Elden Ring is home to some of the most unique and powerful weaponry in gaming, and it’s safe to assume that many of them will be reaching legendary status in the zeitgeist of this industry. With many weapon types and move sets within each type, there are basic weapons’ to their eccentric varieties. The choice is huge and varied.
With so much weaponry coming your way while progressing through the game, staying loyal to one can get frustrating. And only a limited number of upgrading materials is doled out. Naturally, it is near impossible to experiment and upgrade every weapon that catches your eye.
We will be helping you out by grading the most important weapons that might have tempted you in the past. And with our help, you can finally pinpoint the same armament to dump all your Smithing stones in.
Greatswords
Not too heavy like a Colossal sword and not too nimble like a Straight sword, these Greatswords lie in that sweet Goldilocks zone of power and speed for your muscle-bound builds.
Blasphemous Blade
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 22 | D | C |
| DEX | 15 | D | C |
| FAI | 21 | D | B |
Acquired by trading in Remembrance of the Blasphemous, which you get by killing Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy in Mt Gelmir. This weapon will improve Faith scaling as you upgrade it and is perfect for STR and FAI builds. The attack power is divided into Fire and Physical so you get the advantage of elemental damage as well.
The skill of this weapon Taker’s Flames is its best part. It costs 30 FP and sends out a straight line of fire bursting from the ground which has a pretty long range. Along with that, it has great Fire damage output and knockback damage that will push any advancing enemy away. It also heals back 6.5% HP of each kill just by holding the weapon; killing is not even necessary.
Dark Moon Greatsword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 16 | D | D |
| DEX | 11 | D | D |
| INT | 38 | C | B |
Acquired at the end of Ranni’s questline, where she will reward you for your service. An amazing weapon for Intelligence focused players and doesn’t require much Strength to be invested. The Attack power is split between Magic and Physical and with the B rating of fully upgraded you get a lot for your INT stat leveling. It also has a passive which inflicts the Frost status effect.
The legendary Moonlight Greatsword is its skill, costing 40 FP, that imbues and buffs the weapon in a cosmic paint and makes it even more hard-hitting. Along with that, it transforms the regular heavy attack to send a large projectile that hits hard and can drop stagger most enemies if you land two consecutively, inflicts Frost from a distance as well, considering they don’t cost FP it is an amazing deal.
Sacred Relic Sword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 14 | E | D |
| DEX | 24 | D | B |
| FAI | 22 | D | C |
Acquired by trading Elden Remembrance you get by killing the Elden Beast at the end of the game. A weapon for the DEX and FAI hybrid builds and favors dexterity scaling more. The attack power is divided into Physical and Holy damage.
This weapon has the best ranged AOE skill of any weapon the Wave of Gold which cost 50 FP to pull off. It sends a huge wave of Holy damage in front that deals massive and substantial range. You can easily clear out hordes of enemies coming towards you and clear out packed rooms with ease—the perfect crowd control skill.
Death’s Poker
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 15 | D | C |
| DEX | 17 | D | B |
| INT | 11 | E | D |
Acquired by killing a Death Rite Bird in Caelid Region just south of the Sellia Town of Sorcery. A weapon for the DEX and INT and STR builds out there and favors DEX the most. The attack power is divided into Physical and Magic damage. And it uses black flame, which inflicts Frost’s status build-up.
It has a very versatile weapon skill Ghostflame Ignition, which costs 15 to use and 10 more for follow-up attacks. This skill will poke anyone in and create a ball of black flame that hurts over time and creates a mini-explosion that damages and inflict Frost.
If you press light attack over the ball of fire, you will send out a line of black flame in front of you to some distance which keeps lingering and burning the ground and can be used to zone control. If you hard attack the ball of flame, you will create a bigger explosion hurting all in your immediate radius.
Axe
Channel the lumberjack inside you and lob away enemy heads like any tree that dares to stand in your way.
Warped Axe
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 24 | C | B |
| DEX | 8 | – | – |
It can be farmed off the Ogre enemies found in Cliffbottom Catacombs. A pure STR weapon and has a steep requirement as well. If you change its affinity to Heavy, then you are looking at an “S” scaling in STR which has the best damage output.
This weapon’s move set is different from other axes, and it’s better because of it as it’s a far quicker combo than the rest. A hard-hitting ax with a quick-move set is a deadly combination. You can further equip any Ash of War that you want to make it even better and put your spin on it. It comes with War Cry skill which is a viable option to buff your attacks.
