Elden Ring: The 13 Best Arrows With Hands-on Experience

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.

Best Elden Ring Arrows Comparison

The following table entails the best arrows in Elden Ring:

Golem’s Magic Arrow

• 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

• 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.

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

• 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

• 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 

• 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)

• 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.

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 

• 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.

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.

Fire Arrow

• Well, the obvious part first is that they apply fire damage to the opponents they get stuck into. 
• If you count the entire damage statistic, it is probably the highest out of all arrows up until now.
• You can also pierce through the enemy’s armor with one of these and get stuck in them while they get fire damage.

How To Get

One thing you should know is that these are not Craftable at all. You get these arrows initially when you start with the Samurai Class.

There are plenty of other ways to farm it if you don’t wanna choose the Samurai Class. Some arrows can be looted from a body found in Siege Tower. The best way to farm these is by going to the nomadic merchant just east of the “Astray from Caelid Highway” near the Aeonia Swamp Shore grace. He will sell it for 120 Runes.

Explosive Greatbolt 

• Purchase any desired quantity of arrows from the respective merchant for a constant supply.
• It inflicts a high level of elite fire damage, making it one of the most potent fire arrows.
• Equipped with armor-piercing capabilities, adding an extra layer of damage.
• Although somewhat expensive, its firepower is effective against formidable bosses.

How To Get

Unfortunately, you can again not craft the explosive greatbolt. A Nomadic Merchant will sell you these Explosive Greatarrows for the price of 800 runes on Mount Gelmir. If you want to test it out for yourself, you can check out the corpse lying on the battlefield of Mount Gelmir. 

Lightning Greatbolt

• Physical base damage with additional elemental damage.
• Longest range among all arrows or bolts in the game.
• It inflicts a total damage of 200; critical damage is noteworthy.
• Arrows Reach talisman defies gravity for an impressive effect.
• Greatbolt type ensures swift flight and rapid projectile reach.
• Causes AOE impact upon reaching the intended target.

How To Get

There are plenty of areas from where you can either buy or find these arrows in the game:

• From the Giant Crashed Vehicles On the Atleaus Plateau, you can find the Lightning Greatbolts.
• At the location of the Elphael on the Brace of the Haligtree Five can be found off of a body on the walkway done east.
• Near the Deeproot Depths, you can loot a corpse under the Waterfall for some bolts.
• The best way to buy is to farm from the Nomadic Merchant on the Ancient Snow Valley Mountain Top for 500 Runes.

Bloodbone Bolt

• It is a perfect accessory for Blood Buildups and can be paired with Bleed weapons.
• A lot of blood loss is built up on enemies that are vulnerable to blood loss damage.
• There is also piercing damage, which means heavily armored opponents will be greatly affected.
• Use it with a pulley bow to have the most range and power in every shot. 
• The damage on the Burred Bolt may be more, but you cannot craft those, which are expensive.

How To Get 

So you cannot buy the arrows in Elden Ring, but they are craftable. This is great because you will save a lot of Runes from which you can purchase Talismans or Spells. Like any other Bolt or Arrow, you need a Cookbook to craft them. You must get the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook 6 for that purpose. After that, you only need the ingredients to craft bolts you like. 

• Two Thin Beast Bones
• One Bloodrose

Rainbow Stone Arrow

• Counter invisibility: Use Rainbow Arrows to track mages and assassins.
• Aerial advantage: Enhance visibility with Ash Of War Rain Of Arrows for strategic views.
• Navigate safely: Use Rainbow Arrows to light invisible floors while exploring.
• Effortless marking: Simplify area marking with Rainbow Arrows.
• Safety check: Test fall areas by shooting colored stones; immediate breakage indicates danger.

How To Get

Now, unlike their fletched counterpart, this arrow is actually craftable, and you don’t have to buy it in Elden Ring. To craft it again, you will be a Cookbook, specifically the 7th Cookbook of the Nomadic Warrior.

And for the materials you will need:

• Three Thin Beast Bones
• Three Ruin Fragment 

Poisonbone Arrow [Fletched]

• Use Poison Build-up of 70 to boost weapon damage.
• Target opponents vulnerable to Poison damage.
• Possess 99 arrows per shot.
• Store up to 600 Poisonbone Arrows in inventory.
• Arrows have a 40% increased speed and distance compared to standard versions.

Location 

Yet again, you have some good news: these best arrows Elden Ring are craftable, and you won’t have to buy them. For the Cookbook, you would want the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook 3. The ingredients are pretty easy to farm, which is why you will be able to make plenty of them. 

• Three Thin Beast Bones 
• One Poisonbloom 
• One Flight Pinion 

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.

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.

Next: 

• Elden Ring Nagakiba
• Elden Ring D’s Brother
• Elden Ring Winged Scythe
• Elden Ring Seluvis Quest