's [4] | Somber [7] and [8] | Corpse next to the Tempest-Facing Balcony grace, Crumbling Farum Azula |
| Somberstone Miner's [5] | Somber [9] | Corpse in the abandoned temple on the north side of Crumbling Farum Azula |
Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones are rarer than the regular kind: 8 in the base game and 6 in the expansion, 14 per playthrough. The earliest reliable ones are the chest at the Dynasty Mausoleum Midpoint in Mohgwyn Palace and the drops from the Ghostflame Dragons in Gravesite Plain and Cerulean Coast. Plan for three or four +10 somber weapons per run, not ten.
Best early weapons in the order you find them#
The first ten hours are where the wrong weapon costs the most, because nothing is upgraded yet and every boss is still a wall. These are the weapons worth a detour, listed in the order a normal route reaches them.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Scaling at +0 | Upgrade | Exact location | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloodhound's Fang | Curved greatsword | Str 18, Dex 17 | Str D, Dex C | Somber | Forlorn Hound Evergaol, southern Limgrave, boss Bloodhound Knight Darriwil | Highest damage available before Stormveil, bleed, and a skill that doubles as a dodge |
| 2 | Twinblade | Twinblade | Str 10, Dex 18 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Chest in the cellar of Dragon-Burnt Ruins, Agheel Lake (enter the southeast building on Torrent) | Fastest multi-hit weapon in Limgrave; takes any affinity |
| 3 | Lordsworn's Greatsword | Greatsword | Str 16, Dex 10 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Chest in the carriage on the road west of Gatefront Ruins | 136 base damage, 110 critical, the best regular greatsword in the first region |
| 4 | Flail | Flail | Str 10, Dex 18 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Chest in the carriage on the eastern side of Gatefront Ruins | Strike damage plus 50 bleed, cannot be parried |
| 5 | Uchigatana | Katana | Str 11, Dex 15 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Deathtouched Catacombs, Stormhill, on a corpse over the ledge after pulling the lever (also the Samurai starting weapon) | Bleed, Unsheathe and Keen scaling to A; the reference Dexterity weapon |
| 6 | Reduvia | Dagger | Str 5, Dex 13, Arc 13 | Str E, Dex C, Arc B at +10 | Somber | Dropped by Bloody Finger Nerijus at the entrance to Murkwater Cave, Limgrave | Ranged bleed slashes for 6 FP; the start of every Arcane build |
| 7 | Great Épée | Heavy thrusting sword | Str 15, Dex 16 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Chest on the hill east of the Agheel Lake South grace, guarded by two Kaiden Sellswords | Pokes safely from behind a shield, 124 base damage |
| 8 | Morning Star | Hammer | Str 12, Dex 8 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Chest in the broken carriage just south of the Bridge of Sacrifice, Weeping Peninsula | Strike damage and 50 bleed at 5 weight; the best budget Strength weapon |
| 9 | Zweihander | Colossal sword | Str 19, Dex 11 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Isolated Merchant's shack, western Weeping Peninsula, 3,500 runes | Lightest colossal sword; the cheapest way to try a Strength build |
| 10 | Claymore | Greatsword | Str 16, Dex 13 | Str D, Dex D | Regular | Chest inside the building on the right side of the Castle Morne courtyard | Comes with Lion's Claw already attached |
| 11 | Winged Scythe | Reaper | Str 16, Dex 16, Fai 24 | D/D/D rising to D/C/C | Somber | Tombsward Ruins cellar, Weeping Peninsula | Holy damage, 55 bleed, and Angel's Wings blocks flask healing in PvP |
| 12 | Grafted Blade Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 40, Dex 14 | Str C, Dex E | Somber | Leonine Misbegotten at the end of Castle Morne | 162 base damage at +0, 396 at +10; a Strength endgame weapon found in the first ten hours |
| 13 | Meteorite Staff and Rock Sling | Staff and sorcery | Int 18 | S-tier Int scaling, cannot be upgraded | None | Street of Sages Ruins, Caelid; staff on a corpse hanging over the ledge in the southwest building, Rock Sling in the cellar north of the ruins | Gravity sorcery with 30 percent bonus; Rock Sling breaks stance and works around magic resistance |
| 14 | Icerind Hatchet | Axe | Str 11, Dex 16 | Str E, Dex C | Somber | Chest in the ruined bell tower southeast of the Temple Quarter grace, Liurnia | Hoarfrost Stomp on an axe with 65 frost buildup |
| 15 | Nagakiba | Katana | Str 18, Dex 22 | Str D, Dex C | Regular | Given by, or dropped by, Bloody Finger Hunter Yura north of Murkwater Cave; also lying at his camp near Seaside Ruins if his quest has moved on | The longest katana, 45 bleed, the best Dexterity weapon in the base game once Keen or Cold |
Three things to say about that list. First, Bloodhound's Fang is not a starter weapon to be replaced later. It reaches +10 on somber stones long before any regular weapon reaches +25, and its Strength and Dexterity split fits every melee start in the game. Second, the Meteorite Staff cannot be upgraded, which sounds like a flaw and is in fact the point: it gives an Intelligence character endgame-grade spell scaling at Intelligence 18 with no stones spent. Third, the Grafted Blade Greatsword is the only weapon on the list that is also on the endgame lists below. If you plan a Strength build, it is worth clearing Castle Morne before Stormveil.