Stormhawk Axe
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 19 | D | C |
| DEX | 15 | D | D |
You can get two of these by completing the Nepheli Loux questline. This weapon scales off the most with STR stats and cannot be infused with any other Ash of War.
The Ash of War it comes with, Thunderstorm, does this nice little AOE attack and buffs the weapon with 85 Lightning damage for 20 seconds. And if you keep using the skill, the AOE storm stays for longer, and you exit the animation with more swinging attacks and damage. This skill does insane Poise damage, so there is an off chance that the enemy might get staggered with the hit.
Iron Cleaver
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 15 | C | B |
| DEX | 7 | E | D |
It is dropped from killing Misbegotten’s enemy in Castle Morne. A weapon that favors STR builds, and with a Heavy affinity it will have a scale rating of “A.” It also maintains good scaling with other affinities as well.
The move set of this weapon is unique, with spammy bludgeoning overhead attacks that can be chained together quickly. The heavy attack has this charge animation that you can time the attack from a certain distance. It comes with a Wild Strike skill that haphazardly swings the ax around, this is not a very good skill, and luckily, you can switch it with other Ash of War.
Curved Sword
These are faster swords than regular straight swords and have a flowy weapon attack animation and a satisfying combo to pull off.
Bandit’s Curved Sword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 11 | D | D |
| DEX | 13 | D | C |
Acquired by killing normal skeletons enemies that are dual-wielding, this sword is found in Weeping Peninsula, Limgrave, and Altus Plateau. There is a better chance of getting one from a skeleton at the Church of Pilgrimage.
This is a standard weapon that can be slotted with your choice of Ash of War keeping in mind its compatibility. The best thing about this is that it can adapt to most affinities and maintain a good scaling rating. As with most unique weapons, you are stuck with a specific affinity, but this weapon not only scales well but also enables you to explore different skills.
Scavenger Curved Sword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 9 | C | D |
| DEX | 14 | C | C |
Found on a dead body on Mt. Gelmir beside a Grafted Scion enemy. This is the only curved sword that has a bleed build-up passive.
Like the previous sword, this too can be customized with your Ash of War of choice, and if you use a bleed skill, you will be further benefited by better bleed build-up. Along with that, and again similar to the Bandit’s curved sword, you get an amazing rating from any other affinity you choose for this weapon.
Eclipse Shotel
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 10 | E | D |
| DEX | 25 | D | C |
| FAI | 30 | D | C |
It can be found on a church altar in Castle Sol on the Mountaintops of the Giants. This weapon is for the DEX, and FAI hybrid builds and takes advantage of these stats. The damage is split between Physical and Holy.
What makes this weapon overpowered is the skill Death Flare which ignites and buffs the weapon with +30 Holy damage and with death build-up, which once filled, can cause instant death, a very OP status effect of Elden Ring. It has plagued the PVP side of this game. And if you pair with Incantations that also inflict death build-up, then you are unstoppable.
Curved Greatsword
A weapon type that mixes the flowy horizontal attacks of the curved sword with the oomph of a greatsword.
Bloodhound Fang
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 18 | D | C |
| DEX | 17 | C | B |
Dropped by the Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, in Limgrave. This weapon can not be infused with Ash of War hence going for a DEX build is the most complimentary for it. The weapon also has a passive blood loss build-up. This weapon can also be buffed by different grease to enhance an already potent attack sheet.
This weapon’s innate skill Bloodhound’s Finesse, has a nice heavy damage attack that also retreats the player after the attack, which can be used in hit-and-run techniques. And the follow-up attack that comes by pressing the heavy attack button will immediately teleport you near the target for a quick yet damaging slash. And you receive hyper armor when you are stuck in the skill animation. The damage and speed are unparalleled here.
Morgott’s Cursed Sword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 14 | E | D |
| DEX | 35 | C | B |
| ARC | 17 | D | D |
It can be exchanged with the Remembrance of the Omen King, which you get by killing Morgott the Omen King. This weapon is a DEX, and ARC builds a weapon with exceptional scaling with DEX. Along with that, it has passive bleed build-up. It is also the lightest weapon in this category.
You can increase the bleed build-up by investing more in ARC, as this status effect is tied to the respective attribute. The skill Cursed-Blood Slice does this charge animation towards the enemy and performs a blood flame-infused slash that increases bleed build-up and has fire damage, too; you can also follow up with another such slash by pressing the button again.
You get hyper armor while charging so there shouldn’t be much worry about getting hurt.
