Elden Ring: 11 Best early weapons for all builds & where to find them

As soon as you step into Elden Ring, you’ll come across plenty of brutal enemies trying to kill you. So here are the 11 best weapons available early in the game for all builds. We’ll also cover their locations and the best builds to use them with.

Every Elden Ring weapon listed below caters to distinct builds and playstyles, ensuring that by the journey’s end, you’ll have a thorough grasp of which weapons suit your Tarnished character best.

However, in the early hours of the game, it can be tough to know which weapons are best or most suited to you and how you approach various combat scenarios. Whether you’re a Samurai, a Knight, a Wizard, or something in between, there will be an early Elden Ring weapon that suits your build for almost any occasion.

Now that the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is out, there’s no better time to jump back into the game. So we’ve selected what we feel are the 11 best early weapons you can obtain in Elden Ring.

Best early weapons in Elden Ring

From katanas, greatswords, and daggers to staffs, axes, and seals, here are 11 of the best early weapons to find scattered around the Lands Between in Elden Ring.

Bloodhound Fang

The Bloodhound’s Fang is one of the best early Dexterity and bleed build weapons you can find in Elden Ring. This curved Greatsword inflicts passive hemorrhage and can be obtained by defeating Bloodhound Knight Darriwil at the Forlorn Hound Evergaol.

This is a tough fight, even though it occurs early in the game. What makes it hard is that you can’t summon co-op partners or Spirit Summons for Evergaol fights. However, you can summon Blaidd to help you take down Darriwil.

When you meet Blaidd at the Mistwood Ruins, he’ll tell you he’s hunting Darriwil. Once this exchange has taken place, you can summon his NPC for backup in the fight. Having Blaidd by your side makes this boss battle much easier and will help you secure the Bloodhound Fang in Elden Ring.

Demi-Human Queen’s Staff

This is one for traditional sorcerer builds to look for. During the first part of the game, players will want to exploit every bit of magic they can, as it is easier to handle while still learning how to properly dodge, roll, and parry.

This Demi-Human Queen’s Staff is a basic Glintstone Staff that can be found in the Weeping Peninsula, which is not too far out from where you begin your quest in The Lands Between. To acquire it, you’ll need to go to the Demi-Human Forest Ruins located on the north side of the Weeping Peninsula and fight the demi-humans and their queen to make her drop the weapon.

To be able to use it, you’ll need to take your Intelligence stat up to 10.

The Grafted Blade Greatsword

The Grafted Blade Greatsword can be found in Castle Morne in Elden Ring’s Weeping Peninsula and is ideal for strength builds. The sword looks a lot like the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones and is remarkably strong for such an early-game weapon.

When fully upgraded, it can even carry you through NG+ if your build suits the sword. It’s part of Edgar’s quest and can be obtained by killing the Leonine Misbegotten boss at Castle Morne. This is an excellent and powerful greatsword suited for strength builds.

The Sword of Night and Flame

This is one of the best swords in the game for magic users or those making hybrid battlemage builds. You’ll need to have progressed in Elden Ring somewhat to obtain it though, as the sword is located in the Caria Manor. You’ll need to jump off the ramparts into a lower section, then go through an open trapdoor to find it.

The sword was nerfed in an update for the game but still remains one of the strongest items for Intelligence builds. While it’s still an early-game weapon, you’ll need to have defeated Rennala. The sword can’t be found at the very start of the game, but it’ll still be useful even by the end of your time with Elden Ring.

Reduvia

Another excellent weapon for bleed builds, don’t overlook this little dagger in Elden Ring as the Reduvia can be a very useful sidearm or main weapon. The dagger will be dropped by the invading NPC Bloody Finger Nerijus upon being killed. Luckily, the Samurai Yura will show up to help you battle Nerijus so the dagger will be relatively simple to obtain.

Nerijus will invade as you travel upriver, north of Agheel Lake, and after you’ve met Yura. Don’t rush to fight him right away, let Yura arrive to help you, then take him down together – unless you’re feeling brave.

It’s useful because it causes passive bleed damage to enemies. This can really shorten difficult boss battles. You can even just equip it as a secondary weapon, cause some bleed build-up, and then switch back to your main weapon if you like.

Uchigatana

A sword all Dexterity builds should aim to own, Elden Ring’s Uchigatana is the starting item for Samurai characters but should be picked up by those who chose a different class. The katana sword can be found inside the Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhil very early in the game.

It’s especially useful to Dexterity and Intelligence builds who are creating a battle-mage character or a dedicated bleed build. In fact, the sword when upgraded to focus on bleed damage can make an excellent companion sword to the Rivers of Blood weapon found later in the game. That is if you want to maximize bleed damage by dual-wielding two katanas.

The Uchigatana is arguably better than Rivers of Blood, however, the latter has a sword art that makes them the perfect pairing for bleed builds. Therefore, as far as the best early weapons in Elden Ring go, the Uchi is royalty – just like it was in Dark Souls.

Twinblade

For those pure dexterity builds looking to channel their inner Darth Maul then the Twinblade is an excellent choice. It’s a dexterity-based weapon, but one that can last you the whole game when upgraded with various Ashes of War scattered around Elden Ring’s terrain.

It can be found in a chest in the Dragon-Burnt Ruins, just watch out for the Flying Dragon Agheel who guards the area.

Claymore

As any strength-build crafting Dark Souls veteran will tell you, the Claymore is one of the most balanced and reliable mid-weight greatswords in any FromSoftware game. You’ll likely swap it for something more powerful eventually, but the Claymore will serve you well for a good portion of Elden Ring if you’re the right build.

The sword stacks with Strength and Dexterity and can be found in the Castle Morne courtyard near the pile of burning corpses. It can also be infused with a variety of Ashes of War.

Greataxe

The Greataxe is a supremely powerful strength weapon that can be found very early in Elden Ring. The axe is located in the chest of the first carriage you’ll see being pulled by giants near the gateway to Stormveil Castle.

To stop the caravan, attack the giants to distract them, then go around the back and open the chest. You can kill the giants and the other guards, but be warned, you’ll be massively outnumbered. Quick players will be able to snag the axe without getting into much of a battle.

Just be careful that the giants don’t smash the carriage carrying the axe. If they do, rest at the Grace to make the whole caravan respawn.

The Meteorite Staff

One for pure caster builds, you’ll need to make it to Caelid to find this insanely powerful staff, but that’s still relatively early in the game. Even if you just grab it and get out of there. The weapon can be found in the swamp near the Sellia Crystal Tunnel and inflicts massive meteor damage when upgraded.

It’s an absolute must for caster builds and can even be useful in NG+. While you’re in the area, also grab the Rotten Stray Ashes.

Dragon Communion Seal

Those rocking a Faith build and using Dragon Communion incantations will want this Seal as soon as possible. The good news is that it can be found at the start of the game in the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave. You’ll need to do a bit of platforming to obtain it, but it’s worth it once you do.

This Seal gives a massive damage boost to Dragon Communion spells, so it’s incredibly valuable to those using such incantations. You’ll need to use a Sword Stone Key to enter the dungeon though. While the Fringefolk hero’s grave can be accessed from the start of the game, it’s a tough area for beginners, however, you can always run in, nab the Seal, and make a hasty retreat.

Those are the best early weapons for Elden Ring. Check our guides with all the character classes explained, as well as how stats work and how to level up, so you’re ready for anything the game throws your way.