The Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. It is a very fast weapon, allowing for landing a barrage of hits. Most of them scale well with Dexterity, making it ideal for roguish builds.
Even if you aren’t planning on mainly using Dexterity, it is a good idea to have backhand blades in your arsenal. Your build might inadvertently reach the soft stat caps which will make them quite useful as a back-up weapon. Certain bosses and enemies are simply easier to defeat with a quick hit rather than a slow, powerful attack.
Elden Ring's Creepiest DLC Enemies Hide A Terrible Secret
Elden Ring’s DLC introduces a wide variety of creepy new enemies, but the worst among them have a tragic backstory that almost makes them sympathetic.
Backhand Blade Types and Locations
There are three backhand blades in the Elden Ring DLC. Each is found at different times during the campaign, or even discovered while roaming the landscape. The backhand blades have different strengths, damage scaling, default skills, and other attributes. You will have more flexibility when using the same character during new game plus.
Weapon |
Location |
Base Damage |
Scaling |
Required Stats |
Default Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
At Gravesite Plain, near a coffin after the very first Site of Grace in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree |
Physical 105 |
|
|
Blind Spot |
|
Ruined Forge of Starfall Past, on a corpse near the sewer waterfall |
Physical 100 |
|
|
Blind Spot |
|
Curseblade’s Cirque |
Drops from any Curseblade that is using it. One is easily found at Belurt Tower Settlement near the Site of Grace |
Physical 108 & Hemorrhage 45 |
|
|
Deadly Dance |
Backhand Blade
Smithscript CirqueCustomizing the Backhand Blades
As with most other weapons in Elden Ring, you want to eventually upgrade your backhand blades to +25 with Smithing Stones. If you have loaded a character that has already completed the base game, you likely have found good locations to farm stones.
Upgrades not only improve base damage but also scaling. Kean is typically the best option if you want pure Dexterity scaling. Blood, Poison, and Lightning are also possible options for your specific playstyle. YouTube Oxford King showed off just how powerful the backhand blade can be at high levels.
An unorthodox option is Heavy, which removes Dexterity scaling but pumps up Strength. It can be a good option for raw damage. Sacred and Fire are also potential for a Faith wielding the Smithscript Cirque. However, the backhand blade shouldn’t be your primary weapon.
Backhand Blade Default Skills
Backhand blades come with their own unique Ashes of War skills. They can be great on their own and suit the weapon perfectly well. However, consider swapping in other skills from different weapons. However, keep in mind that not every skill is compatible with all weapons in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Several are fully unique and cannot be swapped at all.
Ashes of War Skill |
Effect |
FP Cost |
Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Blind Spot |
Leap to the side and then rush straight at the enemy. Input left or right to alter directions |
9 |
Always deals piercing damage and gains bonuses from equipment and skills that boost piercing |
Deadly Dance |
Leap into the air and launch a spinning attack |
15 |
Input the skill button a second time to perform an axe-kick follow-up |
Video Credit: Oxford King, YouTube
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
