Elden Ring: Best Strength Weapons, Ranked

Even though some hardcore fans believe that Elden Ring is one of the easiest FromSoftware games (one fan even beat it in an hour!), newcomers to the series have struggled to pass even the first Major Boss. But of course, it wouldn't be a Souls-like game if it didn't mean players would need to die, rinse, and repeat continuously to cleanse the world of the ill-omened creatures.

Fortunately, players have access to powerful god-like weapons that can conquer even the largest foes. One powerful weapon class is that of Strength Weapons, which mostly take the form of Greatswords, Warhammers, and Halberds. With so many options available in Elden Ring, players will need to know which one is the best of them all.

Updated on March 25, 2025, by Gerardo Molina: Elden Ring is, without a doubt, the best game FromSoftware has released to date, as it retains many of the elements that make the Dark Souls franchise great while implementing new ones, along with improved graphics and more challenging boss fights. Players can choose from a large variety of builds that better suit their playstyles to take on the many obstacles they'll encounter along the way, and Strength is usually one of the most popular. There are several weapons available for Strength builds that players can wield to turn area enemies and bosses into smudges on the ground. Some are easy to obtain, whereas others require a lot more effort.

30 Beastclaw Greathammer

A Just Reward For Delivering Enough Deathroot

The Beastclaw Greathammer is an excellent weapon of choice for those looking to craft a Strength build, although it can also be a good option for those who want a Quality build that combines Strength and Dexterity. That is, if players have enough Strength to wield it properly. As opposed to other weapons in Elden Ring, the Beastclaw Greathammer is not found randomly throughout the Lands Between, and it's rather given to players by Gurranq as a reward for turning in their 7th Deathroot. Unfortunately, this weapon cannot be infused using Ashes of War, and it also can't be buffed with magic or consumables.

However, it can be upgraded using Somber Smithing Stones and has a sell value of 500 Runes. Sadly, after patch 1.0,8 all Great Hammers received a poise damage nerf, which greatly reduces how efficient this weapon is. That said, it’s still an excellent weapon of choice, regardless. The Beastclaw Greathammer requires 20 Strength, 10 Dexterity, and 18 Faith to wield properly, and at level +7, its Strength scaling goes from D to C. Not the best, but also not the worst.

29 Zweihander

Powerful Colossal Sword

Zweihander primarily scales with Strength and Dexterity in Elden Ring. Although it's considered a Colossal Weapon, Zweihander possesses the lightest weight, which makes it a bit versatile. This is perfect for players who prefer fast and heavy swing attacks instead of the usual three-hits attack that consumes the Stamina bar.

The weapon comes with a Skill called the Stamp (Upward Cut), which can be found in a plethora of weapons in Elden Ring. The Skill basically means players deliver a deadly upward strike that can easily stagger large enemies.

28 Ordovis's Greatsword

Great For Faith Builds

Ordovis's Greatsword mainly scales with Strength and Faith. The former starts with a C at level one and ends with an A at level 10, which provides great damage for Tarnished interested in a STR/FAI build in Elden Ring.

The Unique Skill, Ordovis’s Vortex, allows players to charge the Greatsword and slam it on the ground, dealing with Holy Damage. Keep in mind that the Strength scaling is much better than the Faith one, so Ordovis’s Greatsword is not a bad option as a Strength-based weapon.

27 Marais Executioner's Sword

Eochaid’s Dancing Blade

The Marais Executioner's Sword scales solely with Strength while the rest of the stats stay the same. Upgrading it requires some Somber Smithing Stones, which will allow the weapon's Strength to level up from an average C to a decent B. As for the weapon requirements, Tarnished must have 24 Strength, 14 Dexterity, and 23 Arcane.

The weapon's Skill is the Eochaid’s Dancing Blade, and it allows the weapon to be infused with Arcane and send it toward an opponent in a swinging attack. While the weapon may stagger small or medium-sized enemies, large foes like bosses in Elden Ring won’t be knocked down.

