600+ Hours of Mastery: Best Halberds In Elden Ring

I've made these picks to let you know about Elden Ring Best Halberds, whether they specialize in strength, dexterity, or faith, before you dedicate an entire build to them.

By Daniyal Sultan Malik

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June 25, 2023

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Halberds is one of many types of weapons in Elden Ring, as one of the things Elden Ring is known for is its variety of weapons and builds. The question on the mind of every Halberd enthusiast is whether the Halberd specializes in strength, dexterity, or faith, which are considered the BEST Halberds Elden Ring, and I’m here to answer that. You must know the name of all the best halberds before dedicating an entire build to them.

Key Takeaways

Halberds are the ideal weapons for novice Elden Ring players as they offer a balance between damage and safety.
There are about 16 Halberds in Elden Ring, out of which I have chosen 12 to be featured as better than the rest in stats and abilities.
1. Banished Knight’s Halberd.
2. Glaive.
3. Vulgar Militia Shotel.
4. Loretta’s War Sickle.
5. Pest Glaive.
6. Gargoyle’s Halberd.
7. Dragon’s Halberd.
While the Winged Scythe is not exactly a halberd, it is a weapon worth mentioning as it functions very closely to a halberd.

Author’s Note: I’ve played Elden Ring for over 600 hours via Steam, experiencing every mechanic and element the title offers.

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Best Halberds In Elden Ring Comparison

Halberds are the type of weapon that can be ideal for you if you are new to Elden Ring as these weapons offer a proper balance between damage and safety. Halberds allows you to damage enemies safely from a distance.

Serial Number	Halberd Name	Best For	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Critical Boost
1	Banished Knight’s Halberd.	The Best PvP Cheese Halberd	ATK:125 Guard: 55	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 100 Guard: 42
2	Glaive.	The Best Halberd For Early-Game	ATK: 132 Guard: 60	ATK: 0 Guard: 38	ATK: 0 Guard: 38	ATK: 0 Guard: 38	ATK: 0 Guard: 38	ATK: 100 Guard: 46
3	Vulgar Militia Shotel.	The Best Halberd Against Blocking Foes	ATK: 121 Guard: 55	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 0 Guard: 35	ATK: 100 Guard: 42
4	Loretta's War Sickle.	The Best Halberd For Int Builds	ATK: 110 Guard: 57	ATK: 71 Guard: 49	ATK: 0 Guard: 36	ATK: 0 Guard: 36	ATK: 0 Guard: 36	ATK: 100 Guard: 46
5	Pest Glaive.	The Lightest Halberd In Elden Ring	ATK: 120 Guard: 55	ATK: 0 Guard: 33	ATK: 0 Guard: 33	ATK: 0 Guard: 33	ATK: 0 Guard: 33	ATK: 100 Guard: 39
6	Gargoyle's Halberd.	N/A	ATK: 131 Guard: 66	ATK: 0 Guard: 42	ATK: 0 Guard: 42	ATK: 0 Guard: 42	ATK: 0 Guard: 42	ATK: 100 Guard: 50
7	Dragon's Halberd.	The Best Halberd For Frost/Lightning Builds	ATK: 135 Guard: 58	ATK: 0 Guard: 37	ATK: 0 Guard: 37	ATK: 0 Guard: 37	ATK: 0 Guard: 37	ATK: 100 Guard: 47
8	Winged Scythe	The Best Reaper For Faith Builds	ATK: 87 Guard: 30	ATK: 0 Guard: 25	ATK: 0 Guard: 25	ATK: 0 Guard: 25	ATK: 104 Guard: 55	ATK: 100 Guard: 30

1. Banished Knight’s Halberd

The Best PvP Cheese Halberd.

elden ring best halberd — Banished Knight’s Halberd [Image Taken by eXputer]

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	125	55
Magic	0	35
Fire	0	35
Light	0	35
Holy	0	35
Critical/ Boost	100	42

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	D	14
Dexterity	D	12

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The Banished Knight Halberds is one of the best early-game halberds in Elden Ring, that I always used in the beginning of my playthroughs. If you succeed in getting your hands on this halberd, then you can expect smooth sailing for a huge chunk of Elden Ring. It does require you to invest some time in farming for it, but the weapon is well worth it. Especially if you wish to make the lives of your PVP opponents hell (I’m guilty of this, too).

The Banished Knight’s Halberd scales with Strength and Dexterity and has some pretty forgiving requirements overall, which makes it ideal for you, early in Elden Ring. It can be dropped by the Banished Knights located in Stormveil Castle.

With slightly inferior stats, you can also use Halberd, as it is very easy to obtain and doesn’t require farming.

Deals significant HP with great range.
Elemental dmg can be affixed to the weapon.

