Elden Ring has a beautiful combat system involving tons of melee weapons, ranged spells and incantations, and much more. Your melee weapons arsenals include katanas, swords, daggers, halberds, spears, and more. You, the tarnished one, might have difficulty deciding which weapon to pick and start your first journey to become the Elden Lord. Therefore, I curated the best melee weapons Elden Ring guide to help you decide the best one to stick to for a long time.
Key Highlights
Melee weapons in Elden Ring excel in close-range combat, and they mainly scale with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith.
The best thing about these weapons is their Ash of War attacks, which can effectively cover long-range, close-range, and wide-range combat.
However, since melee weapons are often reliant on their Ash of War, players need a lot of Mind stat-dumping, which doesn’t raise the potency of their attacks whatsoever.
Most top melee weapons in Elden Ring belong in the katanas, swords, daggers, halberds, and spears category.
Author’s Note: You can rely on my takes, experience, and authenticity since I’ve spent over 150 hours in Elden Ring.
The first type that you can come across is the dagger in Elden Ring. While wielding the weapon itself, you can obliterate enemies with insane speed, launch high attack numbers, and get rid of opponents quickly. You can deal highly great crit damage, accounting for victory in combat.
1. Wakizashi
The Best Dagger For Katana Builds.
Wakizashi In The Game
Wakizashi is a dagger that aims to be used if you want to deal significant crit damage but also wish to take part in close-range combat against stronger enemies.
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It comes with a lot of combo attacks that can increase melee damage. As a player, you can take advantage of the skills it provides.
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Critical
94
0
0
0
0
100
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Boost
42
24
24
24
24
18
Requirements and Scaling
The Wakizashi weapon requires you to have 9 Strength Points and 13 Dexterity Points.
The weapon primarily scales with Strength D and Dexterity D; therefore, I suggest you to invest in these scalings.
Main Skill
The primary skill of Wakizashi in Elden Ring includes “Quickstep,” which allows players to regain their original position while fighting enemies to dodge opponents’ attacks.
Can be powerstanced with katanas despite being a dagger.
Has modifiable Ash of war and Bleed build-up.
Combo range is pretty short.
Powerstancing with katanas creates range inconsistencies.
2. Crystal Knife
The Highest Int Scaling In Daggers.
Crystal Knife In The Game
Crystal Knife is yet another dagger that aims to support you in close-ranged combat, and you can combine it with “Magic Damage,” which will buff your character and increase their overall crit damage.
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Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Critical
82
53
0
0
0
100
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Boost
32
31
18
18
18
15
Requirements and Scaling
Crystal Knife requires a total of 8 Strength Points plus 12 Dexterity Points. Also, 9 Intelligence Points are required to wield this weapon.
The weapon scales with Intelligence D, Dexterity D, and Strength D regarding scalings.
Main Skill
The primary skill of Crystal Knife is “Quickstep,” which is the same as Wakizashi.
The players need to have at least 5 strength Points, 13 Dexterity, and 13 Arcane Points in their arsenal to equip.
When talking about scaling, Reduvia scales off Arcane D, Dexterity C, and Strength D, which makes the player stronger when dealing with opponents.
Main Skill
Reduvia’s primary skill, called “Blood Blade”, carries its name with pride, obliterating enemies while decreasing their blood buildup slowly but surely, rendering them useless in the end.
The skill Reduvia Blood Blade is very good for ranged bleed buildup.
The starting bandit class can utilize this weapon right from the get-go.
Attack range other than skill is pretty limited.
Raw damage output excluding bleed is comparatively low.
4. Misericorde
The Highest Crit Stat In The Game.
Misericorde In The Game
Making your way along, another dagger that belongs in the best melee weapons Elden Ring includes Misericorde, which is excellent for close-ranged combat.
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Its main aim is to support you with repositioning during motion in the battle to avoid taking damage from opponents.
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Critical
92
0
0
0
0
140
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Boost
36
21
21
21
21
15
Requirements and Scalings
To equip Misericorde, players will need to own up and give 7 Strength Points, as well as 12 Dexterity Points.
Misericorde scales with Dexterity D and Strength E can significantly aid players in battle.
Main Skill
Misericorde has “Quickstep” as its primary skill. It aids you in battle with repositioning to get rid of enemies while dealing insane Damage but also not being able to take any yourself.
Unique R2 attack makes it exceptional for versatile combos.
Can dish a ton of damage with its highest Crit value (140).
Short attack range for the standard combo.
Damage efficiency drops in non-crit playstyles.
5. Erdsteel Dagger
The Best Dagger For Quadruple Scaling.
Erdsteel Dagger In The Game
For players who want to deal with a lot of crit damage and want the ability to get rid of opponents while being close with them. The Erdsteel Dagger grants extra attack powers to the adventurer, aiding greatly in combat.
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The Erdsteel Dagger comes with the following stats:
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Critical
67
0
0
0
0
110
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Boost
36
21
21
21
21
15
Requirements and Scalings
Erdsteel Dagger requires a total of 7 strength points, along with 12 Dexterity Points too, which I think you can start investing in if you want to equip it.
Scalings-wise, Erdsteel Daggers aim to scale off of Strength D and Dexterity D.
