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The Dexterity stat has always been the backbone of many of Elden Ring’s best builds and with Shadow of the Erdtree, there is a whole new crop of weapons that are here to take a permanent spot in any Dex-focused build. From curved swords with amazing movement to claws made of darkness with the ability to become projectiles, there are many weapons that you are going to want to check out. We’ve put together a list of what we think are 5 of the best new Dexterity-focused weapons introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC along with useful explanations on how to find them all.
Before we jump into the list, we do want to note that this isn’t about builds but we will be giving some tips and suggestions on what items you should consider using along with each weapon to make them just a little bit stronger. We are also going to take some time here to touch on a few universal buffs that you want to use to help make each of these weapons better. First is the Flame, Grant Me Strength Incantation since it will provide you with a damage boost. Golden Vow does the same thing and can come in the form of either an Incantation or an Ash of War so if you are going to use the latter option, you will just need to make sure you have a second weapon equipped that can cast the ability.
As for your Flask of Wondrous Physick, 4 of our 5 weapons will want to use the same Crystal Tears. Of course, the Dexterity-Knot Crystal Tear is good since it boosts Dexterity but we are going to suggest a few more interesting options. We suggest using the Thorny Cracked Tear for its ability to make consecutive attacks stronger and the Cerulean-Sapping Cracked Tear to regain FP since these weapons will be using their Ash of War Skills a lot so getting some Focus back after performing these moves will make it take longer to run out. The Deflecting Hardtear is also great since all of these weapons will likely be dual-wielded or two-handed so the ability to still block incoming damage is very useful.
Also, the Bloodsucking Cracked Tear is also great but can be dangerous. This will provide you with increased attack power at the cost of constant Health loss, so feel free to use this to hit extremely hard if you’re willing to run the risk. We will discuss which other Tears you should equip when we get to the third weapon on our list. With all of that covered, let’s get into our list!
Milady
The Milady is a blade that incorporates elegance in its movements while still striking hard and fast. It is part of the new Light Greatsword weapon class introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC but is the only one that can be infused with different Affinities and Ashes of War, giving you the freedom to tweak and experiment with it for use across a few different builds. While you’re free to use several different Ashes of War, one of the unique selling points of this weapon is it is the only one that can use the unique Wing Stance Ash of War so to get the most out of this weapon, I suggest making sure you equip that Skill. Both the Milady and Wing Stance Ash of War can be found in Castle Ensis at the northeast end of the Gravesite Plain region.
From the Castle Front Site of Grace, head across the bridge into the fortress. Once across the bridge stick to the left wall and go around the corner to find a staircase. At the top of the stairs there is a watchtower with a ladder. Head up the ladder to find a chest with the Milady inside. The Wing Stance Skill is found further in the Castle. Make your way to the Castle Lord’s Chambers right outside the boss room that houses Rellana Twin Moon Knight. Go out to the balcony and jump down to the cliffside below. Nearby is another watchtower, where you will find another chest at the top. In this chest is the Wing Stance Ash of War. Head to any Site of Grace and equip this Ash of War on the Milady, replacing its default Impaling Thrust Skill.
The Milady requires your Strength stat to be at 12 while your Dexterity must be at 17. The base version of the weapon has a rating of D in both Dexterity and Strength. When upgraded to its max level of +25, the Strength will remain the same while Dexterity is upped to C though infusing the weapon with different Affinities can increase scaling in both stats. This is where your own personal preferences will decide on how you use the weapon so if you want to give the weapon built-in Bleed effects, give the weapon the Bleed affinity which will also increase the Dex scaling to B. Cold and Poison will also do this for the scaling as will making the weapon Keen or Quality, with that last one also increasing the scaling for Strength to B as well at the cost of Physical damage.
The weapon has multiple quick-moving slash attacks with a chargeable Heavy Attack that includes 2 powerful swings from a single button press which can then be followed up with another Heavy Attack which includes two more strikes. It is a very fluent and versatile weapon but what really makes it stand out is Wing Stance. This Ash of War sees your character hold the Milady out to the side. Pressing either the Light or Heavy Attack button while in this stance will lead to different moves. The Light Attack unleashes a 3-hit twirling combo while the Heavy version will see your character leap into the air and perform a dive toward your target, delivering a powerful hit on whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the way. Both of these tools are fantastic for different parts of a combat encounter with the combo being great to build Bleed if you have the Affinity or have applied the Blood Grease to your weapon or can just be used to get a quick combination of hits on an enemy which can quickly be followed with another attack. The Heavy version is a great gap closer and can allow you to get a few hits in on an enemy at a range that other weapons wouldn’t allow. It also does good Poise damage so it can quickly stagger an enemy and leave them open for more attacks.
