Have you ever wanted to crush real life people in a fictional video game? I always do.
Elden Ring is chock full of weapons you can use to decimate enemies. Through various builds, a tiny dagger can become a glass canon! This logic also applies to the Player vs. Player aspect of the game. With every new Souls game, the meta is ever changing, but, I believe I’ve found some weapons that can’t be overlooked.
A few clarifications before we start. Each weapon on this list heavily relies on your class, build, and current stats. You can find on each weapon a tier grade. This is the stat the weapon scales with, F being the lowest, and A being the highest. The better the letter grade, the more powerful the weapon is. With that said, let’s look at some of the best Elden Ring PVP weapons, and how to get them.
10. Prince of Death’s Staff
Spellcasters unite.
I feel like magic users get a bad rep from the community, so I wanted to give magic users some love while showing off a powerful staff. In terms of physical damage, it does little against a big sword, but we’re not here to hit people with a stick, we’re here to cast some spells! To do this, you will need an 8 in strength, and 18’s in both intelligence and faith.
The great thing about this staff is that it doesn’t just scale with intelligence. For those who run faith builds, this staff is perfect for mixing and matching incantations with spells. At base level, the staff scales with a D in both intelligence and faith. When fully upgraded, it scales with an A in both those fields, making it super strong..
What sets this staff apart from others is its unique skill. When using death sorceries, the staff boosts their power. This makes spells like the Explosive Ghostflame and Ancient Ranchor Call deal huge damage, while the latter tracks you and can cause stagger. This is great for adding pressure in your duel, while keeping space if need be.
Found in the Deeproot Depths, this guide will take you directly to the staff:
Why Prince of Death’s Staff Is Great:
- Boosts all Death Sorceries.
- Scales in intelligence and faith, allowing more combinations.
- Spacing and staggering capabilities.
Prince of Death’s Staff Base Stats:
- Sorcery scaling of 144.
- Scales with a D in intelligence and faith.
- Boosts Death Sorceries.
9. Bastard’s Stars
Nobody dare call you a bastard while wielding this.
Keeping with the trend of magical weapons, this next one is a take on a medieval flail. What I like most about the Bastard’s Stars is that even a sorcerer can wield the weapon and make it viable, while still casting spells. If you are planning to use this weapon, a 22 in dexterity and intelligence, as well as an 8 in strength are required.
The weapon starts at a base physical damage of 65, while also dealing 78 points of magical damage. It initially scales with an E in strength, D in dexterity, and C in Intelligence. Once upgraded with someber smithing stones, the weapon deals 159 points of physical damage and 191 points of magical damage. Not bad for a sorcerer.
A great move the flail comes with is called Nebula. When used, you lunge at your enemy, slashing diagonally. Other than looking cool, a trail is left from the slash that causes an explosion. This is great for knocking opponents off of cliffs, getting the easy win.
To find the Bastard’s Stars, progress through the Lake of Rot area and defeat Astel, Naturalborn of the Void. Give it’s remembrance to Enia at the Roundtable Hold:
Why Bastard’s Stars Is Great:
- Gives sorcerers a unique melee option
- Skill creates an area of effect explosion, great for crowd control.
- Easy to knock players off of high places.
Bastard’s Stars Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 65
- Magical damage: 78
- Scales C in intelligence.
- FP cost of 25 for unique skill.
8. Scorpion’s Stinger
Sting, stang, stung.
Even the tiniest of weapons can pack the deadliest of punches. The Scorpion's Stinger is great for up close and personal combat, putting the pressure on your opponent. Though the damage seems small at first, when fully upgraded, it does decent damage at 193 points.
To wield this dagger, you’ll need a 6 in strength, and a 12 in dexterity. It scales with a D in strength and C in dexterity, but when fully upgraded, it now scales a B in dexterity. The Scorpion's Stinger is great when paired with either spells or another strong weapon.
There are two things that put this dagger in the conversation of powerful PVP weapons. The unique skill, repeating thrust, stacks damage quickly. The second trait is the ability to inflict rot damage. Rot is a stronger version of poison that is just as effective as bleed. Once you inflict rot, your opponent has to come to you to finish the fight. You control the pace.
Found in the Lake of Rot:
Why Scorpion’s Sting Is Great:
- Very fast.
- An aggressive weapon, allowing for quick stab and go playstyle.
- Rot buildup is fantastic.
Scorpion’s Sting Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 79
- Scales C in dexterity.
- Causes rot buildup: 50
7. Dark Moon Greatsword
Hello, old friend.
