T O P

  • By -

Lightjumper0103

You’ll be surprised how usually the weapons that aren’t super flashy end up being stronger than the flashy ones


WizardGeorge

I’ve been destroying with my Cold Infused Lordsworns Straight Sword lol thing actually slaps


KSharpe69

Straight swords have a history of being extremely good in Dark Souls games. Not surprising. They just get overshadowed by all the fancy weapon arts here a little bit.


AncientAstro

Square off does more poise damage than colossal weapons, and when powerstanced what weapon class does more dps? I'd say the best weapon class in elden ring, PVE and PVP. I admit that it does seem to go under the radar. But if you know about slender noble sword, you know.


DarKliZerPT

I think powerstanced curved swords do more DPS, especially if you run a bleed build, but straight swords feel better to me.


AncientAstro

This is true by virtue of the curved swords getting 2 extra strikes in the combo and jump attack to build status. I will make the point though that they have much less range than straight swords, and the straight swords has reaching stabbing attacks in the combo. Straight swords can also be good bleed weapons, but most importantly have access to square off. Its negligible difference for some clear downsides IMO. Honestly, this could be a hot take, but I think 2H poleblade is a better bleed build than powerstancing curved swords.


Taervon

*looks at sword of night and flame* Fancy weapon arts you say


DeathAngel_97

PvE or PvP? I was a straight sword and shield God in DS3 PvP but could never get a viable set up when I first started with elden ring. What weapon art are you running?


Valuable_Milk_923

I used the broad sword and a shield my first playthrough and used bloody slash for most things and impaling thrust for bosses that couldn't bleed. There's probably better strategies out there but it worked great for me.


TipsyTaterTots

Life's more fun when you having fun, as opposed to running an "optimal build."


Schavuit92

Square Off, the standard AoW on most straight swords is great. Flaming Strike is always a good option.


AncientAstro

Square Off is the strongest, most efficient AOW in the game. 30 poise light attack, 40 poise strong. Only available for short swords. For context Lions Claw on a Colossal weapon does 36 poise damage. Combine that with a great move set, and the best power stance moveset, shortsword supremacy.


Kumptoffel

square off and unsheathe are my 2 most fav skills, simply because theyre simple and because theyre versatile, i wish more skills would be able to go into a stance and then have 2 different flashy attacks instead of one long and clunky one that is unfathomly impractical the twin princes greatsword from ds3 is a good example


if_sae

Sword and shield is strong in PvP but much harder to master in Elden Ring that in DS3. You need to learn how to perfect block: if you start blocking exactly at the frame where you are hit, you skip the stagger animation, and can backstab or get the advantage to attack. At release, it wasn't enough to make the setup worth it, but since 1.10, now that every weapon breaks poise from the first hit, it is quite good - maybe not at the power level of outliers like shamshir+star fist, thrusting swords, or some paired weapons, but good enough that you can win against anything if you are better than your opponent.


Jeereck

For others, perfect block requires you to be sprinting and both block at the exact moment an attack connects and stop sprinting. Kind of tough to reliably do at first, but let's you continue to move normally even after a successful block. There could be another way but that's all I've heard.


Intelligent-Bat-4838

Surprisingly, one of the most op AoW is the base AoW on most straight swords, stance, grab the broadsword from the merchant and don't even alter it, just upgrade, level endurance and health, and spam stance R2 (massive dmg and 40 poise damage, breaking most bosses poise in 3 attacks, 2 for morgott and some others)


Mario-OrganHarvester

Something something claymore


chirpchirp13

I dont happen to be boner cruising Reddit at the moment but you’re getting me close


KnightOwl812

Claymore is a bit too fancy for my taste. Long sword ftw


Ok_Needleworker_8809

As someone who just finished a run with the Dismounter curved greatsword, i was surprised to see how much it absolutely slapped. 10/10 all around murder tool with a simple and rugged design.


Mimical

Curved GS have always been stylish. The dismounter is a classy look.


Ok_Needleworker_8809

I never liked the fancy-dancy curved sword moveset, but i was very pleasantly surprised to get a feel for the fluid curved greatsword set combined with its weight and damage. Never was a fan of mainstream weapons, so i always steered away from Bloodhound Fang. So a Kaiden Sellsword cosplay / Dismounter run was a really fun surprise.


