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# ⚔️ Elden Ring — Legendary Weapons Complete Guide

All 9 base game legendary armaments + DLC | Locations, Scaling, Ash of War & Tier List

# 📊 Legendary Weapons Overview

Legendary Armaments are the highest rarity weapons in Elden Ring, each with unique skills and appearances. Collecting all 9 unlocks the "Legendary Armaments" achievement.

Weapon Type Scaling Difficulty Tier
Dark Moon Greatsword Greatsword INT S ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hand of Malenia Katana DEX S ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Starscourge Greatsword Colossal Sword STR D/DEX D ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blasphemous Blade Greatsword FAI D ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sword of Night and Flame Straight Sword INT D/FAI D ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Golden Order Greatsword Greatsword FAI D ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Greatsword Colossal Sword STR D ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ruins Greatsword Colossal Sword STR C/INT D ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Moonlight Greatsword Greatsword INT S ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💡 Note: Legendary weapons cannot have their ashes of war changed, but their unique skills are usually very powerful. Upgrading requires Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones.

# 🌟 S-Tier Legendary Weapons (Must-Have)

# 1. 【Dark Moon Greatsword】

  • Type: Greatsword
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D / INT S
  • Base Stats: Physical 114 + Magic 78
  • Ash of War: "Moonlight Greatsword" — Enchants weapon, adds magic damage, heavy attack fires moonlight wave
  • Location:
    1. Complete Ranni's questline (long side quest)
    2. Obtained at the Moonlight Altar
  • Best For: Pure mages / Spellblades
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Mage endgame weapon. Moonlight waves have long range and high damage. Strong in both PvE and PvP.

# 2. 【Hand of Malenia】

  • Type: Katana
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX S
  • Base Stats: Physical 138
  • Ash of War: "Waterfowl Dance" — Forward dash with multi-hit flurry, final hit launches
  • Location:
    1. Defeat "Malenia, Blade of Miquella"
    2. Trade her Remembrance
  • Best For: Pure DEX / Bleed builds
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: DEX build endgame weapon. Waterfowl Dance deals insane damage, fast startup and large range.

# 3. 【Blasphemous Blade】

  • Type: Greatsword
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D / FAI D
  • Base Stats: Physical 121 + Fire 78
  • Ash of War: "Taker's Flames" — Releases fire shockwave, heals HP on kills
  • Location:
    1. Defeat "Praetor Rykard"
    2. Trade his Remembrance
  • Best For: Faith builds / Fire builds
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Faith warrior god-tier. Lifesteal massively improves survivability, amazing for clearing groups.

# 4. 【Starscourge Greatsword】

  • Type: Colossal Sword (dual-wield)
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D / FAI C
  • Base Stats: Physical 131 + Magic 69
  • Ash of War: "Starscourge Greatsword" — Dual swords slam ground, summon gravity shockwave
  • Location:
    1. Defeat "Starscourge Radahn"
    2. Trade his Remembrance
  • Best For: STR/FAI / Gravity builds
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Dual colossal swords look epic. Starscourge skill has large AoE and high damage, but slow startup.

# 5. 【Sword of Night and Flame】

  • Type: Straight Sword
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D / INT D / FAI D
  • Base Stats: Physical 87 + Magic 57 + Fire 57
  • Ash of War: "Stance of Night and Flame" — Two modes:
    • Light attack: Comet (magic damage)
    • Heavy attack: Flame spray (fire damage)
  • Location:
    1. Caria Manor — room accessed by jumping from rooftops
    2. Need to drop down from upper manor
  • Best For: INT/FAI hybrid / Mages
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Former meta weapon. Still strong after nerfs, top pick for hybrid builds.

# 6. 【Moonlight Greatsword】

  • Type: Greatsword
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D / INT S
  • Base Stats: Physical 110 + Magic 82
  • Ash of War: "Moonlight" — Enchants weapon, heavy attack fires moonlight projectiles
  • Location:
    1. Complete Ranni's questline
    2. Different from Dark Moon Greatsword
  • Best For: Mages / Spellblades
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Classic weapon from the Souls series. Nostalgia + solid performance.

# 🛡️ B-Tier Legendary Weapons (Niche Use)

# 7. 【Golden Order Greatsword】

  • Type: Greatsword
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D / FAI D
  • Base Stats: Physical 120 + Holy 76
  • Ash of War: "Golden Order" — Enchants weapon with holy damage, restores HP
  • Location:
    1. Defeat "Golden Order Guardian"
    2. Mountaintops of the Giants
  • Best For: Holy faith builds
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Holy damage weapon, great against undead enemies, but limited general use.

