Elden Ring Best Weapons: The Arsenal That Carries You to Elden Lord

Elden Ring has over 300 weapons. Most are viable for the main story. Maybe 30 are genuinely strong for endgame and Shadow of the Erdtree's punishing DLC bosses. Here's what actually carries, organized by weapon class, with specifics on where to find them and what stats to invest in.

What are the best katanas in Elden Ring?

The top katanas are Rivers of Blood for bleed, Moonveil for Intelligence builds, Hand of Malenia for pure DEX, and Nagakiba for versatility. Katanas are among the strongest weapon types in Elden Ring thanks to fast movesets, innate bleed, and devastating weapon arts like Corpse Piler and Transient Moonlight.

Rivers of Blood, the infamous bleed katana. Corpse Piler weapon art melts bosses and PvP opponents. Requires 12 STR / 18 DEX / 20 ARC. Found in Mountaintops of the Giants, dropped by Bloody Finger Okina near the Church of Repose. Still strong post-nerfs.

Moonveil, Intelligence-scaling katana with Transient Moonlight weapon art. The best INT melee weapon in the game. Requires 12 STR / 18 DEX / 23 INT. Found in Gael Tunnel, dropped by the Magma Wyrm boss.

Hand of Malenia, the Waterfowl Dance katana. Difficult to obtain (beat Malenia) but the weapon art is devastating. Requires 16 STR / 48 DEX.

Nagakiba, longest katana in the game. Great range, can be infused with any Ash of War. Found from Yura's questline or by killing him early.

What are the best greatswords in Elden Ring?

Blasphemous Blade is the best PvE greatsword thanks to its lifesteal weapon art. Dark Moon Greatsword is the top pick for INT builds, and Sword of Night and Flame suits hybrid INT/FAI casters. Greatswords balance damage, stagger, and speed, making them reliable through endgame and DLC.

Blasphemous Blade, the lifesteal greatsword. Taker's Flames weapon art deals massive fire damage and heals you per kill. Requires 22 STR / 15 DEX / 21 FAI. Obtained from Rykard's remembrance. One of the best PvE weapons in the entire game because the passive healing makes you nearly unkillable against groups.

Dark Moon Greatsword, Ranni's questline reward. INT-scaling greatsword with frost buildup. Requires 16 STR / 11 DEX / 38 INT. The weapon art buffs the sword with magic damage and frost for 60 seconds.

Sword of Night and Flame, split INT/FAI scaling. Two weapon arts in one (beam and sweep). Requires 12 STR / 12 DEX / 24 INT / 24 FAI. Found in Caria Manor.

What are the best colossal weapons in Elden Ring?

Giant-Crusher has the highest raw physical damage in the game, Greatsword (the Berserk sword) is the classic colossal pick, and Ruins Greatsword offers the best crowd-clearing weapon art. Starscourge Greatsword pulls enemies together with gravity magic. All four dominate STR builds in endgame.

Giant-Crusher, highest raw physical damage in the game. Simple, devastating, staggers everything. Requires 60 STR. Found in a chest on a carriage south of Outer Wall Phantom Tree.

Greatsword (the Berserk sword), the classic colossal greatsword. Found in a chest on a carriage in Caelid near the Smoldering Church. Requires 31 STR / 12 DEX.

Ruins Greatsword, gravity magic colossal sword from Redmane Castle dual boss remembrance. Requires 50 STR / 16 INT. Wave of Destruction weapon art is one of the best crowd-clearing attacks in the game.

Starscourge Greatsword, Radahn's dual colossal swords. Gravity pull weapon art groups enemies for followup. Requires 38 STR / 12 DEX / 15 INT.

What are the best straight swords and thrusting swords in Elden Ring?

Coded Sword is the best straight sword for FAI builds with its unblockable holy weapon art. Estoc is the go-to thrusting sword for its speed, range, and Ash of War flexibility. Noble's Slender Sword has the longest reach of any straight sword but requires farming from Wandering Nobles.

Coded Sword, pure holy damage straight sword with unblockable weapon art. Requires 20 FAI. Given by Brother Corhyn or found at the Roundtable Hold. Excellent against anything weak to holy.

Estoc, the classic thrusting sword. Fast, good range, can be infused with any Ash of War. Starting weapon for Prisoner class or purchasable from the Roundtable Hold.

Noble's Slender Sword, rare drop with the longest reach of any straight sword. Farm from Wandering Nobles.

What are the best spears and halberds in Elden Ring?

