Shadow of the Erdtree: How to Get Black Steel Twinblade

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

By Thomas Hawkins

Published Jun 22, 2024

While Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has added several new weapon types to the game, greatly expanding the options available to any player's build, they've not forgotten any of the old weapon types either. Most, if not all, of the weapon types found in the base game have received a new weapon or two, so it's worth checking out your favorite weapon type to see what's new.

Among the weapons available in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, the new Black Steel Twinblade stands out as a first for its weapon category (in Elden Ring, at least.) The Black Steel Twinblade is the first twinblade to have a Faith Requirement, with the weapon description stating that Holy Imbuement is particularly effective on this weapon.

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Where to find the Black Steel Twinblade

Tracking down the Black Steel Twinblade requires you to have access to Scadu Altus, which requires you to either defeat the boss of Castle Ensis or use Spiritsprings to the southeast of the castle to leap up to Scadu Altus and go around the castle. Either way, your first stop when seeking this twinblade should be the Highroad Cross Site of Grace. This is where Needle Knight Leda can be found, along with a gesture needed for Dryleaf Dane's quest. For our purposes, though, it's simply an easy place to ride from to reach the camp of Messmer Soldiers containing the twinblade.

There are two ways to reach Scadu Altus and Dryleaf Dane. The most obvious method is to defeat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, in Castle Ensis and head northeast out of the castle afterward. The second method is a little more involved, requiring you to take the path southeast from the castle entrance and find the Elder's Hovel. There's a Spiritspring near here that can be unsealed by breaking a pile of rocks nearby, which allows you to launch upward and reach the Fort of Reprimand. Fight through the Fort of Reprimand to gain access to the rest of Scadu Altus. This second method is a lot easier, despite the complexity, because you don't need to fight a boss to exit the Fort.

In the distance, to the north, you should be able to see a Furnace Golem (One of those Giant Wickermen) standing in a huge camp of Messmer Soldiers. We're going to need to pass through that camp, ideally without drawing the Golem's attention. So, we're going to ride Torrent towards that camp and then dismount and sneak along the left side of the camp, going northward, keeping the tents between you and the golem. It should automatically start walking down the road, and it generally won't spot you as long as you keep to the left and stay crouched. Once you reach the northernmost part of the camp, you'll need to turn left and head up the slope heading back southward, in the direction of the Church of the Inquisition.

Up this slope, past several clusters of Messmer's Soldiers, is a Black Knight wielding the Black Steel Twinblade. Take this Knight out and you'll be rewarded with the Twinblade.

Weapon Breakdown - Black Steel Twinblade

The Black Steel Twinblade deals both physical and holy damage, though despite the inherent Holy Damage it can still be buffed using spells or items and can still be infused to alter its scaling and/or change its Ash of War. This gives it a lot of flexibility in different builds, as long as they invest the 18 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 13 Faith needed to actually wield it. If you're two-handing it you won't even need the full amount of Strength, making it an even more accessible weapon. Its moveset uses the same heavy attacks as the Godskin Peeler, making it an excellent weapon for building status on enemies and providing some extra reach on heavy attacks.

Naturally, this weapon is designed for you to use with a Holy Infusion so you can make the most of its natural affinity for the element, and it does indeed scale the best with a Holy Infusion. That said, it also performs well with most other infusions, such as the Quality or Flame Art Infusions. Status Builds can also make good use of the Poison and Blood Infusions due to the high number of hits in the two-handed attack chain. This weapon works well with Ashes of War like Ash of War: Black Flame Tornado and Ash of War: Aspect of the Crucible: Wings , along with any Ashes of War that allow for multiple rapid hits. Ice Spear is always a good choice for adding range and Status Effect build-up.