The best early game weapons in Elden Ring

Here are the best early weapons you can pick up in the starting areas of Elden Ring

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

Looking for the best early weapons in Elden Ring? Whether you’re a returning player looking to start a fresh Elden Ring playthrough before jumping into the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC, or you’re new to the franchise, finding the best early game weapons can set you up for success as you explore the challenging map of the Lands Between, before moving onto tougher areas .

If you need a hand picking out the best early game weapons in Elden Ring , then join us as we go through the strongest weapons you can get within the starting areas of Limgrave , the Weeping Peninsula and Liurnia . This includes weapons for Arcane , Faith , Intelligence , Strength , Dexterity and quality builds.

On this page:

• Best early weapon for Dexterity builds
• Best early weapon for Strength builds
• Best early weapon for Intelligence builds
• Best early weapon for Faith builds
• Best early weapon for Arcane builds
• Best early weapon for quality builds
• Best early staff

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Best early weapon for Dexterity builds

Rogier’s Rapier

Rogier’s Rapier comes with a plus 8 level, making it a great early Dexterity weapon choice |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 3.5
• Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
• Requirements: Strength 8, Dexterity 17
• Attribute Scaling: Strength E, Dexterity C
• Weapon Skill: Glintblade Phalanx
• Attack Power: Physical 136, Critical 110

If you’re looking to set up a Dexterity build in Elden Ring, there is a plethora of early-game weapons to choose from. As attested in our guide to the best Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring , the Bloodhound’s Fang is a brutal curved greatsword that can deliver successive slash attacks to enemies whilst maintaining a good measure of distance.

The Uchigatana is also a fan-favourite and for good reason. Its Unsheathe ability can deliver precise, powerful attacks which damage an enemy’s poise. Additionally, you can get the weapon straight away if you start with the Samurai class .

For me, the ultimate starting Dexterity weapon is Rogier’s Rapier due to its beautiful design, fantastic thrusting attacks and the fact that it already starts at a plus 8 without needing to invest in levelling it up yourself. Perhaps most importantly, it comes with the Glintblade Phalanx Weapon Skill.

The Glintblade Phalanx Ashes of War summons four magical swords above your head that launch towards attacking enemies. This extra firepower can help turn the tide in battle, especially if you’re up against multiple foes at once.

How to get Rogier’s Rapier

To get Rogier’s Rapier, you must first defeat Godrick the Grafted , then speak to Rogier at the Roundtable Hold . As it requires you to defeat two main bosses, you’ll want to stock up on a healthy amount of runes first. See our guide to the best rune farming locations for the best rune farming locations both early and late game.

Best early weapon for Strength builds

Zweihander

The Zweihander is easy to obtain and a good starter sword for Strength builds |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 15.5
• Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
• Requirements: Strength 19, Dexterity 11
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D
• Weapon Skill: Stamp (Upward Cut)
• Attack Power: Physical 141

There are quite a few early-game Strength weapons you can pick up like the Grafted Blade Greatsword, but this requires an eye-watering level of Strength to wield. We suggest going for something like the Zweihander , which is both accessible and only requires Strength level 19 to wield.

The Zweihander comes with the Stamp Weapon Skill but can be infused with other Ashes of War if you fancy a change. Stamp is essentially an uppercut heavy attack that has the chance to recoil an enemy when delivered.

For a colossal sword, the Zweihander is reliable and will see you through the early stages of Elden Ring until you have enough Strength to wield something more exciting like the Giant-Crusher or Grafted Blade Greatsword.

How to get the Zweihander

The Zweihander can be bought from the Isolated Merchant for 3,500 runes, in the Isolated Merchant’s Shack in the Weeping Peninsula.

Best early weapon for Intelligence builds

Carian Knight’s Sword

The Carian Knight’s Sword has a powerful Carian Grandeur attack |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 4.0
• Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
• Requirements: Strength 10, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 18
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D, Intelligence D
• Weapon Skill: Carian Grandeur
• Attack Power: Physical 88, Magic 88

Intelligence builds are equipped to perform sorceries. Some weapons prioritise scaling with Intelligence and have unique Weapon Skills that consume FP. Otherwise, you can use a staff to perform a sorcery instead. There are a multitude of fantastic weapons that scale well with Intelligence and offer impressive Weapon Skills.

The Carian Knight’s Sword is a straight sword that scales nicely with Intelligence and either Strength or Dexterity. Equipped with the Carian Grandeur Weapon Skill, the sword can summon a large magic blade that crashes down upon enemies and delivers massive damage. This skill is chargeable and cannot be parried, making it a solid strike against any foe unlucky enough to cross blades with you.

If you’re a little further on and have reached the Caria Manor in Liurnia of the Lakes, consider picking up the Sword of Night and Flame . This impressive sword allows you to perform a sweeping attack and cast Comet Azur , a sorcery that would otherwise require 60 Intelligence to cast. The sword requires a baseline of stats in Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence and Faith but we recommend focusing on Intelligence to get the most out of the Comet Azur attack.

However, for early-game progression the Craian Knight Sword is the optimal choice as it will take you through to Caria Manor and beyond and look impressive whilst doing so.

How to get the Carian Knight’s Sword

The Carian Knight’s Sword can be looted from a chest, located on the back of a cart and pulled by two trolls. The cart is usually travelling south, along the road from the Road to the Manor Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes. You only need to kill one of the trolls to stop the cart and loot the chest.

