Elden Ring: The 7 Best Arrows With Hands-on Experience

Here are the best arrows that you can find in Elden Ring, along with the ones that are craftable and the ones you can buy

By Daniyal Sultan Malik

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June 8, 2023

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Arrows or bolts are basically these ammunitions you use for different kinds of bows. These Arrows vary from one another through different damage statistics and passives. Arrows can be really impactful in PVP and PVE battles. Whenever you are hanging on low health and want to buy some time, arrows really come in handy. Most of the best Elden Ring arrows are craftable, and some you can buy as well.

Key Takeaways

Here are the 7 Best Arrows in Elden Ring:

Golem’s Magic Arrow does magic damage that multiple Talismans can increase.
Bone Ballista Bolt is an extremely quick bolt that does a whopping 150 damage.
Sleepbone Bolt has a sleep effect that lingers around so you can heal up or take a pause.
Golden Great Arrow deals high Holy damage that can kill an enemy with just a few of them.
Serpent’s Arrow has a beautiful snake-like design that gives a wobbly snake effect when in the air.
Lightningbone Arrow deals higher damage in the rain.
Radahn’s Spear does an additional 20%+ damage to the gravity-type bosses.

Author’s Note: I’ve played Elden Ring for over 500 hours via Steam, experiencing every mechanic and element the title offers.

Quiz Time

Have what it takes to be a trivia warrior on the entire game? Then take our Elden Ring quiz which goes in detail about the ins and outs of Fromsoft’s most critically acclaimed RPG.

Best Elden Ring Arrows Comparison

The following table entails the best arrows in Elden Ring:

Arrow Name /strong>	Physical	Magic	Holy	Critical
Golem's Magic Arrow	40	125	0	100
Bone Ballista Bolt	150	0	0	100
Sleepbone Bolt	25	0	0	100
Golden Great Arrow	40	0	110	100
Serpent's Arrow	30	0	0	100
Lightningbone Arrow (Fletched)	30	0	0	100
Radahn's Spear	100	0	0	100

Golem’s Magic Arrow

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
40	125	0	0	0	100

Golem's Magic Arrow is the best Magic arrow in Elden Ring.

Golem’s Great Arrow excels in extended range for precise, distant shots.
Significant magic damage makes it effective against magic-vulnerable bosses.
The special ability allows it to penetrate boss armor.
Easier to farm compared to other arrows in the game.
Enhance with Magic Scorpion Talisman and Terra Magika Spell for an intelligence build.
Surpasses even the Great versions of Golem’s Arrows.

How To Get

The Golem’s Magic arrows aren’t craftable, and you cannot buy them in Elden Ring. These are basically dropped by the different magic Golem Archers across Caelid. You can farm most of these at Caelid Colleseum and the Great Jar. Both these locations can provide you with good amounts of Golem Archers.

Bone Ballista Bolt

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
150	0	0	0	0	100

Crafting arrows is a significant advantage, providing an infinite supply from the start.
Despite moderate flight, its decent speed aids in hitting projectiles.
Both craftable and purchasable from a merchant.

The easiest arrows to obtain in Elden Ring.

How To Get

Since it is craftable, you would have to get the Normadic Cookbook 13 in order to craft it. You can buy it for about 2000 Runes. In it, you will find that you will need crafting material known as the Hefty Beast Bone, which can make about Five of these Bone Ballista Bolts. Further ahead down the road of the Bellum Church, you will find a merchant.

Sleepbone Bolt

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
25	0	0	0	0	100

The best arrow for cheesing bosses in Elden Ring.

Use the pulley crossbow with the Sleepbone arrows to have a maximum effect on your bosses.
In just three shots, you can make huge bosses go to sleep, but be careful it is not long-term.
It has a sleep ailment of about 90.

How To Get

It is indeed a craftable item in the game, which is a blessing. You would need some materials that may be hard to find to craft it. But of course, first things first, you need the Cookbook for it. Specifically, you need Fevor’s Cookbook, which can be purchased from the Isolated Merchant. To craft the arrows, you will need about:

Three of the Thin Beast Bones
One of Trina’s Lily.

Golden Great Arrow

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
40	0	0	0	110	100

The most damaging arrow in Elden Ring.

Penetrates enemy armor and inflicts substantial physical damage.
Upon impact, apply damage negation of 7.5% or more.
Enhanced by additional Aura Buffs for increased damage.
The effective range ensures safe attacks and evasion during boss charges.
Proximity shots amplify nearby attacks within a close range.

