As the DLC draws ever-nearer, so does the itch to start a new playthrough of Elden Ring. But in a game so massive and so full of possibilities, where’s one to start?
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This guide will cover items that can be obtained within two to three hours of starting a new character, depending on your build and skill level. Some of them are a bit more of a commitment than others, but all can be found within the games starting zone, Limgrave, or very near it. Let’s begin.
The Best Early Game Weapons in Elden Ring, By Build
Strength – Great Axe
This weapon can be found in the caravan being pulled by two trolls in Limgrave. It’ll require you to stop the caravan by attacking, but not necessarily killing, the two big boys pulling it along. Of course, you’ll also have to dispatch some of the riff-raff so you can open the chest unperturbed, but it shouldn’t be too difficult if you use hit-and-run tactics. I’d suggest getting Torrent first by speaking to Melina at the Gatefront site of Grace for a bit of added mobility. Check the route of the caravan below:
The Great Axe’s strength (heh) lies in its ability to easily stagger enemies using jump attacks. Staggers open up opportunities for massive damage, as well as self-buffs and healing. Its normal swings are enough to stun-lock most regular foes, as well. And as always, two-handing will reduce the Strength requirement by 50%, which is useful if you’re rushing to use it as early as possible.
Dexterity – Night Rider Flail
This nasty-looking flail can be found a bit south in the Weeping Penninsula and is dropped by a Night’s Cavalry mini-boss. Once again, it is highly recommended that you use Torrent for this fight, as hit-and-run tactics make the Night’s Cavalry much more manageable. The boss only spawns at night, so be sure to pass the time at the Castle Morne Rampart nearby:
You’ll begin to notice a pattern in this list – that being that many of these weapons will inflict Bleed. Bleed is accumulated over time by consecutive hits on an enemy, and once an invisible threshold is reached it’ll nuke their health for quite a bit of bonus damage. While most of these builds aren’t focused on causing bleed, a weapon with appropriate scaling and the ability to inflict it is a very nice bonus early on.
Quality – Blood Hound’s Fang
Next on our list, we have a weapon that blends the stats of the previous two. This fan-favorite curved sword can be found after defeating Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in the Forlorn Hound Evergoal in Limgrave:
If you’re having trouble with Darriwil, try summoning Blaidd within the Evergoal (his summon sign is golden in appearance). Dispatching the boss will grant the weapon immediately.
The Blood Hound’s Fang not only inflicts bleed, but it also has a fantastic Weapon Art: Bloodhound’s Finesse. This attack creates some distance between you and your foe and can be followed up with a Bloodhound’s Step in the same movement. If you’re planning on playing a Quality (Strength and Dexterity equally leveled) build for the entire game, this weapon is a solid pick for an entire playthrough.
Faith – Winged Scythe
Found just west of the Nightrider’s Flail within the Tombsward Ruins, the Winged Scythe takes a bit of stat investment to use but pays dividends with its range and, you guessed it, ability to cause blood loss. You’ll need a whopping 24 Faith, but using any of the weapons listed above should get you where you need to go until you’ve leveled enough to use it.
Arcane – Reduvia
Oh, look. More bleed weapons. Reduvia is available pretty much the moment you walk out into Limgrave, and it’s an excellent (if slightly harder to use) choice for the Bleed-focused Arcane build. It scales with Arcane and Dexterity and is one of very few Arcane-scaling bleed weapons you can find this early in the game.
You’ll just need to defeat Bloody Finger Nerijus in the ravine at the northeastern portion of Agheel Lake, but you don’t have to do it alone. Speak with Bloody Finger Hunter Yura before you head down the path and he’ll be automatically summoned to help you in battle. You can even let him handle things if you’d like to play referee.
Reduvia’s real strength is in its Reduvia Blood Blade Weapon Art, which sends out projectiles of blood that cause further blood loss buildup on foes. Stack some FP flasks and the small range of the blade itself won’t be much of an issue.
Magic – Moonveil
I didn’t even remember that Moonveil caused bleeding until I made this list, I promise. Really, I chose it because it has the most bananas Weapon Art of anything on this page: Transient Moonlight. Despite some post-release nerfs, this weapon causes blood loss, insane stagger damage, and has an excellent move set that’s good until the very end of the game.
The catch? It’s the hardest one here to actually get your hands on. You’ll need to defeat the Magma Wyrm in the Gael Tunnel in Caelid. Yeah, we’re leaving Limgrave for this one, but it’s worth it, I promise. If you’re playing a Magic build, you’re fortunate enough to have ranged attacks on your side. I’d suggest keeping some distance between yourself and the Wyrm when possible because the arena is quite small and his hitbox takes up most of it when he decides to start charging around.
Once you’ve defeated the Magma Wyrm, you’ll have your hands on Moonveil: one of the most divisively powerful weapons in the entire game. Its Weapon Art costs almost nothing, deals insane damage, and has incredible range and a fast recovery. Because of the borderline exploitative nature of its Weapon Art, it’s earned a reputation as being a bit of a crutch within the fanbase. But you won’t be able to hear them over you’re awesome magic katana ripping through every boss with ease.
When you’re ready for an upgrade, check out our Elden Ring weapons tier list for your next step.
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