Summary

• Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree introduces 103 new weapons, including new weapon types.
• The Light Greatsword in Shadow of the Erdtree is a standout weapon because of its elegant moveset.
• The expansion features unique and powerful weapons like the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana and Backhand Blade.

FromSoftware games are known for the variety of weapons available to players and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree makes the base game's arsenal even more impressive. Thanks to the game's strong art design and the Ash of War feature, these weapons can be both extremely over the top and cool enough to justify building a character around them. Thanks to the size of Elden Ring's expansion, the weapons are both bountiful and very different to other armaments in FromSoftware's arsenal of games.

Shadow of the Erdtree adds an impressive 103 new weapons to Elden Ring.

Not only are there new weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree, there are also brand-new weapon types. These weapon types add entirely new move sets and present players with alternate ways to face the enemies of the Land of Shadow. The Tarnished have access to devastating Great Katanas, elegant Light Greatswords, and stylish Backhand Blades, and some weapons in these new types shine as the most fun of the bunch.

10 Milady Makes The Tarnished A Graceful Duelist

The Most Elegant Weapon In Elden Ring

Since Shadow of the Erdtree release, the Light Greatsword move set has taken the game by storm with its elegant moves and duelist-like design. They're graceful, stylish, and perfect for making boss fights feel like a dance. Although there are only three (technically four, since one armament is actually two weapons) Light Greatswords, the best of the bunch for the dancing, duelist is Milady.

The best thing about the sword, other than the animations, is the Ash of War: Wing Stance, which offers some options and combos for the player to use. This needs to be added to Milady, since it isn't the default Ash of War, but it is the best for it. It offers utility, and although the Ash of War isn't the most flashy as Shadow of the Erdtree goes, the animation for the stance itself is amazing. It's both calm and arrogant, making players feel like they're goading enemies to hit them.

9 Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana Is Straight Out Of An Anime

Dragonwound Slash Is As Cool As It Sounds

Great Katanas are some of the coolest weapons around, and it's a wonder that it took so long for FromSoftware to add the weapon type to one of their titles. Plenty of Great Katanas are both equally useful and stylish, including Rakshasa's Great Katana, but none quite match up to the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana. Other than having a jagged, rough design, which is a nice touch, the Ash of War is what makes this Great Katana stand out from an aesthetic point of view.

The Dragonwound Slash Ash of War fires a wave of red energy toward a foe, and the dramatic posing of said slash makes the Tarnished look like they came straight out of an anime. The particle effects of the flaming slash are pleasing to the eye, and the lore of the weapon helps it, too, since the slash itself was designed to slay colossal dragons. Dragon hunting is cool enough a concept on its own, and the weapon can be found after beating the Ancient Dragon-Man in the Dragon's Pit.

8 Rellana's Twin Blades Offer Duality

The Stance Really Makes This Weapon Shine

Rellana is one of the cooler bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree with her quick, elegant movement and her dancer-like attacks. Her weapons add to the fight the most, with the knight able to fire off waves of Glinstone Sorcery or conjure torrents of flames. On top of all of this, there is a kind of irable arrogance to the stance that Rellanatakes, and helps to make the boss' image as an elegant knight fully realized.

Rellana is the twin sister of Rennala, Queen of the Moon.

Once Rellana is beaten, Rellana's Twin Blade's are the player's to use and the Tarnished gets most of the cool moves that the boss used against them. This includes firing a combo of Glinstone waves, surrounding themselves with a tornado of fire, and taking up Rellana's arrogant yet graceful stance. Even without the Ash of War, the weapon is still a Light Greatsword, and this move set is one of the best (aesthetically), especially since there are two of them.

7 Spear Of The Impaler Makes Players Feel Like Messmer

The Combo From The Ash Of War Is Over The Top

There's a reason why fell the mighty Messmer, as are some of his moves. The Spear of the Impaler has a great visual design, too, with its many snake details.

Players can also get Messmer's Helm, but in real life, and it can be bought from the Bandai Namco store.

One of Messmer's most difficult attacks to avoid in his first phase is a seemingly never-ending combo of flaming slashes and stabs. Thankfully, this is one of the few instances in which the player gets one of the boss' best moves, since the Tarnished can do this over-the-top combo too. The Ash of War is called Messmer's Assault and the many flips, spins and flying stabs make it feel as though it's a combo from a flashy hack-and-slash, rather than a Soulslike.

6 Backhand Blade Is Perfect For Swift Assassin Types

It Would Be Horribly Impractical In Real Life

For whatever reason, many find the reverse grip for swords to be the more stylish option, even if it is terribly impractical. Reverse-gripping swords are something that those who love historical accuracy cannot abide by, but in a world where players can fight animated jars with long limbs, realism can be thrown out of the window. At the end of the day, reverse-gripped swords are cool, and the Backhand Blade is no exception.