How To Get

So, two ways exist to get it into your arsenal of arrows. The first one is pretty simple. You have to get it from a certain small chest from the nearby area of Sage’s Cave. Mostly, it will be found inside the cave.

For the second, you have to buy it from a shack. Specifically, the Hermit Merchants Shack will sell a bundle for a cheap price of 500 runes. I suggest you buy a bunch because they will run out soon.

Serpent’s Arrow

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
30	0	0	0	0	100

The best arrow for cheesing fights in Elden Ring.

Once it hits the target, it causes an extremely high and heavy poison buildup on them.
It will be enough to make them immobile in no time.
Serpent’s Arrows also have the piercing ability to pierce through different enemy armors.
You get a good amount of ranged damage with these arrows, which is a big bonus if you ask me.
It can be farmed by visiting multiple different locations.
The heavy poison buildup is 78.

How To Get

These arrows are buyable as you can buy them off of the Dragonbarrow’s Isolated Merchant. He will sell these for a fair price of 120 runes each for these bad boys. Two types of creatures carry this: Serpent Snails and Skeletal Snails.

You can get five arrows each from the Serpent Snails at Nokstella, The Eternal City, and Volcano Manor. Similarly, five arrows will be received from the Skeletal Snails at Royal Capital Outskirts and the Mountaintops of the Giants.

Lightningbone Arrow (Fletched)

Lightningbone Arrow In Elden Ring — Elden Ring: Lightningbone Arrow (Fletched) – Image Captured by eXputer

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
30	0	0	0	0	100

Craftable arrow for budget-conscious users.
Hold up to 99 lightning arrows at once.
Storage capacity of up to 600 Lightningbone arrows.
Increased damage in the rain due to reduced lightning absorption.
Effective against bosses in water.

The best Lightning arrows in Elden Ring.

How To Get

Since the lightning arrows are craftable, you can use Cookbooks. You will need the Ancient Dragon Apostle’s Cookbook for this specific arrow. You have to have the crafting materials to craft it and get about 10 arrows from a single craft:

Three Thin Beast Bones
One Fulgurbloom
One Flight Pinion

Radahn’s Spear

Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical
100	0	0	0	0	100

Radahn’s Spears excel in long-range attacks, offering impressive speed and distance.
These arrows penetrate enemy armor and stay embedded, adding a cool visual effect.
When equipped with the Lion’s Greatbow, enjoy a 20% passive damage increase.
Inflict an additional +20% damage on gravitational-type enemies.
Effective against the Astel boss after Radahn, delivering significant damage.

The best arrows to use for the Lion's Greatbow in Elden Ring.

How To Get

You may have to search around at the Wailing Dunes Location to find a piece of these amazingly powerful arrows. You may also find these in Radahn Boss’s Room. But Wailing Dunes is a great location to farm these arrows.

If you are not able to find them, then you can just simply buy them. The first condition is that you have to defeat the boss Radahn, and only then will you be able to buy it from Enia at the roundtable Hold for about 800 Runes.

My Experience Using Arrows In Elden Ring

As mentioned in my Best Bows guide, I mostly used the Lion’s Greatbow when testing bows as part of my long-ranged build. Consequently, I extensively used and shot Radahn’s Spears to get that extra damage bonus, but I quickly discovered some massive flaws with the build.

Despite the damage buff, I was completely helpless against agile bosses like Malenia or Radagon. Besides that, using arrows overall was a great way to easily farm XP and clear areas.

hours waterjuice — My Elden Ring hours (Steam ID: WaterJuice)

With the Arrow’s Sting Talisman, I got additional Attack Power, which made it easier to chip away enemy HP. Throughout my experience, the biggest advantage of bows and arrows is their staggering ability, but it’s an extremely situational build. When I fought Morgott, I beat him within 2 attempts, while I couldn’t even reach Godfrey’s second phase using any type of arrow.

So these were the best arrows Elden Ring could possibly have, and it is good that there is a good ratio of craftable arrows and arrows to buy. Of course, ultimately, you decide which arrow you will choose. Do tell me, though, in the comments. Apart from the best arrows Elden Ring has to offer, you can also see the best bows in the game. I have a walkthrough to help you clear the Altar South Chelona’s Rise Puzzle.