Best Strength weapons#
Strength is the build the game is most generous to. Colossal weapons have hyper armour on charged attacks, break stance faster than anything else and get the full benefit of two-handing.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Scaling at max | Upgrade | Where | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giant-Crusher | Colossal weapon | Str 60 | Str C (Heavy), about 895 attack two-handed at 60 Str, 965 at 80 | Regular | Chest in the carriage directly south of the Outer Wall Phantom Tree grace, Leyndell outskirts | Highest physical damage per hit on a regular weapon; Heavy plus Lion's Claw ends most bosses in a handful of staggers |
| 2 | Bloodfiend's Arm | Colossal weapon | Str 28, Dex 11, Arc 16 | Str D, Dex E, Arc D at +0 | Regular | Guaranteed drop from the Bloodfiend group in Prospect Town, Gravesite Plain (expansion) | The only colossal weapon with a slam-down R2; strike damage, blood-splash area on heavy attacks, takes Heavy or Blood |
| 3 | Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 31, Dex 12 | Str B, Dex D | Regular | Chest in the carriage guarded by giant dogs northwest of the Caelem Ruins grace, Caelid | 164 base damage, the widest arcs in its class, Heavy scaling to A |
| 4 | Grafted Blade Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 40, Dex 14 | Str B, Dex D | Somber | Leonine Misbegotten, Castle Morne | 396 physical at +10 with no split damage; Oath of Vengeance adds 5 to every stat for 60 seconds |
| 5 | Ruins Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 50, Int 16 | Str S, Int D | Somber | Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight duo in the Redmane Castle plaza, Caelid (before the festival or after Radahn) | The only S-scaling colossal sword; charged heavy attacks fire gravity bursts for free |
| 6 | Great Stars | Great hammer | Str 22, Dex 12 | Str D, Dex D at +0 | Regular | Carriage pulled by two trolls on the road southwest of the Road of Iniquity Side Path grace, Altus Plateau; also dropped by Magnus the Beast Claw | 55 bleed, heals 1 percent of HP on every hit, takes Heavy, Blood or Occult |
| 7 | Greatsword of Solitude | Greatsword | Str 27, Dex 13 | Str A, Dex D | Somber | Blackgaol Knight, Western Nameless Mausoleum, Gravesite Plain (expansion) | About 816 attack two-handed at 80 Strength, the highest guard boost of any greatsword |
| 8 | Anvil Hammer | Colossal weapon | Str 39, Dex 10, Int 11, Fai 20 | Str B, Fai D | Somber | Furnace at the end of Ruined Forge Lava Intake, Gravesite Plain (expansion), together with an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone | Physical plus fire; at 80 Strength and 60 Faith it has the highest unbuffed attack rating in the game, around 1,161 two-handed |
| 9 | Starscourge Greatsword | Paired colossal swords | Str 38, Dex 12, Int 15 | Str B, Dex D, Int D | Somber | Remembrance of the Starscourge, traded with Enia at Roundtable Hold | Two colossal swords in one slot; Starcaller Cry pulls groups together and then explodes |
| 10 | Zweihander | Colossal sword | Str 19, Dex 11 | Str D, Dex D at +0 | Regular | Isolated Merchant, Weeping Peninsula, 3,500 runes | 15.5 weight, the only colossal sword a mid-Endurance character can carry with armour |
The Giant-Crusher is the answer to "what is the strongest weapon" if the question means damage per hit. Its charged R2 is a somersault that covers ground and flattens smaller enemies, and with Lion's Claw attached it staggers even Shadow of the Erdtree bosses in two or three hits. Its problem is 26.5 weight and the 60 Strength requirement, which is why the Greatsword sits one step behind: 31 Strength, a faster moveset and B scaling after Heavy.
Bloodfiend's Arm is the expansion's gift to Strength builds and the reason it ranks above the Greatsword. It weighs 20, it has strike damage (which most heavily armoured enemies resist least), and its heavy attacks add a blood splash that deals extra stance damage. With Heavy it is a pure damage weapon; with Blood at +25 it reaches very high bleed buildup while keeping colossal poise damage.
