This page details the Top 5 Strength (STR) weapons in Elden Ring as of Patch 1.04. Strength weapons usually weigh a lot, so you’ll need to ensure you’ve invested a lot of points into Endurance.

What are the Best Strength (STR) Weapons in Elden Ring?¶

The classification that players use for Strength weapons are weapons that require you to place around 40-50 points in the Strength stat. With Elden Ring, this means you’re usually looking at the “Colossal” line of weapons although there are some exceptions. Additionally, pure Strength weapons will require the majority of the required stat to be STR, unlike some weapons that require a hybrid such as the Marais Executioner’s Sword which requires 24 Strength and 23 Arcane.

As you may expect, wielding these weapons will weigh a lot, so you’ll want to ensure that you have plenty of points invested into Endurance so that you can try to keep your weight limit up, and accessories such as Erdtree’s Favor +2, the Arsenal Charms and the Great-Jar’s Arsenal are all excellent Talismans to help boost that equip load further.

Finally, as mentioned above, this page is with regards to the Colossal weapons as due to the way Elden Ring works, you can take most weapons and apply the Heavy scaling to them to give them great Strength scaling. This is intended to make the most use of the buffs received to Colossal weapons in Patch 1.04.

#5 - Starscourge Greatsword¶

This is the weapon of choice for Starscourge Radahn and as such, requires that you first beat him in Redmane Castle, Caelid, and then purchase the weapon from Enia at Roundtable Hold. Unlike most of the other Colossal weapons, this one does require you to spread your stats a little, you’ll need 38 STR, 15 INT, and 12 DEX. These are only a minor commitment in stats however and Strength is by far the highest scaling attribute with the weapon, becoming a B once it reaches +10. The Starscourge Greatsword requires Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade.

What makes this weapon unique is the fact that when you choose to switch to two-handed, you’ll in fact gain a second one of these swords and dual-wield them. The basic attack combo string is a simple three-hit swing that has a wide arc on it while the Heavy Attack is a slam. Change to dual-wield however and the basic attack combo string becomes a slam-swing-slam which has a much greater chance to stagger the enemy (and plenty of bosses).

The Ash of War, Starcaller Cry, is a fantastic tool when fighting regular enemies (not so much bosses). You will roar with both swords drawn and anyone caught in the huge radius will not only take damage, but be drawn towards you, allowing to deal massive damage with regular attacks due to the arc of the basic sweep attacks.

#4 - Prelate’s Inferno Crozier¶

You may have seen this weapon on the Prelate enemies found at Fort Laidd and in the Mountaintops of the Giants. This can be obtained by heading to Fort Laidd in Caelid and entering the walls of the fort itself, there, a Prelate will challenge you and once vanquished, will drop the weapon. This weapon requires a much higher commitment of points in STR, requiring 45 STR and 8 DEX while the scaling to STR will change to a B once you upgrade the weapon. The Prelate’s Inferno Crozier requires regular Smithing Stones to upgrade.

The basic attack string for the Prelate’s Inferno Crozier is a simple three-hit slam while the Heavy Attack is a massive upward swing that can be charged for greater damage. If you choose to two-hand the weapon then the first two hits of the basic attack swing is more of an arc, hitting more enemies when close to you.

It’s the Ash of War however, Prelate’s Charge, where this weapon really shines. When you hold down the button to use it, you’ll plunge the hammer into the ground and can then move about while you leave a fiery trail behind that persists a short while. You can keep this going for as long as you have FP remaining and when you release the button, you’ll perform an upward swing as a finisher, a truly devastating Ash of War.

#3 Grafted Blade Greatsword¶

The Grafted Blade Greatsword was already a great weapon but as of Patch 1.04, it’s even better due to the buff this weapon got on top of the Colossal Weapons buff increasing the damage of the weapon. What makes this even better is the fact that it can be obtained rather early in your adventure, simply head to the Weeping Peninsula found south of Limgrave and make your way to Castle Morne. Proceed through the castle and you’ll face off against Leonine Misbegotten who will drop this weapon upon its death. This weapon requires a huge commitment of 40 STR and 14 DEX while the scaling to STR will change to a B once you upgrade the weapon. The Grafted Blade Greatsword requires Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade.

