In Elden Ring, Great Hammers are among the heaviest and best weapons available, offering an impressive reach and the ability to strike multiple enemies that are closely packed together. These weapons are renowned for their high base damage. Given their weight, most of these weapons demand a significant amount of strength to wield. Let’s go through the Best Great Hammers in the Elden Ring that you can equip in your build.
- Great Hammers are an extremely heavy weapon archetype in Elden Ring, mostly suited to Strength builds who focus on raising Weight Limit via Endurance.
- There are a total of 14 in-game Great Hammer, which players can further enhance by equipping Ashes of War onto them.
- The major benefit of these hammers is their impressive damage output and generally strong range.
- However, they’re considerably slow with weak startup frames, and their Weight requirements discourage a versatile build.
- Why Trust Us: Hamid Shah has spent 270+ hours on Elden Ring, which makes him highly trustworthy on this topic!
Do you think you’re the most knowledgeable Tarnished in the Lands Between? Take our Elden Ring quiz to find out!
My List Of Best Hammers In Elden Ring
Here’s a quick rundown of the best hammers:
| Great Hammer | Key Features | Requirements | Base Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devourer’s Scepter | Unique skill, fire damage, HP steal | Strength 24, Dexterity 20, Faith 25 | Physical: 112, Guard: 62, Fire: 69 |
| Beastclaw Greathammer | Physical and holy damage, Regal Beastclaw skill | Strength 20, Dexterity 10, Faith 18 | Physical: 116, Guard: 62 |
| Envoy’s Long Horn | Physical and holy damage, Bubble Shower skill | Strength 23, Dexterity 11, Faith 18 | Physical: 120, Holy: 78 |
| Cranial Vessel Candlestand | Physical and fire damage, Surge Of Faith skill | Strength 26, Dexterity 8, Faith 22 | Physical: 98, Fire: 98 |
| Great Stars | High damage, life-stealing, bleed effect | Strength 22, Dexterity 12 | Physical: 135, Guard: 68 |
5. Devourer’s Scepter
- Why I Chose This: Given the appropriate number of nearby enemies, the Devourer’s Scepter can heal the player more than any in-game weapon or talisman.
Devourer’s Scepter is a great hammer that is unique in its own way as it may not deal as much damage as other great hammers, but it has a unique skill that can hurt many enemies and heal the user.
| Base Stats | Attack | Guard |
| Physical | 112 | 62 |
| Magic | 0 | 33 |
| Fire | 69 | 45 |
| Light | 0 | 33 |
| Holy | 0 | 33 |
| Critical/ Boost | 100 | 42 |
The unique skill that comes with the Devourer’s Scepter is called the Devourer of Worlds. This skill can affect a wide range, and deals fire damage while simultaneously stealing HP from enemies.
Despite its unique skill, this weapon cannot be infused with other ashes of war. However, with its equal scaling from strength, dexterity, and faith, this weapon can be a great weapon for players with a faith build. Unfortunately, there are much better choices when it comes to Legendary Armaments with similar requirements. I’d suggest going for the Blasphemous Blade instead of this hammer.
- Large AoE damage.
- Massive lifesteal bonus.
- Cannot be infused with other Ashes of War.
- Slow startup animation and can be easily avoided.
4. Beastclaw Greathammer
- Why I Chose This: It’s Regal Beastclaw Ash of War is extremely tough to counter in PvP and PvE.
The Beastclaw Greathammer is a formidable weapon in Elden Ring. In my experience, its Ash of War, Regal Beastclaw, is absolutely devastating in terms of range and damage output. It’s similar to the Beast Claw incantation but with a faster startup animation, making it a much better alternative.
| Base Stats | Attack | Guard |
| Physical | 116 | 62 |
| Magic | 0 | 33 |
| Fire | 0 | 33 |
| Light | 0 | 33 |
| Holy | 0 | 33 |
| Critical/ Boost | 100 | 42 |
- Insanely strong AoE damage.
- Quick startup animation.
- Tough to avoid in PvP and PvE.
- High requirements.