Best Dexterity weapons#
Dexterity builds trade single-hit damage for speed, bleed and the best skills in the game. The expansion changed this list more than any other.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Scaling at max | Upgrade | Where | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backhand Blade | Backhand blade | Str 10, Dex 13 | Dex S with Keen at +25 | Regular | Beside a coffin in the Inquisitors' area northeast of the Scorched Ruins grace, Gravesite Plain (expansion) | Weighs 2, hits fast, has a unique multi-hit guard counter, and Blind Spot is a 9 FP dodge-attack that ignores blocking |
| 2 | Nagakiba | Katana | Str 18, Dex 22 | Dex A with Keen | Regular | Bloody Finger Hunter Yura, north of Murkwater Cave | Longest katana, 45 bleed, takes every affinity |
| 3 | Milady | Light greatsword | Str 12, Dex 17 | Str D, Dex D at +0 | Regular | Chest at the top of a watchtower in Castle Ensis (expansion) | Greatsword reach at straight-sword speed; the best regular weapon for Keen in its class |
| 4 | Rakshasa's Great Katana | Great katana | Str 12, Dex 27 | Str E, Dex C | Somber | Rakshasa boss in the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum, reached from the Ruins of Unte (expansion) | 379 physical at +10, 55 bleed, hyper armour on every attack at the cost of 10 percent more damage taken |
| 5 | Hand of Malenia | Katana | Str 16, Dex 48 | Str E, Dex B | Somber | Remembrance of the Rot Goddess, traded with Enia | Waterfowl Dance is the highest-damage Dexterity skill in the game; 50 bleed |
| 6 | Bolt of Gransax | Spear | Str 20, Dex 40 | Str D, Dex C | Somber | On top of the giant spear lodged in Leyndell, Royal Capital; unobtainable once Leyndell becomes the Ashen Capital | Physical plus lightning, 20 percent bonus against dragons, Ancient Lightning Spear as a ranged option |
| 7 | Dragon King's Cragblade | Heavy thrusting sword | Str 18, Dex 37 | Str D, Dex B | Somber | Remembrance of the Dragonlord, traded with Enia | Thundercloud Form buffs and then stabs; 30 percent bonus against dragons |
| 8 | Godskin Peeler | Twinblade | Str 17, Dex 22 | Str E, Dex C at +0 | Regular | Godskin Apostle at Windmill Village (Dominula), Altus Plateau | Twinblade speed with Black Flame Tornado; excellent with Blood or Occult |
| 9 | Uchigatana | Katana | Str 11, Dex 15 | Dex A with Keen | Regular | Deathtouched Catacombs, Stormhill | Cheapest way to a full bleed build; pair with Seppuku |
| 10 | Morgott's Cursed Sword | Curved greatsword | Str 14, Dex 35, Arc 17 | Str D, Dex B, Arc D | Somber | Remembrance of the Omen King, traded with Enia | 60 bleed, and Cursed-Blood Slice adds a second helping |
The Backhand Blade sits first because it does more things than any other Dexterity weapon: a running attack that goes through guard, a guard counter that hits three times, a 9 FP skill with invulnerability frames, and Keen scaling that reaches S. Patch 1.14 reduced its damage against other players, which tells you how good it was, and it changed nothing in PvE.
Rakshasa's Great Katana got the odd patch 1.17 change: its right-hand attacks now come slightly later after a left-hand attack in PvE, and it takes more damage from other players while attacking in PvP. Neither touches the numbers that make it good.
Best Intelligence weapons#
An Intelligence build has two questions: which staff, and which melee weapon for when the FP runs out. The answers below cover both.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Scaling at max | Upgrade | Where | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark Moon Greatsword | Greatsword | Str 16, Dex 11, Int 38 | Str D, Dex D, Int B | Somber | Cathedral of Manus Celes at the end of Ranni's quest, after Astel | 200 physical plus 240 magic at +10, 55 frost, and Moonlight Greatsword fires a projectile after the buff |
| 2 | Moonveil | Katana | Str 12, Dex 18, Int 23 | Str E, Dex B, Int B | Somber | Magma Wyrm in Gael Tunnel, on the border of Limgrave and Caelid | Transient Moonlight is a stance-breaking ranged slash available in the first ten hours; 50 bleed |
| 3 | Rellana's Twin Blades | Paired light greatswords | Str 13, Dex 16, Int 16, Fai 16 | Str C, Dex C, Int D, Fai D | Somber | Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight, traded with Enia (expansion) | Physical, magic and fire in one moveset; patch 1.14 improved scaling at low Int and Faith, 1.17 raised its critical damage |
| 4 | Carian Regal Scepter | Staff | Str 8, Dex 10, Int 60 | 373 sorcery scaling at 80 Int | Somber | Remembrance of the Full Moon Queen, traded with Enia | Best high-Intelligence staff without an FP penalty; boosts the Full Moon sorceries by 10 percent |
| 5 | Lusat's Glintstone Staff | Staff | Str 10, Int 52 | 413 sorcery scaling at 80 Int | Somber | Chest north of the Nox Swordstress and Nox Priest room in Sellia Hideaway, Caelid | The highest spell damage in the game, at the cost of 50 percent more FP per cast |
| 6 | Wing of Astel | Curved sword | Str 7, Dex 17, Int 20 | Str E, Dex C, Int B | Somber | Small chest at the top of the ruins in southern Uhl Palace Ruins, Ainsel River | 2.5 weight, Nebula is a burst of exploding magic with high poise damage |
| 7 | Death's Poker | Greatsword | Str 15, Dex 17, Int 11 | Str C, Dex B, Int D | Somber | Death Rite Bird southeast of the Southern Aeonia Swamp Bank grace, Caelid, at night | Ghostflame Ignition scales with Intelligence and stacks frostbite fast; 65 frost on the sword itself |
| 8 | Star-Lined Sword | Katana | Str 10, Dex 23, Int 21 | Str D, Dex B, Int D | Somber | Demi-Human Queen Marigga, northeast of the Cerulean Coast West grace (expansion) | 200 physical plus 200 magic at +10, 45 bleed, and a skill whose slashes get stronger with each hit |
| 9 | Carian Sorcery Sword | Thrusting sword | Str 10, Dex 19, Int 16 | Str E, Dex D, Int D at +0 | Regular | Chest in Castle Ensis, reached by dropping from the cliff west of the waterfall near the Highroad Cross grace (expansion) | Melee weapon and sorcery catalyst in one hand; patch 1.17 made Intelligence raise all of its damage types |
| 10 | Meteorite Staff | Staff | Str 6, Int 18 | S-tier scaling at Int 18, fixed | None | Street of Sages Ruins, Caelid | The early-game staff, and 30 percent more gravity sorcery damage in the off-hand for the rest of the game |
Moonveil deserves its reputation, but with a caveat. Transient Moonlight is superb in the first half of the game, where the projectile breaks stance on almost everything. In the late game it is outdamaged by Dark Moon Greatsword's larger numbers and by Cold Nagakiba's frost. Keep Moonveil for the first thirty levels, then move on.