The basic attack string for the Grafted Blade Greatsword is a simple three-hit horizontal swing within a wide arc while the Heavy Attack is a slam that can be charged for greater damage. If you choose to two-hand the weapon then the recovery rate between swings will quicken, even though the attack string remains the same.

As with most unique weapons, the Ash of War, Oath of Vengeance is what helps the weapon to excel over regular weapons. When used, all attributes will be raised by 5 for 30 seconds for a modest cost in FP. Combine this with a Godrick’s Great Rune and you’ll gain a massive boost in stats just by using the Ash of War.

#2 Ruins Greatsword¶

It’s very difficult to separate the top two weapons, but the Giant-Crusher has slightly higher attack power which helps it win out. Don’t let that turn you away from the Ruins Greatsword however, it’s a fantastic weapon with a great Ash of War. To acquire this weapon, you’ll need to finish the events at Redmane Castle and the festival has finished by defeating Starscourge Radahn. Be sure to speak to Jerren and exhaust his dialogue then reload the Redmane Castle Plaza to find a boss door is now active. Once you head inside, you’ll be challenged by Crucible Knight & Misbegotten Warrior, a deadly duo. Endure however, and you’ll be awarded the Ruins Greatsword for your troubles, a legendary armament.

This weapon requires a huge commitment of 50 STR and 16 INT while the scaling to STR will change to a S once you upgrade the weapon to +10, the highest a weapon can scale to in the game. The Ruins Greatsword requires Somber Smithing Stones to upgrade.

The basic attack string for the Ruins Greatsword is a simple three-hit horizontal swing within a wide arc while the Heavy Attack is a slam however should you charge this, it will cause a Lightning explosion around the impact with no cost in FP. If you choose to two-hand the weapon then the recovery rate between swings will quicken, even though the attack string remains the same.

The Ash of War, Wave of Destruction, is an extremely powerful attack, and arguably the most powerful of all the Colossal weapons. You will thrust the sword into the air before slamming it into the ground, causing a massive burst of Lightning to shoot out in a line, dealing massive damage to all it hits. With the weapon having a S scaling too, the more points you put into Strength, the more return you’ll get from this weapon in general.

#1 Giant-Crusher¶

As mentioned above, it’s tough to separate the Giant-Crusher and the Ruins Greatsword and despite the fantastic moveset and Ash of War for the Ruins Greatsword, we’ve ranked the Giant-Crusher just above due to it having the highest attack rating in the game once your Strength is around 60-80. To obtain this weapon, you’ll need to reach the Capital Outskirts in Altus Plateau and head to the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace. From here, head south and you’ll find a carriage with a chest at the back containing the Giant-Crusher.

This weapon requires the highest commitment of strength, requiring 60 STR while the scaling to STR will change to a B once you upgrade the weapon. More importantly, the Giant-Crusher is considered a regular weapon and can be infused with different Ash of Wars, allowing you to change it to a Heavy type, boosting the scaling to S at +25. The Giant-Crusher requires regular Smithing Stones to upgrade.

The basic attack string for the Giant-Crusher is a simple three-hit slam while the Heavy Attack can be charged and is a somersault that slams the hammer into the ground. If you choose to two-hand the weapon then the first two hits of the basic attack swing are more of an arc, hitting more enemies when close to you.

Unlike the other weapons on this list, there is no unique Ash of War for the Giant-Crusher, instead you’re free to place your own, opening up a world of possibilities. The default Endure is a defensive skill but considering you’re using this weapon for it’s absurd damage output, it seems a waste. Instead, consider Ash of War: Lion’s Claw, dropped from the Lion Guardian in Fort Gael or Ash of War: Earthshaker, dropped from an invisible Teardrop Scarab that is completely stationary on the path just before the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace in Altus Plateau. Both of these Ash of Wars have been buffed as of Patch 1.04, making them very attractive. These are just some suggestions, but the Giant-Crusher having the highest attack power and being fully customizable makes it the top Strength weapon in Elden Ring