Highlights

  • Elden Ring offers a variety of powerful Strength weapons, such as the Iron Cleaver and Godskin Stitcher, that provide high damage and unique movesets.
  • The Greatsword and Brick Hammer are heavy-hitting weapons with excellent Strength scaling, but they have slow attack speeds.
  • The Dragon Halberd and Iron Ball are Strength-focused weapons that offer versatility, with the former having a special frost and lightning enchantment and the latter being a fist-based weapon with high damage potential.

Elden Ring is a triumph from FromSoftware, and it is easily one of the most expansive experiences that the team has created. There are a variety of fun builds to try, but a Strength-focused build is easily one of the most destructive, due to a focus on high damage, unique weapons.

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Elden Ring takes inspiration from past games with some of its Strength weapons, but the new entries to the series are some of the most devastating, heavy-hitting, and brutal yet. Whether you're going for a pure Strength character, or pivoting to an Intelligence and Strength hybrid, these are some of the best Strength weapons Elden Ring has to offer.

Updated December 22nd, 2023 by Andrew Scariati: If you're looking for the best Strength Weapons in Elden Ring, you've come to the right place. After Patch 1.09, Elden Ring's Strength weapons – particularly Great Hammers – received changes to their speed, range, recovery time, and guard counter speeds to help make them more competitive. If you haven't used Elden Ring's best Strength weapons since the patch, it may be time to give them another go.

15 Iron Cleaver

The Tarnished wields the Iron Cleaver in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 15 Strength
  • Seven Dexterity

B

One of the more annoying enemies you will come across while playing Elden Ring is the Misbegotten, found at Castle Morne and a couple of other places. These foes are especially difficult to deal with because they attack super quickly, with little room to counterattack.

The Misbegotten that wields the Iron Cleaver at Castle Morne also drops it for use.

The Iron Cleaver is a solid axe that features great Strength scaling and the axe weapon category moveset, which allows it to swing fast and hit hard. The best aspect of this weapon is its unique heavy attack, which sees you run forward before slashing down — dealing high damage.

14 Godskin Stitcher

The Tarnished holding Godskin Stitcher in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 14 Strength
  • 17 Dexterity

C

The Godskin Stitcher is a unique weapon to say the least. Part of what makes this weapon special is the fact that it is a part of a new weapon class: Heavy Thrusting Swords. These blades have the thrust attacks of rapiers, but are significantly larger than normal thrusting weapons.

The sword can be found at Volcano Manor after defeating the Godskin Noble.

The biggest downside is the dual scaling, which means that this weapon isn't suited to a pure Strength build. In this case, you'll want to complement your high Strength with Dexterity. Those interested in crafting a quality build will find the Godskin Stitcher a good candidate for a main weapon.

13 Greatsword

The Tarnished holding Greatsword in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 31 Strength
  • 12 Dexterity

B

Yet another weapon from the past, the Greatsword seems to be a reference to the Manga Berserk, in which the main character wields a similarly massive blade. This weapon features excellent Strength scaling that can be further improved if you decide to add an Ash of War to it and choose the heavy enchantment.

The Greatsword can be found in the Dragonbarrow region of Caelid, near the Caelem Ruins.

The Lion's Claw Ash of War is a particularly popular choice for this sword, as it also references Berserk. The only real downside is the same as most of the mighty Colossal weapons in Elden Ring: their very slow attack speed.

12 Brick Hammer

The Tarnished wields the Brick Hammer in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 31 Strength

A

The brick hammer is a great addition to Elden Ring's arsenal, and perfectly captures the game's aesthetic of using extremely unconventional weaponry. Though big hammers are a staple in the Souls series, this hammer is very clearly meant for building, and not crushing like in past games.

It can be found in Stormveil Castle, behind a locked door.

It can be opened with the Rusty Key, also found in Stormveil Castle.

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Replete with A-scaling, and even S-scaling with a Heavy upgrade, this weapon is a powerhouse of damage for Strength builds. Depending on what else you come across, this weapon could last you quite a while if you invest in it.

11 Dragon Halberd

The Tarnished holding Dragon Halberd in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 22 Strength
  • Ten Dexterity

B

This one is another Strength-focused weapon that requires some investment in the Dexterity stat to reach its true potential. The Dragon Halberd has a long reach, as well as a rather fast attack speed and sweeping attacks for crowd control. However, its weapon Skill, Spinning Slash, truly shines.

This weapon is dropped by the semi-hidden Dragonkin Soldier boss in the Siofra River underground area.

Using this ability results in an average spin attack, but it also temporarily enchants the weapon with Frost and Lightning damage in addition to its existing physical damage.

10 Iron Ball

The Tarnished wields the Iron Ball in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 11 Strength
  • Eight Dexterity

C

The Iron Ball is potentially the first fist-based weapon you may come across in the world of Elden Ring, though that depends on how thoroughly you explore the Lands Between. It's a lump of metal you wear around your hands as you punch enemies. Never before has the term "metal" described a weapon so well.

This weapon is dropped by Blackguard Big Boggart, who can be found in the Lakes of Liurnia by the Boilprawn Shack site of grace.

However, if you kill Blackguard Big Boggart here to retrieve the weapon, you will not be able to buy Boiled Crab — one of the better consumables in Elden Ring — later on, so choose carefully.

9 Giant-Crusher

Player holding Giant-Crusher Elden Ring

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 60 Strength

B

The Giant-Crusher has the highest Strength stat requirement in Elden Ring, and for good reason. It's incredibly powerful, with very high stagger potential against enemies. Of course, the downside is that the weapon will leave you entirely open to attacks if you miss.

The weapon is located in an endgame area, near the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site Of Grace.