When it comes to additional items to help improve the Milady even more, you can really use any gear you want. Some armor with decent Poise and decent Resistance can be extremely helpful so your Wing Stance attacks aren’t interrupted and since this weapon is all about getting in on your opponent and not letting up. Moving on to Talismans, you are going to want to make sure you have the Rotten Wing Sword Insignia equipped which will raise your attack power when landing successive attacks. The Milady’s combo strings are able to flow very gracefully into one another and with the quick 3-hit combo from the Wing Stance Light Attack, you can quickly build up attacks one after another. You can also put on Millicent’s Prosthesis which also provides the same buff to a lesser degree but also provides an increase to your Dexterity stat.
The extra power from these Talismans can stack on top of each other so if you have both of them definitely consider using both. You are going to also want to make sure you have the Shard of Alexander you will be using that Wing Stance Skill a lot and the Shard provides a massive boost to damage from Skills. Finally, Rellana’s Cameo is a Talisman that will provide a buff to your attacks after holding a single stance for 2 seconds. The Wing Stance is just the type of stance you’d want to hold for 2 seconds just because of how stylish it looks but now with this Talisman equipped, doing so will allow that attack that comes from the stance to be that much more powerful. With all of these together, you will quickly become the greatest dualist in the Realm of Shadow and beyond.
Falx
If the Milady had a sense of elegance, these dual-curved swords are all about being as vicious as possible. Touting a high damage output which is only amplified with its quick Bleed damage build-up and a unique Ash of War that can overwhelm just about any foe, the Falx is definitely a weapon that all Dex players will want to use as a cornerstone of their build. This weapon is acquired after defeating the NPC Hornsent during his questline. This can be done in Shadow Keep when assisting Leda to kill him, outside the Church of Bud in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh if you summoned him to help defeat Messmer the Impaler, or can be looted from his body after defeating him alongside Leda in Enir-Ilim if you haven’t defeated him before reaching this point. However and wherever you end up getting the Falx, it will require that you have
The Falx is a curved blade that requires 12 Strength and 15 Dexterity to wield properly. This is a Paired Weapon This means when you Power Stance with it, a second sword will be put into your off-hand, allowing you to dual wield instead of holding the single sword with both hands. This is a nice bonus on top of the weapon’s combat abilities since there are many weapons that require you to equip two separate weapons in each hand to dual-wield, increasing your Equipment Load. With a built-in second blade, players who just want to use two swords can do so without the added weight penalty.
The Falx starts with a D scaling in both Dex and Strength but when upgraded with to its max level of +10, it will bring the Dex scaling up to B. This is commendable but not as high as some of its contemporaries, and can’t be increased any further because you can’t infuse the Falx or change its Weapon Skill. But don’t worry, this is more than made up for with this weapon’s moveset and especially its unique Ash of War, Revenger’s Blade. This move has your character quickly charge forward with both blades, allowing you to quickly close the distance between you and your opponent. After the sprint forward, you’ll let go of a cross slash but this isn’t where this move ends. By pressing the Heavy Attack button after the cross slash, you’ll unleash a wild flurry of cuts and slashes against whoever was unfortunate enough to get caught by this combo. For many of the weaker enemies, this stun locks the enemy and keeps them trapped for the whole duration of the flurry and quickly builds the Bleed effect against even the strongest bosses. If you are able to land the full combo, it is basically guaranteed that you will trigger a Bleed effect. You might even get two separate Bleed effects in a single flurry as you cut your opponent to ribbons. A standout Ash of War and a weapon that is fantastic as well.
The Talismans that you will want to use along with this weapon will need to focus on improving Bleed, Skills, and successive attacks as this weapon is all about letting out long combos either through a Light Attack string or its Ash of War. With that in mind, Millcent’s Prosthesis and the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia are once again great choices for the same reasons we used them with the Milady. In fact, these Talismans work even better with two blades which can have two hits per swing, moves like the running Light Attack having the potential of landing 4 strikes in a single attack, and the Revenger’s Blade attack that just lets out so many strikes in quick succession. That move alone will provide the full bonus from both Talismans if all the hits land, making them a necessity for any build using this weapon. If you are missing one of these Talismans, consider using any of the replacements we mentioned in the Milady section as well as the Twinblade Talisman, which will enhance the final hit of chain attacks. The Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman could also be helpful against enemies that don’t get stunlocked by your Ash of War, allowing you to tank a few more hits while you perform your attacks.
