The Top 10 Best Dexterity Weapons in Elden Ring

As an avid Elden Ring fan with over 800 hours playtime, I‘ve tested the full arsenal of bladed instruments across the realm. And let me tell you, Elden Ring offers no shortage of spectacular options for dexterity-focused builds.

In this extensive guide from a dedicated player, I‘ll be ranking my personal top 12 dex weapons that have blown me away with their speed, versatility, skills, and lethality.

Why Go the Dexterity Route?

But first, why choose a high dex build in the first place? What makes these weapons so specialization-worthy compared to colossal hammers and greatswords?

Speed Kills – Dexterity weapons are extremely quick on the draw, allowing you to get more attacks in while enemies are vulnerable. That nimbleness translates to higher DPS.

Death By a Thousand Cuts – What dex weapons lack in pure per-hit damage they make up for in accumulation. Enemies eventually succumb to relentless flurries.

Bleed Buildup – Many lighter dex armaments lean into deadly hemorrhaging effects, rapidly draining health bars when blood procs.

Improved Evasion – Light armor and dodging complement the dex playstyle, allowing you to evade rather than block hits.

For these reasons, prioritizing dexterity can yield lethal and exciting results. Now let‘s delve into the cream of the crop…

What Factors Make the Cut?

I‘m evaluating weapons through lenses of:

• Damage Output – Raw attack ratings at max upgrades
• Dexterity Scaling – How well damage increases with higher dex
• Speed & Moveset – Fast attack animations and/or combo potential
• Skills & Effects – Unique weapon arts and status enhancers like bleed
• Acquisition Difficulty – How easy obtaining each armament is

Balancing these criteria produces my final rankings. Now let‘s start the countdown!

#12 Eclipse Shotel

Kicking things off we have the Eclipse Shotel, a smoothly curved saber that quickly became a surprise favorite of mine. With clear Moorish inspirations, this slick scimitar combines swift slashes, respectable 137 attack power, and an innate affinity for dealing blood loss.

It‘s one of the few curved swords readily available from the first hours in-game, making it a tempting starting sidearm that can carry you through much of the main story quests.

I love landing running jump attacks and then unleashing the unique Assassin’s Gambit skill to phase through enemy combos unscathed. It encapsulates dex builds wonderfully.

#11 Guardian‘s Swordspear

While mostly known for their projectile prowess, spears can also excel in dex builds that prioritize reach and devastating counter hits. The Guardian‘s Swordspear is one personal favorite polearm, discovered deep underground near the Deeproot Depths.

With the longest spear in my collections, the Swordspear outranges even greatswords with its deceptive slashes and extended thrusts. Charging heavy attacks can knock enemies off balance for massive punishment. Its Glintstone Dart skill also pressures from afar.

I love polearms when fighting mounted on Spiritspring Steed. And the Swordspear has become a trusty companion for jousting Evergaol bosses and other open world threats without worry of retaliation. Simply keep distance and let fly!

#10 Uchigatana

Of course, no list covering the best dexterity weapons would be complete without the Uchigatana. This iconic katana makes its expected return in Elden Ring as one of the most reliable high-scaling sidearms straight from the early game Limgrave areas.

Available immediately for Samurai class starters, the Uchigatana hits all the notes you would expect from a Soulsborne katana – swift vertical and horizontal strikes, strong thrusting R2s, solid 134 base damage, and C/B-tier dex scaling at +25 depending on affinity.

It can also equip Ashes of War, lending itself to some incredibly powerful customization. The Uchigatana has carried me through multiple NG+ cycles thanks to its versatility. While maybe less flashy than other options, it’s an Elden Ring mainstay for good reason.

#9 Nagakiba

If your desire is to wield the longest dexterity katana that Elden Ring has to offer, then the Nagakiba is your answer. Sharing the same smooth moveset as the Uchigatana, the Nagakiba slightly edges out its cousin by extending attack radius even further thanks to a lengthened wakizashi frame.

Veteran katana wielders will feel right at home with the elegant posturing and familiar vertical slashes of the Nagakiba. And thanks to innate blood loss affinity, most enemies fall quickly when exposed to this razor‘s bite.

For my rune level 125 PvP build, I add the Nagakiba for chasing down annoying casters and spell spammers. Extending your range is vital. landing the first running R1 often determines victory.

#8 Godskin Stitcher

Elden Ring introduces an entirely new archetype of dexterity weapons with the Sticher class. Wielded with equal parts grace and lethality by the Godskin Apostles, the Godskin Stitcher brings poetry in motion to battle.

Boasting some of the highest pure physical damage of any dex weapon, the Stitcher unleashes beautifully sweeping R1 combos, gap-closing lunge heavies, and the extension tool’s unique signature Spinning Slash.

But the Stitcher’s real claim to fame lies in its staggering S-tier Dexterity scaling at full upgrades. With 80 points invested in the stat, this weapon achieves over 570 attack power for me! Such immense scaling propels the elegant Stitcher high up these ranks.

#7 Hand of Melania

When held by its namesake master Melania, the Hand of Melania needs no introduction. This legendary katana makes a strong claim as arguably Elden Ring’s premiere dex/bleed hybrid option.

Veterans of the Waterfowl Dance will need no lesson in this weapon’s lethal potential. Boasting B-tier Dexterity scaling, solid base power, and legendary status, the Hand easily contends for top honors.

