The BEST Fist Weapons & Talismans In Elden Ring

If you’re an aggressive player who wants an active yet versatile weapon in their off-hand, you should consider going for some of the best Elden Ring fist weapons. This weapon type is lightweight, nimble, and extremely quick, helping you stagger enemies and bosses and giving you slightly extra damage to even possibly finish them off. You can even dual-wield most of them to get faster combos, making them incredibly deadly for close-range encounters.

Elden Ring’s Best Fist Weapons

While fist weapons don’t have any defensive capabilities and lack the damage output and range of other melee weapons, they make up for it with their speed and stagger potential. Besides that, most of them also have incredible status-effect buildup, including poison and blood loss. As such, to determine the best Elden Ring fist weapon, we’ll have to look at their:

• Reliability and Versatility
• Damage Output
• Speed
• Status Buildups

With that said, here are the best five options from this weapon type that players can use against almost every enemy:

5. Katar

Although it has the weakest stat requirements, the Katar is still a great all-rounder Strength and Dexterity fist weapon. With a solid lunging Ash of War, Impaling Thrust, that provides modest damage, perhaps the most vital ability of the Katar is its stagger potential.

1. 1. You can get the Katar relatively early in your playthrough by visiting Fort Gael in the southwestern region of Caelid.
   2. Starting from the Fort Gael North Site of Grace, head up the hill towards Fort Gael past the Radahn Soldiers and Flame Chariots.

1. 3. Use Torrent to sprint to the sealed metal gate at the Fort’s back side, follow the walkway in front of it, and traverse the tree branches behind the sealed entrance.
   4. Follow the branches straight ahead onto the nearest platform, and climb up the ladder to enter the Fort.

1. 5. Now, carefully traverse the narrow, broken mast to the other side and drop down onto the stone platform.
   6. After that, simply go through the archway and open the chest inside the room to receive the Katar.

Pros And Cons

Unlike most fist weapons with 100 Critical Damage, the Katar has 110, making it ideal to quickly break the enemy’s posture and land a critical hit.

1. This makes the weapon a deadly tool at close-range, and this is further highlighted by the fact that you can apply other Ashes of War to it, letting you utilize its stun ability with more potent skills.
2. However, the Katar falls slightly short on range and speed since the Ash of War’s startup animation has a noticeable delay.
3. Also, the damage output from this weapon’s regular attacks is mediocre at best and has been beaten out by most other fist weapons since it doesn’t even have any status-buildup properties.

4. Cipher Pata

If you’re purely a Faith user and looking for a fist weapon, the Cipher Pata is probably your top choice. As a Faith-scaling item and doing only Holy Damage, the Pata is the quickest dagger-like fist weapon on this list, with arguably the best range to accompany it.

1. 1. To get the Cipher Pata, teleport to the Roundtable Hold and head to the balcony beside the Site of Grace.

1. 2. Jump down from the balcony, head to the archway on your immediate left, and go through the door next to it.
   3. Follow the path to the small room on your right, and you’ll find the Pata atop the corpse lying on the bed at the edge of the room.

Pros And Cons

The Cipher Pata’s Ash of War, Unblockable Blade, is an unblockable attack that charges up and lunges forward, similar to the aforementioned Katar. However, this weapon has a much better range and quicker startup than the Katar, making it a better choice for mid-range combat.

1. It’s worth noting, though, that Katar still has better chances to land a critical hit, and its skill uses considerably less FP.
2. Still, the Cipher Pata’s Ash of War is unfamiliar to even the best fist weapons in Elden Ring.
3. Even with modest Faith stats, the Pata can do incredible damage and even surpass the Katar in that regard.
4. However, since it’s mainly a Faith weapon, it’s only usable by specific builds, so it’s considerably less accessible.

3. Bloodhound Claws

The Bloodhound Claws is a powerful mid-game weapon with the best Bleed buildup out of any fist weapon in Elden Ring. And with their quick attacks and long combo strings, these claws can almost instantaneously fill up the enemy’s Bleed meter, especially when coupled with other potent Bleed weapons like the Rivers of Blood.

1. 1. You can obtain the Bloodhound Claws by killing the Bloodhound Knight hidden beneath Volcano Manor at Mt. Gelmir.
   2. Starting from the Volcano Manor Site of Grace, go to the hallway next to Lady Tanith and enter the first room on your right.