Lusat's Glintstone Staff is listed below the Carian Regal Scepter deliberately. It gives more damage, but the 50 percent FP surcharge means fewer casts per flask, and a caster who runs dry mid-boss has no damage at all. The Regal Scepter is the safer main staff, with Lusat's swapped in for fights that end in three casts.
Best Faith weapons#
Faith builds get the best boss killer in the game and the best rune farmer in the game, and they are two different swords.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Scaling at max | Upgrade | Where | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blasphemous Blade | Greatsword | Str 22, Dex 15, Fai 21 | Str D, Dex D, Fai C | Somber | Remembrance of the Blasphemous (Rykard, Volcano Manor), traded with Enia | Taker's Flames restores 10 percent of max HP plus 150 on hit and is pure fire scaling with Faith; the sword also heals 4 percent plus 40 whenever anything nearby dies |
| 2 | Sacred Relic Sword | Greatsword | Str 14, Dex 24, Fai 22 | Str D, Dex B, Fai C | Somber | Elden Remembrance (Elden Beast), traded with Enia | Wave of Gold is the fastest rune farm in the game at the Palace Approach Ledge-Road in Mohgwyn Palace; also a strong holy greatsword for a second playthrough |
| 3 | Spear of the Impaler | Great spear | Str 14, Dex 35, Fai 18 | Str E, Dex B, Fai C | Somber | Remembrance of the Impaler (Messmer), traded with Enia (expansion) | Physical plus fire, can be thrown with a charged heavy, and patch 1.17 cut the stamina cost of its throws and raised their damage |
| 4 | Godslayer's Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 20, Dex 22, Fai 20 | Str D, Dex B, Fai C | Somber | Chest behind the Godskin Apostle arena in the Divine Tower of Caelid | Faster light attacks than any other colossal sword; The Queen's Black Flame deals damage over time |
| 5 | Maliketh's Black Blade | Colossal sword | Str 34, Dex 12, Fai 20 | Str B, Dex D, Fai B | Somber | Remembrance of the Black Blade, traded with Enia | Destined Death lowers the target's maximum HP and keeps hurting them; expensive at 40 FP but decisive against big health pools |
| 6 | Euporia | Twinblade | Str 16, Dex 16, Fai 24 | Str D, Dex D, Fai B | Somber | Altar in Belurat, Tower Settlement, reached by ledges and drops from the Spiral Rise grace (expansion) | Charges after 7 hits in 10 seconds for a damage buff and holy bolts from Euporia Vortex; not against undead |
| 7 | Sword of Light | Straight sword | Str 14, Dex 11, Fai 24 | Str C, Dex D, Fai D | Somber | Take the Stone-Sheathed Sword from one of the altars at Fog Rift Catacombs, Ruins of Unte or Ancient Ruins of Rauh, then place it at another altar (expansion) | 93 physical plus 93 holy at 4 weight; Light buffs all holy damage by 20 percent, and it converts to Sword of Darkness and back |
| 8 | Erdtree Seal | Sacred seal | Fai 40 | S, 267 scaling at +10 | Somber | Corpse in a cell near the Omenkiller in the Prison Town below Volcano Manor | The best pure Faith seal past 69 Faith and the one to use for healing |
| 9 | Coded Sword | Straight sword | Fai 20 | Fai A from +6 | Somber | On the throne in the upstairs room of the Fortified Manor, Leyndell; gone once the capital becomes Ashen | Pure holy damage that no shield can block; 2.5 weight |
| 10 | Winged Scythe | Reaper | Str 16, Dex 16, Fai 24 | D/C/C | Somber | Tombsward Ruins cellar, Weeping Peninsula | Holy plus 55 bleed, available on the first afternoon |
Blasphemous Blade has been the best PvE weapon in the game since launch, and the reason is not damage alone. Taker's Flames is a fire wave that hits from range, does not need the sword to connect, and refunds a tenth of your health on every use. It turns fights that require patience into fights that require FP. Rykard is reachable via the Volcano Manor assassination quests or by walking up Mt. Gelmir, and either route takes a mid-level character.
The two seals that matter most are not on the table because they are not about damage. The Clawmark Seal (Str 4, Fai 10, given by Gurranq at the Bestial Sanctum for one Deathroot) scales with Strength and Faith equally and boosts Bestial Incantations by 10 percent, so a Strength character can cast Bestial Sling and Beast Claw without respeccing. The Dragon Communion Seal (Fai 10, Arc 10, behind two Stonesword Keys in Fringefolk Hero's Grave at the Stranded Graveyard) reaches S in Arcane at +10 and raises Dragon Communion incantations by 15 percent.