Magma Wyrm’s Scalesword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 24 | C | B |
| DEX | 15 | D | D |
| FAI | 18 | D | B |
Acquired by defeating Magma Wyrm Makar in Ruin-Strewn Precipice in northern Liurnia of the Lakes. Perfect for an FAI and STR hybrid build, the only weapon in this category to have FAI scaling. The attack power is distributed in Physical and Fire damage. One of the highest damage dealing in the weapon type.
The weapon skill here is the Magma Guillotine lunges you toward the target and rains down with great might, also spewing lava all over where you land, you can follow it up with another major strike. The lava on the ground is great for a sustained overtime damage source if the enemy stands over and for zoning purposes. When you are airborne mid-lunge you get hyper armor as well.
Halberd
With the range of a pokey spear and the strength of an ax, this weapon has a valuable spot in the hearts of players.
Guardian’s Swordspear
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 17 | E | E |
| DEX | 16 | C | B |
Dropped by Erdtree Guardians, the enemy found near most Minor Erdtree all over the map. A weapon best for DEX builds and can be further modified with affinities and different Ash of War. It can reach an “A” rating on Keen affinity.
The weapon’s moveset is swift than most halberds, the best in the category. From our research, this weapon is getting great damage numbers with Keen, even though it does not have an “S” rating. It also scales well with Faith and Intelligence scaling.
Golden Halberd
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 30 | D | B |
| DEX | 14 | E | D |
| FAI | 12 | D | D |
It can be acquired by killing the Tree Sentinel in Limgrave. A weapon for the FAI and STR builds, and the attack power is split between Physical and Holy damage. The build must invest more in STR than FAI for the best results.
The weapon skill here, Golden Vow, buffs the weapon for 12% more damage and boosts damage taken reduction by 5%. With the buff on, the weapon’s damage output is raised substantially, becoming the highest damage of all the halberds.
Loretta’s War Sickle
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 20 | D | C |
| DEX | 15 | D | C |
| INT | 20 | D | C |
Dropped by Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree, upon defeat. This weapon is for INT and DEX, or STR builds. Though the weapon has the same rating for all attributes, you will receive better output by upgrading DEX. The attack power is split between Magic and Physical. It has the same move set as Guardian Swordspear with some extra range.
The weapon skill Loretta’s Slash does this quick-rising attack and drops attack enhanced by Magic. The overall move set and skill combination cement this weapon at this spot.
Heavy Thrusting Sword
If you have rejected the basic thrusting swords because of their delicate fighting style, then they are their aggressive cousins with a meaner attitude.
Bloody Helice
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 16 | E | E |
| DEX | 19 | D | C |
| ARC | 17 | D | B |
Found in the Writheblood Ruins, in a chest after the boss. With the passive bleed build-up and ARC scaling, you can use this to bump up the bleed potential. Ideal for builds going for bleed as their specific damage type. Attractive for DEX and ARC hybrid builds as well.
The weapon skill Dynast’s Finesse can be used to create some distance between you and the target, all the while doing a sweeping attack, and with the follow-up, you can heavily thrust the sword into the enemy and deal immense damage. There is even a follow-up attack to the follow-up, which can be used in certain situations.
Godskin Stitcher
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 14 | D | C |
| DEX | 17 | D | C |
Dropped by Godskin Noble at Volcano Manor. A weapon for the basic Physical attributes, nothing flashy. The move set includes great multi-hit heavy poke attacks that can be beneficial in dealing with single targets. Keen, Heavy, and Quality all result in some good scaling ratings.
It comes with the Impaling Thrust skill and can be substituted with any other Ash of War you like.
Dragon King’s Cragblade
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 18 | E | D |
| DEX | 37 | D | B |
Trade Remembrance of the Dragonlord, which you get for killing Dragonlord Placidusax with Enia at Roundtable Hold to get this weapon. It’s a weapon for the Dex builds only. The weapon attack power is split into Physical and Lightning damage. The movie set is the same as Bloody Helice.
The weapon Thundercloud Form levitates and transforms you into a cloud of thunderstorms only to lunge you toward the enemy with a mega Lightning-infused attack. You get hyper armor while doing it, which is good since the animation takes longer.
Straight Sword
The most reliable and used weapon category of the bunch, you have used one of these one way or the other might as well know which ones are the best.
