With hundreds of weapons to bash, slash, poke, and conjure your way throughElden Ring’sLands Between, you’d be forgiven for sticking to the tried and true few that you know just get the job done. But no matter how often you stay up to date with the new meta, there are only so many weapons that get to bask in the spotlight before sulking back into the “been there, done that” shadows.
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So load up your latest build and consider a few new heavy hitters that are underrated because they just might not have the same pizzazz as theirmore elegant peers. Maybe they don’t look assexyas Wing of Astel, or maybe they don’t have a name that sounds asmenacingas Rivers of Blood.
10Watchdog’s Staff - Best Of Both Worlds
If you’re a Strength build on the hunt for something to deal a whole lot of ranged damage, look no further. Watchdog’s Staff is a Colossal weapon that scales with Strength but has a unique ranged magic attack by virtue of its special skill, Sorcery of the Crozier.
It might not work as well in PvP as it does against bosses who are significantly less apt to dodge the glintstones headed straight for their noggins, but you’d be remiss to not at least try it out for a bit. Your big, bad melee warrior will appreciate the break.
9Misericorde: Silent And Deadly
A viable sidearm for just about any build you’re cooking up, this dagger, whose name—maybe a bit ironically—means “mercy” in French, has the highest critical stat in the game. You’ll find it on a corpse in Stormveil Castle next to the Grafted Scion’s fortress, and it comes ready to poke and slash out of the box with the Quickstep weapon skill.
For an added mobility boost to go along with Quickstep, infuse Misericorde with the Parry Ash of War. You’ll feel like you’re bobbing and weaving like you’re back inBloodborne’sYharnam, at least until you find the slightly more magical Bloodhound’s Step.
8Gargoyle’s Greatsword: Got Range?
One of the best Strength scaling weapons you can get, Gargoyle’s Greatsword can be acquired by defeating the Valiant Gargoyle boss in the Siofra Aqueduct. It’s easier to get than the Iron Greatsword, which has comparable stats but is significantly more difficult to find due to being a chance drop from the annoying-to-farm Misbegotten.
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Similar to Watchdog’s Staff, using this sword gives melee-focused players an opportunity to flex their ranged muscles with its default skill, Vacuum Slice. It takes a precious bit of time to activate, but if you need to make a caster think twice about standing in one spot and spamming you with Meteorite, this oughta do the trick.
7Nagakiba: A Must-Have Katana
It may not bring in the fans like player favorite Uchigatana, but this comically lengthy katana can inflict blood loss buildup with the best of them. You can get it relatively early on by killing Bloody Finger Hunter Yura near Murkwater Cave, and assuming you’ve put enough work into your Strength and Dexterity stats, you might not need another weapon for the rest of your playthrough.
Forget Rivers of Blood, noSamurai build is completewithout Nagakiba. Plus, with its Piercing Fang Ash of War, you’ll be able to thrust through enemy shields with an unblockable jab that has a high change of staggering.
6Antspur Rapier: Turning The Tables
There will come a time in your Elden Ring journey when your greatest enemy is not a boss, but a tricky little ailment called Scarlet Rot. Thisannoying-with-a-capital-“A” status effectinflicts damage over time much like Poison, but does it at a faster rate over a shorter duration.
Thankfully, you turn the tables a bit and become its giver rather than its receiver with Antspur Rapier, a thrusting sword that inflicts Scarlet Rot in addition to physical damage. If you want to go full plague doctor, you can throw on an additional Ash of War to give it the ability to inflict poison or blood loss as well.
5Jar Cannon: Just Plain Silly
One of Elden Ring’s two ballista weapons, Jar Cannon is basically a rocket launcher that hurls big, hard-hitting greatbolts at enemies from a safe distance. This is a must-have for anyone who wants to have a little bit of fun with ranged weapons in a game that’s heavily optimized for hand-to-hand combat.
Unfortunately, Jar Cannon doesn’t scale with any stats and can’t be infused with Ashes of War, but it can be upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones. Even if you don’t want to use it for PvE, its superior range can easily give you the upper hand in PvP encounters.
4Lion Greatbow:A Viable Bow
If only you didn’t have to spend so much of your time scrounging for arrows, bows would be significantly more fun to use in Elden Ring. Lion Greatbow is still a great time, though, and where really shines is when you equip it with Radahn’s Spear, an arrow flies faster than normal Great Arrows and deals an extra 20 percent damage to Gravity enemies.
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Nock your Lion Greatbow with some of these bad boys, and you’ll get a 20 percent passive damage bonus againstallenemies. So while another Greatbow like the Golem Greatbow might have higher base attack, if you can afford some of this special ammo, your enemies won’t know what hit them. Literally.
3Sacrificial Axe: Regeneration Nation
Sacrificial Axe is a great choice for casters who are looking for some help with regenerating Focus Points. With this weapon equipped, you’ll restore 4 Focus Points for any enemy killed—by you or anybody else—within your vicinity.
It’s also a viable primary weapon due to its Wild Strikes skill, which greatly improves its power with an attack that deals additional hits in a short span. With its high base damage and potential to be buffed by an Ash of War, you’ll be spamming your way to victory without a worry in the world.
2Staff Of The Guilty: Thorn Sorcery Buff
A solid staff for players who want totry out some Blood Thorn sorceryearly in their playthrough, this magical tree branch causes blood loss buildup and boosts Thorn sorceries by 20 percent.
Despite Thorn sorcery generally lacking some viability compared to more powerful magic-driven builds, if you’re headed down the Arcane path and haven’t yet acquired the Albinauric Staff, the Staff of the Guilty can serve as a decent hold-over. And if you’re going for a disheveled forest elf sort of look, well, it’ll fit perfectly with the rest of your wardrobe.
1St. Trina’s Torch: Rock-A-Bye Baby
Faith builds take notice: this purple flamed candle stand is a perfect off-hand addition to your armory. As one of only two weapons in all of Elden Ring capable of inflicting the Sleep effect on your enemies, St. Trina’s Torch will help you deal with pesky bosses that fight in pairs, like the Godskin Duo, or just to buy you some time when you’re in dire need of healing.
This is a late-game weapon that scales with Dexterity and Faith and cannot be infused with Ashes of War. You won’t miss them, though, because once you loot it from a carriage chest in the Consecrated Snowfield you’ll be more than satisfied with your new and improved power of cheese.