It could be worth it, though, to instantly kill any lower-level enemies you come across. While you may acquire it too late to do that often, there is always New Game Plus, as well as a significant amount of hidden areas you may have missed.

8 Lordsworn Greatsword

The Tarnished wields the Lordsworn's Greatsword in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 16 Strength
  • Ten Dexterity

C

This will probably be your first obtained weapon if you intend to use a Strength build in Elden Ring. Compared to most of the unique starting classes' weapons, this sword is a great deal more powerful.

The weapon is found in a carriage chest right next to the Gatefront Ruins.

It also has an effective Skill built-in, the Upward Cut, that can easily take care of lower-level enemies. The Lordworn's Greatsword excels most of all at interrupting enemy attacks, so use this weapon if you prefer to overwhelm the enemy mid-attack rather than waiting to counter.

7 Zweihander

The Tarnished wields the Zweihander in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 19 Strength
  • 11 Dexterity

D

The Zweihander is a classic weapon in the Souls series, tracing its roots back to the start. In Elden Ring, it features a similar move set to other weapons in the Colossal Sword category of weapons and allows for changing the Ash of War as well as the enchantment.

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Simply scrounge together 3,500 runes and purchase the Zweihander from a trader in the south of the map, found near the Tombsward Cave on the Weeping Peninsula.

Luckily, this weapon can be acquired almost immediately after you begin playing and the requirements are extremely reasonable. Given that it's also available early in the original Dark Souls, this feels like an appropriate time to get your hands on Elden Ring's version.

6 Axe Of Godfrey

The Tarnished Wields the Axe of Godfrey in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 42 Strength
  • 14 Dexterity

C

One feature that has returned from previous Souls games is crafting boss weapons using the remains of defeated bosses. The Axe of Godfrey is one of those weapons and is crafted from the Remembrance of Horah Loux. Unlike some weapons, it doesn't change much from its boss-fight counterpart.

Trade the Remembrance of Horah Loux at Roundtable Hold to claim this weapon.

A battle axe with a chipped blade, this colossal weapon features a similar moveset to many of the other weapons in the category — with a key difference. The weapon's skill sees you copy Godfrey in his boss battle, slamming it down and creating a massive shockwave that deals massive damage.

5 Morning Star

The Tarnished holding Morning Star in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 12 Strength
  • Eight Dexterity

C

Another early-game weapon, is the Morning Star, a wonderful mace-like weapon with excellent secondary effects. The weapon has an excellent move set and the Kick skill, which can break guarding enemies' stances very effectively. The best feature of the weapon, however, is the Hemorrhage effect aka Bleed it applies when inflicting damage.

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Morning Star can also be found on the Weeping Peninsula on the main road from Limgrave.

It is in the same kind of carriage as the previous Lordsworn's Greatsword

If you can land a couple of hits on a foe and build up the bleed, they will take a large chunk of damage. This damage is percentage-based, which means that even high-health enemies like dragons will take significant damage.

4 Rusted Anchor

The Tarnished wields the Rusted Anchor in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 26 Strength
  • Nine Dexterity

B

Elden Ring certainly throws items and weapons at you a lot more slowly than other FromSoftware titles, at least in the early game. This is probably due to the introduction of crafting to the series as well as the much larger map, but it results in the early game being a little rough if you end up disliking your starting weapon.

It can be found in Morne Tunnel in the south of the map on the Weeping Peninsula.

Luckily for you, the Rusted Anchor is a great choice for an early Strength weapon and is easy enough to find. While the weapon technically requires 26 Strength to wield, this can be lowered to 18 if you two-hand the weapon.

3 Clawmark Seal

The Clawmark Seal at maximum upgrade +25 in the menu in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • Four Strength
  • Ten Faith

B

Usually, the spellcasting and melee playstyles are fairly separate in Souls games. This seal, which allows for the casting of Incantations, breaks that mold. The Clawmark Seal uniquely scales with Strength along with the usual Faith.

The seal is obtained through D, Hunter of the Dead's quest after talking and handing Deathroot to Gurranq.

Combined with the Bestial Incantations' low Faith stat requirements and the high damage they will deal (because they are enhanced by the seal), this makes the Clawmark Seal unique and effective. It makes a high Strength build with a small amount of Faith usage viable, and fun.

2 Prelate's Inferno Crozier

The Tarnished holding Prelate's Inferno Crozier in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 45 Strength
  • Eight Dexterity

B

In the Souls series, references to classic weapons are common. The Prelate's Inferno Crozier is one example, clearly resembling Smough's Great Hammer from Dark Souls. The weapon has a similar low attack speed and moveset to its original form.

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This formidable hammer can be obtained by killing an enemy who uses it at Fort Laiedd on Mount Gelmir.

The Weapon Skill is unique, with the Tarnished using the weapon like a shovel to charge at enemies and scoop them up in a fiery whirlpool. This is one of the few more unique weapons that can actually have its Ash of War changed, too. You're free to add your favorite to it.

1 Grafted Blade Greatsword

The Tarnished blocking with theGrafted Greatsword in Elden Ring.

Stat Requirements

Max Strength Scaling

  • 40 Strength
  • 14 Dexterity

C

The Grafted Blade Greatsword might be directly from the mind of George R.R. Martin, who helped with the creative process of Elden Ring. It heavily resembles the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. The weapon Skill, Oath of Vengeance, may convince you to favor this one over other Strength-focused weapons.

It can be obtained by killing the boss at the southernmost point of the Weeping Peninsula.

When activated, the Skill increases all of your character's stats by five for 30 seconds. To make the deal even sweeter, your poise is increased during the buff, which means that enemy attacks will not interrupt your strikes. This additional effect could easily sway a tricky battle in your favor.

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