Highlights

• The Bloodhound Claw, Nagakiba, and Black Knife are some of the best Dex weapons in Elden Ring, each with unique skills and powerful abilities.
• Other notable Dex weapons include the Bloodhound's Fang, Reduvia Dagger, Godskin Peeler, and Vyke's War Spear, each offering distinct advantages and playstyles for Dex builds.

Elden Ring allows you to play however you like, with whatever fun build you choose to enjoy. With a vast array of weapons at your disposal, there are amazing Elden Ring Dex weapons to uncover and experiment with as you explore the Lands Between.

If you favor being as swift and deadly as an assassin, then daggers may be the best Dex weapons you'll find in Elden Ring to fit your nimble-footed playstyle. Some weapons are already equipped with unique skills or Weapon Arts that make them one of the most powerful Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring.

Updated on December 10th, 2023 by Andrew Scariati: Finding the best Dex weapons Elden Ring has to offer is only part of the equation leading to a powerful Dexterity build. Leveling your attributes to properly wield the best Elden Ring Dex weapons will make them even more deadly, depending on their scaling grade. From pure Dex weapons to some unusual options that are too good to pass up, these are Elden Ring's best Dex weapons.

15 Bloodhound Claw

The Wolverine-esque Bloodhound Claw is a wonderful Dex weapon you should look out for. This weapon allows you to cause blood loss in a swift chain of attacks, and it comes with a handy Ash of War, the Bloodhound's Step. This Weapon art grants you the ability to evade harm by phasing in and out of existence with an evasive hop.

To obtain this weapon, you must go to Volcano Manor. In the dark basement area, you'll find a Bloodhound Knight armed with said weapon. After a hard fight, he'll drop the weapon for you to pick up.

14 Nagakiba

The abnormally long katana, known as the Nagakiba, is easily one of the best Katanas in Elden Ring. This katana deals fantastic Bleed damage, but what immediately catches the eye is its absurd length and extraordinary range.

This weapon can be obtained after finishing Yura's questline.

With the weapon skill Unsheathe already built into this weapon, the Nagakiba is the essential weapon in the arsenal of the itinerant samurai. Whether you want Nagakiba to deal lightning or frost damage, it's a deadly blade indeed.

13 Black Knife

The Legendary Spirit Ash Summon, Black Knife Tiche wields this powerful weapon, which was bathed in the Rune of Death. By hurling a wave of death toward an enemy, it'll gradually drain their HP, killing them without having to put in too much effort.

But did you know that you could own such a weapon too? To get your hands on one, simply head to the Sainted Hero's Grave in the Altus Plateau region. A Black Knife Assassin boss will be standing right in front of the entryway, and he drops this Dex weapon.

12 Bloodhound's Fang

The go-to weapon when it comes to Dex builds, Bloodhound's Fang is a reliable and effective weapon with a powerful special skill to back it up.

This weapon can be found early in the game after defeating Evergaol Boss Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in southern Limgrave.

The Weapon Skill, Bloodhound's Finesse, is what makes this weapon all the more worth it fighting Darriwil. This skill gives you the ability to cartwheel midair while dealing massive damage to your foes. With range and immense damage on your side, Bloodhound's Fang also doubles as a Bleed weapon that chips away at your enemies' health.

11 Reduvia

A fantastic Dex weapon you can get super early in the game, the Reduvia Dagger's Reduvia Blood Blade Skill makes it one of the best Dex weapons Elden Ring has to offer. Working both as a melee and ranged weapon, you can fling projectiles of blood that eviscerate your enemies' health.

You get this weapon from an invader NPC called Bloody Finger Nerijus near Murkwater Cave in Agheel Lake.

Although it does take some stamina and FP to activate the skill, the Bleed buildup it causes after a few hits is well worth the cost.

10 Godskin Peeler

The Godskin Peeler has a literal tornado interwoven as a skill. Called the Black Flame Tornado, slamming the Godskin Peeler on the ground will cause an actual tornado of ebony flames to lift your enemies and inflict damage on them. Also, both sides of this twin blade will be wreathed in black flame, which is super handy.

To get this weapon, travel to Windmill Village at the northernmost end of the Altus Plateau. Run past the creepy singing ladies and up to the peak of the village; you'll have to defeat the Godskin Apostle boss and nab the weapon.

9 Hand Of Malenia

One of the hardest optional bosses in Elden Ring, Malenia, Blade of Miquella, holds one of the most sickening Dex weapons ever created. It has a wide reach and its skill - known as the Waterfowl Dance - unleashes a whirlwind of blade slashes that could take out multiple enemies at once.

To get the Hand of Malenia, you have to - you guessed it - defeat Malenia. You must get a hold of her Remembrance Rune so that you can exchange it at the Roundtable Hold for this weapon.