A staple in every Souls game, just going by a different name here, the Dark Moon Greatsword is a must for any greatsword wielder. Like other greatswords, the slashing attacks cover a large area in front of the user, dealing heavy damage the more you invest into upgrades.
I don’t mean to cater to intelligence builds, but some of the most powerful weapons are magically charged. Once fully upgraded, the sword deals 200 points of physical damage and 240 points of magic damage. To wield the weapon, you will need to heavily invest in intelligence, leveling up the stat to 38. You’ll also need a 16 in strength, and an 11 in dexterity.
What’s unique about the Dark Moon Greatsword is the skill. Called the Moonlight Greatsword, you lift the weapon in the air, increasing magic damage and infusing the weapon with frost. When frostbitten, damage is increased by 20 percent. I also like that charged attacks in this state shoot a projectile of moonlight, allowing ranged attacks with a heavy build.
Complete Ranni’s questline to acquire the weapon:
Why Dark Moon Greatsword Is Great:
- Large sweeping attacks.
- Frost buildup adds an extra damage option.
- Great at close up and ranged with charged heavy attack.
Dark Moon Greatsword base Stats:
- Physical damage: 82
- Magical damage: 98
- Scales C in intelligence.
- Causes frost buildup: 55
6. Sword of St. Trina
Go to sleep.
Another unique weapon, the Sword of St. Trina does decent damage at the base level. As well as doing magic damage, the sword scales primarily with dexterity, allowing the sword to work in r most builds. You will need a 10 in strength, 12 in dexterity, and a 14 in intelligence. These are relatively low stats compared to other weapons.
Fully upgraded, the sword does a physical damage of 262 points, while also dealing a 78 in magical damage. A great feature in Elden Ring is the ability to dual wield weapons. Dexterity builds especially benefit from using two weapons in tandem.
The unique skill, Mist of Slumber, is the ability to put opponents to sleep. Opponents put to sleep can’t move or attack, leaving them vulnerable to charged attacks that deal massive damage. As mentioned earlier with dual wielding, if paired with a bleed weapon, the damage potential is insane.
You can find this sword in the Forsaken Ruins. You will need a Stonesword Key to open an Imp Seal:
Why Sword of St. Trina Is Great:
- Dual wield capabilities.
- Able to put foes to sleep.
- Works well with most builds with little stat commitment.
Sword of St. Trina Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 107
- Magical damage: 32
- Scales D in strength and dexterity.
- Causes sleep buildup: 66
5. Starscourge Greatsword
look to the stars.
Looking at a strength based weapon, the Starscourge Greatsword is a powerhouse when it comes to damage. This is the first weapon on the list to primarily scale with strength, scaling at a B once fully upgraded. To wield this weapon, you will need a 38 in strength, 12 in dexterity, and a 15 in intelligence.
At this point in the list, it has the highest physical damage when fully upgraded at 316 points, with 203 points of magical damage. If one sword wasn’t enough, the Starscourge Greatsword becomes two greatswords when two-handed. This increases the sword’s hitbox, as well as making it easier to break poise and stagger opponents.
Another cool feature of the weapon is the Starcaller Cry. On top of a gravitational pull that brings your opponent in, the follow up slam is incredibly powerful. It is slow, but the builds using this weapon will hopefully have high poise to negate the windup time.
Defeat Radahn, then use his remembrance to acquire the weapon. Here’s a boss guide to make life easier:
Why Starscourge Greatsword Is Great:
- Heavy damage output.
- Unique skill brings in an opponent, then a follow up slam destroys them.
- You control the pace of the fight, with two swords being better than one.
Starscourge Greatsword Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 129
- Magical damage: 83
- Scales D in strength and dexterity.
4. Maliketh’s Black Blade
That's a big sword.
Following the last spot, we’re looking at another greatsword. Maliketh’s Black Blade is similar to the Dark Moon Greatsword, but instead of dealing magic damage, the sword deals holy damage. For faith builds, this is a must, as you will already be applying incantations that boost your stats before a fight.
You will need to invest 34 points into strength, 12 into dexterity, and 20 into faith. When fully upgraded, the weapon scales a B in both strength and faith. It also deals 311 physical points of damage and 200 points of holy damage.
The weapon's unique skill is ripped straight from Maliketh’s boss fight. When you plunge the sword into the ground, a sphere of blades emits from the user, striking foes in several different directions. It takes away part of the opponent's health bar and reduces health at a solid pace. This is great for pressure and making people fear upcoming attacks.