Once again, the Shard of Alexander makes a return because we will be using the Ash of War a lot with this weapon. For the final spot, use the Lord of Blood’s Exultation. This Talisman will provide a buff to damage power when Blood Loss is triggered near you which is a massive bonus considering how quickly this weapon can be built up Bleed damage with both its normal attacks and especially with its Ash of War. The White Mask piece of armor shares the same ability as the Lord of Blood’s Exultation, raising your attack power when Blood Loss is nearby while it is being worn. This gear and Talisman work great with one another, especially with the Flax. All of this together makes this an absolute monster of a weapon and will leave all enemies in a bloody heap.
Rakshasa’s Great Katana
This was actually a bit hard to decide on which of the Great Katanas from the new weapon we wanted to include here as each one has the benefits. The regular Great Katana has the freedom to edit its Ash of War and infuse it with different Affinities while the Dragon-Hunters’s Great Katana has a stylish projectile Ash of War and increased damage against Dragon enemies. In the end, went with Rakshasa’s Great Katana not just because it is the best of these weapons to scale with Dexterity but because it also provides a passive buff to your poise while attacking. This, along with its amazing range and Piercing damage from its charged Heavy Attack along with its impeccable crowd control abilities thanks to its Ash of War, this weapon can shred through the opposition with ease.
Turning our attention back to Rakshasa’s Great Katana, actually getting your hands on this weapon is a bit of a trek that starts in the Legacy Dungeon of Scadu Altus known as Shadow Keep. As you make your way through the castle, you will eventually reach an exterior area with several burning boats. Stick to the left wall until you will find a ladder along the left wall. At the bottom of this ladder, you will find a hidden area behind a waterfall that leads to another ladder. You’ll arrive in a sewer with a room to the left of the ladder. Attack the wall on the right side of the room to reveal an illusionary wall to reveal another secret passage. Follow this new path until you find a coffin that you can climb into. After a cutscene, you will find yourself in the lower level of the Scadu Altus.
Once outside the small cave that you arrive at via the coffin, keep heading to the southeast until you find the Recluses’ River Upstream Site of Grace. From here, go along the cliffside and you will eventually find the Recluses’ River Downstream Site of Grace. From here you will be able to find a series of tombstones coming out of the nearby cliff heading down. Stick the leftmost path of tombstones and you will land at the top of a waterfall with another waterfall to your left. Head towards the left waterfall and then take a right. Follow this river and you will arrive at the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum. Inside this location, you will battle a mini-boss called Rakshasa. Defeating this enemy will reward you with their full armor set as well as the Great Katana which bears their name.
Rakshasa’s Great Katana requires you to have 12 Strength and 27 Dexterity and is a long-reaching weapon that incorporates both long slashes and stabs and, as we said earlier, scales the best with Dexterity out of all the weapons in its class. Starting with a scaling of C in Dexterity and an E in Strength, getting the weapon to +10 will increase the scaling in these stats to a B and D respectively. The weapon also provides improved damage negation while attacking, making it harder to stagger and interrupt your attacks thus allowing you to stay on the offensive. This ability really makes this weapon something special as both its Ash of War and Heavy Attacks have some startup time before they can be used to their full potential.
The Light Attacks of this weapon share the same basic moveset as the rest of its class, but what makes it stand out is its Heavy Attack. This move is a long thrusting attack that deals Piercing damage. Many melee-focused enemies won’t be able to hit you from the max range of this Katana and being able to follow up one of these thrust attacks with another one and the ability to charge up each attack, these attacks are a great tool to get off long pokes from a safe distance while doing massive damage a stagger when the thrust is fully charged.
