Best Greatswords in Elden Ring

Here are the best Greatswords in Elden Ring

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

Looking for the best Greatswords in Elden Ring? Greatswords are primarily Strength or Dexterity -based weapons in Elden Ring , capable of inflicting huge amounts of damage. Some Greatswords also scale with either Faith , Intelligence or Arcane and in doing so, are equipped with powerful Weapon Skills.

Below we’ve gathered a list of the best Greatswords in Elden Ring based on physical damage, Weapon Skills and how obtainable they are for both early and late-game playthroughs.

Whether you are into new game plus or are picking up Elden Ring for the first time before the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC release, we have you covered with a comprehensive list below.

Claymore

The Claymore is the best early-game Greatsword to use in Elden Ring, closely followed by the Bastard Sword. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 9.0
• Requirements: Strength 16, Dexterity 13.
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D.
• Weapon Skill: Lion’s Claw.
• Attack Power: Physical 138, Critical 100.

When looking for a relatively early-game Greatsword option in Elden Ring, either the Claymore or Bastard Sword is a great choice. Both swords have incredibly similar movement patterns and damage output. The Claymore just takes the edge for the slightly improved speed and marginally longer range via its thrust attack.

Although the Bastard Sword can get up to an A-grade in Heavy scaling vs the Claymore’s B grade, the Claymore is moderately more forgiving if you miss a hit and additionally comes with the Lion’s Claw Weapon Skill. This skill is one of the best Ashes Of War in Elden Ring for Strength builds and is otherwise only available much further into the game, via the Lion Guardian in Fort Gael, Caelid.

This Skill allows the Tarnished to perform a somersault with a large downward strike as they land. This Skill is particularly useful for the stance damage it can inflict on foes (up to 33 with Greatswords). However, it should be noted that both the Claymore and Bastard Sword can be infused with Ashes of War if you prefer something else.

For additional Talismans , we like to keep a Claymore build relatively simple and easy to obtain. Try the Viridian Amber Medallion for an increase to maximum Stamina, or the Green Turtle Talisman for better Stamina recovery.

How to get the Claymore

The Claymore is located within Castle Morne , in the southern region of the Weeping Peninsula. Inside Castle Morne’s outer courtyard and on top of the pile of burning corpses, travel northwest to the nearby ledge. Here, go past the spikes and turn right at the tent to go through the adjacent room. Inside, turn left and loot the glowing chest to retrieve the Claymore.

Alternatively, if you prefer the sound of the Bastard Sword, you can buy it from a Nomadic Merchant by the Castle Morne Rampart Site Of Grace .

Blasphemous Blade

The Blasphemous Blade harnesses the Fire attacks of Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 13.5
• Requirements: Strength 22, Dexterity 15, Faith 21.
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D, Faith D.
• Weapon Skill: Taker’s Flames.
• Attack Power: Physical 121, Fire 78, Critical 100.

The Blasphemous Blade has featured in many of our Elden Ring guides, including the best weapons and the best Faith weapons roundup along with an additional Blasphemous Blade build guide where we detailed how to get the most out of the sword.

In short, this Greatsword is fantastic. Mostly due to its Weapon Skill, the Taker’s Flames , in which players raise the sword above them and bring it down in a swipe that emits flames. The flames deal Fire damage and heal the Tarnished up to 10% of their max HP pool +150.

If you’re looking for a good Strength/Faith hybrid build, this sword is the way to go. Dealing both Physical and Fire damage whilst healing, it can also knock opponents and deal 22 stance damage . You can buff the damage output of this weapon even more by equipping a Sacred Seal and using the Flame, Grant Me Strength Incantation. This gives players a +20% increase to both Fire and Physical damage (+15% in PvP).

How to get the Blasphemous Blade

You can trade the Remembrance of the Blasphemous with Enia at the Roundtable Hold to get the Blasphemous Blade for yourself. This means you must defeat Rykard , Lord of Blasphemy at Volcano Manor first. The best way to reach him is by following Tanith’s sidequest .

Sword of Milos

You cannot obtain both the Sword of Milos and Dung Eater ending in one Elden Ring playthrough. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 10
• Requirements: Strength 15, Dexterity 19.
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D.
• Weapon Skill: Shriek of Milos.
• Attack Power: Physical 141, Critical 100.

The Sword of Milos is perhaps one of the edgiest looking Elden Ring weapons, formed from a giant’s backbone with the ability to saw through flesh. This is one of the few Greatswords that can cause passive Bloodloss build-up (up to 55) and rewards enemy kills with FP restoration (5 FP per kill). This is a nice little boost, especially when paired with an Intelligence or Faith caster build.

Its Weapon Skill, the Shriek of Milos costs 30 FP to perform and reduces enemies’ damage resistance by 15% (5% in PvP). Additionally, it increases the physical damage output of the Tarnished by 7.5% and adds a +5 to their Strength scaling. Heavy attacks will also be changed into a three-hit combo.

