Elden Ring has hundreds of weapons, but only a handful carry most builds from the midgame to the final boss. This guide picks the twelve best weapons in Elden Ring across bleed, Dexterity, Strength, Intelligence and Faith, lists the stats you need for each, and shows exactly where to get them so you can plan your route and your level-ups.
| Best bleed weapon | Rivers of Blood (Str 12, Dex 18, Arc 20) |
| Best Intelligence weapon | Moonveil (Str 12, Dex 18, Int 23) |
| Best Faith weapon | Blasphemous Blade (Str 22, Dex 15, Fai 21) |
| Best Strength weapon | Giant-Crusher (Str 60) |
| Best early weapon | Uchigatana, Deathtouched Catacombs, Limgrave |
| Upgrade path | Unique weapons use Somber Smithing Stones up to +10; standard weapons use regular stones up to +25 |
| Rule | Weapons with a unique skill cannot take a different Ash of War or affinity |
What are the best weapons in Elden Ring?
Our ranking favours weapons that stay strong through the whole game, have a skill that changes how fights play out, and fit a common stat spread. Requirements are listed as Strength / Dexterity / Intelligence / Faith / Arcane, and only the stats a weapon needs are shown.
| Rank | Weapon | Type | Requirements | Skill | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rivers of Blood | Katana | Str 12, Dex 18, Arc 20 | Corpse Piler | Bloody Finger Okina invades near the Church of Repose, Mountaintops of the Giants |
| 2 | Moonveil | Katana | Str 12, Dex 18, Int 23 | Transient Moonlight | Magma Wyrm boss in Gael Tunnel, Caelid |
| 3 | Blasphemous Blade | Greatsword | Str 22, Dex 15, Fai 21 | Taker’s Flames | Trade Rykard’s remembrance with Enia at Roundtable Hold |
| 4 | Dark Moon Greatsword | Greatsword | Str 16, Dex 11, Int 38 | Moonlight Greatsword | End of Ranni’s questline, Cathedral of Manus Celes |
| 5 | Hand of Malenia | Katana | Str 16, Dex 48 | Waterfowl Dance | Trade Malenia’s remembrance with Enia |
| 6 | Starscourge Greatsword | Colossal Sword | Str 38, Dex 12, Int 15 | Starcaller Cry | Trade Radahn’s remembrance with Enia |
| 7 | Giant-Crusher | Colossal Weapon | Str 60 | Endure (changeable) | Carriage chest south of the Outer Wall Phantom Tree grace, Altus Plateau |
| 8 | Sword of Night and Flame | Straight Sword | Str 12, Dex 12, Int 24, Fai 24 | Night-and-Flame Stance | Chest in a locked room at Caria Manor, Liurnia |
| 9 | Nagakiba | Katana | Str 18, Dex 22 | Unsheathe (changeable) | Bloody Finger Hunter Yura, by killing him or finishing his questline |
| 10 | Uchigatana | Katana | Str 11, Dex 15 | Unsheathe (changeable) | Corpse in Deathtouched Catacombs, Stormhill, or the Samurai starting gear |
| 11 | Reduvia | Dagger | Str 5, Dex 13, Arc 13 | Reduvia Blood Blade | Invader Bloody Finger Nerijus near Murkwater Cave, Limgrave |
| 12 | Claymore | Greatsword | Str 16, Dex 13 | Lion’s Claw (changeable) | Chest in the northern building of Castle Morne, Weeping Peninsula |
Why each weapon makes the list
- Rivers of Blood: Corpse Piler hits several times at range and builds bleed fast, so it melts most bosses that can bleed.
- Moonveil: Transient Moonlight sends a magic wave at range, and the katana moveset stays quick. It is reachable early in Caelid for an Intelligence build.
- Blasphemous Blade: Taker’s Flames deals fire damage at range and heals you on hit, which makes it one of the safest Faith weapons.
- Dark Moon Greatsword: magic scaling plus a ranged light wave on charged heavies, and it builds frost when the skill is active.
- Hand of Malenia: Waterfowl Dance is a fast, hard-hitting combo for pure Dexterity builds, though it needs 48 Dexterity.
- Starscourge Greatsword: a paired colossal sword whose gravity skill pulls enemies in, strong in both hands for Strength users.
- Giant-Crusher: the highest Strength demand on this list and huge stagger damage, best with two hands and jump attacks.
- Sword of Night and Flame: a light straight sword that turns 24 Intelligence and 24 Faith into a long-range beam or a fire sweep.
- Nagakiba: long reach and bleed on a normal katana, so you can pick any affinity and Ash of War.
- Uchigatana: low requirements and built-in bleed in the first hours of the game; a great base for a Keen or Blood infusion.
- Reduvia: a cheap early bleed dagger with a ranged skill, ideal while you build Arcane toward Rivers of Blood.
- Claymore: a balanced early greatsword that accepts any affinity, which makes it a flexible quality option.
Best weapons by build
- Bleed / Arcane: Reduvia early, then Rivers of Blood. See our Bleed Arcane build.
- Dexterity: Uchigatana or Nagakiba, then Hand of Malenia. See the Dexterity katana build.
- Strength: Claymore early, then Giant-Crusher or the Starscourge Greatsword. See the colossal Strength build.
- Intelligence: Moonveil, then the Dark Moon Greatsword. See the Moonveil spellblade build and the Dark Moon Greatsword build.
- Faith: Blasphemous Blade. See the Taker’s Flames Faith build.
- Int and Faith hybrid: Sword of Night and Flame.
How to get a strong weapon early
- In Limgrave, enter Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhill and pull the lever inside to reach the Uchigatana.
- Near Murkwater Cave, wait for the invader Bloody Finger Nerijus and defeat him for Reduvia.
- On the Weeping Peninsula, open the chest in the northern building of Castle Morne for the Claymore.
- Upgrade one weapon with Smithing Stones and add Whetblades to unlock affinities such as Keen, Heavy and Blood.
Related: the Elden Ring build tier list, the Legendary Armaments locations, Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone locations for +25 and +10 upgrades, and the best talismans to pair with your weapon.
FAQ
What is the best weapon in Elden Ring?
For most players, Rivers of Blood for a bleed build or Moonveil for an Intelligence build. The best weapon for you is the one that matches your highest stats.
What is the best early-game weapon?
The Uchigatana from Deathtouched Catacombs in Limgrave. It only needs 11 Strength and 15 Dexterity and has bleed from the start.
Can I change the skill on unique weapons?
No. Weapons such as Rivers of Blood, Moonveil and the Blasphemous Blade keep their own skill and cannot be infused. Standard weapons like the Uchigatana, Nagakiba, Claymore and Giant-Crusher can take any compatible Ash of War.
Which weapons come from Enia?
On this list, the Blasphemous Blade, Hand of Malenia and Starscourge Greatsword. You trade boss remembrances for them at Roundtable Hold; see our remembrances list for every option.
Source: every requirement, skill and location checked against Fextralife’s Elden Ring wiki and the Elden Ring wiki.gg. The ranking is our own.
Further reading: Weapons on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.