Elden Ring: BEST Scythe Builds [All Types]

Scythes have always been a niche weapon type in Elden Ring so you won’t see them in too many builds. Maybe it’s because the game doesn’t have any particular scythes that stand out and thus often become overshadowed by Katanas and other popular melee weapons. However, with a proper build, the sheer versatility a single reaper brings to the table will likely surprise you.

Best Builds For Each Scythe

Of course, each scythe in Elden Ring is viable and unique. They have different ranges, Ashes of War, and damage output. As such, to make an ideal build, we need to include specific add-ons that’ll make the weapon overpowered in several situations while also eliminating most of its weaknesses to a great extent.

Build 1: Dual Strength Scythes

For our first build, we’ll be focusing on making a purely Strength and Dexterity-focused build by Power Stancing with the 2 Strength weapons, the regular Scythe and the Grave Scythe.

This is arguably one of the strongest Strength builds since it’s coupled with two weapons that offer incredible range, damage, and speed. We’ve preferably kept the Grave Scythe in our main hand since it does significantly more damage than the regular one.

• Both weapons’ Ash of War attacks has also been completely revamped. Since our default weapon is the Grave Scythe, we’ve given it the aggressive Ash of War, Sword Dance, which does two quick double slashes.
• The other Scythe has the passive and infamous Bloodhound Step as its Ash of War, which you can use to quickly escape deadly situations. These Ashes of War add a new layer of versatility and synergy to their respective Scythes.

For the armor set, the only necessary item here is the Headwear, the Omensmirk Mask, which raises Strength. This is not only a lightweight mask but is also the only mask that enhances one of our key stats. The rest of the armor set can be anything you like as long as it’s equal to or lighter than Medium Load.

• The Talismans here are particularly suited to Strength and Dex builds. The Great-Jar Arsenal, or any Arsenal talisman for that matter, raises our maximum equipment load, which is crucial since our dual scythes won’t give much room to wear any heavy armor otherwise.
• Similarly, the Bull-Goat Talisman also makes our defense stronger since it adds Poise to the build.

Millicent’s Prosthesis is our offense-based Talisman that increases Dexterity and Attack Power by encouraging an aggressive playstyle. Just like the Omenshirk Mask, this amplifies an essential stat that, in turn, leads to even more damage output. Last but not least, Erdtree’s Favor is an extremely powerful talisman that raises our maximum HP, stamina, and equipment load, which makes this build reliable in most situations.

Build 2: Halo Scythe’s Faith And Dexterity

The Halo Scythe is a Dexterity weapon that also scales heavily with Strength and Faith. Its Physical damage output is near twice its Holy damage, which is why it’s most suitable for Strength or Dexterity players looking to use Faith as a backup stat.

• The Scythe default Ash of War, Miquella’s Ring of Light, is kept intact in this build because it’s unique, has great range, and with practice, becomes incredibly powerful via its Attack Power.
• It will take you some time to master it, but the payoff is definitely worth the wait.
• We’ve chosen some of the best and most commonly used Talismans to go with this build.
• This includes Erdtree’s Favor and Radagon’s Soreseal, which enhance multiple attributes simultaneously, making the player much more versatile and well-rounded overall.

For the more specific talismans, we’ve equipped the Two Fingers Heirloom, which raises our Faith by five levels, along with the Shard of Alexander, which boosts the Attack Power of our skills.

These Talismans work well with each other since the Two Fingers Heirloom, along with the Shard of Alexander, significantly increases the damage of our Ash of War attack.

Unlike the last build that required more Strength than Dexterity, this one needs much more Dexterity to amplify the Halo Scythe’s scaling. As such, we’re using the Okina Mask, which raises our Dexterity in exchange for Focus. This lightweight headgear can be coupled with the Beast Champion or any heavy armor set in Elden Ring.

Build 3: Winged Scythe And Incantations

• If you’re looking for a Scythe build in Elden Ring that’s focused on Incantations and FP, then look no further.
• The Winged Scythe is a Faith-based weapon that also dishes out decent Physical damage as well, giving way to making a powerful Faith build in Elden Ring.
• Combining it with the Golden Order Seal, we can make the build more versatile by giving us several offensive and defensive options during combat.

• Like all reapers in Elden Ring, the Winged Scythe causes Bleed buildup, which is why you should pair this build with Bleed-focused Incantations like Swarm of Flies and Bloodflame Talons.
• Apart from that, you can also stay on the defensive or passive side of things by equipping the Golden Vow, which raises attack and defense, and the Order’s Blade, which enhances the Holy Damage of your right-hand weapon.