8 Blasphemous Blade

Truth be told, the Blasphemous Blade isn't exactly Elden Ring's best Dex weapon, but it's such a powerful choice, that you can use it to some effect whether you are focused on Faith, Strength, or Dexterity. Each of its D-scalings will help improve this weapon, but the base Fire damage and HP-leeching effect are good enough as is.

The Taker's Flames Weapon Art ignites the blade with fire and slams it to the ground, sending a wave of flame that absorbs HP from any foe it hits. This effect is incredibly powerful, and makes the Blasphemous Blade one of the best weapons in Elden Ring – so why not use it with your Dex build?

7 Vyke's War Spear

A late-game Dex weapon, you can pilfer this off of the NPC invader Festering Fingerprint Vyke, who you can run into on the way to the Church of Inhibition at Liurnia of the Lakes.

Vyke's War Spear doles out quick jabs, swipes, and thrusts. Even better, this weapon can inflict a Madness buildup on enemies with every swing. By implementing the Frenzy Flame Thrust skill, you'll launch yourself into the air before slamming down to the ground to release the flames of Madness.

6 Eleonora's Poleblade

Eleonora's Poleblade gives you the ability to mete out super fast attacks, as well as transform into a hurricane of bloody blades with the built-in skill, Bloodblade Dance. With the ability to dish out blood loss buildup, this surely is a Dex weapon you want in your arsenal.

Found in the Altus Plateau during the tail-end of Yura's Hunter of Bloody Finger's quest, you must defeat an NPC invader by the name of Eleonora, who wields the Poleblade.

5 Rivers Of Blood

This extremely powerful weapon is the katana version of the Reduvia Dagger, but no less deadly. The skill, known as Corpse Piler, is embedded into this weapon, allowing you to create successive waves of blood to slice your opponent, sort of like Bloodborne's Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.

While Rivers of Blood once easily topped the list of the best Elden Ring Dex weapons to use for a powerful Bleed build, it received several nerfs, including a reduction in PvP Poise damage in patch 1.08.

If you want to wield this weapon, go to the Church of Repose in the Mountaintops of the Giants. You'd have to progress further into the game and defeat the NPC invader, Bloody Finger Okina to get this unique katana.

4 Scavenger's Curved Sword

The Scavenger's Curved Sword may be an unexpected pick for Elden Ring's best Dex Weapons, but its power warrants the selection. After the buff to straight swords in patch 1.09, the Scavenger's Curved Sword received faster attack speed with lower recovery time between attacks, resulting in a higher damage per second (DPS).

These changes go well with the Spinning Slash Weapon Art that triggers Blood Loss buildup to the tune of 45 per tick. On its own, this is decent, but when you power stance (dual wield) this weapon and use the running jump attack, the total Bleed buildup can reach 160 percent, easily triggering the Bleed status effect in a single attack.

3 Moonveil Katana

The Moonveil Katana is one of the strongest and most beautiful Dex weapons in Elden Ring. Its built-in skill known as Transient Moonlight allows you to send out a horizontal or vertical wave of magic whenever you perform an Unsheathe attack with the katana.

To get your hands on the Mooveil Katana in Elden Ring, you must go to the alternate entrance to Gael Tunnel in the Caelid Wilds. There, killing the Magma Wyrm boss is a must, since it drops the Moonveil Katana as a reward.

2 Wing Of Astel

The Wing of Astel is a Dex weapon that also deals magical damage. Aside from your usual swift slashes and twirls, this weapon has a Nebula skill that unleashes a wave of dark purple stars that go supernova and cause massive damage.

This weapon is available pretty late in the game, but to obtain it, you have to go to Nokstella, Eternal City.

From the latter's Site of Grace, go down the river and turn right into a dark tunnel filled with giant ants. Keep going till you reach the end, where you'll find yourself at the Uhl Palace Ruins. The Wing of Astel is kept inside a chest, guarded by a giant dragonfly-shaped, intergalactic monstrosity that hurls Rock Sling spells at you.

1 Death's Poker

Death's Poker stands alone as the best Dexterity weapon Elden Ring currently has to offer, though that can change with Shadow of the Erdtree. As far as Dex weapons, Elden Ring has quite a few uniquely shaped and named weapons, with Death's Poker serving as one of the most appropriately named choices.

Ghostflame Ignition scales purely with Intelligence, so you may want to run a hybrid Intelligence/Dexterity build to get the most out of Death's Poker.

Despite a D-scaling in Dexterity, this weapon offers one of the best Weapon Arts in Elden Ring via Ghostflame Ignition. Using this skill will build Frostbite rapidly on any afflicted enemy, giving the weapon an additional dimension of utility and damage. With so much going for it, Death's Poker should remain as Elden Ring's best Dex weapon, (or among the best) for quite a while.