Elden Ring offers players an vast open world full of dangers and rewards for the brave Tarnished who dare to explore it. As you venture forth from the first Site of Grace into the realm of the Lands Between, you‘ll want to equip yourself with a strong starting weapon to help you face the challenges ahead.
In this guide, I‘ll share the top weapons you can obtain fairly early in Elden Ring to give your character a boost in power. I‘ve played over 200 hours, defeated multiple main bosses, and collected numerous armaments, so I‘ll provide my insider knowledge on the best early game weapons based on experience.
What Makes a Good Starting Weapon
When evaluating early game weapons in Elden Ring, there are a few key factors I consider:
- Accessibility – How easy is it to obtain the weapon early on? The earlier and simpler it is to acquire, the better.
- Scalability – What is the weapon‘s potential to scale in power as you progress? Top weapons can remain viable into late game.
- Moveset – Does the weapon have a useful and balanced set of light and heavy attacks? This affects overall combat viability.
- Affinities – What damage affinities (standard, slash, pierce, etc.) make the weapon well-rounded? More affinities increase utility.
- Ashes of War – Can the weapon have Ashes of War applied to expand its capabilities? Customizability is a major plus.
Based on these criteria, these are my picks for Elden Ring‘s best early game weapons:
Lordsworn‘s Straight Sword
The Lordsworn‘s Straight Sword is a versatile longsword available right from the start of the game. With an excellent balance of range, speed, and striking power, it can carry you through much of the early game until you acquire specialized late game weapons.
- Where to Find: Chest in grafted scion boss arena, Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace
- Stats:
- Weight – 3.0
- Scaling – D/D Strength/Dex
- Damage Type – Standard/Pierce
- Critical Multiplier – 100
- Pros:
- Highly accessible first weapon
- Quality scaling supports strength or dex builds
- Fast moveset with thrusting or slashing attacks
- Allows weapon skill Ashes of War
- Strong critical hits
- Cons:
- Damage output trails off in late game
As a starting weapon, you can‘t go wrong with the Lordsworn‘s Straight Sword. It pairs well with the usefulness of a 100% physical block shield in early fights. I used this sword effectively until acquiring specialized weapons much later on.
Bloodhound‘s Fang
This curved greatsword rewards exploration, offering swift bleed-focused attacks and strong power behind each swing. The Bloodhound Knight boss must be defeated to obtain this weapon, but it pays dividends in the long run.
- Where to Find: Reward for defeating Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Forlorn Hound Evergaol
- Stats:
- Weight – 11.5
- Scaling – D/C/- Strength/Dex/Arcane
- Damage Type – Slash
- Critical Multiplier – 100
- Passive Bleed Buildup – 55
- Pros:
- Fast moveset for a greatsword
- Causes bleed status buildup
- Special dash attack skill
- Respectable base damage
- Quality affinity
- Cons:
- Requires defeating an Evergaol boss
- Less ideal for pure strength or dex builds
The Bloodhound‘s Fang is worth seeking early if you want a faster greatsword capable of inflicting bleed. It hits substantially harder than basic starting weapons and can remain relevant for much of the game.
Meteorite Staff
For Intelligence-focused characters, the Meteorite Staff offers a big boost. Despite limited melee attack capabilities, the staff enables deadly sorceries with an exceptional S-rank Intelligence scaling.
- Where to Find: Chest in Street of Sages Ruins, Caelid Wilds
- Stats:
- Weight – 4.5
- Scaling – D/S Strength/Intelligence
- Damage Types – Magic/Fire/Lightning/Holy
- Critical Multiplier – 100
- Passive Boost – Gravity Sorceries
- Pros:
- Only staff with natural S-rank magic scaling
- Substantially amplifies sorcery damage
- Specifically boosts gravity sorceries like Rock Sling
- Pairs extremely well with magic builds
- Cons:
- Found in a higher level area (Caelid)
- Primarily benefits intelligence casters
- Lacks melee combat viability
As the strongest staff available early, the Meteorite Staff is a must-get for magic users. With care, it can be obtained soon after accessing Caelid and will skyrocket sorcery damage output. The power of gravity spells like Rock Sling become immense when cast with this staff.