# 8. 【Greatsword】

  • Type: Colossal Sword
  • Scaling: STR D / DEX D
  • Base Stats: Physical 164
  • Ash of War: "Stomp" — Stomp to create shockwave, followed by downward slash
  • Location:
    1. Giant-Conquering Hero's Grave
    2. Found in a chest
  • Best For: Pure STR / Chad builds
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Pure STR players' favorite. Insane AR, just slow.

# 9. 【Ruins Greatsword】

  • Type: Colossal Sword
  • Scaling: STR C / DEX D / INT D
  • Base Stats: Physical 124 + Magic 68
  • Ash of War: "Ruins" — Releases gravity wave
  • Location:
    1. Redmane Castle after defeating Radahn
    2. Or specific boss drop
  • Best For: STR/INT hybrid
  • Tier: ⭐⭐⭐
  • Verdict: Cool looking, but damage is mediocre.

# 🏰 DLC Legendary Weapons (Shadow of the Erdtree)

# 10. 【Messmer's Fireball】

  • Type: Staff? / Special weapon
  • Location: DLC area
  • Tier: TBD

# 11. 【Dark Greatsword】

  • Type: Greatsword
  • Location: DLC final boss
  • Tier: TBD

# 📈 Tier Rankings

# PvE Tier List

  1. 🥇 Dark Moon Greatsword — Mage BIS, moonlight wave clears everything
  2. 🥈 Blasphemous Blade — Lifesteal + AoE, survival and damage
  3. 🥉 Hand of Malenia — DEX build ceiling
  4. Starscourge Greatsword — Dual colossal, absolutely epic
  5. Sword of Night and Flame — Hybrid god-tier, ranged and melee
  6. Moonlight Greatsword — Nostalgia + power
  7. Greatsword — Pure STR chad choice
  8. Golden Order Greatsword — Holy specialized
  9. Ruins Greatsword — Middling performance

# PvP Tier List

  1. 🥇 Hand of Malenia — Waterfowl Dance is nearly unreactable
  2. 🥈 Dark Moon Greatsword — Moonlight wave pressure
  3. 🥉 Sword of Night and Flame — Ranged combos are strong
  4. Starscourge Greatsword — Gravity pressure
  5. Blasphemous Blade — Sustained healing is annoying

# 🗺️ Collection Route

# Early Game

  1. Sword of Night and Flame — Caria Manor (Liurnia of the Lakes)
  2. Greatsword — Giant-Conquering Hero's Grave (needs key)

# Mid Game

  1. Starscourge Greatsword — Defeat Radahn (Redmane Castle festival)
  2. Ruins Greatsword — Redmane Castle (after Radahn)

# Late Game

  1. Blasphemous Blade — Defeat Rykard (Volcano Manor)
  2. Golden Order Greatsword — Mountaintops of the Giants
  3. Dark Moon / Moonlight Greatsword — Ranni's questline (very long)
  4. Hand of Malenia — Defeat Malenia (Haligtree)

# 💡 Upgrade Recommendations

Weapon Recommended Level Somber Ancient Dragon Stones Needed
Dark Moon Greatsword +10 1
Hand of Malenia +10 1
Blasphemous Blade +10 1
Starscourge Greatsword +10 1
Others +5 is fine Not needed

💡 Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones are very rare. Only a few per playthrough. Prioritize your main weapon.

Build #1 Legendary Weapon Alternative
Pure Mage Dark Moon Greatsword Moonlight Greatsword
Faith Warrior Blasphemous Blade Golden Order Greatsword
DEX Bleed Hand of Malenia —
Pure STR Greatsword Starscourge Greatsword
INT/FAI Hybrid Sword of Night and Flame —
STR/FAI Hybrid Starscourge Greatsword Blasphemous Blade

⚠️ Important Notes:

  • Legendary weapons cannot have their ashes changed — unique skills are fixed
  • Upgrading requires Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones, which are very limited
  • Collect all 9 to unlock the "Legendary Armaments" achievement
  • Some weapons require completing very long questlines

# 📰 Changelog

Date Update
2026-07-28 Added legendary weapons complete guide
Last Updated: 8/10/2026, 1:26:15 PM

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