Elden Ring allows you to fine-tune your character to your liking. That means prioritizing certain attributes and, naturally, selecting preferred equipment. Likewise, you might want to discern which armaments are viable enough to continue upgrading in the long run. Here's our Elden Ring best weapons guide to help you choose the ideal equipment for your playthrough.
Elden Ring best weapons tier list - The best weapons for each type and category
Our Elden Ring best weapons tier list is organized in the following manner:
- We've selected over 20 armaments from across multiple weapon types/categories.
- Some types may have more than one suggested gear piece, usually because the options are distinct from one another or they're for different builds.
- The guide is organized based on how these categories appear in the inventory.
Dagger: Reduvia
- Location: Limgrave - Dropped by Bloody Finger Nerijus (invader) near the entrance to Murkwater Cave
- Skill: Reduvia Blood Blade
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, and Arc D
- Attribute requirements: Str 5, Dex 13, and Arc 13
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (50)
Reduvia is easily one of the best weapons in Elden Ring, especially for those who like quick combos via daggers. It has fast attack animations/sequences, it causes the bleeding status effect, and you can obtain it very early in the game.
Straight Sword: Sword of Night and Flame
- Location: Liurnia of the Lakes - Found inside a building in Caria Manor. The structure has a rooftop opening that's accessible via the stone pathways.
- Skill: Night-and-Flame Stance
- Scaling: Str E, Dex E, Int D, and Fai D
- Attribute requirements: Str 12, Dex 12, Int 24, and Fai 24
- Passive effect: N/A
What makes the Sword of Night and Flame an amazing armament is its unique skill, the Night-and-Flame Stance. While holding the skill button, you can either do a normal attack to channel a Comet Azur-like beam or a heavy attack to create a swirling gust of fire. That's two magical abilities for short and medium-range engagements.
Greatsword: Blasphemous Blade
- Location: Roundtable Hold - Exchange the Remembrance of the Blasphemous dropped by Rykard Lord of Blasphemy.
- Skill: Taker's Flames
- Scaling: Str D, Dex D, and Fai D
- Attribute requirements: Str 22, Dex 15, and Fai 21
- Passive effect: N/A
In any Elden Ring best weapons tier list, the Blasphemous Blade always ranks at or near the very top. This is due to two reasons. The first is that its Taker's Flame skill creates a powerful explosion, great for any player that prefers a combined Strength and Faith build. The second is its hidden passive, which heals your character whenever an enemy is killed. This perk remains active even if you didn't use this particular weapon to slay a foe (you just need to have it equipped).
Greatsword: Dark Moon Greatsword
- Location: Liurnia of the Lakes - Requires you to complete Ranni's quest chain. Ranni will then give you this weapon when you hand over the Dark Moon Ring.
- Skill: Moonlight Greatsword
- Scaling: Str D, Dex D, and Int C
- Attribute requirements: Str 16, Dex 11, and Int 38
- Passive effect: Causes frost buildup (55)
Moonlight-type swords are a staple of From Software's Souls series, and the Dark Moon Greatsword is its Elden Ring variant. The heavy attack, if you cast the weapon's unique skill beforehand, fires a crescent-shaped projectile that deals tremendous damage, making it a great option for Int-focused players that like to play more aggressively.
Colossal Sword: Maliketh's Black Blade
- Location: Roundtable Hold - Exchange the Remembrance of the Black Blade dropped by Maliketh.
- Skill: Destined Death
- Scaling: Str C, Dex E, and Fai D
- Attribute requirements: Str 34, Dex 12, and Fai 20
- Passive effect: N/A
To be honest, we were quite torn when choosing between Maliketh's Black Blade and the Starscourge Greatsword. Ultimately, we went with the former since, even though Destined Death can be somewhat cumbersome to use, it still deals massive damage. It's best used if you have a co-op ally, NPC companion, or spirit ash summon.
Heavy Thrusting Sword: Bloody Helice
- Location: Altus Plateau - Defeat the Sanguine Noble boss in Writheblood Ruins and open the chest.