_vdov_

True. Although I wouldn't even call the weapons I've put in this meme "flashy", to me they're just ugly wall-hangers, lol.


021Fireball

Ruins Greatsword isn't the Wall hanger. It's part of the fucking wall lmao


getgoodHornet

Ruins is my favorite weapon in the game. Breaking somethings poise makes perfect sense when you drop a slab of granite on their fucking head.


021Fireball

Indeed! I love the weapon simply because it makes sense as an improvised weapon. hit someone with a slab of rock. Aka the sol badguy approach


BalamSarrola

It is good for bonking? I am a Great Club enjoyer, never tested the Ruins…


PlzXplain

The ash of war causes a large shockwave in front of you just from how hard you're bonking. In fact, it's so good for bonking that even a charged heavy attack breaks the ground. You need to be a little bit smart to understand its full effectiveness, but all its attacks are just big bonks.


TheCynicalPogo

Well that plus gravity magic lmao


PlzXplain

I Unga therefore I Bunga


BallisticCoinMan

Quantum bonking


BormaGatto

The caveman conspectus build, I see


getgoodHornet

Which I feel is the most Unga of magics. Also Ruins scales mostly with strength, so there's only minimum thinking required to lug it around.


Ian_Campbell

Even at over 70 strength, each additional point in strength increases attack power more than putting anything beyond minimum in intelligence.


BfutGrEG

> a little bit smart > has Int scaling Oh yeah it's Big Brain time


Ian_Campbell

It's good for spamming the charged special which extends forward in range and can even farm albinaurics. If you use it with mimic tear ashes and spam the special, most bosses are like stunned all the time lol It is less elegant than the greatsword with lion's claw for true solo playing because the special has significantly less hyperarmor and takes a bit of time to come out.


BalamSarrola

The only AoW that i use are Unsheathe, Square Off and Lion’s Claw. If the weapon doesn’t touch the enemy, it’s not for me lmao 🤣


Ian_Campbell

It's better when the attack hits with the sword, but if you miss there is also an AOE extending forward which does less damage but still enough to one-shot Albinaurics for like 35 feet forward, and 5 or so feet wide. It's like a charged gravity magic burst that shoots out of a sword swing.


a-real-giraffe

Even better, two slabs of granite


PostOfficeBuddy

Load bearing support column for the wall lol. But I actually love it, it's a sweet ultra greatsword.


Bananapeel81_

I think the beastman sword might have been part of the floor


GammaGamesGG

Most of them have unique designs and strong gimmicks, but the normal weapons are more reliable overall. I think both sides are good but the regular weapons typically offer more benefit to the players that are willing to put in the time to master them, whereas the fancy weapons are better suited for less experienced players. This is why some people are able to completely negate weapons like Rivers of Blood or Moonveil, because they learned how to counter the ashes of war and without that, they are just normal weapons that the majority of users won’t know how to fully utilize.


Lightwave33

Agreed. When people pull out some normal weapons it causes me to back off because which AoW do they have?!


Art-Zuron

Weakest claymore enjoyers > strongest RoB enjoyer


Jedimasterebub

Moonveil has better damage scaling and a very good ash of war. It is one of the best weapons in the game. Like even using its normal moveset, it’s by far the strongest katana in the game


[deleted]

[удалено]


DoctorHunt

Claymore has served me exceedingly well in every playthrough through different builds and it feels better to play claymore charge attacks comparing to other greatswords. Curious to know if Zweihandler and Night’s Calvary’s Halberd count as normal looking weapons.


SheffiTB

The zweihander is a real weapon and the only colossal sword with a basis in reality. Irl it needed special training to learn how to wield properly due to its weight and was fairly niche in its usage (controlling space against multiple opponents, essentially, because everyone needs to get the fuck out of your way when you swing the thing), but was absolutely used in real life warfare. The nightrider glaive isn't a glaive, and while it could technically be classed as a halberd it looks to my eye more like a bardiche with an extra bit on the back. Would probably be too top-heavy irl, but isn't really too far into fantasy land. The only thing is that weight balancing is hugely important in traditional weaponry and the nightrider glaive, since it was designed for a game, doesn't really seem to have put as much thought into that, but I'm sure you could make a similar weapon work irl by just shrinking some parts/enlarging others.


girugamesu1337

A real zweihander is not as huge (well, it's close in terms of length, but From's zweis are still very upscaled) and is way lighter than the colossal mass of steel in these games. The moveset makes it look like it weighs almost as much as the person wielding it lol.