Reduvia
Reduvia is a mighty dagger offering rapid attacks that cause blood loss buildup with each strike. It‘s an easy source of strong bleed potential accessible after an early boss fight.
- Where to Find: 100% drop from Bloody Finger Nerijus invader
- Stats:
- Weight – 2.5
- Scaling – E/D/D Strength/Dex/Arcane
- Damage Type – Slash/Pierce
- Critical Multiplier – 110
- Passive Bleed – 30
- Pros:
- Extremely quick moveset
- Each attack inflicts bleed
- Strong critical damage
- Special aerial ranged skill
- Pairs nicely with bleed or dex builds
- Cons:
- Short range requires close combat
- Low base damage per strike
- Mediocre strength/dex scaling
Don‘t let the low individual attack power fool you. The Reduvia dagger slices through foes at lightning speed, causing blood loss to accumulate rapidly. It‘s easy to acquire early from a scripted invader fight and remains one of the most lethal bleed weapons.
Carian Knight‘s Sword
A magic-infused straight sword wielded by enchanted Carian knights and warriors. This highly adaptable weapon works well for Battle Mage builds.
- Where to Find: Chest on winter land carriage, Road to the Manor Site of Grace
- Stats:
- Weight – 4.0
- Scaling – D/D/D Strength/Dex/Int
- Damage Type – Standard/Pierce Magic
- Critical Multiplier – 100
- Pros:
- Magic base damage adds substantial variety
- Quality scaling supports multiple builds
- Excellent balance of speed and striking power
- Charged sword beams attack from range
- Can be buffed/infused to enhance power
- Cons:
- Located in mid-game area
- Split physical/magic damage reduces raw power
- Unremarkable strength and dex scaling
With equal parts magic and melee potential, the Carian Knight‘s Sword is a tactical toolbox. It hits harder than basic straight swords while offering ranged charged heavy attacks. This sword can be further augmented with scholar armaments or magic/cold Ashes of War.
Serpent-God‘s Curved Sword
This exotic curved sword adapts to multiple situations with an eclectic trio of physical, holy, and poison damage. It‘s accessed a bit later but brings tremendous utility.
- Where to Find: Dropped by Serpent-God in Volcano Manor questline
- Stats:
- Weight – 5.5
- Scaling – D/D/- Strength/Dex/Arcane
- Damage Type – Slash
- Critical Multiplier – 100
- Passive Poison – 45
- Pros:
- Causes poison status accumulation
- Naturally deals holy damage
- Charged strong attack for wider swings
- Quality scaling supporting most melee builds
- Cons:
- Obtained midway into Volcano Manor
- Lower individual attack power
- Split damage reduces raw physical force
While it sacrifices some pure strength to enable poison and holy damage, the unique options of the Serpent-God‘s Curved Sword make up for it. The poison buildup alone can decide battles and bosses.
Sacred Relic Sword
This ultra greatsword channels holy power for tremendous damage against Those Who Live in Death. It‘s found very late game but can be accessed much earlier with tricky platforming.
- Where to Find: Transported to Farum Azula via off-limits divine bridge jump
- Stats:
- Weight – 29.0
- Scaling – C/D/B Strength/Dex/Faith
- Damage Types – Standard/Holy
- Critical Multiplier – 110
- Pros:
- Colossal physical and holy damage
- Special wave of light skill wrecks undead
- Top tier faith scaling
- Wide swings to crush groups
- Cons:
- Very heavy even when two-handed
- Demands extreme strength investment
- Skill costs a lot of FP
- Risky to acquire early
Despite being a very late game weapon, bold Tarnished can grab the Sacred Relic Sword much earlier. It requires Herculean strength to wield effectively, but nothing else compares for sheer holy power this early. The weapon skill itself can wipe out dozens of enemies at once.
Conclusion
These stellar weapons offer a leg up at various stages of your early game journey in Elden Ring. While they may soon be outclassed by legendary armaments, they provide an advantage you need to survive Limgrave and beyond. I utilized every one while rising to Elden Lord status and recommend prioritizing them.
May their power serve you well, brave Tarnished! Let me know in the comments if you have a different favorite early game weapon in Elden Ring. I‘m always seeking more armaments to further my quest for domination in the Lands Between.