26 Gargoyle's Black Axe

Hunt The Black Blade Kindred

Similar to the Marais Executioner's Sword, the Gargoyle's Black Axe Strength is the only stat that improves, with the remaining stats staying the same. Wielding the Gargoyle's Black Axe will benefit Tarnished who already has an STR/FAI build as it requires 24 Strength, 8 Dexterity, and 22 Faith.

The Axe’s Skill, War Cry, is seen in many other weapons as it’s a handy Skill. Upon unleashing the cry, you will receive a buff and for 40 seconds all the strong attacks will become charge attacks.

25 Troll's Hammer

Useful For Defeating Multiple Foes

Troll's Hammer is one of the most underrated weapons in Elden Ring. Although its Active Skill, Troll’s Roar, is found on other weapons while exploring the Lands Between, the Hammer can be considered one of the heaviest Strength-based weapons among them.

While the skill does allow players to unleash a powerful shockwave that has a high chance of stunning enemies, the Troll’s Hammer's true powers lie in its powerful attack, which will cause heavy damage once the weapon reaches +25. Additionally, maxing out the Hammer will upgrade the Strength scaling from a normal C to a decent B.

24 Great Omenkiller Cleaver

Build Up Blood Loss

The Great Omenkiller Cleaver doesn’t only scale with Strength, it can also cause blood loss build-up in battles. Tarnished can try to use a Blood Affinity Ashes of War on the cleaver, which will upgrade the Strength scaling to B and the bleed becomes even stronger.

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The Wild Strikes allow the user to perform a chain of heavy attacks and, at the end, you can use a normal or a heavy attack. It’s great for building blood loss as players will be swinging at the enemy multiple times.

23 Winged Greathorn

Comes With The Powerful Soul Stifler Ability

As of Patch 1.09, the Winged Greathorn was buffed to have a better speed, range, recovery time, and many more. That doesn’t mean the weapon wasn’t useful before, but it had many disadvantages that may put players in a difficult or vulnerable position.

Other than the heavy damage inflicted by swinging around the Winged Greathorn, Tarnished can take advantage of the unique Skill that debuffs enemies upon contacting the harmful aura released by the Greathorn. The Skill may hinder players since the enemy must pass through the fog to get debuffed, but the results are worth it since the weapon’s damage increases.

22 Serpent-Hunter

Perfect For Attacking

The Serpent-Hunter in Elden Ring is similar to the Storm Ruler in Dark Souls 3. Although it’s possible to use it on other enemies, and it will deal great damage, the Serpent-Hunter is especially effective against the Shardbearer, Rykard Lord of Blasphemy. Although the boss is considered mid to late-game, players can acquire the Serpent-Hunter quite early by interacting with the Abductor Virgin in the lowest part of Raya Lucaria Academy.

One of the Serpent-Hunter’s great features is that the initial Strength scaling is B and later becomes A once fully upgraded. Players can take advantage of such Skill to wield one of the best Strength Weapons in the Elden Ring. While the weapon does scale with Dexterity, the E won’t be upgraded later on.

21 Rotten Greataxe

A Powerful Late-Game Weapon

The Rotten Greataxe is, without a doubt, one of the best-looking weapons in the entirety of Elden Ring, as not only is it massive, but it also looks extremely intimidating with its red and black undertones. Since it's a late-game weapon, it requires a whopping 30 Strength and 10 Dexterity to wield properly. This incredible weapon is dropped by the Rotten Duelist at the north of Ordina, Liturgical Town. The encounter isn’t extremely challenging, especially for players who have leveled up enough, but they should still proceed with caution.

The Rotten Greataxe’s active skill, “Endure”, can temporarily boost players’ poise so they can withstand more damage and still deliver powerful blows to their enemies, a very desirable trait for those building a Strength character. As opposed to the Beastclaw Greathammer, the Rotten Greataxe can be infused with Ashes of War and buffed by magic or consumables. It can also be upgraded by using Somber Smithing Stones and causes Scarlet Rot buildup. Normally, this weapon would not be recommended for those looking to play with a Strength build, as it seems to favor Dexterity more. However, when infused to the Heavy configuration, its Strength scaling goes from E to B, which is a considerable upgrade.