1. 3. Head to the back of the room and hit the wall with the hanging painting, and it should reveal a hidden passageway.

1. 4. Make your way through the narrow passage, killing the snail-like enemies in your way, and after going down the stairs at the trail’s end, you’ll find the Bloodhound Knight that’ll drop the claws once you kill it.

Pros And Cons

The Bloodhound Claws’ default Ash of War, the Bloodhound Step, lets you quickly dash past enemies while making you invisible for a short period, making the Claws themselves one of the best weapons for mobility.

1. It also makes these claws an excellent choice in mid-range and even long-range compared to other fist weapons in Elden Ring since the Ash of War can easily close the gap between you and your enemies.
2. And besides that, you can even remove the Bloodhound Step and swap in another Ash of War, giving you more control over the claws’ capabilities. 
3. However, one noticeable drawback of this weapon is its damage output that, while still being better than most claw-like fist weapons, is still mediocre.

2. Clinging Bone

The Clinging Bone is another underrated dagger-like weapon, offering decent Physical and Magic Damage and scaling with Strength, Dexterity, and Arcane. However, its most unique and powerful ability is undoubtedly its Ash of War, Lifesteal Fist, which can replenish your health from enemies.

1. 1. To get this weapon, you’ll first need to reach the Village of the Albinaurics located in the southwestern region of Liurnia.

1. 2. After taking the Village of the Albinaurics Site of Grace, proceed up the hill, and you’ll see a large pot that’ll reveal Old Albus, the Albinauric NPC, once you hit the pot.

1. 3. Talk to Albus, and he’ll give you the right half of the Haligree Secret Medallion needed to access the Grand Lift of Rold.
   4. After exhausting his dialogue, teleport back to the Roundtable Hold, where you’ll notice a darker atmosphere and be invaded by Ensha of the Royal Remains after a few seconds.
   5. Upon killing Ensha, you’ll return to the original Roundtable Hold and receive the Clinging Bone.

Pros And Cons

The Clinging Bone’s Ash of War is a grab attack that replenishes roughly 30% HP after a successful grab, but it only works on humanoid enemies, minibosses, and NPCs.

1. While this attack does have a slow startup and weak range, you’re completely invincible during the grab animation, so you won’t get knocked out during the lifesteal by a stray enemy attack.
2. Therefore, this is an ideal weapon against large enemy hordes, where you can equip the Clinging Bone in either your main or off-hand and use the Ash of War when you have low HP.

1. Grafted Dragon

In terms of sheer reliability and damage, the Grafted Dragon is easily the best Elden Ring fist weapon. The Grafted Dragon is a unique Remembrance Weapon that scales primarily with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, with its main damage types being both Physical and Fire. 

1. 1. At the Roundtable Hold, you can buy this beastly fist weapon from Enya, the Finger Maiden, by trading in Godrick’s Remembrance and 2000 runes.
   2. And to get the Remembrance, you must first defeat Godrick the Grafted, one of Elden Ring’s 7 Shardbearers, at Stormveil Castle.

Pros And Cons

As an early-game weapon, the Grafted Dragon deals significant damage for its regular attack strings. Still, the best thing about this fist weapon in Elden Ring is definitely its Ash of War, Bear Witness!, which charges up and launches several rocks covered in fire at enemies.

1. The attack also leaves a wide fiery trail in the aftermath, causing damage over time (or DoT) to any enemy caught in that area of effect.
2. Although the Grafted Dragon doesn’t have a status buildup, the DoT property and its widespread effect from the trail fairly compensate for that.
3. However, one slight disadvantage of the weapon is the 20 FP cost to use the Ash of War each time, which is much more than any other fist weapon.
4. So if you want to use the Grafted Dragon effectively, make sure you constantly level up your Mind stat to reserve enough FP.

Best Talismans For Fist Weapons

Fist weapons are one of the few weapon types in Elden Ring that don’t wholly rely on their Ashes of War to be effective. However, whether you want to use them as your primary or secondary weapon, a robust set of talismans designed to improve them will drastically boost your overall build.

Shard Of Alexander

Focused on Ashes of War, the Shard of Alexander is an incredibly useful late-game talisman that boosts the attack power of your skills by 15%. And since most Ashes of War of Fist weapons pivot around dealing damage, you’ll definitely notice the shard’s impact mid-combat.

