Builds focused around sorceries are among the most powerful in Elden Ring. When properly optimized, they can trivialize some of the game's most difficult bosses. And if you’re going to cast sorceries, you’ll need a staff. You’ll come across many as you travel the Lands Between, but some are substantially more useful than others.

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The reason for these differences varies; perhaps they buff a particularly useful type of spell, or simply have extremely high damage. Regardless, there's no question that not all Staves are equally viable. Here are some you should consider using during your next playthrough.

Updated on February 21, 2024, by Lucas Ellinas: With no word on Elden Ring’s DLC, you might be itching for another playthrough of the base game. And if you want to incorporate sorceries into your new build, you’ll need a staff, so we’re rounding out our list with the remaining options.

Naturally, these last few entries are the worst of the worst, so you shouldn’t use them unless you absolutely have to. Still, it’s worth understanding what makes them weaker than the alternatives, if only so you know why you should avoid them.

18 Rotten Crystal Staff

Rotten Crystal Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Intelligence

Strength

8

Intelligence

48

Whether or not you agree that the Rotten Crystal Staff is the worst staff in Elden Ring, it’s certainly the most disappointing. Spells cast by the Rotten Crystalians that use this staff cause Scarlet Rot buildup, so you would expect the same from the Rotten Crystal Staff. Unfortunately, this staff is a great lesson in why you should never set your expectations too high.

It turns out that the Rotten Crystal Staff only causes Scarlet Rot when you use it as a melee weapon. Even then, it might still represent a minor upside over the regular Crystal Staff, but while both provide the same buff to Crystalian Sorceries, the rotten version actually has slightly worse scaling. And to top it all off, you can’t even get it until Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, one of the game’s final areas, where it drops from a Lesser Crystalian Mage near the Elphael Inner Wall Site of Grace.

17 Glintstone Staff

Glintstone Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Intelligence

Strength

6

Intelligence

10

The Glintstone Staff is one of the starting weapons given to the Prisoner Class, and one you should probably move on from as soon as you can. There’s not much to say about the weapon, really; it has worse scaling than another staff at every level of Intelligence, and doesn’t provide any particular bonuses, so there’s really not a good reason to use it.

It is relatively easy to access, though; if you didn’t start as a Prisoner and still want a staff that is both bad and boring, it drops from the Noble Sorcerers that try to ping you to death from long range with Glintstone Pebbles, and is in fact a guaranteed drop from a specific Noble Sorcerer you can find just south of the Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave.

16 Astrologer’s Staff

Astrologer's Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Intelligence

Strength

7

Intelligence

16

The Astrologer’s Staff is, unsurprisingly, the starting weapon for the Astrologer Class. You could also buy it from the Nomadic Merchant you meet next to the Liurnia Lake Shore Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes although there’s not much reason to do that... unless you have a penchant for collecting mediocre weapons.

The unfortunate truth is that, like the Glintstone Staff, the Astrologer’s Staff gets outclassed at every level of Intelligence by another staff on this list, so if you’re trying to play optimally there will always be a better option. That said, the difference isn’t as large as it was with the Glintstone Staff, so if you really can’t be bothered to seek out one of the staves from later on this list, you’ll still have a serviceable build.

15 Digger’s Staff

Digger's Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

8

Intelligence

12

The Digger’s Staff has some of the worst scaling among all Staves. As a result, the only reason to use it is if you are interested in one of the two Stonedigger Sorceries, which it boosts the damage of by 20 percent. These Sorceries are rather weak, but they can be pretty fun to use. Shatter Earth causes you to slam your Staff into the ground, creating an explosion.

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Rock Blaster does the same thing, but allows you to create what is effectively a magical drill that you can hold in front of you, stunlocking weaker enemies before you slam it into the ground. It’s not the most powerful strategy, but if it appeals to you, the Digger’s Staff is dropped by the Glintstone Miners you can encounter in several of the tunnels in Elden Ring. Farm until you pick up two of them, and get digging.

14 Staff Of The Guilty

Staff of the Guilty Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

8

Faith

12

The Staff of the Guilty is an extremely unusual weapon. It scales exclusively with Faith, but will deal far less damage than the high-tier Staves that use Intelligence. This problem is compounded by the fact that there are only two Sorceries that scale exclusively with Faith: Briars of Punishment and Briars of Sin. Staff of the Guilty buffs these Sorceries by 20 percent, and they have innate Bleed buildup, which is always nice. But that comes at the cost of dealing damage to yourself when you cast them.

When using double Staffs of the Guilty to stack their buffs, along with Alberich’s Set — which also buffs those Sorceries — you can get decent damage out of them, but it’s usually not worth limiting yourself so much. If you don’t mind having such limited options, or want to include a couple Sorceries in your Faith build, you can farm the Staff of the Guilty from the Thorn Sorcerers wielding blazing staffs. The earliest one that can be found is in Liurnia of the Lakes, although there are far more of them near Fort Laiedd in Volcano Manor or in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

13 Albinauric Staff

Tarnished Holding Albinauric Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Intelligence

10

Arcane

12

When Elden Ring first launched, the Albinauric Staff was a key component in Arcane builds. Unfortunately, it was hit with a significant nerf thanks to the overall power of those strategies. That said, if you are playing a split Arcane/Intelligence build (possibly with some Faith added in), the Albinauric Staff is still the best option to use for casting your spells.