Main Skill
The Erdsteel Dagger gets its primary damage buff off of Quickstep, which is the skill that is equipped by high-class daggers like Misericorde.
Following up with the following types of weapons, you come across the Katanas, which aim to help players with mid-range combat to slash their way through the toughest foes.
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You can also launch consistent “Thrust Attacks” at your opponents and place the status of Hemorrhage on them. Let’s look at some of the katanas that I believe belong in the best melee weapons.
6. Moonveil
The Best Katana For Int Builds.
Moonveil
Moonveil aims to be an excellent assistance for adventurers that allows you to attack opponents with consistent Pierce damage, which can inflict the Hemorhhage status.
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You can also take out your weapon with insane speed and get rid of your foes in a split second using Light. No matter how many times I use it, Transient Moonlight is one satisfying skill to use.
I recommend taking care of your Strength Points, as this weapon requires 12 Points. Along with that, 18 Dexterity Points and 23 Intelligence Points.
As for scaling, the Moonveil scales off with Intelligence C and Dexterity D. it also scales partially with Strength E, so players should invest in these skills.
Main Skill
Moonveil has the skill “Transient Moonlight,” which allows you to deal with an additional normal attack upon making slash attacks, which I consider to be pretty handy.
Transient Moonlight can make short work of many foes.
Deals high poise damage both in close and long ranges.
Requires investment in both Dex and Int to utilize properly.
Needs considerable Mind stat to easily spam skills.
7. Serpentbone Blade
The Best Katana For Poison Builds.
Serpentbone Blade In The Game [Screenshot by eXputer]The Serpentbone blade, a katana that takes after a serpent bone, is for you if you’ve jacked up your Dex stat. This katana is not for short-range combat but instead for mid-range.
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It allows you to ruin enemies with a few Slash and Pierce attacks with a lot of speed.
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Critical
120
0
0
0
0
100
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Boost
45
30
30
30
30
30
Requirements and Scalings
You’ll need at least 11 Strength Points while also having 22 Dexterity Points to wield it.
The weapon scales with dexterity E and Strength E, so make sure to look into the investments.
Main skill
The Serpentbone blade comes with the “Double Slash,” allowing you to bend down low and perform consistent slashes in Figure X to taunt enemies and get rid of them quickly.
If you need to poison your enemies to death but lack Serpentbone Blade, I suggest using the Venomous Fang instead for its fast moveset and excellent poison buildup.
Causes high poison build-up as additional damage source.
Continuous application changes it to deadly poison for an extra punch.
The Ash of War can not be modified
Obtained by progressing through lengthy NPC questline.
8. Nagakiba
The Longest Katana In Elden Ring.
Nagakiba In The Game [Screenshot by eXputer]Following the Nagakiba, this weapon offers an excellent physical damage boost to the tarnished one. It allows for close-range combat, the perfect combination needed to take down the worst of enemies.
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Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Critical
115
0
0
0
0
100
Physical
Magic
Fire
Light
Holy
Boost
49
33
33
33
33
33
Requirements and Scaling
You need to put in at least 18 Strength Points and 22 Dexterity Points, which are needed to equip this weapon.
The Nagakiba scales with Dexterity C and Strength D,
Main skill
The primary skill of the Nagakiba is the “Piercing Fang”, which aims to support you with increased physical Damage.
This weapon’s affinity can be changed to cold, etc. which is beneficial in cold/bleed builds.
Has exceptional attack range for a speedy moveset.
Requires completion of an NPC questline.
In terms of damage, Uchigatana is a slightly better option.
Other Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional melee weapons in Elden Ring that I haven’t included. You may want to consider using them based on your preferences.
Dark Moon Greatsword: Scales primarily with Intelligence, Dexterity and Strength but, its Ash of War is slow.
Bloodhound Fang: Considered a good option as it performs brutal melee attacks against enemies and immediately takes distance from them.
Blasphemous Blade: It scales really good with faith, does a ton of damage and you gain health from defeated enemies.
My Take On The Melee Build And Melee Weapons
The Melee build in Elden Ring is refined to the core, and it is probably the most fun to use. In my opinion, Melee weapons are the best weapons in Elden Ring, as I like close combat the most. Of course, there are some exceptions, but overall, I hold these aggressive close-range weapons in high regard.
My hours in Elden Ring PSN: Liontamer55460
There are tons of great Melee Weapons you can choose from, but as there are so many, I would recommend you try out Moonveil, Nagakiba, and Reduvia. Of course, you can try out different options, too, but these are my favorites, and with the right build, you can have an enjoyable experience with them.
Usama Mehmood is a Games Specialist, and writer on eXputer who's either hunting for the richest loot in Destiny 2 or endlessly playing his favorite games such as Yakuza or Final Fantasy. Usama has been gaming for 15+ years during which he has accumulated 4000+ hours on Destiny 1 & 2. His constant adoration for video games has allowed him to pursue eXputer as a platform to showcase his striving talents in writing helpful articles. Get familiar with Usama's extensive gaming library on his Steam, PSN, and Xbox profiles.
Experience: 2+ Years || Mainly Covers Reviews And Guides || Education: Bachelors in Physiotherapy.
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