In this Elden Ring guide, I will share all the Greatswords in Elden Ring. Some of the Greatswords you can discover while traversing the Lands Between, while for some, you’ll have to defeat bosses.
The Greatswords weapon class is common in every Soulslike game. There are 21 Greatswords in Elden Ring, and I will share their movesets, strengths, weapon skills, and why you should use a particular Greatsword (or not!).
Dark Souls players, do you remember the Claymore?
Yes, that classic Greatsword is available in Elden Ring, too!
So, without more babbling, let me jump into the Elden Ring Greatswords catalog.
Note: This guide is an overview of all the Greatswords in Elden Ring – in no particular order.
Greatswords are one of the most OP weapons you can wield in Elden Ring, and they have also featured in previous FromSoftware games. These weapons inflict massive physical damage but come at a cost – they are really heavy!
So, unless you have spent a lot of Runes on upgrading yourself and increased your Equip Load, don’t even think of swinging a Greatsword at the enemies. The weight of these swords compromises mobility, making you vulnerable to enemy and boss attacks.
You can upgrade your Greatswords with almost any Ash of War (such as Storm Stomp) and make an OP weapon for your playstyle. As FromSoftware released upgrade patches for the game, the weapon usage has increased a LOT!
Claymore
If you have played any of the FromSoftware’s games, you already know the classic greatsword – Claymore. It featured in Demon Souls, Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and finally returning in Elden Ring.
Claymore scales with Strength and Dexterity. You will require 16 Strength points and 13 Dexterity points to use this classic greatsword. It is one of the lightest greatswords in the Elden Ring, weighing 9.
Coupled with the Lion’s Claw Ash of War, you can inflict some severe damage on your enemies.
You can find Claymore early in the game from a chest in Castle Morne in the Weeping Peninsula region. Its powerful thrusting attack lets you backstab enemies and kill them in one shot.
Iron Greatsword
The Iron Greatsword shares the default moveset of many other greatswords and deals some severe physical damage of 149+. It’s a generic greatsword that suits any build and has a higher base physical damage than every other greatsword in Elden Ring.
The Iron Greatsword is one of the heaviest greatswords, weighing 12. It requires Strength (18) and Dexterity (10) attributes to be used. This greatsword comes with a default weapon skill of Stamp (Upward Cut) but can be infused with other Ashes of War and buffed with Consumables and Magic.
The Iron Greatsword is more of a mid-game weapon, as you can find it at two possible places. It is dropped by either Misbegotten in Leyndell, Royal Capital, or Misbegotten Warrior in Miquella’s Haligtree, north of the Haligtree Town Plaza Site of Grace.
Lordsworn’s Greatsword
The Lordsworn’s Greatsword comes with a basic moveset, very similar to the Bastard Greatsword and Iron Greatsword. However, you can infuse it with most Ashes of War to increase its attack power.
This greatsword scales with Strength and Dexterity, and you need only 16 Strength and 10 Dexterity to be used. It is one of the lightest greatswords, weighing only 9. It has a high Critical rating (110), second only to Sacred Relic Greatsword.
The Lordsworn’s Greatsword is the earliest obtainable greatsword in the Elden Ring. You can find it in a chest at Gatefront Ruins. Due to its low stats requirement, it can be dual-handed even with low Strength.
Knight’s Greatsword
The Knight’s Greatsword deals with Physical Damage and has a unique two-handed moveset similar to the Banished Knight’s Greatsword and Inseparable Greatsword.
In terms of weight, this greatsword falls in the middle, weighing 10. It scales with Strength and Dexterity, and you need 16 Strength and 12 Dexterity to use it. It comes with a default weapon skill of Stamp (Upward Cut) but can be outfitted with most Ashes of War.
There are four possible locations to find this greatsword quite early in the game. Dropped by chance from the following enemies: Godrick Knights (Limgrave), Cuckoo Knights (Liurnia of the Lakes), Leyndell Knights (Altus Plateau and Leyndell, Royal Capital), and Mausoleum Knights (Bellum Highway, Consecrated Snowfield, or Deeproot Depths).
