Weapons are a crucial part of Elden Ring's gameplay, providing a wide array of options for different playstyles. Each weapon category has its unique characteristics, movesets, and abilities, allowing players to tailor their combat approach. This guide will help you understand the various weapon types, how to choose the best weapon for your build, and how to make the most of your arsenal in Elden Ring.
Understanding Weapon Types
Weapons in Elden Ring are divided into different categories, each offering distinct moves, attack ranges, and attack speeds. Here’s an overview of the main weapon types and what makes them unique:
Straight Swords
•Overview: Straight swords are versatile and balanced weapons that work well for most situations. They have a straightforward moveset, combining slashes and thrusts, and are easy to wield.
•Strengths: Fast, reliable, good for both beginners and advanced players. They offer a good mix of damage, speed, and reach.
•Notable Weapons: Longsword, Broadsword, Sword of Night and Flame.
Greatswords
•Overview: Heavier and slower than straight swords, greatswords offer higher damage output and longer reach. They are ideal for players who want to deal significant damage while still maintaining some speed.
•Strengths: Strong attacks that can stagger enemies. Great for dealing with groups of foes and tougher enemies.
•Notable Weapons: Claymore, Bastard Sword, Dark Moon Greatsword.
Colossal Swords
•Overview: Massive swords that deliver devastating damage at the cost of speed. Colossal swords are best for players who prioritize power and are willing to endure slower attacks.
•Strengths: Extremely high damage, can stagger and knock down enemies. Good for trading hits with bosses.
•Notable Weapons: Giant-Crusher, Greatsword, Grafted Blade Greatsword.
Katanas 
•Overview: Katanas are swift and elegant weapons known for their fast slashes and high bleed buildup. They excel in speed and precision, making them ideal for dexterity builds.
•Strengths: Fast attack speed, bleed effect, and versatile moveset. Effective for hit-and-run tactics.
•Notable Weapons: Uchigatana, Moonveil, Rivers of Blood.
Curved Swords
•Overview: Curved swords are fast, agile weapons that favor quick slashes and combos. They excel at dealing with smaller, faster enemies.
•Strengths: High attack speed, good for chaining combos, and dodging in and out of combat.
•Notable Weapons: Falchion, Scimitar, Wing of Astel.
Thrusting Swords
•Overview: Thrusting swords are designed for precise, rapid stabs. They have good range and can easily poke at enemies while keeping a safe distance.
•Strengths: Effective for counterattacks, especially when combined with shields. Quick, precise, and good for dexterity builds.
•Notable Weapons: Rapier, Estoc, Rogier’s Rapier.
Daggers
•Overview: Light, fast weapons designed for quick, close-range attacks. Daggers have low damage but are incredibly fast, making them ideal for builds that rely on status effects like bleed or poison.
•Strengths: Very fast attack speed, good for builds that rely on critical hits or backstabs. Can easily apply status effects.
•Notable Weapons: Reduvia, Misericorde, Black Knife.
Axes and Great Axes
•Overview: Axes deliver solid damage and are generally faster than greatswords but slower than straight swords. Great axes are heavier, slower, and deal even more damage.
•Strengths: High damage per hit, effective for staggering enemies. Great axes can deal with multiple enemies with wide swings.
•Notable Weapons: Battle Axe, Crescent Moon Axe, Executioner’s Axe.
Hammers and Great Hammers
•Overview: Hammers are heavy weapons that deal blunt damage, making them great for breaking through enemy shields and armor. Great hammers are slower but deliver devastating blows.
•Strengths: High poise damage, capable of staggering enemies and breaking guards. Ideal for strength builds.
•Notable Weapons: Mace, Morning Star, Great Club.
Spears and Great Spears
•Overview: Spears offer long-range thrusts, allowing players to attack from a safer distance. Great spears are larger and deal more damage but are slower to wield.
•Strengths: Long reach, can attack while blocking, effective for keeping enemies at bay.
•Notable Weapons: Lance, Partisan, Cleanrot Spear.
Halberds
•Overview: Halberds combine the reach of spears with the versatility of axes, offering both slashing and thrusting attacks. They are great for versatile playstyles.
•Strengths: Good reach, versatile moveset, effective for crowd control.
•Notable Weapons: Glaive, Banished Knight’s Halberd, Golden Halberd.
Bows and Crossbows
•Overview: Bows and crossbows are ranged weapons that allow you to attack enemies from a distance. They require arrows or bolts and are effective for softening up enemies before engaging them in melee.
•Strengths: Good for ranged combat, can deal with enemies from afar, useful for pulling enemies one at a time.
•Notable Weapons: Longbow, Greatbow, Pulley Crossbow.
Staves and Seals
•Overview: Staves are used for casting sorceries, while seals are used for incantations. These are essential for magic-focused builds.
•Strengths: Enable the casting of powerful spells and incantations. Staves for long-range sorceries, seals for healing and buffing.
•Notable Weapons: Lusat’s Glintstone Staff, Meteorite Staff, Erdtree Seal.