Is pretty disliked in PVP due to its moveset.
Requires farming so can be tedious to obtain.

2. Glaive

The Best Halberd For Early-Game.

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	132	60
Magic	0	38
Fire	0	38
Light	0	38
Holy	0	38
Critical/ Boost	100	46

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	D	18
Dexterity	D	15

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The Glaive is another Halberd that can be obtained well early in Elden Ring. While this weapon does offer some fantastic stats for the early game, I can say this with certainty that obtaining the weapon itself is quite frustrating. But, if you do succeed in obtaining it, then it is the better weapon to choose when given a choice between the Glaive and the Banished Knight Halberd.

In the early game, the Glaive can very easily be considered the best halberd in Elden Ring. This weapon also scales with Strength and Dexterity. The Glaive is dropped by skeletons, which are found east of the Church of Vows.

Ash of war can be changed to fit different playstyles.
Gives the best dmg potential among early-game halberds.

Can be frustrating to obtain as needs farming.
Has comparatively higher weight than other halberds.

3. Vulgar Militia Shotel

The Best Halberd Against Blocking Foes.

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	121	55
Magic	0	35
Fire	0	35
Light	0	35
Holy	0	35
Critical/ Boost	100	42

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	E	14
Dexterity	C	16

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The Vulgar Militia Shotel is one of the best halberds to use if you are an aggressive player. Aside from allowing you to end shielded enemies with ease, it offers 40% damage negation from blocks in case you ever decide to take a break from all the aggressiveness, thus granting it a worthy spot in my article.

This halberd primarily scales with Dexterity and has a forgiving stats requirement, but acquiring this weapon can be problematic in the early game. Vulgar Militiamen drop the Vulgar Militia Shotel. They reside on the road from the Farum Greatbridge to the Bestial Sanctum in Caelid. Just to let you know, these are not early-game enemies and can mess you up if you are careless, I know since I walked straight into Caelid.

Ignores damage reduction from blocked attacks (40%).
Very versatile in Dex builds due to good Dex scaling.

Obtained in a difficult area and through farming.
Provides low base damage and range.

4. Loretta’s War Sickle

The Best Halberd For Int Builds.

weapon art of Vulgar Militia Shotel — Vulgar Militia Shotel [Image Credit goes to eXputer]

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	110	57
Magic	71	49
Fire	0	36
Light	0	36
Holy	0	36
Critical/Boost	100	46

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	D	20
Dexterity	D	15
Intelligence	D	20

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In case you are currently rocking an Intelligence build and don’t wish to change, then Loretta’s War Sickle comes to the rescue, as it is fantastic halberd for a quality build. Thus, allowing you to use a mighty halberd without needing to switch from your Intelligence build.

This weapon scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. The only thing holding this weapon back is that it can only be obtained incredibly late, at the point where you will most probably be 80-90% done with Elden Ring, which, I believe, is terribly disappointing for a weapon of this caliber.

You can obtain Loretta’s War Sickle after defeating Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree. She is found in the Haligtree area.

Great for Int builds with substantial range.
The skill deals significant magic dmg and stagger.

Only obtained in a secret, end-game area.
The Int scaling outside of skill is comparatively low.

5. Pest Glaive

The Lightest Halberd In Elden Ring.

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	120	55
Magic	0	33
Fire	0	33
Light	0	33
Holy	0	33
Critical/ Boost	100	39

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	D	13
Dexterity	D	13

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The Pest Glaive is a fantastic weapon to use in case you are still unsure about whether you want to invest in a Halberd build or not. This weapon offers outstanding damage for very little stat requirements, making it a tempting Halberd choice for some players. I’ve always found it to be a great ice-breaker for halberds, since it has little to no weight and you can slot it easily.

The Pest Glaive is dropped by the Lesser Kindred of Rot. They can be found wandering around in Caelid, but the ideal place to farm this weapon is in the Grand Cloister, as eleven Lesser Kindred of Rot are found in close proximity in that area.

If you are having trouble farming Pest glaive, I suggest you to go for Lucerne, as it provides slightly higher scaling and damage output.

Provides a slight boost to elemental defenses.
Has one of the lowest weights in halberds, great for low End builds.

Has significantly lower damage potential than other halberds.
Only certain enemies can drop this weapon.

6. Gargoyle’s Halberd

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	131	66
Magic	0	42
Fire	0	42
Light	0	42
Holy	0	42
Critical/ Boost	100	50

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	C	26
Dexterity	E	10

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If strength is more your style, then the Gargoyle’s Halberd may be the best halberd in Elden Ring for you. The only thing holding this weapon back in my opinion is its range, as it is noticeably shorter than every other halberd on this list. However, if your objective is solely to hit hard, then the Gargoyle’s Halberd is perfect for you.