Bolt of Gransax is the best spear for ranged lightning damage, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear dominates with AoE bleed, and Commander's Standard provides a unique party-wide damage buff. These weapons offer reach and powerful weapon arts that excel in both solo play and co-op.

Bolt of Gransax, lightning spear you can throw. Ancient Lightning Spear weapon art is one of the longest-range attacks in the game. Requires 20 STR / 40 DEX. Found on the giant spear in Leyndell.

Commander's Standard, halberd with a party-wide damage buff weapon art. Requires 24 STR / 14 DEX. Rally Standard buffs you and all allies.

Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, the bleed spear with Bloodboon Ritual. Insane AoE damage. Requires 24 STR / 14 DEX / 27 ARC. From Mohg's remembrance.

What are the best staves and seals in Elden Ring?

Lusat's Glintstone Staff has the highest sorcery scaling but costs extra FP, while Carian Regal Scepter is the best balanced staff. For incantations, Erdtree Seal is top for pure FAI and Dragon Communion Seal is best for ARC/FAI hybrids. Your choice depends on build type and FP management.

Lusat's Glintstone Staff, highest sorcery scaling in the game at the cost of increased FP consumption. Requires 52 INT. Found in Sellia Hideaway.

Carian Regal Scepter, best balanced staff. High scaling without Lusat's FP penalty. Requires 8 STR / 10 DEX / 60 INT. From Rennala's remembrance.

Erdtree Seal, best incantation seal for FAI builds at high investment. Scaling keeps improving up to 80 FAI.

Dragon Communion Seal, best seal for ARC/FAI hybrid builds. Adds ARC scaling to incantations.

What are the best Shadow of the Erdtree DLC weapons?

The DLC's strongest additions are Euporia for INT/FAI hybrid casters, Greatsword of Radahn (Light) for raw damage, and Backhand Blade for aggressive DEX builds. Smithscript weapons introduce a unique throwable melee playstyle. Several of these compete with or surpass the best base game options.

The DLC added several weapons that compete with or surpass base game options:

Euporia, twinblade that scales with both INT and FAI. Incredible for hybrid casters.

Greatsword of Radahn (Light), the Promised Consort version. Massive damage, gravity-enhanced attacks.

Backhand Blade, new weapon type with fast, aggressive moveset. Strong for DEX builds.

Smithscript weapons, throwable melee weapons. Unique playstyle.

How should you prioritize weapon upgrades in Elden Ring?

Focus all your upgrade materials on one weapon first before spreading resources around. Somber Smithing Stones upgrade unique weapons to +10, regular Smithing Stones upgrade standard weapons to +25, and both paths reach roughly equivalent damage at max level. Splitting materials early leaves you underpowered for tough fights.

Somber Smithing Stones upgrade unique (named) weapons to +10. These weapons can't change their Ash of War but have powerful built-in weapon arts.

Regular Smithing Stones upgrade standard weapons to +25. These weapons can be infused with any Ash of War and any affinity.

Both paths cap at roughly equivalent damage. Don't avoid standard weapons because they go to +25 instead of +10, the scaling is balanced between them.

Prioritize one weapon early. Spreading upgrade materials across multiple weapons leaves you underpowered. Pick one and push it to max before diversifying.

What stats should you level for each Elden Ring weapon?

Your stat investment determines which weapons hit hardest. Pure STR builds need 60 STR minimum for colossal weapons, pure DEX needs 60 DEX for katanas and spears, and caster hybrids should push INT or FAI to 60 or higher. Match your stat spread to your weapon's primary scaling for maximum damage.

What we make at Choost

Choost Games builds its own titles with deep progression systems. Granny's Rampage features a weapon upgrade path from minigun to chainsword to flamethrower, all earned through boss kills. Different genre from Elden Ring, but the same core philosophy: your arsenal should feel earned.

Granny's Rampage has its own weapon upgrade system, minigun to chainsword to flamethrower through boss kills. Different genre, same "earn your arsenal" philosophy.

For more Elden Ring content, the elden ring tips, elden ring best builds, elden ring best armor, and games like Elden Ring posts have more.

What is the best weapon in Elden Ring overall?

Blasphemous Blade is the best overall PvE weapon thanks to its lifesteal. Rivers of Blood and Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear lead for bleed builds, Moonveil is the top INT melee pick, Giant-Crusher wins for pure STR, and Greatsword of Radahn (Light) is the strongest DLC weapon. Pick based on your build.

Every weapon in Elden Ring is viable for the main story. These are the ones that remain strong through endgame and DLC where damage thresholds and boss HP pools get serious. Pick based on your stat investment and preferred playstyle.