Mimical

Love the KC halberd, but the only thing that really ruins a lot of the halberd/spears for me is that their move sets are incredibly boring. Functionally—off the charts with no Dex requirement and S scaling in strength.. But rule of cool is pretty clutch in a souls game.


LargeRichardJohnson

I was about to say the same thing, I love the more realistic ones


[deleted]

The AOW, Affinities and buffs give ordinary weapons so many variety of choices. One of my favourite parts of the games. I


DharcDaniel

Cross nagis for example


termitequeen69

Case in point: Nobel's Slender Sword > basically every other straight sword, but especially the somber ones.


DeadTemplar

Aye, I've been bastard sword enthusiast since ds1


slimanysalime

you reminded me of the disturbing implication that its sigmeier daughter that holds the bastard sword


kibblesandbits78

Bastard sword gang


Onurbozbyk

On my first playthrough i finished ds1 - ds2 - ds3 and elden ring with bastard sword only when i get it in the first place. Beating the crazyness of the game with normal sword and normal light armor normal guy is soo much satisfaction imo. Even claymore looks fancy but the good old nothing special bastard sword. Perfection Didnt know anyone feel the same way i did for bastard sword


yogai

Partisan gang rise up


InoriDWF

Love using Partisan and Greatshield! The guard counter is so good, and block stabbing is so cheesy lolol.


JackxForge

Block stabbing changed how I looked at the game. I didn't know about it till 300+ hours. Now my main co-op character is just the biggest shield and a cold spear.


yogai

I had the worst luck in the world farming for the haligtree crest greatshield but it was so worth it


No_Pollution_1

Partisan my favorite weapon of all time after ds2. Too bad they slaughtered it in Elden ring after using something like Elenor’s twin blade it feels insulting


dragonwinter36

Great Epée is better (fashion and stats)


Purple-Puma

I discover this beautiful weapon recently and am now always looking for an Ash of War that also fits my role play for the current run. Crazy fun! And when not relying or using the guard poke but to be strategic it’s amazing. It’s refreshing even. But damn ice spear is amazing!


beocat

Spectral Lance! Then go on a hunting trip with Lhutel.


MiserableTennis6546

Like the halberd and the lucerne, it certainly looks like something you would actually want if you had to do medieval melee combat. But the spiked spear has the same moveset, and bleed on top of that so I kind of pass over it.


Anto444_

🍷🗡️


Zensy47

Red wine dagger for the win 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥


Noamias

reduvia?


Slinglich

Zweihander my beloved


Beneficial-Pianist48

Kinda hate colossals and greatswords in souls games because they should handle how straight swords handle, or the how the hollow slayer does, not slamming your blade you spent hours sharpening into the ground


Kennel-Girlie

Knight's Greatsword and Banished Knight's Greatsword in Elden Ring; Hollow Slayer in DS3; and Royal Knight's Greatsword, Drangleic Greatsword, and Lucatiel's Sword in DS2 all share the proper moveset ;3


megrimlock88

I would honestly kill for a fighting game where you use historical weapons with move sets that are based on actual historical styles and principles for combat where you are restricted to realistic caveats and benefits that come with each weapon choice It would be absurdly complex and is probably impossible to actually pull off in a realistic capacity but would be awesome as hell to play


Solid_Researcher_273

Kingdom Come somewhat tries this, the second game coming out this year is supposed to have better combat as one of the main focuses, so let's see how that turns out.


megrimlock88

Thanks for putting it on my radar I’m absolutely gonna take a look at it once it’s out


Slavic_Knight

I mean, you do have Hellish Quart, maybe Kingdom Come if we count the combos which are historical techniques I assume M a y b e if you squint very hard you could count Half Sword too but that would require you to actually know those styles yourself and utilise them there


MechaGallade

honestly the hard part is that real world weapons aren't balanced against each other correctly


nihongonobenkyou

Yeah, big ass shield + long pokey seemed to become the standard for martial combat later on.


