FromSoftware‘s latest epic features the most expansive arsenal yet, with over 300 weapons to uncover across the Lands Between. You‘ll need to outfit yourself with a diverse set of arms to handle Elden Ring‘s challenging foes and relentless demigod bosses.
But it‘s easy to get overwhelmed sifting through dozens of armament categories to find ideal picks suiting your chosen hero build and playstyle. That‘s why I‘ve put together this exhaustive Elden Ring weapons tier list after 140+ hours of gameplay, guiding you to the absolute best and worst offerings.
Below I‘ll analyze weapons within each tier ranking covering:
- Strengths like movesets, skills, damage ratings
- Weaknesses regarding requirements, scaling, costs
- Strategies to fully utilize the gear
- Builds it excels or struggles with
- Locations to obtain each one
I‘ll also highlight some of the biggest late game weapon spoilers, so tread carefully if you want certain armaments to remain mysterious surprises to discover yourself. Now let‘s dive in!
How Weapons Are Evaluated
With over 300 weapons available, I‘m only featuring gear that stands out. Anything lacksuster gets omitted from the rankings.
When assessing weapons, I weigh several factors:
Base Attack Power
Higher is better, with late game weapons hitting harder. Though split physical + elemental damage types are less efficient against resistant enemies.
Attribute Scaling
Weapons with aligned scaling to your main damage stats excel over Quality options. I highlight builds each weapon pairs well with or struggles to benefit.
Skills
Unique weapon skills providing special attacks or buffs give them much more utility compared to generic arms.
Requirements
Higher demand weapons with extreme Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence etc requirements limit build variety.
Acquisition Difficulty
Weapons from late game bosses or complex quests deserve special recognition compared to early loot.
Now let‘s see how Elden Ring‘s entire arsenal compares!
S-Tier Weapons
S-tier weapons represent the absolute best Elden Ring has to offer. They combine high damage, great utility from their unique skills, efficient scaling, and excellent base attributes. These should be top priorities for most warriors to hunt down.
Rivers of Blood
This ominous katana excels for builders focused on Bleed, with each hit rapidly inflicting hemorrhage to shred foes‘ health bars. Its skill Corpse Piler eliminates groups by launching a cascading blade flurry. Has minimal Dexterity requirements too.
Found after defeating Invasion NPC Okina at Mountaintops of the Giants.
Attack Power: 162 Physical + 77 Blood
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / E Dexterity / S Arcane
Skill: Corpse Piler
Requirements: 12 Strength / 18 Dexterity / 20 ArcaneThe premiere Bleed weapon sees widespread use in PvE and PvP for its extreme hemorrhage capabilities. Some argue Rivers of Blood is overly dominant, but it still requires reasonable investment in Arcane to really maximize damage.
Moonveil
Boasting high power and reach, the Moonveil serves mage builds exceptionally well with its Transient Moonlight skill to discharge devastating magic waves. It even lets sorcerers effectively trade melee blows up close when needed.
Defeat the Magma Wyrm in Gael Tunnel, Caelid to obtain it.
Attack Power: 122 Physical + 115 Magic
Attribute Scaling: E Strength / E Dexterity / C Intelligence
Skill: Transient Moonlight
Requirements: 12 Strength / 18 Dexterity / 23 IntelligenceWhile comparable to the Darkmoon Greatsword movedown in A-tier, the Moonveil‘s faster moveset and lower equip load make it extremely versatile. Melee mages should make acquiring this magic/DEX hybrid weapon a top priority.
Sword of Night and Flame
Perhaps the most notorious armament demonstrating FromSoftware‘s struggle balancing Elden Ring‘s vast arsenal. This mythic treasured blade blasts enemies with magic or fire projectiles and skills.
Found within Caria Manor‘s locked hallways.
Attack Power: 230 Magic + 250 Holy + 160 Fire
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / D Dexterity / E Faith / E Intelligence
Skill: Night and Flame Stance
Requirements: 12 Strength / 12 Dexterity / 24 Intelligence / 24 Faith While this sword has seen heavy nerfs diminishing its damage, it still provides extremely flexible ranged poke and wide area attacks to handle various situations. Requirements remain very achievable too. Just don‘t rely solely on the beam!
A-Tier Weapons
A-tier weapons stand shoulders above Elden Ring‘s largely lackluster armory, but fall slightly behind the cream of the crop S-tier gear in damage potential, scaling efficiency, or utility.
Many excel early before better late game weapons overtake them. And some require such heavy stat investment only specialized builds leverage them. But overall they prove plenty powerful enough to conquer the Lands Between!
Blasphemous Blade
This terrifying greatsword looks ripped straight from the hellish Fire Giant‘s corpse, with flames dripping from its searing edges. It enhances Faith builds with HP restoring attacks and unleashes waves of fire.
Defeat Rykard to craft it from his boss remembrance.
