For those who prefer power to speed, and brawn over brains, there’s nothing better than a pure Strength build in Elden Ring. There’s no need to overcomplicate things with trying to get your head around different spell types or dance around trying to dodge and counter your enemies, when two fell strikes of a great strength weapon will turn them all to dust.
A good Strength build requires investing in only two things: your weapon and your Strength stat. Nice and easy. Strength not only increases the damage dealt by strength weapons, it also boosts physical defence, meaning you can tank hits and get up close and personal with your foes. Strength is also the only stat that can go above the level 99 cap. Holding a weapon with two hands boosts the player’s Strength, so two-handing at level 99 raises it to level 148. This can result in some truly outrageous damage numbers.
But, with so many great strength weapons to choose from, which tower above the rest? Which can batter enemies into submission with a single hit? And which can easily get the better of the dreaded Maliketh?
Ruins Greatsword
Starting off a little differently, the Ruins Greatsword is not only a great colossal weapon (one of the many buffed in Patch 1.07), but it is also one that deals extra magic damage. For this reason, it is good against most enemies and bosses, as few are resistant to magic.
Requiring 50 Strength and 16 Intelligence to wield means that this is a weapon only for the most dedicated of Strength builds. And as it has such a high Strength requirement, its damage is more dependent on upgrading than scaling. As a special weapon, it can only be upgraded to +10, but this takes it from a base of 124 physical and 37 magic to a maximum of 303 physical and 90 magic. However, +10 also sees its Strength scaling raise to S, meaning invest even more runes into Strength and this thing will pack a tremendous wallop.
The Ruins Greatsword’s Weapon Skill is also something to behold. When used, Wave of Destruction unleashes a cataclysmic wave of gravitational magic that ripples along the ground in front of the player. Its large Area of Effect means it’s great for clearing out groups of enemies. Especially if paired with the Cerulean Hidden Tear Wonderous Physick, which grants unlimited FP use for a short time and allows for endless spamming.
Where to find
The Ruins Greatsword can be obtained by defeating the Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight in Redmane Castle Plaza in Caelid. This can be done either before the festival starts, or after talking to Witch-Hunter Jerren after defeating Starscourge Radahn.
For a little magic with your strength, try the Ruins Greatsword.
Grafted Blade Greatsword
Despite being able to pick this weapon up early in the game, this great lump of iron (and Game of Thrones’ Iron Throne lookalike) is an endgame-quality blade. Literally made from other swords, it hits hard and can be swung surprisingly quickly.
With a Strength requirement of 40, it’s highly unlikely that players will be able to use the Grafted Blade Greatsword the moment they get their hands on it, but it is well worth the investment. Again, being a special weapon, it can only be upgraded to +10, but each level packs a punch. Upgrading can take it from a base of 162 physical damage to an impressive max of 396. It also raises Strength scaling to B. As with most of the others on this list, it also has an incredibly high Crit of 100, meaning good a good strike can fell many enemies in one go. And remember, two-handing increases these stats even further.
Oath of Vengence, this blade’s Weapon Skill, is what makes it worth holding on to, however. Using it increases all attributes by 5 levels for 60 seconds, increases poise, and prevents staggering. Invest in this, and you can easily become a one-shot killing machine.
Where to find
The Grafted Blade Greatsword can be obtained by defeating the Leonine Misbegotten in Castle Morne at the tip of the Weeping Peninsula.
Looking like a piece of the Iron Throne itself, the Grafted Blade Greatsword slices through foes with ease.
Prelate’s Inferno Crozier
Want to crush your foes and set them on fire? Then look no further than the Prelate’s Inferno Crozier. This enormous iron hammer ideals a lot of damage and is perfect for defeating even the toughest enemies. And best of all, it resembles a flaming Smough’s Great Hammer from Dark Souls 1.