1. 1. The Shard of Alexander works with all Ashes of War and raises the damage output from both melee damage and status effects.
   2. As such, you can use the shard with any of the weapons listed above and in any situation, be it a standalone boss or a crowd of regular hostiles.
   3. You can obtain this talisman by completing Iron Fist Alexander’s questline and killing him at the end in the Crumbling Farum Azula.

Carian Filgreed Crest

The Carian Filgreed Crest is yet another skill-focused item that reduces the FP cost of your Ashes of War by 25%. While most fist weapons use minimal FP for their skills, the best part about having this talisman in your active set is encouraging you to spam the Ash of War of your weapon and even reduce your chances of vulnerability since you wouldn’t have to constantly replenish your FP with a Flask of Cerulean Tears in Elden Ring.

1. 1. With the Filgreed Crest, you wouldn’t be forced to dump your levels into Mind to raise your FP and can instead spend your runes on other attributes that would improve your weapon.
   2. Hence, this is one of the best talismans if you’re using the Grafted Dragon or any other high FP-consuming Ashes of War on your fist weapons, like the Golden Slam that uses 22 FP with each use.
   3. To get the talisman, you must first kill Bloodhound Knight Darriwal at the Forlon Hound Evergaol in the southern Limgrave region just before entering the Weeping Peninsula.
   4. Once you kill the knight, talk to War Counselor Iji near the Road to the Manor Site of Grace in Liurnia.
   5. Finally, you can purchase the Carian Filgreed Crest from Iji for 5000 Runes after your first interaction with Ranni at Ranni’s Rise, which you can visit by simply following the road from the aforementioned Site of Grace.

Rotten Winged Sword Insignia

Since most fist weapons have long combo strings as their regular attacks, this is one of the best talismans to boost your aggression and quickly finish off opponents. The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia is an offense-based emblem that raises attack power with successive hits, starting from 6% and going up to 13%.

1. 1. The Insignia’s effect starts from your 3rd consecutive hit and reaches its maximum damage boost by the 6th continuous hit.
   2. This effect can also be applied to both spells and melee attacks, so if you wish to use sorceries or incantations alongside fist weapons in your build, this will still be one of the best talismans.
   3. Unfortunately, this is an extremely late-game item, and the only way to get it is by killing Millicent’s Sisters at the end of Millicent’s questline in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.

Erdtree’s Favor +2

The Erdtree’s Favor +2 is considered one of the best talismans in Elden Ring, but it’s especially useful to fist weapons as it raises your HP (4%), Stamina (8%), and Equipment Load (10%) altogether. And since this talisman increases these attributes as a percentage, you’ll receive higher bonuses as you continuously level them up.

1. 1. This is a must-have item for a fist-weapon build since the added HP and stamina encourage you to be more aggressive by giving you extra mobility and leeway.
   2. Besides that, even if fist weapons aren’t heavy, the additional equipment load helps you wear heavier armor, boosting your defense and poise, which prevents enemies from staggering you when you’re attacking.
   3. However, like the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, this is another late-game talisman, and you can get it in the courtyard past the lifts near the Forbidden Lands Site of Grace at Leyndell, Ashen Capital.

That wraps up this guide on the best fist weapons you can get in Elden Ring, as well as a few talismans that would work well with this weapon type. All in all, these weapons offer the best variety out of any in-game class with their unique pros and cons, Ashes of War, and playstyles. So if you’re looking for some ideas to craft the perfect fist-weapon build, check out this Subreddit Post where the players give their personal opinions on the best fist weapons and items to go along with them.

To explore other niche and powerful close-range weapon types, check out this guide on the best AoE weapons in Elden Ring. For some long-range weapon options, consider reading up on the best bows you can find in-game to tune up your build. And if you’re looking to farm runes and progress through even faster, here’s how you can use the Bird Farm to make sure you have enough levels to meet any weapon’s stat requirements.

Next:

• Elden Ring: How Many Players You Can Summon In Co-Op
• Elden Ring: Skeleton Key Location & Upgrading Spirit Ashes
• Elden Ring Deathbird & Death Rite Bird Locations
• Elden Ring: How To Defeat The Godskin Apostle