The Dexterity stat isn’t the easiest one to build for because Dex weapons are extremely varied compared to other weapons. Some weapons, like whips and katanas, will work better by combining Dexterity with Arcane. Other weapons like Vyke’s Spear, will work better with Dexterity and Faith. As a result, finding the right weapon for your build may take some trial-and-error.
To help you with your theory-crafting, we’ve created a list of the best Dexterity weapons to use.
Looking for good Talismans? Here’s our list of the best Talismans in Elden Ring.
1. Godskin Stitcher
Requirements:
- STR: 14
- DEX: 17
Base Scaling:
- STR: D
- DEX: D
Where to Find it: Dropped by Godskin Noble at Volcano Manor
- Nearest Site of Grace: Prison Town Church
All of the Heavy Thrusting Swords should get a mention when it comes to good Dexterity weapons. They have more poise damage than spears, retain the ability to block with a shield and stab at the same time, and have one of the best running heavy attacks in the game.
The Godskin Stitcher gets a mention here because of its long-reaching heavy attack and how it deals slightly more damage than the Heavy Epee. One of the most common builds with this weapon is to add the Glintstone Pebble Ash of War to it. The pebble itself travels extremely fast and deals an incredible amount of damage because it now scales with the Godskin Stitcher’s affinity instead of only Intelligence.
2. Thorned Whip
Requirements:
- STR: 8
- DEX: 16
Base Scaling:
- STR: E
- DEX: C
Where to Find it: Dropped by Fire Prelate to the north of Giants’ Mountaintops Catacombs
- Nearest Site of Grace: Giants’ Mountaintops Catacombs
Whips in Elden Ring are the perfect compliment to Dexterity builds since most Dex weapons tend to deal slash or pierce damage. Comparatively, whips deal strike damage which gives them additional effectiveness against enemies with harder skins. Their long reach also makes them especially useful against quick enemies like dogs.
The Thorned Whip can be a pain to acquire because it only drops from the Fire Prelate. What’s worse is that it only has a 4% drop rate. This means players will have to farm that Prelates several times just to get this whip.
However, once you get it, Thorned Whip becomes one of the best whips in the game. It outclasses its competitor, Haslow’s Whip, because its Dex scaling reaches an A rank with a Keen affinity and a B rank with an occult affinity. Both of these ranks are higher than Haslow’s whip, meaning more damage, with about the same amount of bleed.
3. Moonveil
Requirements:
- STR: 12
- DEX: 18
- INT: 23
Base Scaling:
- STR: E
- DEX: D
- INT: C
Where to Find it: Dropped from the Magma Wyrm in Gael Tunnel
- Nearest Site of Grace: Rotview Balcony
According to a poll conducted by Famitsu, Moonveil is one of the most popular weapons in the Elden Ring fanbase. While it starts with a heavy emphasis on Intelligence, once it reaches max level, its Dexterity and Intelligence scaling will reach a “B” level. This makes it a perfect weapon for Intelligence/Dexterity builds.
What sets Moonveil apart is how flexible its unique Ash of War, Transient Moonlight, is. This Ash of war has two attacks, a light version, and a heavy version. Both attacks will launch an energy projectile, allowing Tarnished to slay enemies from a safe distance. The light version fires a horizontal energy wave that travels a short distance, easily handling groups of enemies. In comparison, the heavy version launches a thin shockwave that travels a longer distance, making it much better for isolated enemies like bosses.
4. Uchigatana
Requirements:
- STR: 11
- DEX: 18
Base Scaling:
- STR: D
- DEX: D
Where to Find it: Deathtouch Catacombs or start as a Samurai
- Nearest Site of Grace: Saintsbridge
The Uchigatana is an amazing Dex weapon because of just how versatile it is. It does a hefty chunk of damage, its move set has a solid reach and swing speed, Ashes of War can be applied to it so its affinities can change to what your build needs, and it has innate bleed built into the weapon.
The Uchigatana’s only downside is that its damage will fall off a little in the endgame. However, by that time in the endgame, you can build around bleed damage or find a second katana to powerstance (dual wield) with.
On top of that, the Uchigatana is extremely easy to get. Deathtouch Catacombs are found in Limgrave. If you’re playing Samurai, it means you can powerstance these two katanas extremely quickly.
5. Vyke’s Warspear
Requirements:
- STR: 18
- DEX: 20
- Faith: 18
Base Scaling:
- STR: E
- DEX: C
- Faith: D
Where to Find it: Slay Festering Fingerprint Vyke
- Nearest Site of Grace: Church of Inhibition or Frenzied Flame Village Outskirts.
Once you trek past the madness-inflicting path and slay Vyke, the spear he drops is well worth the pain it took to get it. It’s the only weapon in the game that deals madness damage and it’s a solid spear on top of that. It has a fantastic range, a good swing speed, and it triggers madness almost instantly when you wield two of them together. The Warspear’s Ash of War is also phenomenal at dealing both madness damage to enemy players and poise damage against madness-immune enemies.
Madness is an amazing ailment to use against other players and humanoid creatures because it stuns and deals a chunk of damage when it triggers. In a PvP scenario, a madness trigger is practically a guaranteed win. Dual-wielding this spear, or using it in conjunction with other madness spells is a great way to deal with invaders or hosts.
6. Rivers of Blood
Requirements:
- STR: 12
- DEX: 18
- ARC: 20
Base Scaling:
- STR: E
- DEX: D
- ARC: D
Where to Find it: Dropped by Bloody Finger Okina near the Church of Repose.
- Nearest Site of Grace: Foot of the Forge
Rivers of Blood has a bad reputation in the Elden Ring community because of its ridiculous damage output and “spammy” playstyle. The reason is Rivers of Blood’s unique Ash of War – Corpse Plier – which deals a massive amount of damage, has an extremely long range for a slash, and also inflicts both bleed and fire damage.
What also makes it one of the best Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring is how its Dex scaling will rank up from D to B, and how its basic strikes have bleed built into them. When all of this is combined with Corpse Plier’s crazy firepower, Rivers of Blood becomes an aggressive blender for bosses and enemies alike.
Need more Elden Ring? Here’s our list of the best Sorceries and our list of the best Incantations.