Best Arcane weapons#
Arcane is the status build: bleed, frost, poison and the weapons that carry them natively. It also scales the best-looking weapons in the game.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Scaling at max | Upgrade | Where | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear | Great spear | Str 24, Dex 14, Arc 27 | Str C, Dex D, Arc C | Somber | Remembrance of the Blood Lord (Mohg, Mohgwyn Palace), traded with Enia | Longest weapon in its class; Bloodboon Ritual is three blood explosions that coat the spear in bloodflame; 55 bleed on top |
| 2 | Rivers of Blood | Katana | Str 12, Dex 18, Arc 20 | Str E, Dex B, Arc D | Somber | Dropped by Bloody Finger Okina, who invades outside the Church of Repose, eastern Mountaintops of the Giants | Corpse Piler's blood slashes stack bleed faster than anything in the base game; nerfed in patch 1.06 and still excellent |
| 3 | Bloodfiend's Arm | Colossal weapon | Str 28, Dex 11, Arc 16 | Arc scaling with Blood affinity | Regular | Bloodfiend group, Prospect Town, Gravesite Plain (expansion) | Colossal stance damage with very high bleed buildup once Blood at +25 |
| 4 | Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 35, Dex 10, Arc 19 | Str B, Dex E, Arc D | Somber | Altar on the second level of the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past, Scadu Altus (expansion) | 154 physical plus 46 magic; the Arcane scaling adds far more attack rating than its D suggests, and White Light Charge is a dash plus explosion |
| 5 | Marais Executioner's Sword | Greatsword | Str 24, Dex 14, Arc 23 | Str B, Dex E, Arc D | Somber | Elemer of the Briar, boss of the Shaded Castle, Altus Plateau | Eochaid's Dancing Blade is a corkscrew throw that hits many times; charged, it goes further and lasts longer |
| 6 | Eleonora's Poleblade | Twinblade | Str 12, Dex 21, Arc 19 | Str E, Dex C, Arc D | Somber | Eleonora, Violet Bloody Finger, who invades at the Second Church of Marika, Altus | 176 physical plus 176 fire at +10, 56 bleed, and Bloodblade Dance has very strong stance damage |
| 7 | Bloody Helice | Heavy thrusting sword | Str 16, Dex 19, Arc 17 | Str E, Dex C, Arc B | Somber | Chest after the boss in Writheblood Ruins, Altus Plateau | 296 physical at +10 and Dynast's Finesse is a dodge into a thrust |
| 8 | Reduvia | Dagger | Str 5, Dex 13, Arc 13 | Str E, Dex C, Arc B | Somber | Bloody Finger Nerijus, Murkwater Cave entrance, Limgrave | 2 weight, ranged blood slashes for 6 FP, and B scaling in Arcane |
| 9 | Nagakiba with Occult or Blood | Katana | Str 18, Dex 22 | Arc scaling from the affinity | Regular | Yura, Limgrave | With Occult the 45 bleed rises and the physical damage scales with Arcane; with Blood and Seppuku it out-bleeds Rivers of Blood |
| 10 | Dragon Communion Seal | Sacred seal | Fai 10, Arc 10 | Arc S at +10 | Somber | Fringefolk Hero's Grave, Stranded Graveyard, two Stonesword Keys | The catalyst for Rotten Breath, Ekzykes's Decay and the dragon incantations that made Arcane a full caster stat |
Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear sits first because it is the complete package: reach, bleed on every hit, fire damage, and a skill that clears groups and deletes bosses. Rivers of Blood is second, not first, because Corpse Piler's blood slashes are fire and physical and get resisted by the Mountaintops and Farum Azula enemies you meet right after getting it. The two weapons together, one in each hand, remain the definition of an Arcane build.
Best boss killers#
This is the cross-build list. If the question is "which weapon ends a boss fastest in PvE, at any cost to elegance", it is one of these.
| Rank | Weapon | Build | Why it kills bosses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blasphemous Blade | Faith | Taker's Flames deals boss-tier fire damage from range and heals on every use; it is the safest high-damage loop in the game |
| 2 | Giant-Crusher with Heavy affinity and Lion's Claw | Strength | Two or three Lion's Claws break most stances, and the follow-up critical hits for four figures |
| 3 | Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear | Arcane | Bloodboon Ritual explosions plus 55 bleed; bosses without bleed immunity lose whole bars |
| 4 | Dark Moon Greatsword | Intelligence | The buffed projectile stacks frost while you stay out of range |
| 5 | Bloodfiend's Arm with Heavy affinity | Strength | Colossal stance damage from a 20-weight weapon; the blood splash adds stance damage on top |
| 6 | Rakshasa's Great Katana | Dexterity | Hyper armour on every swing means you trade through combos instead of waiting them out |
| 7 | Rivers of Blood with Seppuku on the off-hand Nagakiba | Arcane | The fastest bleed procs available against anything not immune |
| 8 | Maliketh's Black Blade | Faith and Strength | Destined Death reduces the boss's maximum HP; ideal against Malenia's second phase and the expansion's final boss |
| 9 | Godslayer's Greatsword | Faith and Dexterity | Black flame damage over time that ignores holy resistance |
| 10 | Nagakiba with Cold affinity | Dexterity and Intelligence | Frostbite reduces damage negation by a fixed amount, and this weapon procs it faster than any Somber option |
Two notes. Bleed does nothing against undead, stone and several remembrance bosses, and frost does little against the Ghostflame Dragons and the Death Rite Birds. A boss killer list without a pure physical entry would be dishonest, which is why the Giant-Crusher and Bloodfiend's Arm sit as high as they do: nothing in the game resists strike damage and stance damage.