This weapon is dropped by the Valiant Gargoyle that resides near the West Capital Rampart Site of Grace in Leyndall Royal Capital. Just so you know, this weapon will become unobtainable after accessing the Crumbling Farum Azula area, so be sure to obtain it beforehand.

If you are looking for a similar weapon to this one and want to carry a hybrid build then I recommend the Gargoyle’s Black Halberd. It is easier to level-up and provides better results in Str/Faith builds.

Favors Str builds with great scaling and dmg potential.
Can be modified to fit other builds, too.

Can not be acquired after reaching a certain milestone in the story.
Has the shortest range among halberds.

7. Dragon’s Halberd

The Best Halberd For Frost/Lightning Builds.

weapon art of Dragon’s Halberd — Dragon’s Halberd [Image Captured by eXputer]

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	135	58
Magic	0	37
Fire	0	37
Light	0	50
Holy	0	37
Critical/Boost	100	47

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	D	22
Dexterity	D	10

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The main highlight of this halberd is not its damage but rather its appearance and passive abilities. I consider the Dragon’s Halberd to be a situational weapon because it offers +10% bonus damage to Dragon-type enemies and +5% bonus damage against Ancient Dragon-type enemies. Aside from that, its Ash of War grants the weapon some Lighting damage and a Frost buildup, thus granting it a much-needed damage buff.

The Dragon’s Halberd scales with Strength and Dexterity and is dropped by the Dragonkin Soldier boss in Siofra River. This boss can be accessed through the portal that is located directly south on the map of the Worshipper’s Woods.

For a more Dex-focused build with the same Ice-lightning effect, The Dragonscale Blade can also be your weapon of choice.

Has a dmg buff (10%) against dragon-type enemies.
The skill provides Lightning infusion (45s) and frost build-up.

Weapon’s scaling improves only on the +10 upgrade.
Dropped from a certain enemy, requires farming.

Special Mention- Winged Scythe

The Best Reaper For Faith Builds.

weapon art of Winged Scythe — Winged Scythe [Image Taken by eXputer]

Weapons Stats	Attack	Guard
Physical	87	30
Magic	0	25
Fire	0	25
Light	0	25
Holy	104	55
Critical/Boost	100	30

Weapon Stats	Scaling	Requirements
Strength	E	16
Dexterity	D	16
Faith	D	24

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It is still argued by fans whether the Winged Scythe can be considered a halberd or not because it functions very similarly to a halberd, but it belongs in its own “Reaper” category. But for this Best Halberd Elden Ring guide, I think the Winged Scythe is too good to be left out.

The Winged Scythe primarily scales with Faith and dexterity, and in order to obtain this weapon, players will need to visit the Tombsward Ruins, where they will find a chest underground. This chest contains the Winged Scythe. Aside from the Winged Scythe, there are three more scythes in Elden Ring.

Has bleed build-up in addition to Holy dmg.
It’s attacks ignore 40% guard dmg negation.

Has the shortest range among reapers.
Lowest base Phy dmg in reapers.

Other Honorable Mentions

While there are additional compelling choices for the Best Halberds in Elden Ring that you might consider, I opted not to include them in my top 12 list due to personal preferences:

Ripple Crescent Halberd: It features a unique slashing moveset that strikes much faster than certain other halberds, but its attacks have limited range.
Golem’s Halberd: Despite its decent Strength scaling, the lack of Dexterity scaling renders it a poor choice for builds aiming to utilize both Strength and Dexterity.

My Thoughts On Halberds

Personally, I’ve always had a soft spot for Halberds since Dark Souls 1, but unfortunately, most of the Halberds in Elden Ring felt somewhat lackluster to me. The Ashes of War on these weapons are either run-of-the-mill buffs or extremely situational attacks. However, while they may not be as practical as other in-game weapon types, they’re certainly a lot more fun.

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

During my first few playthroughs, my favorite Halberd was undoubtedly Loretta’s War Sickle because of it’s unique Ash of War attack. I spent tens of hours using it in the Altus Plateau, and I enjoyed every second of it, although I wish it was slightly more potent. In my opinion, if you’re looking to try out fresh new playstyles and movesets, you should definitely try opting for Halberds. However, I wouldn’t recommend using them for tough boss fights or PvP encounters.

To conclude, Elden Ring is a game filled with a variety of weapons, so no type of player feels left out, whether they specialize in Strength, Dexterity, or Faith as in this Best Halberd Elden Ring guide, I have only scratched the surface by solely talking about Halberds. There are numerous types of weapons in Elden Ring, such as Curved Greatswords, Colossal Swords, Spears, and more.