Weapons

Introduction

Weapons define your entire experience in ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition. With more than 300 weapons spread across katanas, greatswords, colossal weapons, spears, hammers, daggers, staves and sacred seals, the weapon you choose determines your damage output, your attack speed, your reach and even your movement in combat. This section covers the weapons that actually matter: the meta-defining damage dealers like Moonveil, Rivers of Blood and the Blasphemous Blade, the reliable workhorses like the Greatsword and the Uchigatana, and the new Tarnished Pack weapons exclusive to the Switch 2 edition. Every entry explains where to find the weapon, what build it serves, how to upgrade it and the playstyle it enables, so you can pick a weapon that carries you from Limgrave to the final boss without regret.

Top Weapons Quick Reference

Weapon Roster

Core Mechanics

Weapons in ELDEN RING scale with your attributes through letter grades — S, A, B, C, D or E — shown on the weapon's info screen. A weapon with Strength B scaling will grow stronger as you invest in Strength. You upgrade weapons at the Roundtable Hold blacksmith using smithing stones: regular weapons use Smithing Stones up to +25, while special and legendary weapons use Somber Smithing Stones up to +10. Weapon upgrade level is usually more impactful than your stats, so prioritizing upgrades is the single best way to raise your damage. Weapons can also be infused with Ashes of War to change their affinity — Heavy for Strength, Keen for Dexterity, Magic for Intelligence, and so on — which reshapes how a weapon scales. Two-handing a weapon multiplies your effective Strength by 1.5, which is why colossal weapons feel so powerful for Strength builds.

Advantages

The weapons section is built around the weapons players actually search for and use. Instead of an exhaustive database, you get a curated tier list of the game's strongest and most popular weapons — Moonveil, Rivers of Blood, the Blasphemous Blade, the Dark Moon Greatsword — with exact locations, upgrade paths and the builds that make them shine. The section also covers the weapons most likely to appear in search results, like how to get the Uchigatana or the Greatsword, and highlights the Tarnished Pack's new weapons so Switch 2 owners know what exclusive gear is available. For every weapon, the playstyle guidance tells you not just that it is good, but exactly how to use it — the weapon skill, the stats to level and the talismans that complement it.

Challenges

Weapon rankings are inherently build-dependent and can change with balance patches, so a weapon that is S-tier today might drop a tier after a patch nerfs its weapon skill. The section also reflects community consensus, which favors damage output and skill power — a weapon can be mechanically excellent but still feel unsatisfying if you dislike its moveset. Because ELDEN RING has over 300 weapons, this guide covers the ones players search for and use most, rather than every weapon in the game; niche weapons and early-game fillers are grouped rather than individually ranked. Finally, weapon locations and upgrade paths can be tied to questlines or optional bosses, so some 'best' weapons require significant progress to obtain.

Frequently Asked Questions

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