Lords of the Fallen Best One Handed Weapon [Top 7]

Having played Lords of the Fallen for 30+ hours, here is my take on the best one handed weapons in the game.

I have tried plenty of one-handed weapons in Lords of the Fallen, and they are actually great. The only problem is deciding which one should be wielded in one hand. There are many on-handed weapons in Lords of the Fallen, so choosing the best one handed weapon can be quite challenging.

Key Takeaways
  • Among 194 Weapons in Lords of the Fallen, almost all of them can be used as one-handed weapons, but not all are designed for that.
  • Pieta’s Sword is the best one-handed weapon in Lords of the Fallen due to its great damage and weight.
  • The only disadvantage of the sword is that it requires 40 Umbral Scouring and 2 Radiance, making it difficult to use
  • Pieta’s sword is also one of the few weapons that do smite damage.
  • If players dual-wield Pieta’s with Elianne’s Sword, they will unlock a secret weapon art.

Best One-Handed Weapons In Lords of the Fallen

Here is a complete overview of my 7 best one-handed weapons in Lords of the Fallen:

Serial NoWEAPONTYPEWEIGHTPHYSICALHOLYFIREWITHERBest For
7Putrid Child SwordShort Sword6.337 + 7037 + 150The Best One-Handed Sword For Early Game
6Thorned Crimson Rector SwordLong Sword18.0121 + 47000The Best Alternative For Putrid Child Sword
5Putrid PolearmPolearm12.556 + 41056 + 270The Best One-handed Weapon For A Tank Build
4Serrated StaffPolearm13.566 + 410330The Best One-handed Weapon For Bleed
3Rusty Cutter Short Sword8.542 0420My Personal Best One-handed Weapon For Early Game
2Lightreaper SwordShort Sword6.1420420My Personal Best One-handed Weapon
1Pieta's SwordShort Sword5.369 + 17000The Best One-handed Weapon In Game

7- Putrid Child Sword

The Best One-Handed Sword For Early Game.
Putrid-Child-Sword
Putrid Child Sword (Image Source: eXputer)
Putrid Child Sword Stats Value
Type Short Sword
Weight 6.3
Physical 37 + 7
Holy 0
Fire 37 + 15
Wither 0

I really like weapons that have frostbite status effects, and Putrid Child Sword is one of them. You would need 8 Strength and 14 points in both Radiance and Inferno to wield it.

The sword deals physical and wither damage, and it has a frostbite build-up. It makes the sword one of the best, if not the best, one-handed weapon in Lords of the Fallen. Due to that, in my opinion, it is the best one-handed sword for early game.

  • Deals Wither damage along with god physical damage.
  • Scales more with Radiance and Inferno, giving options to use spells.
  •  Has a 60 frostbite build-up.
  • Has a D+ scaling on Radiane and Inferno and E on Strength.

6- Thorned Crimson Rector Sword

The Best Alternative For Putrid Child Sword.
Thorned-Crimson-Rector-Sword
Thorned Crimson Rector Sword (Image Taken By Me)
Thorned Crimson Rector Sword Stats Value
Type Long Sword
Weight 18.0
Physical 121 + 47
Holy 0
Fire 0
Wither 0

When I was new to Lords of the Fallen, I really loved the Throned Crimson Rector Sword, as it was one of my favorite weapons. Throned Crimson Rector Sword is not the best one-handed, but it is still a great weapon for early areas in Lords of the Fallen. 

While Putrid Child Sword is great, you can’t get it unless you have progressed a lot. So, you would most probably use it in the NG+ run. That is why Throned Crimson Rector Sword is another contender for the best one-handed sword in the early game.

  • Great for early areas. 
  • the requirements are not hard.
  • has a bleed status effect.
  • Not that great in mid or late-game.

5- Putrid Polearm

The Best One-handed Weapon For A Tank Build.
Putrid-Polearm
Putrid Polearm (Image Captured By Me)
Putrid Polearm Stats Value
Type Polearm
Weight 12.5
Physical 56 + 41
Holy 0
Fire 56 + 27
Wither 0

Polerarms are always treated as great one-handed weapons due to their reach and the fact that they can be used with shields. You can basically make a tank build with high DPS potential with a polearm. Personally, it is one of my favorite one-handed weapons in the game.

I have given it the best one-handed weapon for a tank build award, as you can use a shield with the weapon.

  • Allow you to use shields.
  • Scales with all stats.
  • Deals physical and wither damage.
  • Doesn’t have any status effects.
  • you would need 15 points in all stats.

