Elden Ring has a massive arsenal of unique and powerful weapons for players to utilize across various builds. With so many choices available, it can be difficult to determine which weapons are truly the best options. This tier list aims to break down the top weapons in Elden Ring based on their damage output, scaling, movesets, and availabilities. Keep reading to learn about the cream of the crop weapons you'll want in your arsenal.
Elden Ring Best Weapons Overall
The top spot on our best weapons tier list goes to the Blasphemous Blade. Found after defeating Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, this colossal sword deals heavy fire damage that scales directly with faith. Its signature weapon art, Taker's Flames, heals the player on hit and mows down crowds of enemies with ease. Few weapons can deal damage and provide healing simultaneously, cementing the Blasphemous Blade as the best overall choice.
Another contender for the top slot is Rivers of Blood. Despite receiving nerfs, this Katana can still rapidly build up blood loss to reliably proc bleed against bosses. Its Corpse Piler weapon art spams a flurry of hits to trigger bleed in short order. Other top contenders include Moonveil for its high INT scaling and spammable Transient Moonlight skill, and the heavy bonking power of the Giant-Crusher strength weapon.
Elden Ring Best Weapons to Get Early
While some top weapons require late-game areas or bosses, there are a few exceptional choices available very early on. The Bloodhound's Fang can be obtained immediately in Limgrave and scales all the way to end-game. It deals slash and bleed build-up with excellent range and poise damage. The Greatsword, found in Caelid, is a jack-of-all-trades strength weapon that never falls off.
Dexterity builds gain early access to powerhouses like the Uchigatana from a starter area. Its Unsheathe skill does high poise damage. Reduvia, from an early evergaol boss, applies bleed from a distance and boosts any build in the early stages. Strength and faith players can grab the Greathammer from Stormveil Castle for bonks. And Magic builds can pick up the Meteorite Staff in Caelid for high INT scaling sorcery casting right away.
Elden Ring Weapon Effectiveness by Build Type
When choosing weapons based on your build's primary attributes, these selections will provide the most damage output:
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Strength: Giant-Crusher, Starscourge Greatsword, Ruins Greatsword.
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Dexterity: Hand of Malenia, Bloodhound's Fang, Nagakiba.
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Intelligence: Moonveil, Dark Moon Greatsword, Carian Regal Scepter staff.
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Faith: Blasphemous Blade, Godslayer's Greatsword, Sacred Relic Sword.
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Arcane: Eleonora's Poleblade, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, Rivers of Blood.
While bleed and occult weapons are very strong for arcane, their proc effects still benefit other builds. Don't neglect weapons with additional elemental/magic scaling either based on your supplemental stats. Powerstancing similar weapons together doubles your moveset variety too.
Elden Ring Best Ranged Weapon Options
While melee combat is a core part of Elden Ring, some situations demand ranged solutions. Crossbows provide utility but lack damage. The top picks for ranged damage output are:
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Black Bow: Highest physical AR. Barrage skill chunks bosses from safety.
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Serpent Bow: Poison/Rot build-up. Strong against enemies with weaknesses.
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Golem Greatbow: Highest poise/stagger potential on knockback-focused arrows.
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Jar Cannon: Explosive variety and AoE. Great Roll catching/spacing tool.
Experiment with bow/arrow/bolt affinities and skills to optimize damage types. Stock heavy bolts or special arrows that compliment your build. Ranged alternatives give valuable options versus some late-game challenges too.
