The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has unleashed a treasure trove of deadly armaments into Elden Ring, redefining combat in the Lands Between. With over 100 new weapons, including unique classes like backhand blades and colossal warhammers, players can now tailor their arsenal to conquer even the most formidable foes. Whether you’re hunting for the devastating Bloodfiend’s Arm or mastering the elegant Rellana’s Twin Blade, this guide unveils the best tools to dominate your enemies and thrive in this expanded world of peril and glory.
Backhand Blade
The Backhand Blade is a standout addition in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, introducing a unique reverse-grip weapon style. This curved sword excels in fast-paced, Dexterity-focused builds, offering a versatile moveset that combines spinning slashes and gouging thrusts. Its default skill, Blind Spot, allows players to dash into an enemy’s blind side and deliver a precise, guard-piercing strike. Found early in the DLC near a sarcophagus in the Gravesite Plain, this weapon can be dual-wielded with just one equipped and upgraded to +25 using Smithing Stones. It also supports Ashes of War, enabling players to customize its effects for added versatility.
Maciej Bogusz, translator, over 130 hours in the game.
When I started my adventure with Shadow of the Erdtree, I knew that I would want to play aggressively. Especially since while watching the announcement of the expansion, I noticed a new type of weapon that the hero in the trailer was holding behind his back, as if parallel to his forearm. Once I got to the Shadowlands, I quickly found the Backhand Blade, which fit perfectly into my concept of the perfect build. These blades, which can be found near the sarcophagus, north of the Scorched Ruins on the Cemetery Plain, enable you to perform very fast attacks. Holding down a strong attack and landing a hit with it greatly disturbs our enemies’ posture, giving us a chance to deal critical damage. The special skill of this weapon enables us to attack enemies in their “vital points”, even if they are covering themselves with a shield, and also significantly damage their posture. The only weak point of this weapon (and its advantage) is that it requires a very aggressive play style.
As Maciej mentioned, you can find the Backhand Blade early in the game by heading north from the starting location and finding the aforementioned sarcophagus. It is also an example of a new type of weapon introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree. Reversed blades enable the hero to dodge and jump longer. More information about new types of weapons can be found on the All new weapons page of our guide.
Milady
Milady: A Versatile Light Greatsword
Milady, a standout weapon from Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, is a Light Greatsword designed for players seeking a balance between speed and reach. With its quick attacks and excellent versatility, Milady excels in both PvE and PvP scenarios. It requires 12 Strength and 17 Dexterity to wield, scaling primarily with Dexterity (C) and moderately with Strength (D). While it lacks flashy gimmicks, its Weapon Skill, Impaling Thrust, allows for precise piercing strikes that can overwhelm enemies. Milady’s adaptable moveset makes it a reliable choice for players aiming to conquer the challenges of the Lands Between without sacrificing efficiency.
Filip Melzacki, guide author, over 120 hours in the game.
Milady – the basic weapon from the Light Greatsword category does not disappoint – it is a fairly balanced blade offering long range, fast cuts, good damage and an extremely fun acrobatic moveset. It’s a regular weapon, so you can modify it with any war ash and change its scaling to suit your build – I liked the Vacuum Slice ash, which gives the Milady a quick and cheap ranged attack. You will find this weapon on the tower in front of Castle Ensis.
You can find this weapon on the tower in front of Castle Ensis. Milady is another example of a new type of weapon introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree that may appeal to many players.
Spear of the Impaler
Spear of the Impaler
The Spear of the Impaler is a standout weapon introduced in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. This legendary Great Spear, wielded by Messmer the Impaler, combines impressive reach with devastating fire-infused attacks. Its unique skill, Messmer’s Assault, unleashes a flurry of strikes before slamming the spear into the ground, creating an explosive area-of-effect attack. The weapon scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, making it versatile for hybrid builds. Additionally, its ability to throw charged fiery projectiles during strong attacks adds a ranged option to its arsenal. To obtain this weapon, players must defeat Messmer the Impaler and trade his Remembrance with Enia at Roundtable Hold.
Filip Melzacki, guide author, over 120 hours in the game.
Spear of the Impaler – Messmer’s huge spear provides slow but powerful stabs, fire damage, and good posture breaking. The most unique element of this weapon, however, is its throwability – by pressing the strong attack button, you will throw the spear, which will return to you immediately after hitting the target. This enables you to keep your distance from enemies, and charging your throw will cause the spear to explode on impact, setting the enemy on fire. In addition, there is also a powerful special attack with the weapon, which covers its greatest weakness, because it is excellent at dealing with crowds of enemies.
To obtain this weapon, you must defeat Messmer the Impaler and convert the memory he dropped into this weapon in the Roundtable Hold. The ability to throw the weapon offers an original approach to close and long-range combat. More information about the fight with the boss can be found on the guide page titled How to defeat Messmer the Impaler?.
Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana
The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana is a standout weapon introduced in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, designed specifically for dragon-slaying. This Great Katana boasts impressive base physical damage of 152 and features the unique weapon skill, Dragonwound Slash, which cloaks the blade in a gravel-stone aura for devastating anti-dragon attacks. With its ability to cause blood loss buildup (55) and scaling with Strength and Dexterity (D), it excels in both single-target damage and crowd control. Found in the Dragon’s Pit dungeon, players must defeat the Ancient Dragon-Man boss to claim this powerful blade. Its versatility makes it ideal for Dexterity builds and bleed-focused setups, cementing its place as one of the best weapons in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.
Hubert “hexx0” Sledziewski, author, over 1,400 hours in the game.
As its name suggests, the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana was created primarily to combat these powerful reptiles. The theory suggests that if weapons can cope with them, they will be able to handle smaller monsters even better. Practice confirms this. The weapon’s enormous range makes basic slashes and thrusts effective at keeping enemies at bay, and powerful, sweeping slashes can damage several enemies at once. In fact, subsequent hits inflict bleeding, which makes it much easier to deplete the health bars of stronger opponents.
However, I was particularly enchanted by the ranged special attack of this katana. By performing Dragonwound Slash, which covers the blade with an “aura of jagged stones”, the character jumps up while charging this skill. It takes literally a second, and it deals about twice as much damage as a non-fully charged attack, while absorbing only slightly more “mana” (it’s still not much). Moreover, the action is accompanied by extremely impressive animation, which did not bore me for several hours, even though I hardly use any other weapons. The ubiquitous birds in the Land of Shadow have no chance and get defeated after one attack. Armored knights require 3 or 4 such hits, but the end result is the same. And the bosses? I will only mention that storms and lightning did not protect the Divine Beast Dancing Lion from death in the second attempt (and on NG 7).
You will receive this great blade as a reward for defeating one of the minor bosses – Ancient Dragon-Man. He resides at the end of the Dragon’s Pit, a dangerous cave on the route to the Charo’s Hidden Grave region. More about the Dragon’s Pit can be found on the How to get to Charo’s Hidden Grave? page.
What are the top weapons for each stat in Shadow of the Erdtree
Here are the top weapons for each primary stat in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, based on their scaling and utility:
Strength
- Anvil Hammer: A colossal weapon with high Strength scaling (C) and dual physical and fire damage. Its unique skill, Smithing Art Spears, delivers devastating strikes.
- Red Bear’s Claw: Ideal for Strength-based bleed builds, offering quick combos and blood loss buildup.
Dexterity
- Rakshasa’s Great Katana: A slower but powerful katana with excellent Dexterity scaling (C) and high blood loss buildup (55).
- Backhand Blade: A lightweight weapon with balanced Dexterity and Strength scaling (D/D), featuring the Blind Spot skill for evasive attacks.
Intelligence
- Star-Lined Sword: Scales well with Intelligence (D) and Dexterity (C), dealing both physical and magic damage. Its skill, Onze’s Line of Stars, enhances its versatility in combat.
- Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword: A heavy-hitting weapon combining Strength and Intelligence scaling, perfect for hybrid builds.
Faith
- Rellana’s Twin Blades: Scales across Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith (all C at max level). Its Moon-and-Fire Stance skill offers versatile elemental attacks.
- Spear of the Impaler: A Faith-scaling spear with excellent reach and piercing capabilities.
Arcane
- Bloodfiend’s Arm: Known for its exceptional blood loss buildup, making it a top-tier choice for Arcane builds focused on bleed damage.
These weapons cater to various playstyles, ensuring players can optimize their builds for the challenges of the DLC.
What are the best weapons for a strength-based build in Shadow of the Erdtree
Here are the best weapons for Strength-based builds in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree:
1. Anvil Hammer
- Type: Colossal Weapon
- Scaling: Strength C
- Attack Power: Physical 131, Fire 85
- Skill: Smithing Art Spears – A devastating skill that combines physical and fire damage with solid stance-breaking potential.
Ideal for heavy-hitting builds, it balances power and speed despite its size3.
2. Devonia’s Hammer
- Type: Strike Weapon
- Scaling: Strength C, Faith D
- Attack Power: Physical 147, Holy 44
- Skill: Devonia’s Vortex – Summons a chargeable torrent of Holy fire for crowd control and AoE damage.
Perfect for Strength/Faith hybrid builds3.
3. Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword
- Type: Greatsword
- Scaling: Strength D
- Attack Power: Physical 138
- Skill: White Light Charge – Heavy thrust attacks with high stagger potential, ideal for hybrid Strength builds.
4. Red Bear’s Claw
- Type: Claw Weapon
- Scaling: Strength C
- Attack Power: Physical 104
- Skill: Red Bear Hunt – Excellent for bleed-focused Strength builds due to its blood loss buildup (45).
5. Giant-Crusher
- Type: Colossal Weapon
- Scaling: Strength B (max level)
Known for its incredible stagger potential, this weapon excels in raw damage output but requires precision due to slower attack speed.
These weapons cater to different playstyles, from colossal strikes to bleed builds, ensuring versatility for Strength-focused players in the DLC.