Many players have found success pairing this blade in a power stance with the Blasphemous Blade and utitlising the FP recovery by re-casting its Weapon Skill. It should be noted, however, that a second weapon will not receive the same buffs from the Shriek of Milos and a power stance build will inherently need some investment into Endurance to pull off successfully. Consider equipping the Erdtree’s Favor medallion for a buff to your maximum HP, Stamina and Equip Load.

Also, to take advantage of the heavy combo attack via the Shriek of Milos Skill, we recommend pairing this blade with the Godskin Swaddling Cloth Talisman. This rewards players with HP recovery after delivering successive attacks (30 + 3% HP). Otherwise, the Roar Medallion is also a good choice as it will increase the damage of the attacks delivered whilst under the effects of the Shriek of Milos Skill by 15%.

How to get the Sword of Milos

To get the Sword of Milos, you need to Kill the Dung Eater and avoid completing his sidequest . You’ll need to trigger his questline and complete enough steps to meet him underneath the Capital, but if you complete the steps beyond this point you can miss out on the sword. We have a full rundown of the Dung Eater quest to help you through it. You need to kill him at either the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds when you first meet his physical form or whilst he is in NPC Invader form in the Capital Outskirts, Outer Moat.

Be warned though, killing the Dung Eater early will lock you out of one of the possible Elden Ring endings , a rather bleak one at that.

Sacred Relic Sword

The Elden Beast is the final boss of Elden Ring. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 11.0
• Requirements: Strength 14, Dexterity 24, Faith 22.
• Attribute Scaling: Strength E, Dexterity D, Faith D.
• Weapon Skill: Wave of Gold
• Attack Power: Physical 118, Holy 76, Critical 110

If you’re looking for a Greatsword that also deals Holy damage, the Sacred Relic Sword has an extremely powerful Weapon Skill. This Skill is called the Wave of Gold and is somewhat similar to the Gold Breaker skill on Marika’s Hammer.

The Wave of Gold Skill allows players to charge the sword with Holy energy, then release it in a wave that travels some distance. This Skill costs 42 FP to perform but is great for crowd control. So much so, that it had to be nerfed slightly for PvP in the 1.09 Patch , reducing the damage of the Skill the further it travels away from the caster. Despite this, it remains a formidable weapon, especially within the main game.

The downside of this weapon is that you can only obtain it right at the very end of Elden Ring. For this reason, it is suited to a new game plus playthrough or as a possible weapon of choice for the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. As the Weapon Skill scales solely with Faith, we recommend using the Two Fingers Heirloom Talisman, as this will give you a plus 5 to Faith.

How to get the Sacred Relic Sword

As alluded to above, the Sacred Relic Sword is only available after defeating the Elden Beast boss. Afterwards, trade the Elden Remembrance with Enia at the Roundtable Hold. See our tips and tricks guide to the Elden Beast boss fight for additional info on this its strengths and weaknesses.

Dark Moon Greatsword

The Dark Moon Greatsword is a good option for inflicting Frost build-up on enemies. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 10.0
• Requirements: Strength 16, Dexterity 11, Intelligence 38.
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D, Intelligence C.
• Weapon Skill: Moonlight Greatsword.
• Attack Power: Physical 82, Magic 98, Critical 100.

Long-time Dark Souls fans will recognise the Dark Moon Greatsword as a close relative to the franchise-favourite Moonlight Greatsword. This weapon has earned a spot in our best weapons list and now, our best Greatswords list.

As a perfect choice for any Strength/Intelligence hybrid builds, the Dark Moon Greatsword excels in delivering physical damage, magic damage and Frostbite build-up to enemies (up to 55). It is a unique weapon and as such, cannot be infused with Ashes Of War.

The good news is that its Weapon Skill, aptly named Moonlight Greatsword is both powerful and essentially charges the weapon up with 15 added frost damage and 65 magic attack power on top of its base values. When performing the Skill, the Tarnished raises the sword, charges it, and releases a magic projectile with a heavy attack. This then continues with every heavy attack for the duration (60 seconds).

The Moonlight Greatsword skill costs 32 FP to perform, projectiles can cause 22 stance damage (or 35 if the heavy attack is charged prior) and the stamina consumption for both charged and standard heavy attacks was reduced via the Elden Ring 1.07 patch .

To get additional power out of your projectiles with this Skill, we recommend applying it with the Godfrey Icon Talisman which raises the attack power of charged Skills and Spells by +15%. Likewise, the Shard of Alexander will offer the same effect. You can also increase the magic damage by improving your Intelligence stat further (the Stargazer Heirloom raises Intelligence by 5).

How to get the Dark Moon Greatsword

Obtaining the Dark Moon Greatsword requires following Ranni’s questline through to completion. This is a hefty challenge with over 20 steps and includes taking on bosses like Starscourge Radahn and Astel, Naturalborn of the Void . Luckily, we have a full walkthrough of Ranni’s questline to help you complete all steps, obtain the Dark Moon Greatsword and obtain one of the slightly more cheerful Elden Ring endings.

That rounds off our guide to the best Greatswords in Elden Ring and where to get them. For more Elden Ring tips and tricks see our best classes , best armor , mods , builds or boss locations guides.

Elden Ring

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

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