Best PvE all-rounders#
An all-rounder is a weapon that does not need a plan: good against groups, good against bosses, one affinity change from working with any stat spread.
| Rank | Weapon | Why it works everywhere |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagakiba | Reach, bleed, every affinity, regular upgrade path; one weapon for a whole playthrough |
| 2 | Bloodhound's Fang | Early, somber, fast to max, and Bloodhound's Finesse is a dodge with damage attached |
| 3 | Great Stars | Strike damage, 55 bleed, heals 1 percent per hit, Heavy or Blood; the best mid-game Strength answer to knights and Crucible enemies |
| 4 | Milady | Light greatsword moveset that combos naturally and takes Keen or Cold; the expansion's best regular weapon |
| 5 | Twinblade | Fastest multi-hit in the base game; Cold or Blood on it clears catacombs on its own |
| 6 | Claymore | 138 base damage, Lion's Claw already attached, and the greatsword moveset has an answer to everything |
| 7 | Godskin Peeler | Twinblade speed with a bigger skill; Occult or Blood for a bleed build, Keen otherwise |
| 8 | Great Katana | 145 base damage, 55 bleed, longer reach than any katana; patch 1.17 fixed its critical hits against large enemies and made its jumping attacks unparryable |
| 9 | Banished Knight's Halberd | Reach, thrust and sweep in one moveset; Edgar the Revenger drops a +8 copy at Castle Morne or the Revenger's Shack if you finish Irina's quest badly |
| 10 | Zweihander | The cheapest, lightest colossal sword; good on anything from level 20 to the credits |
Best Shadow of the Erdtree weapons#
The expansion added eight weapon classes and around a hundred weapons. These are the ones that changed builds rather than just adding options.
| Rank | Weapon | Class | Requirements | Upgrade | Exact location | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Backhand Blade | Backhand blade | Str 10, Dex 13 | Regular | Beside a coffin in the Inquisitor area northeast of the Scorched Ruins grace, Gravesite Plain | Best Dexterity weapon in the game; available within ten minutes of entering the Land of Shadow |
| 2 | Bloodfiend's Arm | Colossal weapon | Str 28, Dex 11, Arc 16 | Regular | Prospect Town, Gravesite Plain, guaranteed drop | The Strength build's new default |
| 3 | Milady | Light greatsword | Str 12, Dex 17 | Regular | Chest on top of a watchtower in Castle Ensis | Introduced the light greatsword class and is still its best infusible member |
| 4 | Rellana's Twin Blades | Paired light greatswords | Str 13, Dex 16, Int 16, Fai 16 | Somber | Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight | The best weapon for a Str/Dex/Int/Faith spread |
| 5 | Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 35, Dex 10, Arc 19 | Somber | Altar in the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past, Scadu Altus | Highest-damage Arcane colossal sword |
| 6 | Dryleaf Arts | Hand-to-hand art | Str 8, Dex 8 | Regular | Won by beating Dryleaf Dane in a duel at Moorth Ruins, Scadu Altus, after getting the Monk's Missive and the "May the Best Win" gesture at the Highroad Cross grace | Weighs 1, can take any affinity, and Palm Blast is a stance-breaking punch; the funniest weapon in the game that also works |
| 7 | Spear of the Impaler | Great spear | Str 14, Dex 35, Fai 18 | Somber | Remembrance of the Impaler | Fire spear that throws and explodes; buffed in 1.17 |
| 8 | Rakshasa's Great Katana | Great katana | Str 12, Dex 27 | Somber | Rakshasa, Eastern Nameless Mausoleum | Hyper armour on demand for aggressive Dexterity play |
| 9 | Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana | Great katana | Str 15, Dex 20 | Somber | Ancient Dragon-Man at the end of the Dragon's Pit, Gravesite Plain | 372 physical at +10, 55 bleed, 30 percent bonus against dragons and 15 against ancient dragons; the tool for Bayle |
| 10 | Euporia | Twinblade | Str 16, Dex 16, Fai 24 | Somber | Belurat, Tower Settlement, altar near the bridge below the Spiral Rise grace | Self-charging holy twinblade with a beam |
| 11 | Fire Knight's Greatsword | Colossal sword | Str 22, Dex 18, Fai 12 | Regular | 4 percent drop from the Fire Knights that carry it in Shadow Keep; farm from the Storehouse, First Floor grace elevator | Native fire scaling with Faith; with Flame Art it is the best fire colossal sword in the game |
| 12 | Greatsword of Solitude | Greatsword | Str 27, Dex 13 | Somber | Blackgaol Knight, Western Nameless Mausoleum | A-scaling Strength greatsword available in the first zone |
| 13 | Sword of Light | Straight sword | Str 14, Dex 11, Fai 24 | Somber | Stone-Sheathed Sword from one altar, placed on another (Fog Rift Catacombs, Ruins of Unte, Ancient Ruins of Rauh) | 4 weight, 20 percent holy buff; the best light Faith weapon |
| 14 | Star-Lined Sword | Katana | Str 10, Dex 23, Int 21 | Somber | Demi-Human Queen Marigga, Cerulean Coast | Half magic, half physical, escalating skill |
| 15 | Carian Sorcery Sword | Thrusting sword | Str 10, Dex 19, Int 16 | Regular | Chest in Castle Ensis, dropped to from the cliff west of the waterfall near Highroad Cross | Casts sorceries with strong attacks; patch 1.17 made Intelligence scale all of its damage |
| 16 | Smithscript Dagger | Throwing blade | Str 5, Dex 11, Int 11, Fai 11 | Regular | Corpse at the end of the golem hallway in the Ruined Forge Lava Intake, Gravesite Plain | Infinite thrown daggers that return; 1.17 raised its critical damage |
| 17 | Anvil Hammer | Colossal weapon | Str 39, Dex 10, Int 11, Fai 20 | Somber | Furnace at the top of Ruined Forge Lava Intake | Highest unbuffed attack rating in the game at 80 Str and 60 Fai |
| 18 | Black Steel Greathammer | Great hammer | Str 25, Dex 11, Fai 17 | Regular | Guaranteed drop from the Black Knight at the Church of Consolation | Holy guard counter that leaves a golden trail; takes Sacred |
Four of the top six sit in Gravesite Plain, the first zone of the expansion. A level 120 character who enters the Land of Shadow can have the Backhand Blade, Bloodfiend's Arm, Greatsword of Solitude and a Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana inside a couple of hours, before Rellana. That is the correct order: gear first, then Castle Ensis.