To get this staff, you'll need to head to Volcano Manor. On your way to the Godskin Noble boss, you’ll find it in a darkened room, guarded by a tough Omenkiller enemy.

12 Gelmir Glintstone Staff

Man-Serpent Sorcerer Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Intelligence

14

Faith

14

There are certain weapons in Elden Ring that even the most experienced players might not know that they exist. The Gelmir Glintstone Staff is one of those weapons. Which is a bit of a shame, since it is great for certain builds. It boosts Volcanic Sorceries (which admittedly aren’t especially strong), but more importantly, it has the best Sorcery Scaling for split Intelligence/Faith builds until your reach 50 in both stats. That’s about where you’ll be during your first playthrough unless you do some serious grinding. The trouble is, getting the Gelmir Glintstone Staff is not going to be fun.

This staff drops from one of the Man-Serpent Sorcerers you can find in Volcano Manor. It’s fairly easy to identify which one, since it has a giant egg on its head. Unfortunately, there’s only one such enemy, and the runup to it is not easy. Unless you really want this weapon for your build, it might be worth skipping.

11 Academy Glintstone Staff

Tarnished Holding Academy Glintstone Staff Elden ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Intelligence

28

The Academy Glintstone Staff is a fairly niche weapon, but in a certain, specific scenario, it's among the best in the game. A fully upgraded Academy Glintstone Staff will deal more damage than any other between 41 and 68 Intelligence. It probably won’t be your main weapon during your entire playthrough, since if you are reaching 68 Intelligence you are probably going all the way to the soft-cap at 80.

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Still, this staff can be a helpful stopgap to get you through the mid-game. You’ll have to put in some work to get it, though. Unlike most of the other staves on this list, you can’t just pick it up off a corpse somewhere. Your first option is finishing Thops’ questline. You can also get the staff by farming the exceptionally irritating Glintstone Sorcerers that populate the Academy of Raya Lucaria.

10 Demi-Human Queen’s Staff

Tarnished Holding Demi-Human Queen's Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Intelligence

10

The Demi-Human Queen’s Staff is perfect for players who just want to dip their toes into casting Sorceries. Maybe you want to play a strength-focused character who uses spells for those hard-to-reach flying enemies. If you plan on staying at 40 Intelligence or below, this staff will do the most damage when fully upgraded. The Meteorite Staff is better in the early game, but if you are playing a relatively low-Intelligence character in the late game, the Demi-Human Queen’s Staff is where you should turn.

To get it, kill the Demi-Human Queen in the Demi-Human Forest Ruins on the Weeping Peninsula.

9 Carian Glintblade Staff

Carian Glintblade Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Dexterity

12

Intelligence

22

Despite having “blade” in its name, the Carian Glintblade Staff doesn’t affect Sorceries that emerge from your Staff, like Carian Slicer or Adula’s Moonblade. Rather, it buffs any Sorcery that creates Glintblades, the magical swords that float around your head and launch at your enemies.

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While these Sorceries can be quite powerful, they usually won’t be the main feature in your build. As a result, using a Staff with better scaling or one that focuses on a more powerful type of Sorcery will often be better. That said, if you find yourself using these Glintblade Sorceries frequently, the scaling on the Carian Glintblade Staff is good enough that it’s worth considering. You can pick it up early in the game, atop the Highway Lookout Tower in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes.

8 Crystal Staff

Crystal Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

8

Intelligence

48

The Crystal Staff gives a relatively low ten percent boost to Crystalian Sorceries. However, there are still several reasons to consider using it. To start with, several of those Sorceries are rather powerful, particularly Crystal Torrent, which is like a slightly weaker version of Comet Azur that has better tracking. Additionally, unlike some of the other, low-ranked Staves on this list, the Crystal Staff has solid scaling, so you won’t be losing too much if you use it instead of a Staff with better raw, generalized damage.

It's nearly identical to the Rotten Crystal Staff from the bottom of this list, but actually scales slightly better, as though From Software though being able to apply Scarlet Rot by whacking your enemies with your Staff would be enough to make up for that downside. Unfortunately, that isn't the case, and the normal version is far more useful than its rotten counterpart. You can find it behind an illusory wall in the Academy Crystal Cave, in Liurnia of the Lakes.

7 Prince Of Death’s Staff

Tarnished Holding Prince of Death's Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Intelligence

18

Faith

18

The Prince of Death’s Staff can have the highest Sorcery Scaling in the entire game. In order to reach those heights, though, you’ll need to push both your Intelligence and Faith to their soft caps of 80. If you play at extremely high levels, it becomes your best option as a staff, and it has the side benefit of boosting Death Sorceries like Ancient Death Rancor by ten percent.