Weapon Scaling and Attributes
Each weapon in Elden Ring has scaling, which determines how much additional damage it gains from your stats. Understanding how scaling works is essential for maximizing your damage output:
Scaling Grades
Grades range from E (lowest) to S (highest). The better the grade, the more damage your weapon gains from that attribute. For example, a weapon with Strength scaling A will gain more damage from your Strength stat than a weapon with Strength scaling C.
•Check Weapon Scaling: You can check the scaling on a weapon by viewing its stats in your inventory. The scaling is listed next to the attributes it benefits from (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, Arcane).
Choosing Weapons Based on Build
•Strength Build: Choose weapons with high Strength scaling, such as Greatswords, Colossal Swords, and Great Hammers.
•Dexterity Build: Opt for weapons with high Dexterity scaling, like Katanas, Curved Swords, and Rapiers.
•Magic Build: Use Staves for casting sorceries or Intelligence-scaling weapons (e.g., Moonveil). Intelligence scaling increases the damage of sorceries and magic weapons.
•Faith Build: Equip Seals for casting incantations or Faith-scaling weapons (e.g., Blasphemous Blade). Faith scaling boosts incantation damage and weapons that utilize holy or fire damage.
•Arcane Build: Use weapons that scale with Arcane, such as those that inflict bleed (e.g., Rivers of Blood). Arcane improves the effectiveness of status effects and certain sorceries and incantations.
Upgrading and Enhancing Weapons
Upgrading Weapons
•Smithing Stones: Use Smithing Stones (for regular weapons) and Somber Smithing Stones (for special or unique weapons) to upgrade your weapons. Upgrading increases the weapon's base damage and scaling, making it more effective in combat.
•Find Bell Bearings: Bell Bearings allow you to purchase Smithing Stones from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold, making it easier to upgrade weapons without relying solely on exploration.
Infusions and Ashes of War
•Ashes of War: Ashes of War allow you to modify your weapon's affinities (e.g., Heavy, Keen, Quality) and give them special skills. They are essential for customizing your weapon’s playstyle and scaling.
•Infusions: Depending on the Ash of War used, you can change the scaling of your weapon to focus on Strength (Heavy), Dexterity (Keen), or a combination (Quality). This can help you tailor the weapon to match your build.
•Weapon Arts: Many Ashes of War come with special abilities, such as quick steps, powerful slashes, or magical attacks. Choose ones that complement your combat strategy.
Status Effects and Elemental Damage
Certain weapons can inflict status effects or deal elemental damage, which can greatly enhance your combat abilities:
Status Effects
•Bleed: Causes enemies to take massive damage when the bleed meter is filled. Highly effective against larger enemies and bosses.
•Poison: Deals damage over time. Good for weakening enemies slowly.
•Frostbite: Deals an immediate burst of damage and lowers the target’s defenses when the frost meter is filled.
•Scarlet Rot: Functions like poison but deals much more damage over time. Difficult to cure but extremely powerful.
Elemental Damage
•Fire: Effective against many enemies, especially those weak to flames (e.g., beasts).
•Lightning: Great for dealing with enemies in wet environments or those with high resistance to physical attacks.
•Holy: Effective against undead and certain late-game enemies.
•Magic: Good for breaking through physical defenses and targeting enemy weaknesses.
Best Weapons for Each Playstyle
Strength Build
•Greatsword: A classic choice for heavy-hitting attacks.
•Colossal Weapons: Giant-Crusher for massive damage.
•Blasphemous Blade: Great for strength/faith hybrid builds.
Dexterity Build
•Uchigatana: Fast, reliable, and inflicts bleed.
•Rivers of Blood: Exceptional for bleed builds.
•Winged Scythe: Stylish with great reach and dex scaling.
Intelligence/Magic Build
•Moonveil: A katana that scales with intelligence and dexterity, with a powerful special attack.
•Dark Moon Greatsword: Heavy-hitting magic weapon with unique ranged attacks.
•Lusat’s Glintstone Staff: Increases the damage of sorceries, perfect for pure mages.
Faith Build
•Erdtree Seal: Excellent for casting incantations.
•Golden Halberd: Scales with strength and faith, providing both physical and holy damage.
•Blasphemous Blade: Offers lifesteal and deals fire damage, ideal for faith hybrids.
Arcane Build
•Reduvia: Fast dagger that scales with arcane and deals bleed.
•Rivers of Blood: Exceptional katana for bleed builds, scales with dexterity and arcane.
•Dragon Communion Seal: Boosts dragon-based incantations.
Conclusion
Elden Ring provides a vast array of weapons, each with unique attributes, abilities, and scaling, allowing for deep customization and varied playstyles. Understanding the strengths of each weapon category, how to upgrade and enhance them, and what best suits your build is essential for conquering the challenges of the Lands Between. Whether you prefer heavy weapons for crushing foes or nimble blades for quick, lethal strikes, there’s a perfect weapon waiting for you to master.