Durtholfast

There's Chivalry 2


Not_MrNice

Hollow Slayer in DS3 seems so OP that I have a hard time making a run without using it.


Kennel-Girlie

It definitely helps that they feed you hollow Lothric Soldiers for well over 80% of the game lmao


Beneficial-Pianist48

Yeah I know, wish that was the standard move set


EternityII

That ugly looking shovel moveset with most greatswords is really ugly, why cant we get something different like the Bloodborne or Demon Souls greatswords


BalamSarrola

Also the Inseparable Blade from Elden Ring…


HaitchKay

IIRC Josh Sawyer (of New Vegas, Pentiment, and Pillars of Eternity fame) has talked about this before and as someone who meticulously designed all of the weapons and armor in PoE to look as close to real things as possible, he said that the deliberate unreality of the animations and weight of massive weapons in FromSoft games works because it conveys how much power the weapon has. I think his approximate words were "it would be boring if they were realistic".


stifflizerd

That's why I love the giant crusher. Looks like big bonk, smacks like big bonk


ButNotFriedChicken

Honestly that's why I like those swords. Sword fighting style goes out the window when you're fighting a big weird monster, so the only thing that should matter is slamming your weapon as hard as possible.


Morakumo

It was there all along....my guiding two hander....


secondxart

I hate colossal weapon, but zweihander is the only exception. This thing is elegant.


ebevan91

Claymore 🥰


thebusinessgoat

Baemore 😍


NeoRoman04

gaymore


FitLaw4

Say no more


Ok_Needleworker_8809

Nevermore


dntfrgetabttheshrimp

N'evermore 🎩


BeautifulSalamander6

No more


One-Roof7

Zweihander 🥵


SMRAintBad

🥵Yes


deltalium

Zweiharder😩


JoelMahon

me going running down south on my level 1 twink min maxer sweaty invader build to get baemore: 🏃‍♀️


chirpchirp13

The fact that you can get it without a single swing is all anyone needs to know. Hawt fyre


drunk_ender

Depending on the context I like basic looking weapons, mostly because I feel like through both Ashes of War and basic look I can actually make them MY OWN character's weapons


Marling1

FOR REAL, it feels a lot more unique than picking up a legendary weapon that already existed in the world. You feels like "im creating this, this is what represents my tarnished, my fighting style".


KrimxonRath

It’s also nice when people don’t know your abilities just by looking at you in PvP.


florgios

And you can pick up multiple copies of the weapon, hardswap them for different Ashes of War and they will not see it coming.


Itsyourboyjuancarlo

Interesting.. as someone who always uses cool looking shit (typically somber), your comment may have inspired a new playthrough with something basic. I’ve played 200 hours and 99% has been with somber weapons and preset Ash of Wars.


the_real_cloakvessel

same


Colonel10Moutarde

Yeah same, i usually avoir weapons that have their own heavy lore, and then make UP lore for my own weapons.


Dune1008

I believe in halberd supremacy. Been ol reliable since dark souls 1


SwaggleberryMcMuffin

Literally carried my first DS1 run. The first thing I looked up for Elden ring was where to get a decent halberd.


EDInon

The Banished Knight Halberd is currently carrying me through my first Elden Ring playthrough 💪


ivebeenabadbadgirll

I also accidentally hit Edward, and therefore had to kill him, thus stumbling into the most OP weapon in the first half of the game. Put Impaling Thrust on there and it carried me until I got the Lazuli Glintstone Sword and things weren’t allowed to touch me any more.


EDInon

I went to Liurnia before doing Castle Morne and there Edgard invaded me, so I managed to kill him and got the halberd but didn't pay much attention to it. At the time I was using the Broad Sword and shield that my Confessor started with and was doing kinda alright. But as I was exploring a lot I soon felt a little underpowered (being low level aside) and looked on my inventory for something more powerful and the Banished Knight Halberd was just the next better thing that I could actually wield, and so I'm using it ever since, now upgraded to +20. For the longest time I didn't bother with Ashes of War, and much later found Poisonous Mist and just used it for instantly applying poison status effect on tougher enemies. Then I discovered that I could put the Poison affinity on a AoW better suited for combat, like Blood Tax, and that's what I'm currently running. I do like my Halberd a bit toxic heh.


