Many of From Software’s games allow you to land critical hits, special attacks against enemies in a vulnerable position that deal significantly more damage than usual. In Elden Ring, the number of scenarios in which you can land critical hits is larger than in previous games.

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If you want to take advantage of your enemies while they are in this vulnerable state, you’ll want a weapon with a high Critical stat. The exact formula behind critical damage isn't known, but in general, the higher the Critical stat, the more damage your critical hits will do. Here are the ten weapons you'll want equipped when the opportunity arises.

10 Reduvia (Critical: 110)

Reduvia Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

5

Dexterity

13

Arcane

13

The Reduvia is definitely best known for its Weapon Skill, Reduvia Blood Blade, which allows you to cause significant Bleed buildup from a safe distance. That being said, if you do land a parry or a back stab, you’ll end up dealing fairly substantial damage.

You can get this weapon almost immediately in Limgrave by killing Bloody Finger Nerijus, who invades you in the ravine north of Agheel Lake. He shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat, since Bloody Finger Hunter Yura will arrive to help you soon after the invasion begins.

9 Morgott’s Cursed Sword (Critical: 110)

​​​​​​​Morgott’s Cursed Sword Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

14

Dexterity

35

Arcane

17

Morgott’s Cursed Sword might be the coolest-looking weapon in Elden Ring, with its rainbow blade and flashy Weapon Skill, Cursed-Blood Slice, that creates wide arcs of fire. On top of all that, it also causes Bleed buildup. This weapon has so much going for it that the high Critical stat is really just a bonus, although you'll rarely find someone who complains about their weapon dealing extra damage.

Unsurprisingly, you get Morgott's sword by killing Morgott, the Omen King, then trading the Remembrance of the Omen King with Enia in the Roundtable Hold.

8 Blade Of Calling (Critical: 110)

Blade of Calling Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

6

Dexterity

13

Faith

15

The Blade of Calling often gets overlooked because it looks weak when compared to its sister weapon, the Black Knife, which outclasses it in most ways, although the Blade of Calling has better Faith scaling. Of course, the Black Knife is an excellent weapon, so being worse than it only means so much (and since they’re both daggers, you can always use both at the same time). The Blade of Calling has a strong Weapon Skill, Blade of Gold, that deals significant knockback and Holy damage.

In theory, the Blade of Calling isn’t difficult to get, although it is quite well-hidden. Go to the Forbidden Lands Site of Grace, then turn around and take the elevator. About halfway through, leap onto a ledge. You can find the weapon behind a door at the end of the hallway.

7 Sacred Relic Sword (Critical: 110)

Sacred Relic Sword Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

14

Dexterity

24

Faith

22

The primary playstyle when using the Sacred Relic Sword will involve standing back and launching the Weapon Skill, Wave of Gold, at your opponents repeatedly. However, it’s still a Greatsword, which means any time you actually hit an opponent with it, you have the chance to break their poise and open them up for a critical attack, especially if you're holding another Greatsword in your other hand.

And in that case, the extra Critical damage on the Sacred Relic Sword will come in handy. Of course, none of this is really going to be relevant until New Game Plus, since you get the Sacred Relic Sword by taking the Elden Remembrance you get from beating the final boss and trading it with Enia in the Roundtable Hold.

6 Ornamental Straight Sword (Critical: 110)

Ornamental Straight Sword Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

10

Dexterity

14

The Ornamental Straight Sword received significant buffs, so it's worth checking out for more than just its critical damage. It's relatively unique, as it is one of the few weapons in Elden Ring that can be power stanced with only a single copy (that isn't a fist weapon, anyway). It also has a fancy Weapon Skill called Golden Tempering, which adds 100 Holy damage and grants a unique strong attack combo.

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In theory, the Ornamental Straight Sword could be the first weapon you get in the game, since it drops from the Grafted Scion that attacks you during the tutorial. But if, like most people, you don’t manage to kill it then, you can return and get your revenge by using one of the waygates at The Four Belfries in Liurnia of the Lakes.

5 Black Knife (Critical: 110)

Black Knife Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

8

Dexterity

12

Arcane

18

Hey look, it's the better version of the Blade of Calling. The two weapons are extremely similar in most respects, but the Black Knife's Weapon Skill, Blade of Death, is a substantial improvement. It deals less damage on hit, but applies a debuff that shreds the enemy's health, making it better in almost every scenario.

You can also get it much earlier in the game than the Blade of Calling, as it drops from the Black Knife Assassin guarding the entrance to the Sainted Hero’s Grave in the Altus Plateau.

4 Executioner’s Greataxe (Critical: 115)

Executioner's Greataxe Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

34

Dexterity

8

Probably the most surprising weapon on this list, the Executioner's Greataxe is easily the best Strength-based weapon for dealing critical hits. With the right setup, it can shred enemy poise and crush them for immense damage.

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The only way to get the Executioner’s Greataxe is to farm the skeletons that wield it, which can take a while, although that does mean you can get two during a single playthrough if you put the time in. These skeletons also appear as early as Liurnia of the Lakes, so you can theoretically get two of this weapon immediately.

3 Dagger (Critical: 130)

Dagger Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

5

Dexterity

9

You might think that the classic Dagger would rank higher on this list, and it does have one of the highest Critical stats in the game. The trouble is, if you want a dagger specifically for critical hits, there is a better option. That said, the Dagger does have some advantages. Although its base damage is unimpressive, it gets A scaling in both Dexterity and Occult when fully upgraded. More importantly, it has an extremely low Dexterity requirement — so low that it can be used by any of the starter classes, even if you don’t want to invest in Dexterity at all.

The Dagger can be bought from the Twin Maiden Husks in the Roundtable Hold, but it is also dropped by the Highwaymen equipped with Daggers in Murkwater Cave and the various types of Foot Soldier wielding it across the Lands Between. If you wanted, you could dual-wield Daggers without too much trouble, although it’s probably not an optimal strategy.

2 Rapier (Critical: 130)

Rapier Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

7

Dexterity

12

In almost every way, the Rapier is outshone by the another Thrusting Sword, the Estoc, with less reach and damage. However, if you want a Thrusting Sword that excels at dealing critical damage, the Rapier is your best bet.

It also happens to be one of the easiest weapons in Elden Ring to get. You can buy it from the Twin Maiden Husks in the Roundtable Hold. Unfortunately, its ease of access comes with a drawback; you can only get one Rapier in a single run, so you'll need to wait until New Game Plus if you want to power stance the weapon.

1 Miséricorde (Critical: 140)

Misericorde Elden Ring

Stat

Required Level

Strength

7

Dexterity

12

As it possesses the highest critical stat of any weapon in Elden Ring, you're probably going to use the Miséricorde as the primary weapon in a build that's specifically designed to create opportunities for critical hits by breaking the enemy's poise. However, it can also work as a secondary weapon in almost any build. When a critical hit becomes available, you can switch to the Miséricorde and deal massive damage.

If you want to add this tool to your arsenal, you can find it in Stormveil Castle, outside the room with the Grafted Scion. It's locked behind an imp statue sea, so you'll need a Stonesword Key to get inside.

Next: Elden Ring: Best Fire Damage Weapons