Banished Knight’s Greatsword
The Banished Knight’s Greatsword is the best early-game greatsword you can have in your corner. It has a fantastic, unique combo moveset and can be used with many of the best Ashes of War, such as Stormcaller, Storm Blade, Storm Assault, and more.
The Banished Knight’s Greatsword deals powerful base Physical Damage and has a D-scaling with both Strength and Dexterity. You require 17 Strength and 9 Dexterity to use this weapon. It also has an average weight of 10.
The Banished Knight’s Greatsword is dropped early in the game by Banished Knights, who are present in Stormveil Castle, Cathedral of Dragon Communion, Castle Sol, and even Crumbling Farum Azula.
Forked Greatsword
The Forked Greatsword comes with a unique forked design and is a weaker version of Flamberge. It comes with innate blood loss buildup but has a basic moveset, a short range, and a lower attack rating than other greatswords.
This greatsword is lighter, weighing only 9, and can be outfitted with Poison or Frostbite status effect. It scales with Strength and Dexterity. You need 14 Strength and 16 Dexterity to use it.
The Forked Greatsword can be found sooner than the Flamberge as Imp enemies in Road’s End Catacombs or Minor Erdtree Catacombs drop it. However, it deals less damage than the Flamberge in nearly every aspect. So, I recommend you pair it with Flamberge or another Forked Greatsword for a dual playstyle.
Flamberge
Flamberge is another signature greatsword in FromSoftware games. It was previously featured in Dark Souls 3 and returned in Elden Ring. Just like Forked Greatsword, Flamberge comes with innate blood loss buildup.
Flamberge has a basic default moveset and deals decent physical damage. It weighs 10 and scales with Strength and Dexterity. You need 15 Strength and 14 Dexterity to wield. It is excellent for a status effect build, as you can add a Poison or Frostbite effect to it, too.
You can find Flamberge in Redmane Castle in Caelid, which scales best with any Keen Ash of War. The low attack power of this weapon is outweighed by its innate Blood Loss effect, especially in boss fights.
Gargoyle’s Greatsword
The Gargoyle’s Greatsword has one of the best scalings in the game and can be infused with almost any Ash of War, especially Vacuum Slice or Storm Assault. It has a lower base damage when you first find it, but after scaling it, the Gargoyle’s Greatsword is a powerful weapon.
The Gargoyle’s Greatsword is a heavy weapon with 11.5 weight. It scales with Strength and Dexterity but better with Strength. You require 18 Strength and 10 Dexterity to use it.
To find the Gargoyle’s Greatsword, you must defeat the Valiant Gargoyle duo boss in the underground region of Sofia Aqueduct. It is a strong greatsword but vastly outperformed by Iron Greatsword in nearly every attack area.
Gargoyle’s Blackblade
Gargoyle’s Blackblade is very similar in shape and design to the Gargoyle’s Greatsword, except for the black tip. The Blackblade has a unique weapon skill, Corpse Wax Cutter. It deals with Holy Damage, along with the Physical Damage.
Gargoyle’s Blackblade is one of the heaviest greatswords, weighing 11.5. It scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, but best with Strength. You need 18 Strength, 10 Dexterity, and 22 Faith to wield this weapon. The Blackblade has the highest attack power out of all the Holy Damage-inflicting greatswords at 66.
The Blackblade Kindred boss in the northern Caelid region near Bestial Sanctum drops the Blackblade. In the same region, you can find and kill the Sleeping Dragon to farm 50,000 Runes.
You can boost Gargoyle’s Blackblade with Sacred Scorpion Charm and Holy-Shrouding Cracked Tear. Since Corpse Wax Cutter is a unique skill, the weapon’s Ash of War is not changeable.
Inseparable Sword
The Inseparable Sword has a unique two-handed moveset, like Knight’s Greatsword and Banished Knight’s Greatsword. It comes with a powerful weapon skill, Sacred Blade. And, similar to Gargoyle’s Blackblade, it deals Physical and Holy damage with attacks.
The Inseparable Sword has an average weight of 10 and scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith. It deals +20 damage to undead enemies and even stops skeletons from reviving. However, since Sacred Blade is a unique weapon skill, it cannot be outfitted with an Ash of War.