Defeat Maliketh, then use his remembrance at the Roundtable Hold. Here’s a guide on how to beat him:
Why Maliketh’s Black Blade Is Great:
- Bid physical damage for holy builds.
- The Unique skill, with its ability to restrict the health bar.
- Makes the opponent play aggressive, leading to more mistakes on their part.
Maliketh’s Black Blade Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 127
- Holy damage: 82
- Scales D in strength and faith.
3. Bloody Helice
Anyone else scared of needles?
This is the start of our conversation on the current meta of the game. Bleed is still a very important tool to have when going up against another player. What’s great about the Bloody Helice is not only its passive bleed effect of 55, but that the sword is a thrusting weapon. This means you can use a shield while still attacking with the sword.
At base level, the weapon does 121 points of physical damage and scales with an E in strength, D in dexterity, and another D in arcane. When fully upgraded, you’ll be dealing 298 points of physical damage, with a C in dexterity and a B in arcane. Arachne increases your resistance to holy damage. To wield this sword, you will need a 16 in strength, 19 in dexterity, and 17in arcane.
What I like most about this weapon, besides the bleed buildup, is the invincibility frames you receive when using Dynast’s Finesse, the unique skill of the weapon. Invincibility frames are very important in PVP, as even in lag situations you can come out mostly unscathed. Also, the amount of follow-up attacks you get from the skill is very good at creating pressure.
Found in a chest after defeating the sanguine Noble in the Writheblood Ruins:
You won't lose blood watching this.
Why the Bloody Helice Is Great:
- Bleed buildup is strong.
- Can attack while holding up a shield to block.
- Invincibility frames on unique skill windup.
Bloody Helice Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 121
- Scales D in dexterity and arcane.
- Causes bleed buildup: 55
2. Moonveil
The power of the moon, in the palm of your hands.
Another weapon that inflicts bleed damage, the Moonveil is great for quick attacks that dissorient your opponent. It primarily scales with intelligence at a C, but is also viable in strength and dexterity builds.
Starting damage is a 73 in physical damage, with an 87 in magical damage. It has a passive bleed ability of 50, and can reach quite far with the stab and thrust attacks.Fully upgraded, it deals 178 physical damage and 213 magical damage. It scales with an E in strength, but a B in both intelligence and dexterity when at max level.
Transient Moonlight, the skill of the weapon, puts your character in a stance. Hitting the regular attack in this stance shoots a magical projectile in a wide area. A heavy attack in this stance does an overhead magical projectile, which is great for staggers and breaking poise. It's for this reason, and how fast and far reaching the blade is, that Moonveil is number two on the list.
You’ll acquire the weapon after defeating the Magma Wyrm, located in the Gael Tunnel:
Why Moonveil Is Great:
- Great for pressure and staggers.
- Viable ranged attack.
- Magic and bleed damage is very strong.
Moonveil Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 73
- Magical damage: 87
- Scales C in intelligence.
- Causes bleed buildup: 50
1. Rivers of Blood
It's blood, not plasma.
This is one of, if not the best, weapon in the game. This is mostly due to the unique skill of the weapon, but there is more to offer. On top of being a katana, which all deal bleed damage. It also deals fire damage. Strength and dexterity won’t be an issue, but you will need to put 20 points into arcane to use properly.
In terms of damage, at base level, it does 76 physical and fire damage. It scales with an E in strength, and a D in both dexterity and arcane. When upgraded to max level, it deals 186 points of physical and fire damage, now scaling at a B in dexterity. The damage may seem low, but the katana is also very fast in strikes.
Now it's time for the big selling point of the weapon, the unique skill. Corpse Piler is a series of six bloody slashes. They’re extremely fast, the last one is an overhead, and the bleed buildup this move causes is insane. It melts both bosses and players alike, turning a decent katana into a weapon that slays Gods.
The weapon is dropped by Bloody Finger Okina. They invade in front of the Church of Repose, located in the Mountaintops of the Giants:
Why Rivers of Blood Is Great:
- Bleed and fire damage.
- Fast attack and recovery.
- The unique skill is overpowered.
Rivers of Blood Base Stats:
- Physical damage: 76
- Fire damage: 76
- Scales D in dexterity and arcane.
- Causes bleed buildup: 52
That concludes the Top Ten Best PVP Weapons In Elden Ring that Are powerful, And How To Get Them. When you're on the battlefield crushing your enemies, I hope you think of me.
