These New Weapons From Elden Ring’s DLC Are Insanely Fun

One of the best new additions in Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring’s first and likely final expansion, is the new weapon types that are available. FromSoftware has shown some real creativity with these, adding in never-before-seen options like hand-to-hand combat, as well as light greatswords and backhand blades. Finding most of these weapons isn’t too hard either, since they’re available relatively early.

As a result, going through the DLC content feels fresh because of how dramatically these weapons can change your gameplay. If you’re just starting out, or want to make sure you didn’t miss out on some cool weapons, here are some of the most fun new weapons I encountered during my initial playthrough of Shadow of the Erdtree. While your mileage may vary, these personally interested me the most.

Backhand Blade

The Backhand Blade is both a new weapon type and a new weapon that you can get fairly early on in Shadow of the Erdtree. It can be found in the very first area, on an altar to the East of the Three-Path Cross in Gravesite Plain. To get it, players simply need to walk up to the alter and claim their reward. This was one of the first weapons I really dove into when playing the DLC, and it’s been getting me through most of the difficult bosses.

The highlight is its unique Ash of War, called Blindspot. This lets you essentially teleport behind your target, doing a quick attack that has pretty good posture damage. It’s super fast, essentially working as a secondary dodge that can get you out of really tough situations. I’ve been using it as a panic button for bosses and it’s gotten me out of attacks that would’ve otherwise destroyed me.

Beyond the Ash of War, players also get a really nice moveset that is quite reminiscent of Sellsword Twinblades from Dark Souls 3. Dual-handing these weapons can get you tons of fast-paced hits on your target, making it ideal for Bleed builds. It’s also got great scaling, and I’ve personally been using it with a Cold affinity since it scales very well with Dex and Int.

Milady 

This is yet another great weapon for anyone who wants a nice mix between a Dex and a Strength build. Milady is available at the watchtower on your left as you enter Castle Ensis. You can get this fairly early on as well, though, you’ll need to head towards the East right as you start your journey, instead of going towards Belurat, Tower Settlement.

Milady is essentially a greatsword with all of the usual weight that is seen with these weapons. The result is a completely new moveset that makes use of the lighter weight with flashy combos. Playing with it feels like you’re a knight, practicing all kinds of unique moves that previously were not possible with the existing greatswords in the game.

Its Ash of War is called Wing Stance and does a huge amount of damage. But because of how fast the weapon is overall, you can consider changing it up and opting for something like the Bloodhound’s Step. This can make a build that’s relatively fast on its feet while still managing to hit like a truck. Opting for a magical infusion could also be a fun thing to try out.

Dryleaf Arts

Players have been clamoring for hand-to-hand combat from the very second it was shown off in the Shadow of the Erdtree trailer. While you’ll have to work a bit to get these, they’re definitely worth the effort. Dryleaf Arts are given to you by Dryleaf Dane after defeating him in a duel. Dane is found in Scadu Altus, but will only duel you if you’ve talked to Needle Knight Leda first. 

Getting to Scadu Altus will require you to clear Castle Ensis, which means beating Rellana, one of the tougher bosses the DLC has to offer. However, if you’re stuck on her, and would rather take another route, it’s possible to skip Castle Ensis entirely by taking a right from the main bridge that leads to the castle. This will take you down a path that eventually leads to a spiritspring. This will fly you directly to Fort of Reprimand in Scadu Altus.

Dryleaf Arts is really fun to try out, featuring a flurry of strikes and kicks reminiscent of monk fighting styles. Its Ash of War is Palm Blast, which deals high damage when charged up. Alternatively, you can find other Dry Leaf Ashes of War across the game. For anyone wanting to finally get a proper hand-to-hand weapon in Elden Ring, Dryleaf Arts is perfect.