You can acquire the Inseperable Sword late in the game at Prince of Death’s Throne after giving D’s brother D’s Twinned Armour.
Sword of Milos
The Sword of Milos is a greatsword with a unique shape and an even more unique weapon skill. It is made from the backbone of a grotesque giant named Milos and comes with a default weapon skill called the Shriek of Milos.
The Shriek of Milos is a horrific cursed scream that reduces all damage negation and status resistances for nearby foes. When applied, your strong attacks will change to a combo attack.
The Sword of Milosscales with Strength and Dexterity. However, the scaling is not that good. The sword has an average weight of 10 and requires 15 Strength and 19 Dexterity to be used. It also comes with inherent blood loss buildup.
Dung Eater drops the Sword of Milos in Subterranean Shunning-Grounds at Leyndell, Royal Capital. It restores some FP upon defeating an enemy, thus posing as a perfect weapon for magic casters.
Marais Executioner’s Sword
The Marais Executioner’s Sword has a unique vertical attack instead of the general horizontal attacks. It comes with a cool default weapon skill called Eochaid’s Dancing Blade – a powerful corkscrew attack that lets you spin and throw the blade at enemies.
The weapon scales primarily with Strength and Arcane and secondarily with Dexterity. You require 24 Strength, 23 Arcane, and 14 Dexterity to wield this weapon. The default weapon skill can be buffed with Godfrey’s Icon, Winged Sword Insignia, Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, or Millicent’s Prosthesis.
You can acquire Marais Executioner’s Sword by defeating Elemer of the Briar at The Shaded Castle, Altus Plateau. It is one of the heavier greatswords, weighing 11.5, so ensure you upgrade your character before you wield this.
Ordovis’s Greatsword
The Ordovis’s Greatsword is perfect for players with Strength and Faith builds. The weapon comes with Ordovis’s Vortex – a powerful attack that lets you spin the blade before you powerfully slam it into the ground.
The Ordovis’s Greatsword is one of the heaviest greatswords in Elden Ring, weighing 12. It scales excellently with Strength but not so well with Faith and Dexterity. To use this weapon, you need 25 Strength, 13 Dexterity, and 15 Faith.
You need to defeat the Crucible Knights duo boss in Auriza Hero’s Grave in Altus Plateau. You can boost this weapon’s default weapon skill with Godfrey’s Icon.
Alabaster Lord’s Sword
The Alabaster Lord’s Sword is one of the few weapons that scale with Intelligence. It is the lightest (weighing 8) and the shortest greatsword in the Elden Ring. It deals both physical and magic damage. The weapon comes with a default weapon skill called Alabaster Lord’s Pull.
The Alabaster Lord’s Sword primarily scales with Strength and secondarily with Dexterity and Intelligence. You need 16 Strength, 12 Dexterity, and 18 Intelligence to use this weapon. If you wear the Spellblade armor set, you get increased damage.
The Alabaster Lord’s Sword’s weapon skill is a low-damage skill compared to other greatswords, and you cannot change the Ash of War. Defeat the Alabaster Lord in the Lake of Rot (Ainsel River) or farm the Alabaster Lords in the Yelough Anix Tunnel (a cave in Consecrated Snowfield) to get this weapon.
Bastard Sword
The Bastard Sword is perfect in crowded situations due to its powerful sweeping moveset. It is a heavy sword and perfect for those who prefer dodging rather than parrying. It is primarily a one-handed weapon, but you can dual-wield it if you have higher strength.
The weapon comes with a basic default weapon skill – Stamp (Upward Cut). However, it can be outfitted with Ashes of War and buffed with Magic and Consumables.
The weight of this greatsword is 9. It scales with Strength and Dexterity, and you need 16 Strength and 10 Dexterity to be able to wield it.
You don’t need to fight anyone for the Bastard Sword. You can simply purchase it for 3000 Runes from the Nomadic Merchant on the eastern side of the Weeping Peninsula. So, it is one of the easily acquirable greatswords early in the game.
Death’s Poker
The Death’s Poker is a uniquely shaped greatsword that looks more like a stick and less like a sword. The weapon comes with a default skill called Ghostflame Ignition, which scales purely with Intelligence.
