Elden Ring allows players to embody a wide variety of fantasy archetypes, from barbarian bruisers to wise mages. But what if you want to play as a musketeer, or a flamboyant fencer? Well, Elden Ring has you covered there too. Thrusting Swords are both stylish and extremely fast, especially when dual-wielded, making them great for status buildup and damage in general.

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This list also includes the Heavy Thrusting Swords, since there are only four in the game, and all of them are strong enough to make this list. Heavy Thrusting Swords are longer and hit harder, but they are also slower than their smaller counterparts.

10 Great Épée

Of the four Heavy Thrusting Swords, two can be given unique Ashes of War. When comparing them, the Great Épée doesn't fare especially well. It is the shortest of the Heavy Thrusting Swords, and does less damage than its counterpart in most circumstances, although it does win out by a narrow margin when given the Heavy affinity.

One thing the Great Épée does have is the advantage of availability. All the other Heavy Thrusting Swords appear at around the midgame or later, but the Great Épée can be found in the starting area, Limgrave. If you head directly east from the Agheel Lake South Site of Grace, you’ll find a campsite. Inside is a chest containing this weapon.

9 Rapier

The Rapier has poor damage when compared to other Thrusting Swords and is the shortest of them, but that doesn't mean it's useless. It has the highest critical damage modifier of any weapon outside of the Dagger and the king of critical damage, the Miséricorde. If you are trying to create a riposte build while using something closer to an actual weapon, the Rapier might be for you.

It’s also simple enough to get, although no one would blame you for missing it; you have to buy it from the Twin Maiden Husks at the Roundtable Hold.

8 Frozen Needle

Unsurprisingly, the Frozen Needle causes Frostbite buildup, which is one of the biggest reasons to use it. That said, there are other weapons that can be more effective at inflicting the status effect, and you have to take the Frozen Needle’s low overall damage and reach into account. One unique feature the Frozen Needle does have going for it, though, is that it also has an option for ranged combat.

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The Frozen Needle's Heavy Attack launches a frosty projectile a short distance in front of you. Critically, this ability costs no FP, so it’s perfectly viable even if you don’t invest levels into Mind. This unique feature makes the Frozen Needle far more appealing than its damage numbers might suggest. You can find it on the road to Caria Manor, right before you reach War Counselor Iji for the first time. It’s guarded by a Royal Revenant in the Kingsrealm Ruins.

7 Rogier’s Rapier

Rogier’s Rapier is a middle of the road Thrusting Sword when it comes to damage and length, but it has a secret weapon: its unique heavy attack, which thrusts twice in rapid succession. Thrusting Swords are already fast attackers, but having such a quick strike on your heavy attack means Rogier’s Rapier can punch above its weight.

The weapon is, unsurprisingly, the signature sidearm of Sorcerer Rogier. He’ll gift it to you at Roundtable hold after you defeat Godrick the Grafted. When he does, it will already be upgraded to +8, saving you some Runes and Smithing Stones, which you probably won’t have a surplus of at that point in the game.

6 Godskin Stitcher

The second of the Heavy Thrusting Swords on this list, the Godskin Stitcher is a better version of the Great Épée in most scenarios. Both can be given unique Ashes of War, but the Stitcher its longer (though still a decent amount shorter than the two unique Heavy Thrusting Swords) and deals more damage in most cases. And as an additional bonus, it has a relatively unique heavy attack. Like Rogier's Rapier, it thrusts twice in rapid succession, though only when charged.

If you want a versatile Heavy Thrusting Sword, the Godskin Stitcher is the weapon you should opt for. It’s dropped by the Godskin Noble in the Temple of Eiglay, a part of the secret area of Volcano Manor.

5 Cleanrot Knight’s Sword

The Cleanrot Knight’s Sword is the longest of the regular Thrusting Swords. It’s also the most damaging of them on many of the affinities. The most powerful option is the Heavy affinity, which makes the Cleanrot Knight's Sword one of the fastest options for Strength builds.

The one problem with this weapon is that, unlike every other sword on this list, you will need to farm for it. Specifically, you'll have to kill Lesser Cleanrot Knights. You can find them all across the Lands Between, but they are most common in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, the Shaded Castle, and the Swamp of Aeonia.

4 Estoc

When it comes to damage, the Estoc is one of the better Thrusting Swords. It’s also among the longest, and performs extremely well on the Keen Affinity, as well as the status-causing Affinities: Cold, Poison, and Blood. And the status effectiveness, combined with Thrusting Swords’ innate speed when dual-wielded, leans into what is perhaps the biggest benefit of the Estoc: it is one of the only Thrusting Swords you can find two of during a single run through the game, and by far the easiest to get since you don’t need to do any farming.

The Prisoner class starts with an Estoc, but any class can get two of them without much effort. You can buy one from Patches, and another from the Nomadic Merchant sitting next to the Liurnia Lake Shore Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes. If you are trying to create a status effect build that doesn't rely on Curved Swords, the Estoc is a great choice.

3 Antspur Rapier

In many ways, the Antspur Rapier is an underwhelming weapon. It’s short, and has fairly unimpressive damage. But its claim to fame is that it is one of a small group of weapons in the game that can inflict Scarlet Rot. And even among those weapons, the Antspur Rapier is fairly unique. Unlike most of the others, it can be given Ashes of War. As a result, with certain setups the Antspur Rapier can inflict Bleed, Poison, and Scarlet Rot all at once.

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It won’t be quite as effective as a weapon focused on inflicting one of those effects specifically, but against enemies that can be affected by all three, the Antspur Rapier can do some real damage. If you want this unique weapon, it’s dropped by Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan, who patrols the area west of The Shaded Castle.

2 Dragon King’s Cragblade

Another Heavy Thrusting Sword, the Dragon King’s Cragblade deals the most raw damage of any weapon on this list, thanks to the combination of regular and Lightning damage. It also has arguably the most anime of any Weapon Skill in the entire game. Thundercloud Form transforms you into a cloud of lightning, after which you travel an impressive distance before crash-landing onto an opponent.

Sadly, the Dragon King’s Cragblade is one of the last weapons you’ll come across during a playthrough of Elden Ring, making it difficult to plan a build around. You’ll need to kill Dragonlord Placidusax, the hidden boss of Crumbling Farum Azula, then turn in his Remembrance to Enia at the Roundtable Hold.

1 Bloody Helice

The Bloody Helice has lower damage than the other Heavy Thrusting Swords, although it is the longest by a narrow margin. To compensate for its relative lack of power, the Bloody Helice has Bleed, which means it benefits from the many ways Elden Ring has to buff such abilities.

The real reason to choose the Bloody Helice, though, is its Weapon Skill, Dynast’s Finesse. Using it causes you to dodge backwards, giving you temporary invincibility in the same way a dodge roll would. You can then follow up with a series of unique heavy attacks, the first of which sends you lunging forward a significant distance. To get this elegant weapon, head to the Writheblood Ruins in the Altus Plateau. It’s in a chest guarded by the Sanguine Noble boss.

Next: Elden Ring: Best Ashes Of War For Shields