4- Serrated Staff

The Best One-handed Weapon For Bleed.
Serrated-Staff
Serrated Staff (Screenshot Grab By eXputer)
Serrated Staff Stats Value
Type Polearm
Weight 13.5
Physical 66 + 41
Holy 0
Fire 33
Wither 0

Another polearm on the list is Serrated Staff, which can be found in the Lower Calrath area. The requirements to wield the weapon are 14 Strength and 18 Agility, making it another weapon that scales more with Agility, which is something I don’t like.

The status effect of the Serrated Staff makes it one of the best one-handed weapons for Bleed. I have used the polearm myself, and I would definitely recommend you try it.

  • Has 15 Bleed build-up, which is insane.
  • Deals fire and physical damage.
  • Scales more with agility.

3- Rusty Cutter

My Personal Best One-handed Weapon For Early Game.
Rusty-Cutter
Rusty Cutter (Image taken By Me)
Rusty Cutter Stats Value
Type Short Sword
Weight 8.5
Physical 42
Holy 0
Fire 42
Wither 0

I might look biased for putting Rusty Cutter a little higher on the list, but I really like the weapon. It was my favorite weapon in the early game areas, and it is definitely one of the best weapons in Lords of the Fallen. Also, do note that you can find it on the Skyrest Bridge. Moreover, the requirements to wield the weapon are 11 Strength and Inferno.

  • Great for early-game areas.
  • Less requirements to wield.
  • It has no status effect. 

2- Lightreaper Sword

My Personal Best One-handed Weapon.
Lightreaper-Sword
Lightreaper Sword (Screenshot Captured By Obaid)
Lightreaper Sword Stats Value
Type Short Sword
Weight 6.1
Physical 42
Holy 0
Fire 42
Wither 0

If you are looking for a direct upgrade of the Rusty Cutter, then Lightreaper Sword is the best option. It is a great weapon and has a really high DPS potential if used correctly. Lightreaper Sword is my personal favorite weapon in Lords of the Fallen as I dual-wield it and really enjoy the secret weapon art it has.

  • Has a secret art that is super cool.
  • Deals physical and fire damage.
  • The requirements to wield it aren’t harsh.
  • I don’t think there are any cons to the weapon. 

It could have been the best weapon on the list if it had a status effect, but that would’ve made the weapon OP. Also, the weapon already has a secret ability that deals high damage. However, for that, it must be dual-wielded and upgraded to +5

1- Pieta’s Sword

The Best One-handed Weapon In Game.
Pieta's-Sword
Pieta’s Sword (Image Taken By Obaid)
Pieta’s Sword Stats Value
Type Short Sword
Weight 5.3 
Physical 0
Holy 69 + 17
Fire 0
Wither 0
Smite 100

I have ranked Pieta’s Sword as the best Radiance Weapon and now as the best one-handed weapon in Lords of the Fallen. At first, I didn’t think the DPS of Pieta’s Sword would be high as a one-handed weapon. However, I was wrong, as it is arguably great.

  • Has a secret art that is triggered when dual-wielded with Elianne the Starved’s Sword.
  • Deals physical and fire damage.
  • The requirements to wield it aren’t harsh.
  • High requirements to wield. 

The sword only deals holy damage. Also, it has a smite status effect, which is one of the best mechanics in-game. Moreover, the requirement to wield the sword is a bit high as you would need 25 Radiance. As the weapon can be found pretty early. That being said, the weapon is great, and I would recommend every player to try it.

Which Is The Best One-Handed Weapon – My Recommendation

I think the best one-handed weapon is the Pieta’s Sword due to its high DPS potential.

My-In-Game-Hours
My In-Game Hours

That being said, I do have some recommendations for you. If you liked Pieta’s and Lighreaper Sword as one-handed weapons, then I would recommend you to dual-wield them with some other weapon. Regarding Lightreaper Sword, you will already have two, so dual-wielding is the best choice. If you want to use Pieta’s Sword, dual-wield it with Elianne’s sword

That is almost everything you would want to know about the best one-handed sword in Lords of the Fallen. 

So, while you are at it, you should check out my guide on the Best Class in Lords of the Fallen. After that, make sure to read the guide on where to find Gerlinde the Blacksmith so you can upgrade your weapons. Do not forget to visit the page of Irfan’s guide on the Best Hollowed Knight build if you are a fan of that class.

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Obaid is a Guides writer at eXputer who is passionate about games. With several years of experience in multiple genres like Soulslike and RPGs, Obaid now likes to carve out the minute details of every game and write about them. Obaid has proudly clocked in 3,000+ hours in Pokemon games, 2,000+ hours on Genshin Impact, and 300+ hours in Soulsborne titles during his 15+ years of gaming. You can follow his Gaming activity on Steam.

Experience: 2+ years || Mainly Covers Guides || Education: Bachelors in Law (LLB).

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