Sword of Night and Flame
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 12 | E | D |
| DEX | 12 | E | D |
| INT | 24 | D | B |
| FAI | 24 | D | B |
Found after completing some side platforming sections in a chest in Caria Manor. This weapon was all the hype before it got nerfed. The weapon is for players rocking an INT and FAI hybrid build. The attack power is divided between Physical, Magic, and Fire.
The weapon skill is its main selling point, Night-and-Flame Stance. This puts you in a stance where you can choose two attack types. With a light attack, you can fire a massive Comet Azur-type beam from the sword, great at dealing with single-off enemies. Pressing the heavy attack in the stance will trigger a huge AOE wave of Fire that can easily clear out crowds—a very versatile weapon, to say the least.
Miquellan Knight’s Sword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 11 | D | D |
| DEX | 11 | D | D |
| FAI | 16 | E | D |
Found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree by traversing the tree branches and reaching a bell tower. The weapon is for FAI builds, and the damage is split between Physical and Holy. The heavy attack on this weapon is great for covering distance and heavy damage.
The weapon skill Sacred Blade sends out a slash projectile of Holy damage and buffs the weapon with the same effect, which adds 80 Holy damage to all normal attacks.
Carian Knight’s Sword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 10 | D | C |
| DEX | 10 | D | D |
| INT | 18 | D | D |
Found in a chest on the back of a very stagecoach wagon being pulled by two Trolls in Liurnia of the Lakes. Perfect for INT-focused builds with some interest in DEX. The attack power is split between Physical and Magic.
This weapon comes with Carian Grandeur skill that transforms this sword into a huge magic blade and does a massive overhead strike. This magical weapon’s range and damage output can be increased by holding and charging it. Great for those first strikes on unalerted enemies.
Katana
The iconic sword of the east, this weapon type gets so much attention and includes some of the most iconic weapons of Elden Ring.
Moonveil
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 12 | E | E |
| DEX | 18 | D | B |
| INT | 23 | C | B |
Dropped from defeating Magma Wyrm found in Gael Tunnel in Caelid region. This is a pure INT, and DEX build weapon with an amazing return on investment in INT. The attack power is split between Physical and Magic.
This weapon’s popularity is due to its skill Transient Moonlight, which is a magical version of Unsheathe Ash of War. You sheathe your weapon and are presented with a light attack for a horizontal slash and short-range magic projectile or a heavy attack for an overhead vertical strike with a longer range. Both attacks are executed almost instantly, and the heavy attack has great stagger potential.
Rivers of Blood
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 12 | E | E |
| DEX | 18 | D | B |
| ARC | 20 | D | D |
Dropped by killing Bloody Finger Okina in the Church of Repose, found in Mountaintops of the Giants. A weapon specifically designed for insane bleed build-up for ARC and DEX builds only. The attack power is split between Physical and Fire damage.
The skill here, Corpse Piler, is actually what the name suggests. It increases the range of each slash with a blood extension, even reaching farther than all the weapons, even spears. Using it will further enhance bleed build-up, and depending on the enemy’s Robustness attribute, the chance of a proc is even higher in fewer hits. The PVP side of Elden Ring is swarming with players using this weapon.
Colossal Weapons
As the name suggests, these are the biggest of the weapons with the mightiest of strikes; their slow speed is made up for by the damage they do.
Starscourge Greatsword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 38 | D | B |
| DEX | 12 | D | D |
| INT | 25 | E | D |
Acquired by turning in Remembrance of the Starscourge gained by killing Starscourge Radahn. This is an INT and STR hybrid build a weapon with attack power split between Physical and Magic. Though this weapon is one, when you two-hand, it will grab one in each hand, and you can essentially power stance without having to equip or bear a load of another weapon, giving access to a unique move set.
The other great thing about it is the Starcaller Cry skill that sucks in enemies within its radius. If you follow up again, you will do a gravitational explosion dealing insane damage numbers.
Ruin Greatsword
| Stat | Requirement | Scaling | Best Upgraded Scaling |
| STR | 50 | B | S |
| INT | 16 | E | D |
This weapon can be acquired by defeating Misbegotten Warrior + Crucible Knight dual boss at Redmane Castle Plaza; visit here again after defeating Radahn. Though this is an STR and INT weapon, we should categorize it as STR only owing to that sweet “S” scaling. The damage is split between Physical and Magic.
The best part is its various gravity magic attacks from the charged heavy attack that bursts out stones spikes from where it lands to deal extra normal and poise damage. The skill Wave of Destruction sends out a wave of huge stone spikes in a straight line in front of you, easily clearing out any column of enemies.