The early stages of Elden Ring can be particularly challenging, especially if you’re not wielding the best weapons. Whether you’re looking for a short-term fix or something reliable to last until the mid-game, here are the best early game weapons in Elden Ring.
With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC dropping soon, it is as great a time as any to start a new Elden Ring playthrough or jump into it for your first run. The souls-like title is a massive game, featuring an impressive variety of enemies, bosses, locations, and weapons.
When it comes to weapons, the game has no shortage of powerful options to pick from, but finding the right one to build around can take plenty of trial and error. With this in mind, we’ve shortlisted the best early game weapons you should use in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring: Best early game weapons
The best early game weapons in Elden Ring span different weapon classes and some require players to specialize in specific attributes. You’ll find a majority of our picks in regions like Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula.
Bloodhound’s Fang
FromSoftwareBloodhound’s Fang can be upgraded using Somber Smithing Stones.
To start things off, we have one of the most obvious options for the best early game weapon in Elden Ring: Bloodhound’s Fang. The weapon is a curved greatsword that is very lethal in combat. Using it will require 18 Strength and 17 Dexterity, and it scales primarily with DEX.
It has a base physical damage of 141 along with a passive of 55 bleed damage. This means you can trigger blood loss on enemies and dish out a ton of damage, but you’ll need to land your attacks in quick succession. The greatsword also comes with a unique skill called Bloodhound’s Finesse. You can use it to deliver slashing damage quickly, and if timed correctly, the skill will help you evade enemy counters.
You can get Bloodhound’s Fang by killing Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol.
Uchigatana
FromSoftwareThe Uchigatana is best suited for a DEX build.
The Uchigatana is a slick, slashing sword that souls-like veterans will likely be familiar with, and it’s no surprise to see it shine in Elden Ring. Just like Bloodhound’s Fang, the Uchigatana is suited for DEX builds, and requires 11 Strength and 15 Dexterity to be wielded.
It comes with a base physical damage of 115 and 45 bleed damage. The speed of its attacks will help you trigger blood loss quickly, and you can even dual-wield two Uchigatanas for maximum status damage.
Players who pick the Samurai starting class will have the weapon by default. Others can find it inside the Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhil.
Sword of Night and Flame
FromSoftwareThe Sword of Night and Flame is one of the best magic weapons you can get early on.
The Sword of Night and Flame is one of the most unique weapons in Elden Ring. In terms of appearance, the sword stands out thanks to streaks of blue and gold running through the middle, and then there’s the decorative pommel that lends a bit of elegance to the look.
To wield it, you’ll need 12 Strength, 12 Dexterity, 24 Intelligence, and 24 Faith. But meeting the hefty requirements is worth it, mainly due to its special skill, the Night-and-Flame Stance. Triggering the stance using L2/LB will let you use the Comet Azur skill as a light attack and a sweeping fire AOE as a heavy attack.
You can find the Sword of Night and Flame locked away in a chest inside Carla Manor, just north of Liurnia of the Lakes.
Claymore
FromSoftwareThe Claymore should see you past the early sections of Elden Ring.
The Claymore has been a reliable weapon across other FromSoftware titles, and it remains as solid as ever in Elden Ring. It is primarily suited for players going for a STR build, and it requires 16 Strength and 13 Dexterity to wield.
There’s nothing too sophisticated about this two-handed weapon. Its attacks can be slow but dish out enough damage to compensate, and the range of its heavy attack is good for poking opponents from a distance. In terms of skills, the weapon comes with the Lion’s Claw, which sees your character leap into the air and front-flip down while delivering an overhead smash.
You can find the Claymore inside Castle Morne located in the Weeping Peninsula region.
Crystal Sword
FromSoftwareThe Crystal Sword is a great early weapon for INT builds.
If you’re set on an STR/INT build and need an early game weapon that scales well with both attributes, the Crystal Sword is a solid option. The weapon requires 13 Strength and 15 Intelligence to wield and delivers 106 physical damage and 68 magic damage.
Its moveset is similar to other straight swords and the weapon comes with the Spinning Slash skill. The skill lets you deliver slashing damage with a spinning attack and follow it up with another spin attack.
You can find the Crystal Sword on a corpse inside the Village of the Albinaurics in southern Liurnia.
Twinblade
FromSoftwareThe Twinblade can serve as a placeholder until you obtain the Godskin Peeler or Twinned Knight swords.
Twinblades are some of the most lethal weapons in Elden Ring. They come in different shapes and forms, like the late-game Godskin Peeler, but the base Twinblade is a great option to use for early game areas. The weapon requires 10 STR and 18 DEX and delivers 119 physical damage.
Just like other Twinblades, we recommend dual-wielding the base Twinblade to deliver fast slashing attacks that provide a strong change to trigger a status effect or even stagger the enemy.
You can find the Twinblade locked inside a chest in the Dragon-Burnt ruins region in Limgrave.
Grafted Blade Greatsword
FromSoftwareThe Grafted Blade Greatsword is a Game of Thrones Easter egg.
The Grafted Blade Greatsword is a colossal weapon that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. The weapon is also one of the best early game options you can go with in Elden Ring.
It requires a whopping 40 Strength and 14 Dexterity to wield, which means it’s only suited for STR builds. It offers an excellent physical damage stat of 162 and comes with the Oath of Vengeance skill. Using the skill will buff all your attributes by 5 for 60 seconds. It will also raise your Poise, so you can rush into combat with a lesser risk of getting staggered or having your attacks interrupted.
You can get the weapon by killing the Leonine Misbegotten boss at Castle Morne.
Those were the best early game weapons in Elden Ring. For more on the biggest titles of 2024, check out:
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