- Skill: Dynasty's Finesse
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, and Arc D
- Attribute requirements: Str 16, Dex 19, and Arc 17
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (55)
There are very few heavy thrusting swords in the game, but we feel that the Bloody Helice is the ideal option. This is because it can inflict the bleeding status effect, and it has the Dynasty's Finesse skill, which causes your character to do a fancy spinning backstep/dodge.
Curved Sword: Wing of Astel
- Location: Nokstella Eternal City - Circle around the tunnels until you reach the top section of Uhl Palace Ruins. You should discover a chest on one of the stone walls.
- Skill: Nebula
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, and Int D
- Attribute requirements: Str 7, Dex 17, and Int 20
- Passive effect: N/A
The Wing of Astel outshines many of its counterparts since the Nebula skill causes explosions that damage enemies in a frontal arc. Even better, this curved sword's heavy attacks are actually magic-infused strikes that don't consume FP at all.
Curved Greatsword: Bloodhound's Fang
- Location: Limgrave - A reward for defeating Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Forlorn Hound Evergaol, a point-of-interest near the southern portion of Limgrave that connects the region to the Weeping Peninsula.
- Skill: Bloodhound's Finesse
- Scaling: Str D and Dex C
- Attribute requirements: Str 18 and Dex 17
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (55)
Apart from inflicting bleeding on your foes, the Bloodhound's Fang's own skill makes your character do a frontal slash followed by a quick backflip. It basically combines offense and defense into one maneuver. Oh, and you can get this item very early in your playthrough.
Katana: Rivers of Blood
- Location: Mountaintops of the Giants - Dropped by Bloody Finger Okina (invader) at the Church of Repose.
- Skill: Corpse Piler
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, Arc D
- Attribute requirements: Str 12, Dex 18, Arc 20
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (50)
The Rivers of Blood slingshots to near the top of our Elden Ring weapons tier list, thanks to the bleed affliction that it can cause, along with both physical and fire damage from the skill. Since katanas tend to be the go-to weapon category for Dex-focused players, this option is a perfect pick.
Katana: Moonveil
- Location: Caelid - A reward for beating the Magma Wyrm boss in the Gael Tunnel dungeon.
- Skill: Transient Moonlight
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, and Int C
- Attribute requirements: Str 12, Dex 18, and Int 23
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (50)
Moonveil used to be one of the best weapons in Elden Ring. It's still a pretty decent option even after a few nerfs.
Twinblade: Godskin Peeler
- Location: Altus Plateau - Defeat the Godskin Apostle in the Windmill Village.
- Skill: Black Flame Tornado
- Scaling: Str E and Dex C
- Attribute requirements: Str 17 and Dex 22
- Passive effect: N/A
The Godskin Peeler is an amazing choice for those who wish to make use of the twinblade moveset, along with a shadowy cyclone that surrounds your character. To make the most of it, though, you'll want a co-op ally, NPC companion, or spirit ash summon to distract a boss while you "spin-to-win" with the armament.
Twinblade: Eleonora's Poleblade
- Location: Altus Plateau - Dropped by Bloody Finger Eleonora (invader) in the Second Church of Marika.
- Skill: Bloodblade Dance
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, and Arc D
- Attribute requirements: Str 12, Dex 21, and Arc 19
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (55)
Speaking of spin-to-win, the Eleonora's Poleblade is the best weapon in Elden Ring that makes use of this particular maneuver. Got several enemies in front and around you? Well, simply activate the skill to twirl around as blood bursts from your blades. Note that the invader NPC that has this reward, Eleonora, also drops the Purifying Crystal Tear, which you're going to need if you want to make quick work of Mohg so you can start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Axe: Rosus' Axe
- Location: Liurnia of the Lakes - Unlock the barrier in Black Knife Catacombs by using a Stonesword Key.
- Skill: Rosus' Summons
- Scaling: Str D, Dex E, and Int D
- Attribute requirements: Str 18, Dex 10, and Int 18
- Passive effect: N/A
We're not big fans of axes. Still, if we're forced to only choose one, then we're going with Rosus' Axe. Apart from the usual melee strikes, the skill itself spawns multiple spectral skeletons that also pounce on your targets.
Greataxe: Greataxe
- Location: Limgrave - Found inside the carriage chest near the Waypoint Ruins. Be sure to defeat the trolls and wandering nobles that are guarding it.