The Talismans here are mainly focused on increasing your Faith potential. Marika’s Soreseal, Erdtree’s Favor, and the Two Fingers Heirloom can significantly increase your Faith along with other stats. On the other hand, we’ve also chosen the Carian Filigreed Crest, as it lowers FP consumption, letting us perform a lot more spells and Ash of War attacks.

Finally, the armor here is also keen to improve Faith. The Haligree Helm specifically raises our Faith stat by three levels, while the Scaled Armor set improves our poise while still being lightweight. Again, you can choose any Chest, Arms, and Legs as long as it’s either Medium Load or lower.

• The Winged Scythe is already considered a nimble weapon in Elden Ring so you can include a heavy armor set in your build without any difficulty.

Build 4: Grave Scythe’s Immoveable Set

For our final build, we’ll be making something overpowered for Endurance-focused players. The Grave Scythe is arguably the best Strength reaper in the game which is why it’s our recommendation for this build.

• We’ve also picked the Fingerprint Stone Shield as its guarding ability is way better than most shields, tanking physical attacks with minimal stamina loss.

The Ashes of War, for both the primary and secondary weapon, are offensive and puts decent pressure on the opponent. The Phantom Slash is extremely damage-centric and difficult to dodge, especially in multiplayer. On the other hand, the Shield Bash on the Stone Shield makes most enemy counterattacks punishable.

• Similar to most endurance builds, we’ll be choosing one of the heaviest armor sets in the game.
• This includes the Crimson Hood that increases our vigor, with the General Radahn armor set that adds a ton of poise and physical damage negation to the build.

This is further complimented by the talismans we’ve chosen.

• The Great-Jar Arsenal increases our maximum equipment load, while Dragoncrest Greatshield heavily boosts our already vigorous damage negation.
• Apart from this, we have the usual Erdtree’s Favor and Radagon’s Soreseal, which heavily impacts our physical offensive and defensive capabilities.

Which Scythe Should You Get?

As mentioned earlier, not all scythes are made equal. Several traits make a specific scythe more preferred in certain scenarios. And since you can only invest in 1 build at a time, it’s important to make sure you have the right weapon to go with.

Grave Scythe

• Requirements – Strength: 17 | Dexterity: 16

Like the regular Scythe, this variant is purely focused on Physical damage. However, the biggest merit of the Grave Scythe is that it has the strongest physical damage out of any scythe in the game. As such, Strength players looking for purely physical damage may consider this the ideal scythe in the game.

This is mainly a Strength-based weapon and barely requires leveling any stat other than Strength and Dexterity. Its Ash of War, Spinning Slash, is focused on providing range to the scythe’s attacks, hitting all nearby hostiles. This attack, however, has a long windup, so it’s better to use it against slower enemies.

Getting the Grave Scythe is fairly easy since it’s an early-game weapon.

• After defeating Godrick the Grafted in Stormveil Castle, make your way outside to the doorstep of Liurnia.
• As you approach the open, you’ll see the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace right in front of you. 

• From the grace, take a left and head down the hill until you see the Church of Irith’s entrance on your left.
• Now, take a right and enter the small, open graveyard opposite the Church. Here, you’ll find several Skeletal Militiamen and Mages that will drop the Grave Scythe.

Kill and loot each skeletal hostile in the graveyard until you get the scythe. If you haven’t got it after clearing the area, you can always rest at the site of grace to respawn and continue farming them.

Halo Scythe

• Requirements – Strength: 13 | Dexterity: 16 | Faith: 15

The Halo Scythe is a Faith-dependent Reaper weapon that primarily scales with Strength, Dexterity, and, obviously, Faith. Unlike the Winged Scythe, however, which is another faith-based Reaper, this scythe focuses a lot more of its potency on Physical rather than Holy damage. This makes it ideal for Strength and Dex players hunting enemies vulnerable to Holy builds and attacks.

Perhaps its most unique trait is its default Ash of War, Miquella’s Ring of Light, which is a double-spinning disc attack. It offers exceptional damage and speed and has the best range out of any other Scythe’s Ash of War. However, it may be difficult to use because learning the angle of the attack is a tricky hurdle.