The sword is lightweight, weighing only 8.5, and scales primarily with Dexterity and secondarily with Strength and Intelligence. You need 15 Strength, 17 Dexterity, and 11 Intelligence to use it. The weapon has an inherent Frostbit buildup, and its Ash of War is unchangeable.
You can get this greatsword early in the game by defeating a miniboss Death Rite Bird, an enemy that only appears at night, at any of these locations: Liurnia of the Lakes, Caelid, Mountaintops of the Giants, or Consecrated Snowfield.
Helphen’s Steeple
Helphen’s Steeple deals physical and magic damage and comes with a default weapon skill called Ruinous Ghostflame – it’s a weapon buff and not an attack. The weapon skill is powerful and deals the most attack damage when coupled with another greatsword like Dark Moon Greatsword.
The weapon is one of the heavier greatswords with a weight of 11.5. It scales the best with Intelligence but also with Strength and Dexterity. You need 19 Strength, 10 Dexterity, and 22 Intelligence to wield this weapon.
A downside of this weapon is that you cannot change its Ash of War, and it’s found late in the game. A Tibia Mariner drops the Helphen’s Steeple on the Mountaintops of the Giants, near Castle Sol. You can get Death’s Poker and Helphen’ Steeple as you traverse the Mountaintop of the Giants.
Blasphemous Blade
Blasphemous Blade has a unique skill called Taker’s Flame, which deals much more damage than a similar weapon skill, Corpse Wax Cutter, found on Gargoyle Blackblade. Taker’s Flame also heals you with each attack, while Corpse Wax Cutter does not.
The weapon deals fire damage along with physical damage. The Blasphemous Blade is the heaviest greatsword in the Elden Ring, weighing 13.5. It scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith. You need 22 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 21 Faith to use it.
You can acquire this powerful greatsword by trading the Remembrance of the Blasphemous (dropped by Rykard, the Lord of Blasphemy) with Enia at Roundtable Hold.
Golden Order Greatsword
The Golden Order Greatsword is made of light and closely resembles the Elden Ring itself. The weapon comes with a unique weapon skill called Establish Order. Its default weapon skill is a two-stage attack that sends out a powerful golden wave that abolishes everything in its path.
The Golden Order Greatsword is one of the 9 legendary armaments and scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Faith. You need 16 Strength, 21 Dexterity, and 28 Faith to use the weapon. It is a versatile weapon that deals Holy damage in melee and medium-range combats.
To get this greatsword, defeat Misbegotten Crusader in Cave of the Forlorn (Consecrated Snowfield).
Dark Moon Greatsword
The Dark Moon Greatsword is another legendary armament and an important part of the Elden Ring lore. A Carian Queen bestowed it upon her spouse to honor long-standing tradition. An advantage of using this weapon is it comes with innate Frost buildup.
The weapon deals physical and magic damage and weighs only 10. The greatsword scales primarily with Intelligence and secondarily with Strength and Dexterity. You need 16 Strength, 11 Dexterity, and 38 Intelligence to get the best out of this weapon.
You need to do the Ranni’s questline for this greatsword. It can be found under the Cathedral of Manus Celes after giving Ranni the Dark Moon Ring.
Sacred Relic Sword
The Sacred Relic Sword deals Physical and Holy damage. The Wave of Gold weapon skill is mighty and arguably one of the best in the game. You can kill multiple weak enemies with just one wave!
The sword weighs 11 and scales with Dexterity, Strength, and Faith. You need 14 Strength, 24 Dexterity, and 22 Faith to wield this weapon. You can increase your attack power by pairing it with the Blasphemous Blade or the Sword of Milos.
The sword is found at the end of the game by defeating Elden Beast, making it an NG+ weapon.
Summing Up
Greatswords are an excellent choice of weapon in Elden Ring, provided that you can wield them properly. Here, we’ve listed out all the Greatswords that you can find in the game — there’s enough information on them for you to decide which sword you could be slaying enemies with next.
If you’re not someone who’s “great” with Greatswords (sorry), don’t worry. You can check out our selection of the best Katanas in Elden Ring to find your next melee weapon in the Lands Between!
