This makes the weapons scale off Faith and gives Faith builds the best of both worlds. Sadly, not all weapons have great scaling in Faith, even if they were converted with a Sacred prefix. The best ones just go up to a B-scaling, but with a high enough Faith in whoever the players’ almighty is, it will smite hard. So if the mouth is tired of preaching those Incantations, then these weapons ought to do the talking.
Updated December 17, 2022, by Sid Natividad: Elden Ring and its players just kept winning this year. There’s even more content to be had in the game and builds of all kinds are now more viable than ever with balance changes all around. An Elden Ring Faith build centered around Sacred damage, for example, has no shortage of weapon options.
Granted, Sacred damage isn’t exactly as powerful as other builds, but it’s a good way to spice up combat. Players will need to be more careful with their choices as there are some suboptimal weapons to infuse with a Sacred prefix. These additional ones, however, are among the top.
13 Gargoyle’s Halberd
Weapon class : Halberd Weight : 12. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 243+243
Most of the Gargoyle weapons in Elden Ring are impressive already, given how hard it is to defeat them. The Gargoyle’s Halberd is no exception. It’s one of the best weapons to infuse with something, and that includes the Sacred prefix. It’s only a bit weaker than the Giant Crusher when it comes to output.
However, the range makes up for that, along with the faster swing. And besides, Halberds have powerful Ashes of War that are mostly designed as gap closers and quick and safe ways to stagger and stun enemies and bosses. So players can’t go wrong with this halberd.
12 Omen Cleaver
Weapon class : Curved Greatsword Weight : 11. 5 Max scaling : B Max damage : 265+265
Most of the curved greatswords in Elden Ring are overpowered already, and the Omen Cleaver is one of the best, right up there with Bloodhound’s Fang. The only downside is that it might be harder to obtain and farm compared to the Dismounter.
But the Omen Cleaver is certainly worth it due to the high damage and the fast swing speed, which, for a two-handed weapon, is just borderline unfair. There are also some nifty and awesome Ashes of War for the curved greatswords. And since the Sacred prefix reduces the Strength and Dexterity scaling to just E, players can focus on Faith while wielding this.
11 Rotten Battle Hammer
Weapon class : Great Hammer (Warhammer) Weight : 10. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 237+237
For those looking to put pressure on their enemies both in PvE and PvP, the Rotten Battle Hammer is a decent choice. It deals Scarlet Rot, and when paired with a fast Ash of War like Wilds Strikes, players can trigger Rot even quicker. Of course, that’s just a bonus, the main draw here is its good scaling with Faith using the Sacred Prefix.
It’s a good weapon for Strength/Faith hybrids looking to change up their playstyles by including Scarlet Rot into the mix. Sadly, the poise damage for Great Hammers has been reduced as of patch 1.08, but that’s not this weapon’s best asset anyway.
10 Antspur Rapier
Weapon class : Thrusting Sword Weight : 3. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 183+183
The Antspur Rapier in a Sacred prefix is not exactly common or optimal, but it’s still one of the best weapons under that kind of scaling. The best part about it is that it inflicts Rot on enemies, so repeated and fast hits are rewarded here.
As far as damage based on Faith scaling, the Antspur Rapier does quite a lot for a fast weapon. The Thrusting Sword weapon class also ensures that players will almost never miscalculate the weapon range, but frankly, it’s still a bit short-ranged compared to the other melee weapons here.
9 Dismounter
Weapon class : Curved Greatsword Weight : 10. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 257+257
The Dismounter is an underrated early weapon. It’s one of the best Curved Greatswords in the game in terms of stats, superseded only by Omen Cleaver. Players can opt for that Omen weapon, but it will be a bit harder to obtain and farm during the early game. In any case, the Dismounter is a decent weapon with good range.
It has one of the longest ranges among the Curved Greatswords. When converted to a Sacred Prefix, the Dismounter is a good weapon that can deal shockingly high damage. Not accounting for player stats, it could go over 500 AR. Coupled with Faith Incantation buffs, it becomes even more viable.
8 Cross-Naginata
Weapon class : Spear Weight : 8. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 228+228
The Cross-Naginata has always been one of the strongest yet underrated Bleed weapons in Elden Ring. It’s a spear, so it already has a good range advantage over the other choices. But of course, what makes it superior compared to the others is the Bleed buildup with each hit.
It just so happens that there are plenty of Ashes of War that allow players to deal strikes in quick succession. The Cross-Naginata also has respectable scaling after being converted to Sacred. None of the player’s stat points on Faith will go to waste, and as an added bonus, they get to be a Faith build with Bleed damage.