3. Envoy’s Long Horn
- Why I Chose This: Unlike most AoE weapons, you can focus the Long Horn’s Ash of War onto a single enemy, making it significantly more versatile.
The Envoy’s Long Horn is a formidable weapon in the game, dealing massive amounts of physical and holy damage. This hammer also boasts of a unique skill that offers a ranged option to players.
| Base Stats | Attack | Guard |
| Physical | 120 | 58 |
| Magic | 0 | 31 |
| Fire | 0 | 31 |
| Light | 0 | 31 |
| Holy | 78 | 42 |
| Critical/ Boost | 100 | 39 |
However, like all weapons, the Envoy’s Long Horn has its drawbacks. While it deals massive damage, it requires players to have a high faith stat to unlock its full potential. In addition, its unique skill, while powerful, can be difficult to aim accurately.
- High damage output.
- Quick startup animation.
- Versatile depending on situation.
- Only works well with a bubble build.
2. Cranial Vessel Candlestand
- Why I Chose This: You can chain the Candlestand’s Ash of War, making it deal enough damage to potentially one-shot bosses.
The Cranial Vessel Candlestand is a powerful weapon that can deal significant amounts of both physical and fire damage.
| Base Stats | Attack | Guard |
| Physical | 98 | 71 |
| Magic | 0 | 37 |
| Fire | 98 | 51 |
| Light | 0 | 37 |
| Holy | 0 | 37 |
| Critical/ Boost | 100 | 48 |
In addition to its impressive base stats, the Cranial Vessel Candlestand also boasts the unique skill Surge Of Faith. This skill is an explosive AOE fire attack that deals massive damage to surrounding enemies. This ability can provide players with an extra spell option as long as their build meets the requirements to wield this weapon.
- Incredibly strong
- Deals some of the best in-game Fire damage.
- Can be chained together for longer damage.
- Requires high FP to be used effectively.
- User is vulnerable during animation.
- Weak against fire-resistant enemies.
1. Great Stars
- Why I Chose This: Great Star’s high damage output coupled with inflicting Bleed pits it against top-tier weapons.
The Great Stars hammer is a fearsome weapon that packs a punch with its high damage output, life-stealing abilities, and additional bleed effect that it inflicts on enemies. It’s my final pick as the Best Great Hammer in Elden Ring.
| Base Stats | Attack | Guard |
| Physical | 135 | 68 |
| Magic | 0 | 36 |
| Fire | 0 | 36 |
| Light | 0 | 36 |
| Holy | 0 | 36 |
| Critical/ Boost | 100 | 44 |
- Apart from its raw damage output, the Great Stars hammer is particularly effective due to its unique skill, Endure.
- The weapon can also be infused with other ashes of war to further enhance its abilities.
- Inflicts Bleed.
- High Damage Output.
- Lifesteal abilities with every hit.
- Barebones Ash of War.
Alternative Great Hammers
There are some other viable options to consider when choosing a Great Hammer in Elden Ring. However, I did not include them in my top 5 list due to individual factors.
- Great Mace: A solid choice, but it has slightly less damage than the other hammers I selected above.
- Pickaxe: Despite its strengths, it may be considered less versatile due to its specialized Pierce damage.
My Take On The Best Hammers In Elden Ring
Regarding PVE, my easy recommendations for Great Hammers are Cranial Vessel Candlestand and Envoy’s Longhorn. The reasoning behind this is their highly damaging AoE Ashes of War. Envoy’s Longhorn releases a large amount of bubbles while Cranial Vessel showers flame in the surrounding area, killing all basic mobs in the vicinity.
For PvP, Great Stars is a recommended pick because of its passive and interchangeable Ash of War. It has a high affinity with bleed and restores a set amount of HP on every hit dealt. Pairing this with Ashes of War such as Stromcaller will melt the enemy’s HP while restoring your own.
That’s about it from my Elden Ring Best Great Hammers list. Depending on your build, you can choose a Great Hammer from a handful of options, and I assure you that it will not disappoint you!
Next:
Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡
How can we make this post better? Your help would be appreciated. ✍
Join Our Community