Elden Ring has a large variety of weapons and playstyles to choose from, straight swords continue to be a solid option, though not quite as overpowered as they were back in Dark Souls. Still, the variety in Elden Ring is excellent and there are many options for varied builds. Some weapons will be increasingly more difficult to obtain than others, while some you will find quite easily.
These weapons will work for a variety of builds, and none of them will work as an overall choice for all builds, as each has utility in its own way and there are a ton of different weapon options to find. Players will be able to easily see, however, the value that each of these one-handed swords gives.
Updated August 1, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The best one handed swords in Elden Ring tend to top the charts of the best one handed weapons in Elden Ring in general as well. They are very versatile, with a variety of movesets available over countless swords, and can bring a Tarnished to the end of the game despite their simplicity. In Elden Ring the best one handed weapon is arguably the Rivers of Blood katana, as there is nothing else that’s caused the same ire in the community. When you don’t take broken builds that break already-broken weapons into account, though, there’s a lot more to choose from when it comes to the best one handed swords Elden Ring has to offer.
10 Broadsword
The Broadsword might seem like a run-of-the-mill weapon, but it’s secretly one of the most efficient Swords in Elden Ring. It has excellent Strength scaling when made Heavy via the Ash of War menu, and the default Weapon Skill Square Off is one of the best for the early game.
It swings horizontally for many of its attack animations, which makes it just as efficient at taking out groups of enemies as a single opponent. It’s a weapon that doesn’t require much of its wielder, but the damage output, relatively low weight, animation hitboxes, and ability to be infused and buffed makes it a standout “vanilla” weapon.
How To Get A Broadsword
The Confessor starting class begins the game with a Broadsword, but one can also be bought from a Nomadic Merchant in Limgrave. He sits under a piece of ruin next to the Coastal Cave, which is just below the First Steps Site of Grace. It costs 1800 Runes, a not-small amount early in the game, but it’s well worth the investment.
9 Carian Knight’s Sword
The Carian Knight’s Sword is a very good weapon choice for players dedicated to Intelligence and Sorceries. It splits its damage type between regular and Magic Damage, which makes enemies take more damage than weapons with only one damage type most of the time (though resistances can make overall damage output lower, a more common factor for Holy weapons).
The Ash of War allows players to summon and charge a gigantic Glintstone sword above their head to smash down on their target. It can be charged a few times, and when the player lets go it slams into the ground dealing damage appropriate to how long the Skill was charged for.
How To Get Carian Knight’s Sword
The Carian Knight’s Sword, appropriately, is found a short way south of the Carian Manor in western Liurnia of the Lakes. Starting from the Lunar Estate Ruins, head south until you see a Carriage being pulled by two Trolls in the distance.Either attack the Trolls to get them to stop or carefully jump onto the back of the Carriage to find one of the best one handed weapons in Elden Ring in a chest.
8 The Coded Sword
The coded sword is a fantastic choice for players putting points into the faith skill. The sword’s damage is entirely based on Holy with no physical damage to speak of, and it starts with a B ranks scaling for the Faith stat.
The Coded Sword’s specific skill also allows players to create some range by extending the blade quite far for a few swings with the added bonus that it cannot be blocked by shields during these attacks. If a Tarnished is only dabbling in faith, however, the Coded Sword might not be the best option as there are a few other weapons with better damage scaling.
How To Get The Coded Sword
The Coded Sword is found in Leyndell, Royal Capital, specifically in the Fortified Manor. This reflection of Roundtable Hold is found about midway through Leyndell. From the West Capital Rampart Site of Grace find your way to the Fortified Manor, First Floor Grace just below in the sand. Head outside and look for rooftops to climb on leading to the second floor. The Coded Sword is found in a side room near the Roundtable.
7 The Rotten Crystal Sword
A great choice for those favoring straight swords over curved, the Rotten Crystal Sword edges out its very similar Crystal Sword variant due to the scarlet rot passive buildup with each hit, as well as the Spinning Slash weapon skill. Straight swords have always had useful and efficient swing patterns and can deal a hefty amount of physical damage.
On top of this, the Rotten Crystal Sword gets additional magic damage making it a solid choice for a variety of builds.
How To Get The Rotten Crystal Sword
This sword can be found in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree in a chest guarded by three Crystalians. The Crystalians are found just after the Erdtree Avatar that stands next to a group of ballistae, guarding the entrance to the inner wall. Head through this entrance, light the Elphael Inner Wall Site of Grace, and turn left to climb over a large root. The three Crystalians are sitting on the other side, and can be lured one-by-one.
6 The Sword of St. Trina
The Sword of St. Trina is a fantastic choice for PVE though not quite as useful against other players. What makes this sword unique is that it is one of two melee weapons that make use of Elden Ring’s sleep mechanic. The Ashe of War called Mists of Slumber causes a wave of sleep powder to wash over an area in front of the player.
