Greatsword Elden Ring: ⚔️ Best Greatswords, Locations & More!

Greatsword Elden Ring is one of the most rewarding weapon categories in the game, covering everything from the iconic colossal sword known simply as “the Greatsword” to faith-scaling curved blades and intelligence-powered moonlight weapons. The Greatsword category includes some of the highest-damage, most build-defining weapons in the entire game, and choosing the right one for your build determines your effectiveness through every stage of the journey.

Greatsword elden ring weapons scale primarily with Strength, though several exceptional options scale with Intelligence, Faith, or Dexterity instead. They deal high single-hit damage with good poise damage on each swing, enabling stance breaks against most enemy types with two or three well-timed hits. Their weight and speed require careful Endurance and poise management, but players who invest in these attributes find Greatswords consistently rewarding.

This guide covers the best Greatsword options across all build types, explains where to find each one, what Ashes of War and infusions work best, and which stat distributions make each Elden Ring weapon shine. Whether you are building a classic Strength tank or an Intelligence caster who wants a melee option, there is a Greatsword in Elden Ring designed for your playstyle.

Greatsword Elden Ring: Colossal Sword Category

The Greatsword: The Classic Choice

“The Greatsword” (the actual weapon named simply Greatsword) is arguably the most iconic weapon in the game due to its association with a certain beloved franchise and its raw, unfussy performance at maximum Strength scaling.

Location: Found in a chest on a carriage in the Caelid region, northwest of the Caelid Ruins Site of Grace. The carriage is guarded by two giant dogs that can be bypassed by running directly to the chest. No boss fight is required to obtain it.

Stats at base:

• Scales primarily with Strength (D at base, reaching B/A with Heavy infusion)
• Requires 31 Strength and 12 Dexterity to wield two-handed (22 Strength one-handed)
• Base physical damage is among the highest for a Greatsword type

Best Ashes of War:

• Lion’s Claw: Delivers a powerful flip-and-slam attack that deals high stance damage and hyper armor. One of the best physical-build weapon arts in the game.
• Giant Hunt: Upward swing that launches enemies into the air, excellent against tall enemies and bosses.
• Stamp (Upward Cut): A simpler but highly effective Ash that flows naturally into follow-up attacks.

Recommended build: Pure Strength, 54+ Strength with Heavy infusion. Pair with Bull-Goat’s Talisman and Shard of Alexander for maximum poise and weapon-art damage.

Best Greatswords by Build Type

Intelligence Build: Dark Moon Greatsword

The Dark Moon Greatsword is the signature Intelligence-scaling Greatsword and one of the most beloved weapons in the game for both its aesthetic and its unique mechanic.

Location: Obtained by completing Ranni the Witch’s full questline. The sword is found at the Cathedral of Manus Celes on the Moonlight Altar plateau after giving Ranni the Dark Moon Ring. No other method of acquisition exists — it is permanently tied to Ranni’s questline completion.

Key stats:

• Scales with Intelligence (primary) and Strength (secondary)
• Unique weapon art: Moonlight Greatsword charges the blade with a frost-and-magic aura and fires a wave of moonlight energy on heavy attacks
• Adds magic damage to all attacks when weapon art is active
• Requires 16 Intelligence and 16 Strength

Recommended build: Intelligence 60+ with Strength at minimum requirement. Pair with Cerulean Dagger and Graven-Mass Talisman for sustained magic output.

Faith Build: Blasphemous Blade

The Blasphemous Blade is the premier Faith-scaling Greatsword and one of the strongest overall weapons in the game due to its passive lifesteal mechanic.

Location: Obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Blasphemous at the Roundtable Hold with Finger Reader Enia after defeating Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy at Volcano Manor.

Key stats:

• Scales with Faith (primary), Strength, and Dexterity
• Unique weapon art Taker’s Flames launches a wave of flame that deals damage and restores your HP
• Passive effect: Restores a small amount of HP on every enemy kill, regardless of attack type
• Requires 22 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 21 Faith

Recommended build: Faith 60+, Strength 22-30, Dexterity 15-20. Pair with Two Fingers Heirloom and Assassin’s Cerulean Dagger for FP and HP sustainability.