The Ash of War for this Great Katana is called Weed Cutter, a forward-moving horizontal swing that provides great crowd control, damage, and Bleed build-up. And when we say “swing” we really mean a swing! Anything in front of you is going to get caught up in this hefty and massive slash, which can be followed up on with another Weed Cutter attack and can be done over and over as long as you have FP and Stamina. With the weapon’s great Bleed build-up, a player with enough health and Stamina can just use the Weed Cutter to clear out an entire soldier camp or overwhelm even some of the toughest bosses. The pokes of the Heavy Attacks and the large area covered by the Ash of War with both their range and Bleed potential work together to make this Great Katana a fantastic tool in most situations.
If you want to make it even harder for an enemy to knock you out of your attacks with Rakshasa’s Great Katana, consider wearing Rakshasa’s armor set as well since it provides the same passive effect as the sword. For your Talismans, we are going to look for ones that help with that powerful charged Heavy Attack and the Bleed build-up. For the latter, we are once again going to use Lord of Blood’s Exultation for the same reason covered with the Falx. To improve those Heavy Attacks, use the Axe Talisman to increase the power of all charge moves. Also, consider the Two-Handed Sword Talisman since it’s very likely that anyone wanted to wield this giant blade will want to use both hands. These are 3 Talismans we would heavily suggest using but the fourth and final slot has a few different options that depends on what you want to use.
The Shard of Alexander’s buff to Skills can help improve the Weed Cutter while something like the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman greatly improves your Physical Damage negation which will make it even harder to interrupt your attacks when coupled with the Katana and armor set. The Rotten Winged Sword Insignia and Millicent’s Prosthesis are also good choices because even though Rakshasa’s Great Katana isn’t able to perform successive attacks as quickly as something like the Falx. This is also the weapon that we will want to change up your Physick by putting on the Stonebarb Crystal Tear since it makes it easier to break an enemy’s stance and the Spike Craked Tear which will enhance charge attacks which is perfect for the Heavy Attacks from this Katana.
Claws of Night
The Claws of the Night have taken the crown as the best claw weapon in Elden Ring with one of the most unique passive abilities that makes it impossible to fully defend against and a powerful Ashes of War that functions like a shotgun blast. Tracking down this weapon isn’t as easy as looting it off a body or beating a boss. You will need to complete the first few steps of a sidequest that will take you far and wide across the Realm of Shadow. You will need to make your way to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr to the east of the Shadow Keep. To reach this location, make your way to Moorth Ruins in Scadu Altus. Head to the southern part of the ruins and you will find a hole that you can descend down. At the bottom and through a small cave, you will find a ladder that will take you to the hidden Bonny Village. Make your way to the bridge at the northeast end of the village and cross it to find the Bridge Leading to the Village Site of Grace. From this Grace, just follow the dirt path to the north until you reach a fork in the road and take a left.
You will meet Count Ymir inside the Cathedral. Talking to him will start his questline which will require you to visit the different Finger Ruins found across the map. He will give you a map of the first Ruin you must visit which is the Finger Ruins of Rhia in the Cerulean Coast. Starting from the Cerulean Coast Site of Grace, head to the southeast until you reach the location where you find the map of the region then take a left. You will find a beach that will lead you to the Ruins. Make your way down to the center of the area and interact with the large bell to complete this first step of the quest. Return to Ymir and exhaust all of his dialogue. Reload the area by resting at the nearby Site of Grace and Ymir will no longer be in his chair. Interact with the chair to reveal a secret passage that leads to the underground Finger Ruins of Miyr. While you won’t be able to interact with this bell yet, you will be invaded by Swordhand of Night Anna. Defeat this invader and they will drop their Claws of Night weapon.
The Claws of Night require 8 Strength and 20 Dexterity to use and have a special passive ability that makes defending against these things a pain. Since the weapon is semicorporeal, it can’t be fully guarded against. Even enemies holding up their shields will still take noticeable damage. Just like the Falx and other Claw weapons, this is a Pair Weapon which will see you wield a Claw on each hand, allowing for twice as many hits in your combos. It also has a unique Ash of War called Scattershot Throw where it unleashes a wall of projectiles.
As we said earlier, this functions like a shotgun where the spread of these blades extends the further they travel, meaning that you can cover a large area from a distance for less damage but can also get a lot of hits off if this move is used when close to the target. It can also throw out the claw blades by using Heavy Attacks on the ground and in the air. This along with a retreating slash attack that can be performed when doing a Heavy Attack and pressing the Dodge button at the same time allows you to greatly control the spacing between you and your opponent. With the Heavy Attacks and Ash of War allow to attack from a distance and the ever-powerful claw moveset when you’re up close and personal with your opposition, this is a great all-around tool that can quickly build bleed from all kinds of distances.