Many players will never reach the level necessary for the Prince of Death’s Staff to be good. But for those who are willing to invest the time, it can be a powerful tool. To get it, head down to the Deeproot Depths, where you can find the staff on a tower near The Nameless Eternal City Site of Grace.

6 Azur’s Glintstone Staff

Tarnished Holding Azur's Glintstone Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

10

Intelligence

52

The staff once belonging to the legendary sorcerer Azur is one of the more unique staves in the game. It’s not the most powerful, but it has a rare property: it reduces the casting time of both Sorceries and Incantations by around eight percent, and it increases the cost of all your Sorceries by around 20 percent. It is also outclassed by many other staves in terms of damage, so the tradeoff might not seem favorable.

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However, you can take advantage of a holdover from the Dark Souls games: a staff held in your off-hand still triggers its buffs but not its debuffs, even if you aren’t using it to cast spells. If you want to sling spells with speed, Azur’s Glintsone Staff is located in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, in the room with the crystals and the dormant School of Graven Mages.

5 Meteorite Staff

Tarnished Holding Meteorite Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Intelligence

18

The Meteorite Staff is unique in that it can’t be upgraded at all. Normally, that would make it completely useless. However, its base scaling is exceptional. It's easily the best staff in the early game. And conveniently, it can be accessed almost right away by going to the Street of Sages Ruins in Caelid. Braving Caelid is a daunting task for a new player, but the Meteorite staff is a worthwhile reward, even if you need to make a suicide run to get it.

It’s worth noting that the Meteorite Staff isn’t completely useless in the late game either, since it boosts Gravity Sorceries by 30 percent. These Sorceries, Rock Sling in particular, are among the better options in the game. If you’re planning on focusing your build around them, holding the Meteorite Staff in your off-hand will give you a substantial boost.

4 Carian Glintstone Staff

Tarnished Holding Carian Glintstone Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Dexterity

8

Intelligence

24

Do you think swords are cool but wish they were made of magic instead of metal or stone? Well, do we have the staff for you! The Carian Glintstone Staff buffs Sword Sorceries (basically anything that makes a sword appear on the end of your staff) by 15 percent. It's the counterpart to the Carian Glintblade Staff, from earlier on this list.

While Glintblade Sorceries are useful, Sword Sorceries can deal massive amounts of damage with the right setup. And the Carian Glintstone Staff is often a key component in making such builds run smoothly. You can find it in the Carian Study Hall, right before the second elevator.

3 Staff Of Loss

Tarnished Holding Staff of Loss Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

6

Dexterity

12

Intelligence

14

Unlike most of the other staves on this list, the Staff of Loss’ power has little to do with its base spell scaling. Instead, its excellence comes from its secondary ability: it boosts Invisibility Sorceries by 30 percent. It only affects two spells: Night Shard and Night Comet. But it turns out that those spells are exceptionally useful.

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NPC invaders and some of the more annoying bosses won’t dodge these spells, making them one of the most effective options against such enemies. This strategy becomes even more effective in New Game Plus, when you can grab a second Staff of Loss, giving your Invisibility Sorceries a 60 percent boost. You can loot the Staff of Loss from a corpse on the rooftops of Sellia, Town of Sorcery.

2 Carian Regal Scepter

Tarnished Holding Carian Regal Scepter Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

8

Dexterity

10

Intelligence

60

At high levels of Intelligence, the Carian Regal Scepter will deal more damage than any other staff without some drawback. It also boosts Full Moon Sorceries and has a unique Ash of War. Neither of those are game-changing, but they're still a nice bonus on an already exceptionally powerful staff.

If you just want power without worrying too much about extra buffs and debuffs, this is the staff for you. You can pick up the Carian Regal Scepter early in the game by defeating Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, and trading her Remembrance to Enia in the Roundtable Hold.

1 Lusat’s Glintstone Staff

Tarnished Holding Lusat's Glintstone Staff Elden Ring

Stat

Requirement

Strength

10

Intelligence

52

After returning to Sellia, Town of Sorcery one last time and killing the area’s boss, the Nox Swordtress and Nox Priest, you’ll find a chest. Inside is the most powerful staff in the game: Lusat’s Glintstone Staff. Assuming Intelligence is the only damage-based statistic you are investing in, it will outpace all other staves in the game in terms of damage.

Like the Azur Glintstone staff, it causes all Sorceries to cost more FP, although the increase is even more dramatic at 50 percent. However, because you’ll be dealing substantially more damage, Lusat’s Glintstone Staff is worth using if you are willing to invest the levels into Mind and boost your FP. Of course, if you’re using the Cerulean Hidden Tear in your Flask of Wonderous Physick, which eliminates all FP consumption for 15 seconds, the added cost doesn’t matter at all.

Overall, while it may not be not as efficient as the Carian Regal Scepter, if all you’re looking for is raw damage output, Lusat’s Glintstone Staff is king.

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