This can be especially useful for those duo boss fights such as the Godskin Duo, allowing players to knock out one of the bosses and focus on the other without interruption or having to split aggro.
How To Get The Sword of St. Trina
The sword can be found in the Forsaken Ruins, a location in northwest Caelid. Here, at the eastern base of Caelid’s western cliffs, there are a few ruins that dot the surroundings. The Forsaken Ruins are the northernmost, and the Sword of St Trina can be accessed by opening a sealed door with a Stonesword key.
5 The Antspur Rapier
This thrusting sword is a fantastic choice for many players’ builds. The main draw of the Antspur Rapier is its scarlet rot buildup. As a passive perk, it can be massively helpful in both PVP and PVE.
Pairing this with a great shield such as the Fingerprint shield can make many bosses easy work. It is limited in its ability to take on groups, but it’s hard to beat in a one-on-one fight.
How To Get The Antspur Rapier
The Antspur Rapier is found in the Altus Plateau, near the Shaded Castle. It drops from Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan, who invades the player just west of The Shaded Castle in a clearing.
4 The Sword Of Night And Flame
This Legendary weapon will be familiar to most players at this point, as it has been showcased as one of the best one-handed weapons in Elden Ring due to its dual weapon arts and varied damage. The first weapon art is a scaled-down version of the Comet Azur sorcery, albeit for a significantly cheaper FP cost, and the second is a sweeping flame arc in front of the caster.
Each is triggered either by using the Light or Heavy attack button when using the Night And Flame Stance skill. The Sword of Night and Flame does require the Tarnished’s Intelligence and Faith stats to be at a 24 minimum, which makes this weapon more suited for Spellcaster than others. There is something to be said for giving other players access to these spells, though.
How To Get The Sword of Night and Flame
The Sword of Night and Flame is found in the Carian Manor in northwest Liurnia. To find it, start at the Manor Lower Level Site of Lost Grace and navigate across the Ramparts, taking the left-most path, and look for a series of cascading rooftops to drop down to on the left. Jump down here, avoiding the spirits that periodically get summoned, and drop down into a room containing the Sword of Night and Flame.
3 The Hand of Malenia
Though it will take a lot of work and very high dexterity to wield the Hand of Malenia (47 to be exact), it will be worth it for most players. Alongside being the second biggest katana in the game after the Nagakiba, it has a passive 50 bleed buildup and is easily the best weapon art in Elden Ring.
The skill titled Waterfowl Dance is incredibly aggressive and impossible to interrupt after the initial wind-up. It allows the player to unleash a flurry of slashes in a three-tiered combo that absolutely melts most health bars in PVP and PVE. Its range also makes it great for dual wielding if you obtain a second.
How To Get The Hand of Malenia
The Hand of Malenia is a Boss weapon, and thus can only be acquired by trading Malenia’s Remembrance with Enia in Roundtable Hold. Beat Malenia, take her Remembrance, and select this Katana when given the option to trade the Remembrance for items.
2 The Moonveil Katana
What was undoubtedly one of the best katanas in Elden Ring until Patch 1.03 still holds its weight after having its damage slightly lessened. In addition to having a 50 point bleed build as a passive, the Moonveil has one of the best weapon skills in the game, Transient Moonlight.
This skill allows the user to slash vertically or horizontally a wave of magic that is not only fast but quite high in damage. This makes Moonveil one of the best weapons in the game for anyone with a dexterity and intelligence build.
How To Get Moonveil
The Moonveil Katana is found at the end of the Gael Tunnel after beating the Magma Wyrm boss. The Gael Tunnel can be accessed from Limgrave, but to get to the boss you must take the Caelid entrance. From any Site of Grace in northwest Caelid head to the base of the cliffs and look for an entrance to a cave. On the map, the Gael Tunnel is on the border of Caelid and Limgrave, but the entrances on both sides don’t quite line up. Be sure to ride Torrent through the Scarlet Rot pools while looking for the entrance to avoid damage.
1 Rivers Of Blood
Prior to patch 1.03 Rivers of Blood was a decent weapon but nothing special mainly due to the fact that it scaled with Arcane and unfortunately that scaling was bugged and did not work properly. Post-patch, however, it has become a force to be reckoned with. Arcane scaling has been fixed and its ties to bleed damage make this weapon even deadlier than it already was.
Rivers of Blood has a 66 passive bleed buildup with a weapon art, Corpse Piler, that stacks even more on top and gives a slight extra attack range to the weapons swing set.
How To Get Rivers of Blood
To obtain the Rivers of Blood katana players must defeat Bloody Finger Okina at the Church of Repose in the Mountaintops of the Giants region. This must be done before the Fire Giant boss is killed however as the invader will not invade after the Giant is defeated.
Elden Ring is available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