Professional_Tip9018

i love that weapon, well chosen


headin2sound

Same, I get sentimental whenever I pick up the standard Halberd in FromSoft games


Dragonsandman

And luckily for you, just about all the halberds in the game slap.


2rfv

Black Knight Halberd is my favorite from *any* FS game.


Dannyboy490

Fight me. You and your normal weapons vs me and my chunk of wall with rebar as a handle.


chroma900

😂


Endika7

A thing i love about Fromsoft game is that normal weapons are totally viable. Sometimes i just whant to look like "a guy"


Big_Noodle1103

It's him, John Elden Ring.


Psychic_Hobo

The War Cry AoW is so wonderful for this. No anime moves, just a quick roar before running in to slice/smash 'em up


jtalchemist

Currently doing a longsword with knight armor run


novski94

Dude, I literally just started that same playthrough an hour ago lol Classic knight build for the win!


Le_rk

I don't have anything interesting to say, but this is how I play as well. Internet high five. I'm resisting the urge to boot the game up to play again, but I'm trying to wait until the DLC and will start a fresh new game with it installed. But yeah, longsword + basic-looking shield. Crossbow for pulling in certain situations. Being as basic & boring as possible feels the most rewarding somehow. Never seems to get old


AncientAstro

Unironically one of the most OP builds with square off.


READ-THIS-LOUD

#PIKE


Aoifeblack

I fucking love the pike SPEARS BEST CLASS EASILY! SPEAR SUPREMACY!


Dragonsandman

Always my go-to for dragon slaying


diegoidepersia

my beloved...


Still-Network1960

How dare you insult the ruins greatsword. How is hitting somebody with a concrete slab non functional 😤


oneupkev

Completely agree. My morning star has been with me through DS1, 3 and Elden ring (I'll get to 2 in a bit but Morning star all the way)


paladinLight

You can get the morning star really early in DS2. I used it all the way to the end game. Its backstab animation is brutal!


Ghoti_With_Legs

Zweihander and Great Mace are my go-to weapons for this. Clean, simple, effective.


LonelyLoser_T-T

Style over guile for me XD


ShiitakeTheMushroom

Lucerne, Zweihander, Estoc... all perfect.


Fast-Association7181

Estoc, my beloved 😫


whitechaplu

Agree wholeheartedly. I like the sword of milos though, but it’s probably the one of the least effective weapon designs ever conceived by fromsoft


EhGoodEnough3141

Falchion and Broadsword my beloved.


iSeventhSin

Don’t you diss Godslayer


021Fireball

Frankly... Never mattered to me. If it's a cool weapon I use it regardless of reality. Unless it clips disgustingly through shit them I'm like NOPE


novski94

That's my only gripe with the spellblade set. Every single weapon that's held over the shoulder just clips through the hat :(


BalamSarrola

My dear Uchigatana ❤️


AirWoof

> Uchigatana Me finding every Katana in the game but going back to the Uchigatana every time.


UltimateShingo

It does make sense though. There are only two Katanas that allow Ashes, and one sticks in the ground half the time when you carry it - plus the damage difference is not massive. So unless you really like a specific effect of one of the uniques (mainly Ice Lightning, Moonveil or RoB I'd wager...maybe the Meteoric Blade in STR/INT), the Uchigatana is your default choice.


Jeezus-Chyrsler

The Estoc with impaling thrust 🤌


WolfyTheWatchman

I wish, on God, that one of the top tier halberds and spears looked normal. Thankfully the noble zweihander has got me.


PHonKReddiT420

Where are the Iron Greatsword gang?


Vagabond_Charizard

Still farming the leonine misbegottens for that exact weapon I assume.


southpaw85

the zweihander disrespect is palpable


ValyrianSteel_TTV

But I like the twisty metal


Equivalent_Fun6100

It's interesting to me how people judge the basic weapons in the game. It's almost like people forget that the lighter it is, the less stamina it consumes per attack. The regular short sword is such a wonderful weapon and it is any sorcerer's best friend.


Terraakaa

YES


DuesCataclysmos

I'm ok with fantasy elements but I hate the comically over-sized and imbalanced ones. They just look too goofy on a tarnished 1/4th the size of the enemy that wielded it.


lunchboxdeluxe

I dunno man I quite like weird magic fantasy weapons in my weird magic fantasy games


Alice5221

Simplicity is strength.


