Like its cousins, Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Hidetaka Miyazaki's 2022 action RPG Elden Ring boasts an extensive array of weaponry that can be used to battle fiends, bosses, and other players. In the early game, players are free to try anything they might be curious about, whether it be different styles of weapons or elemental damage.

Related

10 RPG Games with the Most Diverse Weapon Selections

These RPGs have the most diverse weapon selections to allow players the freedom of choice when it comes to how they fight.

In the late game, however, only the strong will flourish. It takes a good eye to see which weapons are rewarding instruments of death and which are one-trick gimmicks only suitable for challenge runs or collectors. Some may be straightforward damage dealers that casual players can use, whilst others will require patience, practice, and a lot of smithing stones.

Updated May 31, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: The hardest weapons to learn in Elden Ring include a variety of armaments, from the impressive but unwieldy Golem Halberd to the unassuming, but surprisingly effective, Thorned Whip. Some of these hardest weapons to master Elden Ring players can acquire can only be found near the end of the game, or in out-of-the-way areas that one might not think about checking – or as very rare drops from common enemies, like Golems. This guide has been updated to provide more detailed instructions on locating each of these most difficult weapons in Elden Ring to master, as well as some more basic information about each weapon in particular.

10 Golem Halberd

A colossal weapon, Golem's Halberd is an excellent choice for Elden Ring players who want to keep their distance without resorting to projectiles. The base damage alone, 158 physical, means that it performs wonderfully for players who may find themselves short of runes or upgrade materials.

It is not an easy weapon to wield, however. Golem halberds require a high-strength stat and, being colossal, are slow-swinging tools that can easily be countered or dodged by skilled invaders. It takes practice to get used to the rhythm, but if players can persevere, Golem Halberds are an excellent choice.

How To Get Golem Halberd

The Golem Halberd is an item that can drop rarely from the various Golem enemies of Elden Ring, specifically the ones wielding a Halberd. On the way to the Divine Tower of Limgrave, there are a lot of these Golems that you can farm for a decent chance to get a Golem Halberd.

9 Giant Crusher

Another colossal weapon, the Giant-Crusher relies on very similar teachings to the golem halberd. They're a little easier to obtain in a carriage near the Outer Wall Phantom Tree site of grace and perform nearly as well but require a huge number of strength points: 60.

However, the mastery of the giant crusher is of great benefit to strength builds, as the colossal weapon has surprising mobility and a C-class strength scaling. With the right ash of war, Giant Crusher is one of the most powerful strength weapons in the game.

How To Get Giant Crusher

The Giant Crusher can be found in a chest in the back of a carriage near the southern entrance to the outer wall of Leyndell. Travel to the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of grace, then head south to find this Carriage.

8 Grafted Dragon

Grafted Dragon is a difficult weapon to utilize effectively, mainly because of some weak attacks and predictable frames. However, this weapon can become a powerful assistant piece, allowing players to decimate enemies with ease if the right primary weapon is chosen.

With experimentation and practice, grafted dragon can perform dangerous area attacks or act as a spectacular opening weapon in boss fights. To masterfully use this fist weapon, it should never be a tarnished's primary; instead, it should be used in the off-hand or secondary primary slot.

How To Get Grafted Dragon

The Grafted Dragon can be only obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Grafted with Enia at Roundtable Hold. To get the Remembrance of the Grafted you must defeat Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle, the first Shardbearer boss in Elden Ring.

.

7 Thorned Whip

A brutal end-game whip, the Thorned Whip is a highly sort-after weapon with decimating bleed build-up power that will continuously deal damage to enemies whether you attack or not. It's a potent choice favored by invaders looking for a swift kill, but there are some conditions to consider.

Related

Why Elden Ring's Best Weapons Shouldn't Remain the Same After the DLC

Plenty of great weapons exist in Elden Ring, but a small number have been seeing frequent use since launch, and the DLC should change that.

This whip is generally better to use in a pair to benefit from both range and continuous bleed. Alongside this, jumping attacks are ideal, which makes the moveset of the thorned whip limiting the diversity of attack patterns. It can make users predictable, but if played right, tarnished using a thorned whip can become a deadly fighter.

How To Get Thorned Whip

To get the Thorned Whip, players must head to the Giant's Mountaintop Catacombs and head up the slope to find the group of Fire Monks. The Fire Prelate (the one with the erupting head), has a chance to drop this item.

6 Greatsword

Wielding colossal weapons is one of the most challenging and customizable playstyles in Elden Ring. Thanks to their high stat requirement and slow timing, a Greatsword can be challenging to wield; to dual-wield them is a particularly impressive and extremely difficult playstyle to master.