Attack Power: 215 Physical + 126 Fire
Attribute Scaling: C Strength / D Dexterity / B Faith
Skill: Taker‘s Flames
Requirements: 16 Strength / 22 FaithWielding this sword makes players feel nearly as bossly as towering Lord Rykard himself. While split damage slightly diminishes it against resistant foes, the Blasphemous Blade still destroys most enemies.
Dark Moon Greatsword
A returning iconic silicone and magic infused ultra greatsword from FromSoftware‘s catalog. The vibrant Dark Moon Greatsword fires glinstone projectiles or waves with heavy Intelligence investment.
Obtain it after progressing Ranni the Witch‘s questline.
Attack Power: 162 Physical + 143 Magic
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / D Dexterity / C Intelligence
Skill: Moonlight Greatsword
Requirements: 16 Strength / 11 Dexterity / 38 Intelligence Fans of previous Soulsborne titles will delight in this weapon‘s strong performance and stellar style. It can stagger giants in just a few hits and works wonders against non-magic resistant enemies.
Hand of Malenia
The blade of scarlet rot goddess Malenia undoubtedly eviscerates most living beings rapidly with its flurry of slashes. But for us mortal warriors, acquiring her weapon proves equally challenging.
Return Malenia‘s boss remembrance to Enia at Roundtable Hold.
Attack Power: 274 Physical
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / A Dexterity
Skill: Waterfowl Dance
Requirements: 10 Strength / 40 DexterityBoasting the highest Dexterity demand in Elden Ring, this boss weapon weapon bears exceptional outputs after heavy investment. Even better when coupled with additional bleed or poison sources!
B-Tier Weapons
B-tier weapons remain very capable, but start to demonstrate shortcomings weighing them down–perhaps frustrating requirements for okay returns, underwhelming skills, or respectable yet overshadowed performance.
I‘d turn to these more for early game or niche backup weapons for most builds. They aren‘t necessarily bad, just fail to stand out like the exemplary picks ranked higher.
Bloodhound Fang
Ever wish you could execute shots more gracefully or escape from awful scenarios? This curved greatsword‘s Bloodhound Step skill uniquely repositions while attacking.
Loot it off boss Bloodhound Knight Darriwil roaming Limgrave.
Attack Power: 255 Physical
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / C Dexterity
Skill: Bloodhound‘s Finesse
Requirements: 18 Strength / 17 Dexterity The Bloodhound Fang makes a great early game companion until scaling limitations set in. Feel like a force evading blows then retaliating against even enormous enemies. Plus, it just looks awesome!
Grafted Blade Greatsword
Towering warrior Godrick clearly compensates for something by wielding this gargantuan amalgamation of smashed together swords. Brutally heavy, this oddball colossal weapon still wrecks foes at medium range.
Godrick drops it directly upon defeat.
Attack Power: 263 Physical / 104 Fire
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / E Dexterity
Skill: Lion‘s Claw
Requirements: 20 Strength / 18 DexterityWhile the Grafted Blade Greatsword seems amazing initially, split damage and glacial swing speed hamper its efficiency. But no other weapon looks so savage–perfect to cosplay Godrick‘s grafting!
Carian Knight Sword
A magic infused straight sword well suited for battle mage builds, Carian Knight‘s fluid low cost combos keep pressure on surrounded by foes while competently wielding spells too.
Loot it from Caria Manor‘s library, or start as Prisoner class.
Attack Rating: 89 Physical + 82 Magic
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / D Dexterity / C Intelligence
Skill: Carian Grandeur
Requirements: 10 Strength / 15 IntelligenceSome early access to a competent magic sword helps fledgling sorcerers tackle melee encounters more confidently. But don‘t forget those glintstone spells either!
C-Tier Weapons
Mediocrity starts setting in with C-Tier, filled with conventional weapons failing to impress or more unique ones desperately wanting fixes to legitimize them.
Saving grace often comes from very minimal requirements allowing availability across lots of builds–which still makes them alright starter picks in some cases.
Celebrant‘s Skull
I can‘t decide if this creepy Skull Mace looks more like a candelabra or instrument of torture. Probably both–given its mediocre moveset yet steep requirements, using it definitely feels tortuous compared to better holy weapons.
Loot it off a corpse near Minor Erdtree in Weeping Peninsula.
Attack Power: 192 Physical / 74 Holy
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / E Dexterity / D Faith
Skill: None
Requirements: 24 Strength / 14 Dexterity / 23 FaithIt‘s still a mace I guess? Prayerful strikes to make enemies repent! But with such steep attribute demands yet no real payoff, all but the most devout clerics should skip this grim weapon.
Celebrant‘s Rib-Rake
This disturbing dual-pronged claw seems designed specifically for winding internal organs out of living beings soaked in blood. How delightful…and utterly impractical against Elden Ring‘s relentless titans and magical beasts.