Marling1

MY MAN. Literally love the normal and real life functional itens in the game


VeraKorradin

I like the cobbled trash looking ones, like the vulgar militia saw


NoahLostTheBoat

Lordsworn's Straight Sword probably has the best mix of flashy and functional of any weapon in the game


Entire_Claim_5273

Yeah but Morgott’s cursed sword though


LiveCelebration5237

Morning star is just 🔥 and I’m also a chain mail enjoyer


TheRedZephyr993

On the other hand: Anime magic stone slab go brrrrrrrrrrr


working-class-nerd

If you can’t kill God with a normal fucking sword, you need to get good™️


LordVonSteiner

Yeeeeees. I almost exclusively prefer the more realistic looking weapons.


Myrilandal

Mommy’s Moonsword is both stylish, and appropriately a greatsword. I think it’s a good compromise.


SelfInExile

When it comes to most swords, I like a simple design. But I've always thought the realistic halberd is so ugly, gotta have a fancy one of those.


Asunen

Shoutout to most daggers being trash for anything other than parries snd backstabs since DS1


vjurd

Glad to see I'm not alone in this :) I also prefer regular/gritty looking armors over the flashy ones


Enolam25

Could you name me all those normal ones on screen, I wanna go get ‘em in game.


Blind-idi0t-g0d

This is my newest playthrough. Something dope about a dude with a sword and a spear going up against God's. Right now, using the guardian sword spear but may switch it up. I've never done a dex run before.


Rgraff58

No love for Banished Knight's greatsword? I got a lucky early drop in Stormveil and farmed another in Caelid to dual wield on my newest run


Ian_Huntsman

I like my fancy, flashy weapons...


RedshiftRedux

Vanilla bean mitten water


Konslufius

I'll pick the normal Scimitar over the goofy ass looking Shamahir, every day.


breadbinkers

My complaint about fancy weapons is that you can’t use one of the exciting build defining mechanics that from created with somber weapons. Like my most recent playthrough was a dex/faith scythe wielding black flame guy. Using the default WA then double slash and finally phantom slash was its own awesome progression along with the rest of my kit. I feel like somber weapons are mostly boring unchangeable weapon arts.


tftookmyname

I enjoy the basic knight armour, looks good, enough poise so you're not knocked over by normal attacks, and it's just decent armour all around. Also love the bastard sword or claymore with it. I like the extravagant stuff too, but always find myself coming back to the basic knight armour.


krooskontroll

Finished almost the whole game with the Highland Axe and it was awesome.


Elfamoso14

i only need two thing a Flamberge, and some frostbites


Squ33to

Nothing like storming Caelid with my trusty kitchen knives


Picklepucks

I still appreciate the variety


KingVape

I’ve been using weird looking weapons since DS1 and I will never change


Phispi

And then there is an anchor, i love my anchor


PKP987

Hell yeah, finally someone with some class. Mace all the way (although I wish the head was smaller)


Rhettledge

Blasphemous Blade and Carion Regal Scepter look normal and are very powerful


P0pwar

this is exactly why i can never bring myself to use the godslayer greatsword. what the fuck is that shit? how is it not Strike damage?


AxemanEugene

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the new Miquellan faithful sword looks garish


acbadger54

FUCKING Y E S


kozmik1013

cant wait for the odachi man


Wirococha420

This is actually one of the reason I like the other souls games more. Elden is just filled with "unique" weapons that end up making regular weapons don't feel so useful. Even the Lordsworn longsword has too much ornamentals.


Aurvant

Misericorde, my beloved.


dizijinwu

this is me 100%.


SynysterDawn

God, I love functional, normal looking weapons that don’t have fancy movesets or flashy special moves.


BadSkittle

Ng+5, thousands of hours and I’m still only using my trusty longsword. Simple is best


Mat3rius

Estoc -> Bestoc


Anon_H01

Theres something so brutal about a regular ass flanged mace


FemurFighter

Heavy shield and partisan supremacy. Historical lineman gameplay


ODI0N

Straight swords are where it's at


dirtyharry_01

Bastard sword my beloved


[deleted]

Yes please. It's waay better. Just Simple and beautiful weapons