They can be dual-wielded and, with their quick move set and Ash of War, there is something so satisfying about dodging and weaving enemy attacks with elegance and style. The built-in Ash of War: Blind Spot amplifies the evasive nature of the weapons, but the incredibly overpowered Swift Slash is also a cool option. Using it in PvP may attract some justified hate, but in PvE it does make players feel a little like Vergil from Devil May Cry.

5 Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword Packs A Punch

There's Something Lovely About Rough, Massive Swords

Although symmetrical, clean greatswords will always have their place in fantasy media, an asymmetrical, roughly hewn weapon just has something about it to set it apart. The Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword is an example of this, as it is a Colossal Greatsword that looks like a giant shard of obsidian and packs as big of a punch as one would expect. It scales with Strength, Dexterity, and Arcane and is a great weapon for big sword lovers.

Found in the Ruined Forge of Starfall Past, the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword has a surprisingly quick Ash of War for a weapon its size. White Light Charge allows the Tarnished to lunge forward, then explode with white light (as one would expect). It is similar to the Stinger move from Devil May Cry, and almost any attack with hack-and-slash roots tends to translate well into Elden Ring.

4 Star-Lined Sword's Combo Looks Like A Devil May Cry Weapon

The Ash Of War Is Very Cinematic

The Star-Lined Sword is unique in that it is a katana that looks and plays nothing like a katana. It might as well be a straight sword, but this isn't what makes the weapon so good. It has a unique design with a jagged blade that contrasts with the simple and uniform hit and handle. It is also the perfect weapon for a Dexterity/Intelligence build, somewhat being a successor to Moonveil in a way by (somehow) being a katana.

The Ash of War is where this weapon shines. In general, long, stylish combos seem to be popular with FromSoftware in this expansion, and very few are quite as over the top as Onze's Line of Stars. Not only is the combo from this Ash of War long, it involves flips, teleporting and constellation-inspired effects. It also has an impressive range and wouldn't be amiss in a hack-and-slash game, which seems to be a running theme with the new Shadow of the Erdtree weapons.

3 Death Knight's Longhaft Axe Has A Brilliant Design

Offers Speed For Such A Large Weapon

Defeating the Death Knight is no easy task, as one would expect from Shadow of the Erdtree, but it is well worth the effort since the knight's weapon is the prize of the fight. Not only is the sun-like design around the Death Knight's Longhaft Axe head a nice touch with the armament's lightning properties, especially for Dark Souls fans, it hits hard and has good range with its long sweeps. It's a great weapon for Faith s.

The Ash of War allows players to engulf themselves in lightning and teleport forward. With a follow-up attack, the player leaps up into the air and slams the axe down, summoning a lightning bolt where the attack lands. It is called Blinkbolt: Long-Hafted Axe and follows the same general idea as other Ash of War: Blinkboltby allowing players to use lightning and teleport. In general, Blinkbolt Ashes of War are stylish, and the Longhafted Axe excels with its one.

2 Greatsword Of Solitude's Ash of War Is Similar To An Iconic Dark Souls Weapon

Storm Ruler Has Returned Again

As Elden Ring weapons go, the Greatsword of Solitude may be a little tame in appearance compared to the many, many ludicrous options available for the Tarnished. Sure, the visual design is neat and tidy, and there is something aesthetically pleasing about how simple it is, yet this is not why the sword is as cool as it is. It's Ash of War is what makes it stand out above others, being a two-hit combo called Solitary Moon Slash.

What makes this weapon great is that it feels like a reference to prior weapons in FromSoftware's library of titles. Whether or not that's the case is another thing entirely, but the Ash of War's first attack summons an arc of light that is very similar to the slash of wind from the Storm Ruler from Dark Souls 3 that is used against Yhorm the Giant. This weapon is also featured in Demon Souls against the Storm King boss, and the white arc unleashed by the Greatsword of Solitude is eerily similar to the white arc of wind summoned by the Storm Ruler.

There are actually two Storm Rulers in Dark Souls 3, one of which is wielded by Siegwald of Catarina.

1 Smithscript Greathammer Is Elden Ring's Mjolnir

It Has Great Comedic Value

One could argue that Mjolnir is the single most iconic weapon to come out of mythology. It is Thor's mighty hammer and has been adapted many times, from the MCU to God of War. The Smithscript Greathammer seems to be FromSoftware's attempt at adapting the legendary, mythological armament with its Mjolnir-like hammerhead and runes along its surface. Unlike Mjolnir, this Greathammer is huge and is quite imposing.

Where the weapon excels is in another reference to Mjolnir with its strong attack. Although Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree isn't known for its humor, being able to throw a hammer larger than the Tarnished at a foe is both comedic and cool, especially because it will return to the . Players can even add their own Ash of War to it since this throwing ability is tied to the weapon's strong attack, and they can add the Thunderbolt Ash of War to properly cosplay as Thor as they smash through the Land of Shadow.