We are going to want to put on the Smithing Talisman because this improves Throwing Weapons which is a massive part of the Claws of Night. With the Scattershot Throw able to land multiple hits with its projectiles and the Light Attack combo being able to quickly land many successive attacks, use either the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia or Millicent’s Prosthesis for the same reasons we’ve covered over the course of this guide. With the weapon’s great Bleed potential, the Lord of Blood’s Exultation is a must as is the Shard of Alexander to make that Scattershot Throw even more powerful. Because of its focus on Bleed, using the White Mask is also a good idea for the same reasons we covered when discussing the Falx.
Backhand Blade
Probably the earliest weapon that you can get on our list and it still stands at the top. The Backhand Blade shares its name with the new weapon class it is part of and takes many of the best elements from the other weapons on our list and puts them all on one weapon. With its great moveset and incredible Ash of War, this weapon will turn you into the ultimate assassin.
You will be able to find this blade in the DLC’s very first region known as the Gravesite Plain. Not too far from the first area that you load into when arriving in the DLC’s Realm of Shadow is a Point of Interest called the Scorched Ruins. From this location, you are going to want to head to the northeast and travel off the beaten path. Make your way to the stone structure out in the open field surrounded by a group of roaming enemies known as Inquisitors. At the center of this stone structure is a coffin and an item sitting in front of said coffin. This item is the Backhand Blade.
In order to properly use the Backhand Blade, you will need 10 Strength and 13 Dexterity. The scaling for the weapon starts at D for both Strength and Dexterity with both being raised to C upon reaching max level. This seems pretty low considering the other weapons we’ve seen on this list but that’s because we aren’t done tweaking the blades just yet. You will want to apply the Keen Affinity to the Backhand Blade and while that does drop the Strength scaling back down to D, it also raises the Dexterity scaling to the elusive S rank. Just like the Milady, you can infuse this weapon with many different Affinities to help fit your playstyle with Poison, Cold, and Blood being really effective but for the purposes of getting the highest possible scaling out of Dexterity, we will be approaching our tips under the assumption that your weapon is Keen.
Sticking with comparisons to previous weapons in our list, this is also a Paired Weapon. The moveset comes with a very long Light Attack combo string along with a great cross-slash attack from its Running Heavy Attack which will allow you to immediately continue your run after it is performed, allowing you to keep up your forward-moving momentum. Along with a charged Heavy Attack that crosses a large distance and good Jumping Attacks, the weapon is very solid just from its basic moveset. The main star of this weapon, however, is its Ash of War called Blind Spot.
The Blind Spot Ash of War is available only on two weapons in the game with the Backhand Blade being one of them. This Skill will have your character dash diagonally in the direction of an enemy before cutting back in toward your target to stab them in the side. This move can quickly close the distance on your foe and can even get around their guard. This means that even if they are holding up a shield, you will be able to get around it and do damage, making this move a great tool to use to take down turtling enemies that would rather play defense than actually engage you. The Ash of War also has I-frames, making it useful to also function as a dodge and can put in really advantageous positions when used in certain positions like allowing you to quickly slip behind an opponent and deal massive damage. The move can also be used after rolling and any combo making it a great tool to save yourself after a bad roll or if you feel like you’re about to be punished for getting greedy with your offense.
For your Talismans, you will definitely want to use the Shard of Alexander to make your Blind Spot even better. The Blind Spot move is also a Piercing attack which means that using the Spear Talisman is another way to improve the move’s output. Also, consider using the Retaliatory Crossed-Tree which enhances attacks after backstepping and rolling which the Blind Spot move also falls under. The Lacerating Crossed-Tree enhances dahs attacks which includes the Running Heavy Attack so it also will be useful for those opening attacks. Leda’s Armor is also a great choice here because it also provides a bonus to dahs attacks. Both Talismans are gotten from Leda’s questline and Leda’s Armor can be acquired by defeating her in Enir-Ilim so make sure you help her to get these items. If you have only one or neither of these Talismans you can replace them with Millicent’s Prosthesis and/or the Rotten Winged Sword Insignia. Another good option includes The Claw Talisman to improve your Jumping Attacks. Whichever combination of these items you use, they all will make the Backhand Blade even better than it already is, making it only right that this amazing new weapon takes the top spot on our list.
