Best Weapons in Elden Ring 2026: Every Weapon Tier List Ranked
Best Weapons in Elden Ring 2026: Every Weapon Tier List Ranked
With over 300 weapons available across the Lands Between and the Shadow Realm, choosing the right armament is overwhelming. This tier list ranks every notable weapon class and standout individual weapon in Elden Ring as of patch 1.12, factoring in damage output, moveset, weapon art, scaling, and versatility across PvE and PvP.
Tier Definitions
| Tier | Meaning |
|---|---|
| S | Meta-defining. Carries any build through NG+7 with minimal effort. |
| A | Excellent. Strong in nearly all situations. Minor weaknesses only. |
| B | Good. Effective with proper build investment. Outclassed by S/A options. |
| C | Niche. Viable but requires specific setups or matchups. |
| D | Underpowered. Fun for challenge runs, not recommended for progression. |
S-Tier Weapons
Blasphemous Blade (Greatsword)
- Scaling: Str D / Dex D / Fai D → upgrades to C/C/B
- Weapon Art: Taker’s Flames — fire wave that knocks down enemies and heals you per hit
- Why S-Tier: The healing on Taker’s Flames makes it the best PvE weapon in the game. You can clear entire dungeons without using a single Crimson Flask. Works on every boss. Fire damage is widely unresisted.
Rivers of Blood (Katana)
- Scaling: Str E / Dex D / Arc D → upgrades to E/C/D
- Weapon Art: Corpse Piler — six-hit bleed slash combo
- Why S-Tier: Despite multiple nerfs, Corpse Piler still procs hemorrhage in one full combo against most enemies. Arcane scaling boosts both physical and bleed buildup.
Dark Moon Greatsword (Greatsword)
- Scaling: Str D / Dex D / Int C → upgrades to D/D/B
- Weapon Art: Moonlight Greatsword — ranged frost projectile after buff
- Why S-Tier: The charged R2 projectile costs zero FP after the initial buff, deals frost buildup, and hits for 1,500+ damage at 80 Intelligence. A FromSoftware classic perfected.
Bloodhound’s Fang (Curved Greatsword)
- Scaling: Str D / Dex C → upgrades to C/B
- Weapon Art: Bloodhound’s Finesse — slash followed by backward somersault with i-frames
- Why S-Tier: Available within the first 30 minutes of gameplay. Somber upgrade path means it hits +10 by midgame. Bleed buildup without Arcane investment. The weapon art has generous invincibility frames.
A-Tier Weapons
Moonveil (Katana)
Transient Moonlight is fast, deals high damage, and staggers reliably. The weapon art alone makes it an A-tier pick despite Intelligence and Dexterity split scaling.
Giant-Crusher (Colossal Weapon)
The highest AR (Attack Rating) in the game at 80 Strength with Heavy infusion. Royal Knight’s Resolve + charged R2 one-shots most non-boss enemies and staggers bosses in 2-3 hits.
Sacred Relic Sword (Greatsword)
Wave of Gold clears entire rooms of enemies with one weapon art. The ultimate farming weapon — clears the Palace Approach Ledge albinauric farm in 10 seconds. Boss damage is average, hence A rather than S.
Eleonora’s Poleblade (Twinblade)
Bloodblade Dance is a multi-hit spinning combo with high bleed buildup. Combos with Lord of Blood’s Exultation and Rotten Winged Sword Insignia for escalating damage. Excellent against staggered enemies and bosses with long recovery windows.
Star Fists (Fist)
Fast charged R2 attacks with surprisingly high stance damage. Infuse with Heavy and apply Cragblade for maximum posture breaking. The go-to weapon for level 1 challenge runs.
Mohgwyn’s Sacred Spear (Great Spear)
Bloodboon Ritual covers a massive area in bloodflame, dealing both fire and bleed damage. Trivializes large bosses like Placidusax and the Elden Beast who sit in the AoE.
B-Tier Weapons
- Cross-Naginata (Spear) — Excellent running attacks and innate bleed. Dual-wielding doubles status buildup. Slightly lower AR than dedicated bleed weapons.
- Godskin Peeler (Twinblade) — Black Flame Tornado melts high-HP bosses. Regular moveset is average.
- Sword of Night and Flame (Straight Sword) — Two unique weapon arts, but split scaling across four stats makes it stat-hungry.
- Death’s Poker (Greatsword) — Ghostflame Ignition has incredible frost buildup and lingering AoE damage. Slow windup holds it back.
- Wing of Astel (Curved Sword) — Nebula creates a star cloud that deals massive AoE damage. Excellent for large bosses. Short range for PvP.
- Fallingstar Beast Jaw (Colossal Weapon) — Gravity Bolt is spammable ranged damage with stance pressure. High weight and stat requirements.
C-Tier Weapons
- Hand of Malenia (Katana) — Waterfowl Dance is flashy but leaves you vulnerable. Outclassed by Rivers of Blood and Nagakiba.
- Marais Executioner’s Sword (Greatsword) — Eochaid’s Dancing Blade deals good damage with consecutive hits but is easy to interrupt.
- Bolt of Gransax (Spear) — Ancient Lightning Spear is a sniper shot with impressive range. Damage is underwhelming against endgame bosses.
- Golden Order Greatsword (Greatsword) — Holy damage falls off hard against late-game bosses (Radagon, Elden Beast have 80% holy resist).
- Magma Blade (Curved Sword) — Magma Shower is a decent AoE, but the 1% drop rate from Volcano Manor snakes makes it impractical to farm.
D-Tier Weapons
- Varre’s Bouquet (Hammer) — Low base damage, poor scaling. The bleed buildup is a gimmick.
- Cane Sword (Straight Sword) — Outclassed by every other straight sword in every metric. No redeeming qualities.
- Torchpole (Spear) — It is a torch on a stick. Minimal damage. Fire is irrelevant for 99% of encounters.
Best Weapon by Build Type
| Build Type | Best Weapon | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Strength | Giant-Crusher | Greatsword (Guts) |
| Pure Dexterity | Bloodhound’s Fang | Nagakiba |
| Intelligence / Sorcery | Dark Moon Greatsword | Wing of Astel |
| Faith / Incantations | Blasphemous Blade | Envoy’s Long Horn |
| Bleed / Arcane | Rivers of Blood | Mohgwyn’s Sacred Spear |
| Quality (Str+Dex) | Bloodhound’s Fang | Dragon Halberd |
| Int/Faith Hybrid | Sword of Night and Flame | Clayman’s Harpoon |
How to Upgrade Weapons Fast
- Smithing Stone Bell Bearings — Give these to the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold to buy unlimited stones. Bell Bearing locations: Raya Lucaria Crystal Tunnel (1), Altus Tunnel (2), Mountaintops (3), Farum Azula (4).
- Somber Stone Bell Bearings — Found in: Sellia Crystal Tunnel (1), Altus Tunnel (2), First Church of Marika (3), Mountaintops (4), Farum Azula (5).
- Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones — Limited per playthrough (~13 regular, ~8 Somber). Save them for your favorite weapons.
Prioritize weapon upgrades over leveling stats early on. A +6 weapon at level 40 will out-damage a +0 weapon at level 80 every time.