Tarnished Pack weapons (patch 1.17)#
Patch 1.17, released on 27 August 2026, prepared the game for the Tarnished Pack, the paid content pack released on 28 August 2026 for PC, PlayStation and Xbox and included in Elden Ring Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2. It adds two starting classes (Heavy Knight and Idus Knight), four armour sets, three Spectral Steed attires, two NPC invasions in Caelid and Leyndell, and a set of new weapons: the Idus Sword (light greatsword, Str 10, Dex 15, found north of the Liurnia Lake Shore grace or as the Idus Knight's starting weapon), the Reverse-Bladed Sword (backhand blade, Str 9, Dex 11, sold by the Twin Maiden Husks for 1,000 runes), the Reed Great Katana (Str 11, Dex 16, on a corpse north of Fort Faroth in Dragonbarrow), the Hefty Scimitar, Leontiel's Greatsword, the Golden Order Flail, the Silver Grooved Shield and the Ritual Thrusting Shield. None of them displaces anything in the tables above. The Idus Sword is a slightly stronger early Milady for the base game, and the Reed Great Katana brings the great katana class to the base game map for the first time.
Overrated weapons#
- Rivers of Blood as a solo weapon. Its 1.06 nerf cut the range of Corpse Piler and its bleed per slash, and the fire portion is resisted by the enemies around it. It is still a top-three Arcane weapon, but it needs an Occult or Blood Nagakiba in the other hand to earn its reputation.
- Sword of Night and Flame. Since patch 1.03 the Comet Azur beam from its stance no longer deletes bosses, and its three-way split damage (87 physical, 56 magic, 56 fire at +0) gets resisted somewhere in every fight. Requiring 24 in both Intelligence and Faith makes it expensive for what it delivers.
- Hand of Malenia. Waterfowl Dance is spectacular and the sword is a very good katana, but at 48 Dexterity you could have Keen Nagakiba at +25 with better reach and no somber-stone competition.
- Starscourge Greatsword. Two colossal swords sound like double damage; in practice the heavy attacks use one sword and the split magic damage costs more than the extra swing adds. The Greatsword with Heavy hits harder for a third of the requirements.
- Moonveil after level 60. The projectile stops breaking stance on late bosses, and both Dark Moon Greatsword and Cold Nagakiba outdamage it once the frost and magic numbers grow.
- Grafted Blade Greatsword's Oath of Vengeance. Five points to every stat for a minute is nice; it is not worth the 20 FP compared to Cragblade, and the somersault-free colossal moveset is what you are really buying.
Hidden gems#
- Great Stars. The heal on hit is 1 percent per hit, doubled on the paired L1 if you have two, which adds up to a free flask over a boss fight. Strike damage, 55 bleed and Heavy scaling make it the best Strength weapon nobody upgrades.
- Death's Poker. Ghostflame Ignition costs 15 FP and stacks frostbite at a rate no other Intelligence weapon matches, and the follow-up explosion scales purely with Intelligence. Strength 15, Dexterity 17 and Intelligence 11 means almost any character can use it.
- Wing of Astel. At 2.5 weight with B Intelligence scaling, Nebula is a room-clearing burst that also staggers. It is a caster's best melee option and a lot of people walk straight past southern Uhl Palace Ruins.
- Bloody Helice. Dynast's Finesse is a backstep with invulnerability that flows into a thrust, and the sword scales to B in Arcane. Writheblood Ruins is on the way to the Shaded Castle and takes ten minutes.
- Icerind Hatchet. Hoarfrost Stomp on a 3-weight axe available in Liurnia. The frost buildup on the axe itself is 65, higher than most dedicated frost weapons.
- Dryleaf Arts. A weight-1 weapon that takes Blood, Cold or Heavy, hits fast enough to proc anything, and whose skill breaks stance. It is the cheapest complete build in the expansion.
- Coded Sword. Pure holy damage with A-scaling in Faith at +6, 2.5 weight, and Unblockable Blade goes through every shield in the game, including the turtles in Leyndell.