- Skill: Barbaric Roar
- Scaling: Str D and Dex D
- Attribute requirements: Str 30 and Dex 8
- Passive effect: N/A
The best gear piece in the greataxe category is the one that has the category's namesake. The Greataxe deals high damage by default, making it a no-nonsense option that you can acquire early in your playthrough.
Flail: Bastard's Stars
- Location: Roundtable Hold - Exchange the Remembrance of the Naturalborn dropped by Astel.
- Skill: Nebula
- Scaling: Str E, Dex D, and Int C
- Attribute requirements: Str 8, Dex 22, and Int 22
- Passive effect: N/A
Tired of wielding the usual weapons? Why not try flails? We consider the Bastard's Stars as the top pick in this particular category, especially for those who like getting into the thick of the fray as an Int-focused combatant.
As for the Nebula skill, it's similar to the one from the Wing of Astel--i.e. purple dust that explodes in an arc. The difference is that your character also does a spin-and-lunge move, so try not to accidentally fall to your doom while you're at it.
Great Hammer: Envoy's Long Horn
- Location: Leyndell Royal Capital or Miquella's Haligtree - A random drop from Oracle Envoy enemies (i.e. the medium-sized ones).
- Skill: Bubble Shower
- Scaling: Str D, Dex D, and Fai C
- Attribute requirements: Str 23, Dex 11, and Fai 18
- Passive effect: N/A
There are three versions of this weapon: the Envoy's Horn from smaller Oracle mobs, the Envoy's Long Horn from medium-sized mobs, and the Envoy's Greathorn from larger mobs. The Envoy's Long Horn happens to be the top choice, and it's also one of the best weapons in Elden Ring (even if it doesn't look like it at a glance).
This is primarily because of the Bubble Shower ability, which generates multiple projectiles that flow outward. If you're close enough to a target, you can guarantee that all of these projectiles hit, causing devastating damage in just a single cast. This is an absolute boss-killer.
Colossal Weapon: Giant-Crusher
- Location: Leyndell Royal Capital - Go south of the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace and defeat the Ulcerated Tree Spirit in the area. This lets you open the carriage chest without any hassles.
- Skill: Endure
- Scaling: Str C
- Attribute requirements: Str 60
- Passive effect: N/A
The Giant-Crusher is a perfect choice for players who want to focus solely on Strength, while ignoring the rest (but please have 60 Vigor). Simply put, its heavy attack makes you do a flip maneuver that flattens opponents in front of you.
Colossal Weapon: Fallingstar Beast Jaw
- Location: Mount Gelmir - Defeat the Fallingstar Beast boss located at the top of the mountain. The area can be accessed by climbing the tall ladder near the Bridge of Iniquity.
- Skill: Gravity Bolt
- Scaling: Str D, Dex D, and Int E
- Attribute requirements: Str 34, Dex 12, and Int 20
- Passive effect: N/A
The Fallingstar Beast Jaw is for those who like to mix slow-but-powerful melee attacks, a staple of colossal weapons, with a bit of magic thrown in for good measure. The skill causes stalagmites to erupt from the ground. Use it sparingly and don't focus on Intelligence too much, as Strength remains the go-to pick among all attributes.
Spear: Cross-Naginata
- Location: Caelid - Found in Gael Tunnel, the same dungeon where you can acquire Moonveil. This particular item is inside a cavern that has several octopi enemies.
- Skill: Impaling Thrust
- Scaling: Str D and Dex C
- Attribute requirements: Str 16 and Dex 20
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (50)
Most spears in the game have the usual thrusting attack sequence. The Cross-Naginata, however, is quite different, since its combo consists of: overhead slash, thrust, slash, and thrust. This unique perk, along with the bleeding status effect, make it the most viable out of the bunch.
Great Spear: Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear
- Location: Roundtable Hold - Exchange the Remembrance of the Blood Lord dropped by Mohg Lord of Blood.
- Skill: Bloodboon Ritual
- Scaling: Str D, Dex E, and Arc D
- Attribute requirements: Str 24, Dex 14, and Arc 27
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (55)
Among the items that are part of our Elden Ring best weapons tier list, few can compare to the Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear in terms of innate perks. It can apply bleeding, which is the affliction of choice when fighting most foes in the game. Its Bloodboon Ritual skill can be cast thrice, and its area-of-effect (AoE) consists of multiple hits. Lastly, the skill itself even grants a bit of fire damage to the weapon.