7 Godskin Stitcher
Weapon class : Heavy Thrusting Sword Weight : 7. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 235+235
The Godskin Stitcher is the weapon of choice for the notorious Godskin Apostles, and it’s easy to see why. This is one of the best weapons in the game when it comes to dealing poise damage. A few hits are enough to stance-break a lot of enemies— bosses included. If players put a Giant Hunt Ash of War in it, then it becomes even more powerful for the late-game.
Sadly, it won’t do as much damage as a version of the weapon that scales off physical damage stats such as Strength. The split damage will still go through two different resistances. Still, Faith builds who want something heavy and can deal lots of poise damage will do well to pick this weapon.
6 Nightrider Glaive
Weapon class : Halberd Weight : 12. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 239+239
The Nightrider Glaive is easily one of the best halberds in the game and thankfully, players can acquire it early on. It drops from the Night Cavalry roaming around the road to Bellum Church in Liurnia. Halberds are always a solid weapon class of choice in Elden Ring because they have a wide selection of overpowered Ashes of War.
One that comes to mind for the Nightrider Glaive is something like Phantom Slash, which not only looks cool but also does good damage. Barring that, the Nightrider Glaive has decent damage regardless and players can be confident in wielding them for the majority of the game or even take them to the final boss or to Malenia herself.
5 Gargoyle’s Greatsword
Weapon class : Greatsword Weight : 11. 5 Max scaling : B Max damage : 251+251
The Gargoyle’s Greatsword might look like a plastic toy, but it’s actually one of the best Greatswords in the game due to its damage alone. Among all the Greatswords, it has one of the highest base damage in the game; it even competes with the Iron Greatsword when it comes to the original Strength scaling.
The Gargoyle’s Greatsword will edge out the Iron Greatsword when it comes to Sacred Faith scaling, making it the better choice. If players want, they can even powerstance two of these and the damage will rival that of a Colossal Greatsword. Of course, the range is lower, but Faith builds have access to Lightning Spear anyway.
4 Envoy’s Long Horn
Weapon class : Great Hammer Weight : 9. 5 Max scaling : B Max damage : 294+191
It has a B scaling in Faith (which is its highest), so the Envoy’s Long Horn counts as a Sacred weapon. The damage split is a bit mediocre, especially for such a heavy weapon; but players won’t be using it to smash enemies. The Envoy’s Long Horn is usually coveted for its weapon skill, Bubble Shower.
This unleashes a torrent of holy bubbles down a frontal cone and these deal tons of damage. They can even make quick work of huge bosses or slow bosses. In fact, there are even Faith builds which are centered around taking advantage of Bubbler Shower. That’s how powerful this musical instrument is in Elden Ring.
3 Nagakiba
Weapon class : Katana Weight : 7. 0 Max scaling : B Max damage : 214+214
The Uchigatana is also a viable candidate here, but the Nagakiba is just a better overall weapon, especially for Faith builds that might have sacrificed some Vigor and need a safer weapon. The Nagakiba is practically the Uchigatana with a significantly longer range.
Stat-wise, it does decent enough damage, but where it excels is applying Bleed buildup with every strike. This makes the Nagakiba’s damage output a lot higher, in turn, helping a lot of Sacred weapon users compensate for the lower split damage.
2 Halo Scythe
Weapon class : Reaper Weight : 8. 5 Max scaling : D Max damage : 289+186
The scaling is somewhat bad for Faith builds, but one can still fit this one well in a Dexterity/Faith build. Because it’s one of the best weapons that deal Holy or Sacred damage in the game. The weapon skill is also ranged and can be spammed multiple times to clear several enemies on the screen.
If that’s not enough, it also has innate bleed, making the weapon versatile against a wide selection of bosses. That also makes it viable in PvP. And with the recent attack speed and distance buffs, this weapon is even better than before.
1 Black Knife
Weapon class : Dagger Weight : 2. 0 Max scaling : C Max damage : 161+159
The base damage numbers are a little low, but do note that this is a fast weapon. And besides, players won’t be wielding this for normal attacks. Its most important asset is the weapon skill which shoots out a projectile that will reduce the target’s maximum HP by a considerable amount along with a damage-over-time proc.
It makes tough bosses easier to crack. It also makes PvP opponents panic. It’s designed with Dex/Faith builds in mind, but pure Faith characters can still get by. Anyone looking for a good opportunity to cosplay as Black Knife assassins can find it here and without sacrificing damage or practicality!
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.
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