Strength/Quality Build: Ordovis’ Greatsword

Ordovis’ Greatsword is an exceptional mid-game through endgame option with a unique crucible-themed moveset and natural A scaling in Strength at high upgrade levels.

Location: Dropped by Crucible Knight Ordovis at the Auriza Hero’s Grave dungeon in the Capital Outskirts, reachable before entering Leyndell Royal Capital.

Key stats:

• C Strength scaling at base, upgrades to A at +10
• Unique weapon art that launches a sweeping crucible energy slash
• Heavy poise damage per swing that enables consistent stance breaks
• Requires 25 Strength and 12 Dexterity

DLC: Greatsword of Solitude

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC introduced the Greatsword of Solitude, a Great Katana that became one of the most popular DLC weapons for Strength and Dexterity builds.

Location: Dropped by the Blackgaol Knight in the Western Nameless Mausoleum, one of the first challenging optional bosses accessible in the DLC area.

This is the first weapon in the new Great Katana class introduced by the DLC, with a heavy, two-handed moveset that deals significant poise damage and scales cleanly with Strength.

Greatsword Comparison Table

How to Build Around Greatswords

Stat Priorities by Build Type

Pure Strength Greatsword:

1. Vigor to 40 (survivability baseline)
2. Endurance to 25 (equip load and stamina for multiple swings)
3. Strength to 54 (soft cap for two-handed scaling)
4. Heavy Ash of War infusion on Greatsword

Intelligence Greatsword (Dark Moon):

1. Intelligence to 60 (primary damage stat)
2. Mind to 20-24 (FP for sustained weapon art usage)
3. Vigor to 40
4. Strength to minimum requirement (16)

Faith Greatsword (Blasphemous Blade):

1. Faith to 45-60
2. Vigor to 40
3. Strength to 22 (minimum for wielding)
4. No infusion needed — Blasphemous Blade cannot be infused

Pro Tips: Greatsword Elden Ring

• Grab the Greatsword from Caelid early — even at low level: The carriage can be reached before fighting any major Caelid boss. Sprint past the dogs, open the chest, and grab the Greatsword without engaging. It is one of the best Strength weapons available at any level once your stats meet the requirement.
• Complete Ranni’s questline before finishing the game for Dark Moon Greatsword: The questline locks out after certain story progression points. Missing it means missing the Intelligence Greatsword permanently on that playthrough.
• Use Lion’s Claw for stance break priority: The Greatsword with Lion’s Claw breaks enemy stance in two or three hits consistently, opening every boss to a critical hit. Build your timing around stance management rather than raw hit count.
• Upgrade Greatswords to +25 before endgame bosses: Greatswords scale most dramatically in the upper upgrade range. Under-upgraded weapons feel weak; fully upgraded weapons feel oppressive.
• Pair Blasphemous Blade with Shard of Alexander: The Taker’s Flames weapon art damage benefits significantly from the Shard of Alexander’s +15% weapon art damage bonus, increasing both its damage output and its HP return per cast.

Common Mistakes Greatsword Elden Ring Players Make

1. Under-investing in Vigor when using heavy Greatswords. Slow weapons leave you vulnerable during recovery frames. Players who pour everything into Strength without reaching Vigor 40 find themselves dying from single-hit combos they cannot survive. Fix: Reach Vigor 40 before pushing Strength past 40. The HP buffer is worth more in survivability than the marginal damage increase from early Strength scaling.
2. Trying to use the Dark Moon Greatsword without completing Ranni’s questline. Many players are told about this weapon and look for it without knowing the questline requirement. Fix: Start Ranni’s questline at the earliest opportunity (after Caria Manor) and follow every step through to the Cathedral of Manus Celes.
3. Applying wrong infusions to weapons that cannot be infused. Several Greatswords including the Blasphemous Blade and Dark Moon Greatsword cannot have Ashes of War applied or standard infusions. Attempting to infuse them wastes upgrade materials on smithing stones applied to a weapon that does not accept them. Fix: Read each weapon’s description before spending upgrade materials. If “Ash of War” is grayed out in the menu, the weapon cannot be infused.

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All game images used in this blog post belong to FromSoftware and Bandai Namco. They are used for informational and educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation with the rights holders.

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