Halberd: Golden Halberd
- Location: Limgrave - Defeat the Tree Sentinel that you see once you initially reach the overworld area.
- Skill: Golden Vow
- Scaling: Str D, Dex E, and Fai D
- Attribute requirements: Str 30, Dex 14, and Fai 12
- Passive effect: N/A
The Golden Halberd can be yours within your first hour of starting the campaign, since you just need to take out the Tree Sentinel to acquire it. From there, you'll have access to a brilliant spell called Golden Vow that buffs your attack and defense. Note that the spell itself has other variants, and you can learn about them in our Golden Vow guide.
Fist: Star Fist
- Location: Leyndell Royal Capital - Found outside the coliseum in the western section of the capital.
- Skill: Endure
- Scaling: Str D and Dex E
- Attribute requirements: Str 12 and Dex 8
- Passive effect: Causes blood loss buildup (45)
Fist weapons are comparable to daggers when it comes to speedy attack animations. This one, in particular, also causes the bleeding status effect.
Bow: Pulley Bow
- Location: Mount Gelmir - Head to the war-torn battlefield in Mount Gelmir and loot this item from one of the siege towers.
- Skill: Mighty Shot
- Scaling: Str D and Dex D
- Attribute requirements: Str 11 and Dex 11
- Passive effect: N/A
While there are several kinds of bows in the base game, the Pulley Bow automatically makes the entire light bow category unnecessary. It provides both high damage and unparalleled range, making it the ideal pick for players that want to snipe targets from a distance.
Greatbow: Lion Greatbow
- Location: Roundtable Hold - Exchange the Remembrance of the Starscourge dropped by Radahn.
- Skill: Radahn's Rain
- Scaling: Str D and Dex D
- Attribute requirements: Str 22 and Dex 18
- Passive effect: N/A
It's easy to consider the Lion Greatbow as the best ranged weapon in Elden Ring. It grants a bonus to Radahn's Spears, a unique kind of ammunition, and it triggers multiple instances of damage as projectiles start hitting your foes. If the Radahn encounter gave you a headache as you were trying to close the distance, then this hard-earned weapon will make your enemies feel that pain.
Staff: Staff of Loss
- Location: Sellia Town of Sorcery (Caelid) - Go to the golden sapling at the back of the area, then traverse the large branches until you reach the rooftop of a building. The item can be found on a balcony.
- Skill: N/A
- Scaling: Str E, Dex E, and Int C
- Attribute requirements: Str 6, Dex 12, and Int 14
- Passive effect: Boosts Invisibility sorcery
While there are dozens of staves in the game, we've opted for the Staff of Loss since it boosts Invisibility sorcery--i.e. Night Comet and Night Shard. Night Comet just happens to be our favorite spell in the game due to how effective it is in terms of FP cost and ease of use. For other weapons that are part of this category, you can take a look at our best staves guide.
Sacred Seal: Erdtree Seal
- Location: Mount Gelmir/Volcano Manor - Go to the town area in this legacy dungeon. Eventually, you'll come across a town square with prison cells. The item is inside one of the cells.
- Skill: N/A
- Scaling: Fai C
- Attribute requirements: Fai 40
- Passive effect: N/A
Generally speaking, the ideal Sacred Seals to equip are the ones that boost a particular incantation spell type that you prefer. For instance, the Golden Order Seal is for Fundamentalist incantations and the Dragon Communion Seal is for draconic incantations. Then again, the Erdtree Seal is our top choice since it has the highest Faith scaling among all gear pieces that belong in the same category, and there are numerous incantations whose damage and healing are dependent on your Faith attribute, too.
That does it for our Elden Ring best weapons tier list. These are just our picks and suggestions, and you're free to select the gear pieces that better suit your playstyle. For those who own the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, you can visit our best DLC armaments guide.
Your adventures in The Lands Between will be fraught with countless dangers. As such, you might want to learn about various Elden Ring tips and tricks in our guides hub.