• You’ll find the Halo Scythe deep within the poison swamp of Caelid, the Lake of Aeonia.
• More specifically, you need to reach the Inner Aeonia Site of Grace, found on a small island north of the lake.
• Of course, this is a Scarlet Rot swamp, so you’ll need to maneuver your way to the grace by hopping on and off landmasses to avoid being afflicted by rot.

• From the grace, move south towards the large, dead tree where you’ll find a Cleanrot Knight. You need to repeatedly kill and farm this knight to get the Halo Scythe.
• Since he possesses the scythe, too, he’ll likely spam the Ring of Light Ash of War, so it’s better to stay close to him while also being careful of the poisonous swamp.
• After a few attempts, you’ll ultimately get the Halo Scythe off this enemy.

Scythe

• Requirements – Strength: 14 | Dexterity: 14

This classic is one of the easiest scythes to get in the game since you can find it early in your playthrough in the game’s beginning locations – Liurnia.

• It’s a relatively simple weapon with no outstanding traits compared to its other variants, but it serves as a strong early-game weapon nonetheless with minimal requirements. It also doesn’t have any magical properties, so it can only do Physical Damage.

• You can find this weapon in the Cliffbottom Catacombs located on the eastern edge of Liurnia. From the Liurnia Highway South Site of Grace, head north by following the stone road.
• Take a right once you’re next to the Sword Monument halfway down the road, and now make your way to the lower half of the cliff.

• Now, follow the path ahead, and you should eventually see the entrance to the Catacombs on your left.
• The gate to the catacombs blends in well with the surroundings, so be sure to keep a torch with you to find it quicker.

• Once you’re inside the catacombs and got its Site of Grace, take the elevator in front and descend to the bottom. Now, head straight and take the first left to reach the local boss’s entrance.
• From here, make your way down the laid-out path and continue going straight ahead, avoiding all the Stone Imps.
• At the end of this path, you’ll eventually enter a room on the topmost floor where you’ll find the Scythe on a corpse.

• The regular Scythe is a strong weapon overall, with great damage output and stagger buildup. Still, it’s overshadowed by its other variant, the Grave Scythe, which does significantly more physical damage.
• As such, this weapon doesn’t offer anything particularly special. Even its Ash of War, the Spinning Slash, is an exact replica of the Grave Scythe. 

Winged Scythe

• Requirements – Strength: 16 | Dexterity: 16 | Faith: 24

The Winged Scythe is the second Faith-oriented build weapon in the game. So for all the players looking to either amplify their Faith build or simply looking for a magic-based Reaper, this is the weapon for you.

It also has the highest set of requirements out of any scythe in the game, even beating out its other Faith-based rival, the Halo Scythe. As such, it has the strongest Holy damage figures by a landslide and even places itself among the best Faith weapons in the entire game!

• Furthermore, it comes equipped with a unique and incredibly powerful Ash of War, Angel’s Wings, which is a jumping-forward aerial slash attack.
• It has great range and damage output and is fairly easy to use. The aerial aspect of this attack also means that opponents will have trouble interrupting you during its attack animation.

To get this Scythe, you need to reach the Church of Pilgrimage Site of Grace, found at the northeastern edge of the Weeping Peninsula in Limgrave. You can reach this location by following the road leading to it once you enter the Peninsula.

• From the Church, head down south and stay close to the eastern edge.
• Eventually, you’ll come across the Tombsward Ruins between a large pile of debris.
• Here, you need to find the stone staircase that’ll take you to the Scythe. Fortunately, the staircase itself will be surrounded by distinct mossy stones, so you’ll likely find it in no time.

• Now, go down the staircase and head straight to the large door at the end of the room.
• Lift the door up, and inside this room, you’ll find the Winged Scythe in a chest.
• Remember to watch out for the two Pages lurking inside the room.

Conclusion

That wraps up our guide on the best scythe builds you can create in the game. As mentioned, these builds, although belonging to the weapon type, are vastly different and offer a completely unique set of versatility, uses, and advantages. So try to use each scythe and its build to see which one suits you the most. You can also check this Reddit thread to see what the Elden Ring community is pairing up with their reapers!

For more unique builds and weapons, check out our guide on making a Mage Build in Elden Ring. If you prefer ranged weapons instead, consider reading up on the Best Bows you can find and equip in the game. Apart from that, you can make your custom build even more diverse and powerful by learning how to summon spirits in-game.

Up Next:

• Best Weapons in Elden Ring with locations
• How To Upgrade Spirit Ashes In Elden Ring
• Best Remembrances to Duplicate in Elden Ring