Found on massive graveyard altar in Consecrated Snowfield.
Attack Power: 104 Physical
Attribute Scaling: D Strength / E Dexterity / E Arcane
Skill: Impaling Thrust
Requirements: 18 Strength / 23 Dexterity / 17 Arcane I commend any twisted individuals managing victories with this gimmicky claw. Its limited combo potential and short range unfortunately fail to improve its viability however. This one is just for torture enthusiasts.
Torch
Ah yes, the iconic torch–scourge of spindly basilisks yet notoriously useless against, well, everything else. Without any functional combat capability, these fiery sticks simply supply ample light sources when exploring creepy catacombs.
Attack Power: 68 Physical
Attribute Scaling: None
Skill: None
Requirements: 10 StrengthUnless you get off on relentlessly bashing enemies with a flaming torch somehow, I cannot reasonably recommend this as a combat weapon. But it‘ll keep those drooping eyeballs away!
Specialized Late Game Weapons
Having covered exceptional armaments across all attributes, let‘s highlight some specialized powerhouse weapons available in late game areas requiring significant progression.
These uniquely powerful yet prohibitively high requirement weapons essentially gate themselves by design, avoiding early or low level cheesing. Only high level builds leveraging their assorted damage types and skills should pursue them.
Maliketh‘s Black Blade
Empowered by destined death, the black blade of Gurranq the Beast Clergyman delivers somber blows. Upon defeated the Sanctuary Guardian within crumbling Farum Azula, you may craft this colossal weapon from remembrance remains.
But only specialized Holy or Faith builds yielding necessary Strength, Dexterity and Faith will leverage its incoming damage boost and area of effect special skill to overcome formidable foes. All others should steer clear of Sir Gideon Ofnir‘s former partner‘s ferocious armament.
Devourer‘s Scepter
Rennala‘s glintstone regal scepter empowers sorcerer‘s might tremendously when discovered tucked away in late game area Nokron, Eternal City rewarding extensive exploration. Trading boss Rykard‘s recollection by journey‘s end then unlocks its full power.
For pure mage builds focused fully on harnessing cosmic sorceries through extreme Intelligence and Faith, no other staff compares in unleashing magic‘s brilliant, deadly beauty. All others quickly succumb when faced with lunar devastation wrought from the devourer‘s celestial wrath.
But meager Faith and lacking wizardry proficiency severely encumber wielding this treacherous stellar commander‘s former bejeweled glory without mighty magic attribute backing. Adventure on if solely to witness its blinding radiance firsthand!
Best Weapons for Common Builds
Rather than just cover individual weapons, let‘s examine ideal weapons for popular archetypal character builds.
Bleed Builds
Bleed focused characters aim to rapidly hemorrhage enemies to death using katanas, curved swords, claws etc equipped with blood grease. Match with high Arcane for extreme bleed buildups!
Ideal Bleed Weapons:
- Rivers of Blood
- Hand of Malenia
- Bloody Helice
- Godskin Peeler
Stack additional bleed by dual wielding weapons and boosting Arcane. Swarm enemies as their health flees their bleeding bodies!
Sorcery Builds
Sorcerers wield awe-inspiring magic with a range advantage. Staffs and magic swords help handle close combat when needed. Intelligence primary attribute.
Top Mage Weapons:
- Dark Moon Greatsword
- Moonveil
- Carian Regal Scepter
- Meteorite Staff
Rise above the mere physical plane with mystical galactic powers! Gravity spells and glintstone waves all day.
Holy Paladin Builds
Holy warriors call upon sacred lightning incantations and weapons to vanquish their god‘s sworn adversaries. Complement combat with restorative and defensive miracles.
Holy Warrior Weapons:
- Blasphemous Blade
- Golden Halberd
- Gargoyle‘s Black Halberd
- Cipher Pata
Sanctify the unworthy through cleansing lightning, reap vigor from felled enemies, and rebuke all who oppose the righteous order!
Final Verdict
And there you have it–the best and worst armaments across the Realm Between covered extensively in my Elden Ring weapons tier list guide! Hopefully you‘ve discovered plenty of overpowered or just plain goofy weapons to hunt down on your journeys.
Matching your equips towards either specialized builds or more quality approach ensures you‘ll reap extreme power from your entire arsenal. Weapons bearing split damage types or lacking unique skills have trouble competing with more focused scaled weapons.
Customizing ashes of war can further enhance weaker weapons, so don‘t hesitate experimenting at smithing stations! Elden Ring‘s vast array brings outstanding potential…or occasional misery when badly balanced. But such is the way in From‘s realm!
May your quest to become Elden Lord see you triumphant wielding the mighty weapons detailed above. Good luck out there against demigod rulers, graven masses and the wilds all around in this punishing yet captivating world!