It is no small task learning how to use them and will require constant practice to learn the attack range and openings. Crouch poking is one solution, but there are others that will change based on the player.

How To Get The Greatsword

To get a Greatsword in Elden Ring, you must search for a Carriage in the far northwest of Caelid, on the border of Limgrave, where there is what appears to be a horde of Giant Dogs roaming a set of ruins. Carefully navigate around these enemies, or fight them, to find the chest containing the Greatsword in this carriage.

5 Gargoyle's Twinblade

Twinblades are generally good PvP choices due to their wildly energetic movesets that make them hard to predict. Gargoyle's Twinblade , in particular, is excellent for applying status effects through multihit playstyles.

Gargoyle's Twinblade is a formidable choice that can stand against fast-attacking weapons such as daggers or magic. It's important to remember how versatile the weapon is; however, there is almost too much choice, so research must be done on what ashes of war or damage types to infuse the weapon with.

How To Get Gargoyle's Twinblade

The Gargoyle's Twinblade is dropped by the duo boss at the end of the Siofra River Aqueduct, the Valiant Gargoyle & Valiant Gargoyle (Twinblade) s. This area is not the area accessible from the Mistwood – you must progress through Nokron and find the secret entrance to the Aqueduct on its northeast side.

4 Cross Naginata

By itself, Cross-Naginata is a fun weapon with good range and a fun moveset often compared to the weapon of The Sword Saint in Fromsoftware's Sekiro. When dual-wielded, however, cross naginata becomes a much-feared combination in PvP, but only if carefully built around select items.

Cross-Naginata outperforms weapons of the same style thanks to its inherent bleed build-up ability; combining with things like bloodhound step lets players take full advantage of the spear's savage mechanics. Cross naginata walks a fine line between fun, average weapon, and borderline broken damage-dealer.

How To Get Cross-Naginata

The Cross-Naginata can be found in the Gael Tunnel, which is well-known by many players as it also contains the Magma Wyrm boss that drops Moonveil. The Cross Naginata can be found on the ground inside an offshoot cavern with a Giant Octopus inside of it, surrounded by lesser Octopus.

3 Blasphemous Blade

Defeating Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy , allows players to purchase this powerful greatsword from Enia. The boss may be a little on the easier side, and it's easy to dismiss the weapon for coming from such a simple encounter, but if played right, it is widely regarded as one of the best PvE weapons in the game.

Related

Elden Ring: 12 Rarest Weapons In The Game, Ranked

From the Monk's Flameblade to the Guardian's Swordspear, these are the best of the best rare weapons in the game.

With a show-stopping special attack that can be something of a panic button, greatsword is not the most complex weapon to use, but to truly take advantage of its incredible damage numbers, players should invest some time into learning the weapon's timings and synergies.

How To Get Blasphemous Blade

The Blasphemous Blade can be only obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Blasphemous with Enia at Roundtable Hold. To get the Remembrance of the Blasphemous you must defeat Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, the final boss of the Volcano Manor area and questline.

2 Lance

Like the Gargoyle's Twinblade, the Lance is something like a blank canvas and relies heavily on player modification to become a game-changing weapon. As a result, it requires thorough investigation, either through experimentation or research, to find the optimal combinations.

Lance has lower damage than some other great spears, but it truly shines due to its ability to attack whilst shielding. It can become a brutal method to stagger enemies and operates from a safe range, so it's worth keeping on every player's radar.

How To Get Lance

From the Stormhill Shack, head north and look for a camp with a number of Godrick soldiers. Jump off a cliff to get to the top of a giant piece of rubble in the camp, which has the Lance sitting right on top of it.

1 Ghiza's Wheel

At first glance, Ghiza's Wheel looks like it's been ripped straight out of Bloodborne and appears menacing enough to warrant unskilled use combat. It's a colossal weapon that shares equal speed and power to its large siblings and makes for an imposing tool on the battlefield.

The truth is, however, that Ghiza's Wheel will almost certainly just be a gimmick in the hands of tarnished, who rely too much on its motorized blade to deal damage. It isn't the best scaling weapon, but with some practice, Ghiza's wheel can deal multi-hit combos through the swings of its clawed wheel.

How To Get Ghiza's Wheel

In Volcano Manor, head upstairs and wait until you are invaded by Inquisitor Ghiza. Defeat this NPC invader to get Ghiza's Wheel automatically – if you fail, just run back up from the conveniently close main Volcano Manor grace.