Best early weapon for Faith builds

Winged Sythe

The Winged Sythe is one of the few weapons in Elden Ring to deal out Holy damage |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 7.5
• Damage Type: Slash
• Requirements: Strength 16, Dexterity 16, Faith 24
• Attribute Scaling: Strength E, Dexterity D, Faith D
• Weapon Skill: Angel’s Wings
• Attack Power: Physcal 87, Holy 104
• Passives: Causes blood loss buildup (55)

The Winged Sythe is a reaper infused with Holy damage, making it a great option for melee Faith builds . Even better, you can get it early within the Weeping Peninsula.

The Winged Sythe cannot be infused with Ashes of War. Instead, it comes equipped with the Angel’s Wings Weapon Skill. This skill allows the player to make a jumping slash attack, imbued with light. The beauty of the attack is that immediately afterwards, struck enemies will not be able to use a recovery action and use their flasks. This is especially useful for any PvP or fights against certain enemies that can heal like Bloody Finger NPCs.

Additionally, thanks to patch 1.08, the attack speed of the Winged Sythe has been increased whilst the recovery time of using the Weapon Skill has been reduced.

How to get the Winged Sythe

To get the Winged Sythe for yourself you must loot it from the Tombsward Ruins in the Weeping Penninsula.

Best early weapon for Arcane builds

Reduvia

The Reduvia has a fantastic bleed buildup ability |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 2.5
• Damage Type: Slash, Pierce
• Requirements: Strength 5, Dexterity 13, Arcane 13
• Attribute Scaling: Strength E, Dexterity D, Arcane D
• Weapon Skill: Reduvia Blood Blade
• Attack Power: Physical 79, Critical 110
• Passives: Causes blood loss buildup (30)

Arcane is a stat that determines the damage of certain spells (sorceries and incantations) and is often a secondary requirement after either Faith or Intelligence. Arcane also influences the player’s discovery rate of items.

It is rarer, but several weapons in Elden Ring will require a measure of Arcane to wield them properly. Of these, the Reduvia is one of the strongest to get early on in a playthrough but will also need some levels in Dexterity.

The Reduvia is well worth the investment, however, as it can perform the unique Reduvia Blood Blade Weapon Skill. This skill essentially slashes bloodstains into the air, which causes blood loss buildup for massive damage potential. Note that the Reduvia cannot be infused with other Ashes of War.

How to get the Reduvia

Tp get the Reduvia you must defeat Bloody Finger Nerijus , outside of Murkwater Cave in Limgrave. Nerijus will pack a punch but it is possible to tackle the invading NPC early on in a playthrough, especially if you let Yura do most of the work for you. Yura should spawn pretty quickly after Nerijus and is a friendly NPC with an optional questline . See our Bloody Finger Nerijus boss fight walkthrough for more tips and tricks.

Best early weapon for quality builds

Great Epee

The Great Epee scales well with both Dexterity and Strength |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 6.5
• Damage Type: Standard, Pierce
• Requirements: Strength 15, Dexterity 16
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Dexterity D
• Weapon Skill: Impaling Thrust
• Attack Power: Pysical 124

Traditionally, a quality build caters for players that want to invest equal points into both Strength and Dexterity. As such, you’ll want a weapon that also caters to both stats. For an early playthrough option, the Great Epee is a fantastic choice.

The Great Epee is a thrusting sword, which means you can thrust attack at foes whilst guarding with a shield. The Great Epee can also pierce past an enemy’s guard, with its Impaling Thrust Weapon Skill. This can open an enemy’s guard and leave them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

This skill was buffed with the Elden Ring 1.07 patch , increasing the attack speed and shortening the delay in which you can perform a subsequent action after performing an attack. Although you can infuse the Great Epee with an Ashes of War if you don’t like the Impaling Thrust Weapon Skill, we think it complements the sword build well, particularly for players that like to use shields.

How to get the Great Epee

The Great Epee is relatively easy to acquire within Limgrave and doesn’t require any boss fights to get. Simply travel east of the Agheel Lake South Site of Grace and loot the chest near the yellow tent.

Best early staff

Meteorite Staff

The Meteorite Staff greatly buffs gravity-based spells |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/FromSoftware

• Weight: 4.5
• Damage Type: Strike
• Requirements: Strength 6, Intelligence 18
• Attribute Scaling: Strength D, Intelligence S
• Attack Power: Physical 39, Sorcery Scaling 279
• Passives: Boosts gravity sorcery

The Meteorite Staff is the staff I used a lot during my early Elden Ring playthrough. With impressive Intelligence scaling, it’s the perfect starter staff for an Intelligence build , particularly one that uses gravity-type sorceries, as these are boosted by 30% with the staff.

I recommend pairing the Meteorite Staff with the Rock Sling spell (which can be acquired from the dungeon near the Street of Sages Ruins). The sorcery can be picked up early by using the teleporting chest shortcut within the Dragon-Burnt Ruins in Limgrave. The enemies in the dungeon will likely be beyond you, so I recommend running past the gauntlet to get to the chest containing the spell.

The Meteorite Staff cannot be infused with Ashes of War nor can it be upgraded, but the S-level Intelligence scaling and gravity magic buff is well worth your time acquiring it.

How to get the Meteorite Staff

The Meteorite Staff is on a corpse, hanging out of a window within the Street of Sages Ruins in Caelid. Although its a slightly higher level area, you can run through and bypass the enemies here.

That rounds off our guide to the best early weapons in Elden Ring based on which stat you’re building your Tarnished for. If you want more Elden Ring tips and tricks , check out our guide to the best armor sets in the game, or see our best weapons guide if you’re a little further into the game.

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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