Again, with a Strength requirement of 45, players need to be 100% invested in a Strength build character to get the most out of this weapon. Despite its grandeur, the Crozier counts as a normal weapon and thus can be upgraded to +25 at the Roundtable Hold. A Standard upgrade takes it from its base of 156 physical damage to 382, with a Strength scaling of B. However, using the Whetstone Knife to make it Heavy, drops the max physical damage to 332 and raises the scaling to A. So, it will depend on how high your Strength stat is as to which onewill suit your character best.
The Prelate’s Inferno Crozier’s Weapon Skill is called Prelate’s Charge and is great fun to use. Using this skill, the player slams the Crozier onto the ground, creating a huge surge of flames, and then charges forward, pushing the hammer along the ground like a vacuum and leaving behind a great trail of fire. This does great fire damage and is fantastic for clearing out groups of enemies.
Where to find
The Prelate’s Inferno Crozier can be obtained by defeating the Fire Prelate wielding it inside Fort Laledd near the Seethewater Terminus Site of Grace.
The Prelate’s Inferno Crozier – where iron meets fire.
Greatsword
Simply known as “the Greatsword”, this colossal weapon bears a striking resemblance to Guts’ greatsword from the Manga Berserk. And just like that legendary sword, this one can be used to cut enemies down to size with grace and style.
Only requiring 31 Strength and 12 Dexterity to wield, almost anyone can get their hands on the Greatsword. But it’s only those who fully commit to the Strength build who will see this shining sword reach its true glory. As a normal weapon, it can be upgraded to +25 in the Roundtable Hold, but even before then, it has decent damage and scaling. Standard upgrading takes it from a base of 164 physical damage to a maximum of 401 physical damage, with a Strength scaling of B. Whereas making it Heavy lowers the damage to 349 and ups the scaling to A. So put enough runes into Strength, and this Greatsword becomes unstoppable.
Its Weapon Skill, Stamp (Upward Cut), is fairly basic. Using it causes the player to stamp forwards, followed by a massive heavy uppercut. It deals good damage but isn’t as flashy as the others on this list. Thankfully, it can be swapped out for any other Ash of War your heart desires.
Where to find
The Greatsword can be obtained by finding it inside the chest at the back of a carriage guarded by Giant Dogs northwest of the Caelem Ruins Site of Grace, in Dragonbarrow, Caelid.
This Greatsword looks awfully familiar.
Giant-Crusher
Sometimes you just need to hit something with a big hammer. That is where the Giant-Crusher comes in. Simplicity is often the best weapon, and a big block of stone on the end of a long handle is simple, yet effective, enough to do the trick.
With a Strength requirement of 60, this weapon is only for the most committed Strength builds. But it is worth the time and the runes for the sheer amount of damage this thing can do. Classed as a normal weapon means the Giant-Crusher can be upgraded to +25 in the Roundtable Hold. Starting out with a decent base of 155 physical damage, fully upgrading gives you a max of 379 physical damage and a B scaling in Strength. However, using the Whetstone Knife to change the weapon from Standard to Heavy drops the max damage to 330 while raising the Strength scaling to S. And, as it already requires such a high Strength level to even wield, doing this will allow the Giant-Crusher to hit for crazy amounts of damage.
Its only downside is the fact that it is so slow to swing. Players have to be sure they are going to connect with their enemy before committing to an attack as missing will leave them wide open to a brutal counter. The good thing is, if the connecting blow doesn’t outright kill your foe, it will almost certainly stagger them, leaving them wide open for the killing blow. Also, the Giant-Crusher’s Weapon Skill, Endure, should help against faster enemies and PvP players. Activating it puts the player into an anchored stance which boosts poise and braces for incoming attacks, reducing damage taken.
Where to find
The Giant-Crusher can be obtained by looting it from a chest in the back of a carriage found directly south of the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace.
The Giant-Crusher – simplicity and efficiency at its best.
If Strength isn’t your thing and Dexterity is more your speed, perhaps you could try your hand at the best weapons for bleed builds.
Otherwise, why not check out one of the amazing endgame builds created by Fextralife?
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