Its bleach affinity, while not the absolute highest, activates rapidly across the many strikes of its elegant moveset. And Waterfowl Dance might be the most outright broken weapon skill across all classes when leveraged properly. Dodge that if you can!

The Hand has carried my bloody bandit from NG all the way through NG+7. If you desire a weapon truly worthy of a queen, look no further.

#6 Eleonora‘s Poleblade

Poleblades make their debut in Elden Ring as a lethal fusion between twinblades and polearms. And they quickly won me over with their exotic movesets and utility. Of the category, Eleonora’s Poleblade stands tall as a premium quality option.

Boasting S-tier Dexterity scaling at +10, the impeccably crafted Poleblade unleashes acrobatic combos, shields-shattering guard counters, blood buildup, and one of most visually spectacular skills in Corpse Piler.

This weapon almost feels carefully designed to synergize with what makes dex builds so engaging. Moving from one combo to the next while avoiding retaliation with Bloodhound‘s Step truly captures that assassin fantasy.

And while stats remain comparable to the Hand of Melania, style points alone make Eleonora my personal favorite poleblade by far.

#5 Hookclaws

Sometimes you want to embrace your inner assassin predator. To stalk from the darkness, striking fear before utterly eviscerating prey with extreme prejudice. That fantasy lives within the Hookclaws.

These sharp steel talons unleash the most unrelenting flurries of slices upon foes before they can even react. And with high critical stats, even the mightiest enemies fall rapidly under blood loss affliction from the Hookclaw‘s predatory moveset.

I also love utilizing the Bloodhound’s Step weapon skill to artfully evade incoming attacks while staying aggressively attached to targets. These Hookclaws help satiate my most bloodlusted tendencies.

They are claws, not fists, so remember to two-hand! But laden with the familiar joy of stances and Razor Rush from Sekiro, Hookclaws have became a highlight during my bleed builds.

#4 Twinblade

Dual-wielding has long been a treasured playstyle across FromSoft‘s titles for good reason. And in Elden Ring, Twinblades fully realize that fast and furious potential.

The standard Twinblade offers a familiar but always thrilling moveset, unleashing multi-hit combos that accumulate damage rapidly across R1 windmills and broad jumping attacks. And the secondary blade kicks every riposte and critical hit into overdrive for amazing counters.

With modest Dexterity scaling, high base damage, and serious tear on crits, the Twinblade competes with nearly any end game option while weighing practically nothing. It handles excellently as more points get invested.

I always keep a Twinblade available just to change up timing against wary duelists. And fan favorites like the Godskin Peeler take these innate advantages even further at higher levels.

#3 Reduvia

What started as mere morbid curiosity quickly transformed into obsession upon first wielding the mysterious Reduvia blood blade. With laudable Dexterity scaling, one of the highest bleed ratings around, ranged attacks, and surprising poise breaking potential, this unassuming dagger constantly impresses.

The companion sword Black Knife complements wonderfully for dual wielding, each able to sap health rapidly. But I always fallback to Reduvia’s Blood Blade projectiles to harass from afar and setup the eventual sanguine coup de grace.

For those embodying sinister blood mage tendencies without fully committing to occult or arcane arts, Reduvia delivers exciting results while remaining accessible early on for intrepid Tarnished.

#2 Hand Axe

Sometimes overlooked for flashier hardware, the humble Hand Axe demonstrates time and time again that you don’t need fancy weapons to excel in Elden Ring. Fast, light, equipped with the invaluable Quickstep skill, and wonderfully responsive, this modest woodsman’s hatchet carries the potential for surgical dissections against foes of all shapes and sizes.

I forged my Hand Axe to Keen early on and never looked back across multiple journey 2 completions. With multiple boosted scaling paths available, respectable power for its weight class, and personal nostalgia from past Soulsborne adventures, this little axe always rests ready at my hip.

Accessible from Gatefront Ruins merchant right out the gate, the Hand Axe reminds that dexterity weapons ultimately come down to leveraging speed and spacing over brute force trades. A welcome lesson for all Tarnished.

#1 Rivers of Blood

Despite the meme-worthy reputation by this point, I simply can’t deny Rivers of Blood the #1 spot in truth. Even after 100 hours actively avoiding the notorious weapon on principle, finally relenting to peer pressure revealed genuine magnificence behind the hype.

With S-tier Dexterity scaling, some of the highest innate bleed ever assigned, ranged pressure via Corpse Piler, and visual flair for days, this hypnotically curving katana absolutely melts health bars while looking stylish doing it.

Yes, Rivers may promote some cheesing crutches in PvE. But learning to wield this weapon properly pushes Dexterity potential to its utmost limits. Just be prepared to occasionally face deserved dual-Naginata punishments in PvP!

Study the Blade Well, Tarnished

And there we have it – over a dozen dexterity weapons that never cease to entertain across the many hours I‘ve spent in Elden Ring. I hope this guide gives you some fresh options to experiment with on your own journey to becoming Elden Lord.

These are just personal favorites of mine, so feel free to disagree or recommend your own tops choices in the comments. There are so many unique and viable weapons to master across the realm.

May your blades stay sharp and bleed counters ever flow freely, my fellow Tarnished. Now let‘s get back to perfecting our technique – there are more runes to gather and demigods to fell!