- Golden Order Greatsword. Dropped by the Misbegotten Crusader in the Cave of the Forlorn in the Consecrated Snowfield; Str 16, Dex 21, Fai 28, 20 percent bonus against undead, and it stops skeletons reviving.
- Magma Wyrm's Scalesword. Magma Guillotine's first strike ducks under horizontal attacks and the follow-up is almost impossible to interrupt. Str 24, Dex 15, Fai 18, dropped by Magma Wyrm Makar at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, the back door into Altus.
Patch balance today#
The current version is patch 1.17 from 27 August 2026, the first balance patch since 1.16 in October 2024. It buffed the Smithscript throwing weapons and the Spear of the Impaler (lower stamina cost, higher throw damage), raised critical damage on the Smithscript Dagger and Rellana's Twin Blades, made the Carian Sorcery Sword's Intelligence scaling apply to all of its damage, raised the attack power of the perfume bottles, extended the range of Golem Fist's launched heavy attack and increased guard boost on fifteen greatshields. Parry got a general improvement and Storm Wall no longer costs FP. Founding Rain of Stars, Carian Retaliation, Feather of the Divine Bird and Rain of Fire got more power, and Meteorite and Meteorite of Astel cast faster. The only nerfs are PvP-only: Rugalea's Roar, Rotten Breath and Ekzykes's Decay against players, and Rakshasa's Great Katana taking more damage while attacking.
Older changes that still define the meta: Hoarfrost Stomp and Sword of Night and Flame were reduced in 1.03; Rivers of Blood and Bloodhound's Step in 1.06; scaling across most somber weapons was revised in 1.09; 1.13 raised poise damage for dual-wielded katanas and light greatswords in PvP; 1.14 lowered the Backhand Blade's PvP damage and improved Rellana's Twin Blades at low Intelligence and Faith. Blasphemous Blade, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, Giant-Crusher and Dark Moon Greatsword have not been meaningfully reduced by any patch, which is why they still top every PvE list.
Common mistakes#
- Spreading stones across five weapons. Upgrade one main weapon as far as the current region's stones allow and everything else stays at +0 until you know it is a keeper.
- Ignoring the requirements. A weapon two points short of its Dexterity requirement loses most of its damage and its skill misfires. Check the red numbers on the equip screen.
- Leaving a regular weapon on Standard affinity. Keen on a katana or Heavy on a colossal sword is a bigger damage increase than ten levels.
- Using split-damage weapons against resistant bosses. Check what the enemy resists before you commit; the Godskin bosses, for instance, shrug off fire and holy.
- Spending Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones on a weapon you will replace. Twenty-one per playthrough sounds like plenty until the expansion asks for eight more +25 weapons.
- Forgetting the whetblades. A Blood affinity without the Black Whetblade from Nokron is impossible, and many players reach Leyndell without the Iron Whetblade from Stormveil.
- Two-handing a weapon you plan to buff. Greases and spell buffs only work on Standard, Heavy, Keen and Quality affinities.
- Levelling Arcane for a somber bleed weapon that does not scale with it. Rivers of Blood and Mohgwyn's Spear do; Bloodhound's Fang and Uchigatana do not until you infuse them.
- Skipping the bell bearings. Every one of the nine sits on a route you will walk anyway, and each one turns a whole stone tier into a purchase.
- Entering the Land of Shadow with an under-levelled weapon. The expansion scales with Scadutree Fragments, but a +15 weapon at the Belurat gate is still a mistake.
FAQ#
What is the single best weapon in Elden Ring? For PvE, Blasphemous Blade. It heals, it hits from range, and it needs only 22 Strength, 15 Dexterity and 21 Faith. For pure damage per hit, a Heavy Giant-Crusher at 80 Strength. For a first playthrough, Bloodhound's Fang until Leyndell.
Which weapon should a beginner take first? Bloodhound's Fang from the Forlorn Hound Evergaol in southern Limgrave, with Blaidd summoned for the fight. It needs 18 Strength and 17 Dexterity, which every melee class reaches by level 15.
Are somber weapons better than regular ones? No. They are faster to upgrade and often have unique skills, but they cannot take affinities. A regular weapon with the right affinity at +25 matches or beats most somber weapons at +10.
How many Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones are there? Thirteen in the base game and eight in Shadow of the Erdtree, 21 per playthrough. Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones: eight plus six, 14 per playthrough. Neither can be bought.
Does the Tarnished Pack change the meta? No. The Idus Sword, Reverse-Bladed Sword and Reed Great Katana are solid base-game versions of expansion classes, and patch 1.17's balance changes are buffs to weapons that were underused.
What is the best weapon against Malenia? Anything with bleed and a fast moveset, since she is vulnerable to it: Rivers of Blood, a Blood Nagakiba with Seppuku or Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear. Bring Maliketh's Black Blade if you prefer to shrink her health bar instead.
Which weapons are best in Shadow of the Erdtree? Backhand Blade for Dexterity, Bloodfiend's Arm for Strength, Rellana's Twin Blades for hybrids, Spear of the Impaler and Euporia for Faith, and Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword for Arcane. Five of those are in the first two zones.
Do I need to level Dexterity for a Strength weapon? Only to the requirement. After Heavy affinity, Dexterity scaling is removed entirely, so every point above the requirement is wasted on that weapon.
