Elden Ring: The 14 Best Critical Damage Weapons (2024)

Many of From Software’s games allow you to land critical hits, special attacks against enemies in a vulnerable position that deal significantly more damage than usual. In Elden Ring, the number of scenarios in which you can land critical hits is larger than in previous games.

If you want to take advantage of your enemies while they are in this vulnerable state, you’ll want a weapon with a high Critical stat. The exact formula behind critical damage isn't known, but in general, the higher the Critical stat, the more damage your critical hits will do. Here are some weapons you'll want equipped when the opportunity arises.

Updated by Lucas Ellinas on July 27, 2024: Stance-breaking your enemies arguably became easier in Shadow of the Erdtree thanks to some new tools. And while the DLC didn’t add any weapons that can match the highest critical modifiers from the base game, there are some solid options that come in above average. We’ve added a few of them (along with a couple from the base game) to our list.

14 Ornamental Straight Sword (Critical: 110)

The Ornamental Straight Sword has received significant buffs since Elden Ring first launched, so it's worth checking out for more than just its critical damage. It's relatively unique, as it is one of the few weapons in Elden Ring that can be power stanced with only a single copy (that isn't a fist weapon, anyway). It also has a fancy Weapon Skill called Golden Tempering, which adds 100 Holy damage and grants a unique strong attack combo.

In theory, the Ornamental Straight Sword could be the first weapon you get in the game, since it drops from the Grafted Scion that attacks you during the tutorial. But if, like most people, you don’t manage to kill the enemy then, you can return and get your revenge by using one of the waygates at The Four Belfries in Liurnia of the Lakes.

13 Main-gauche (Critical: 110)

The Main-gauche is an unusual Dagger found in the western section of the Shadow Keep, guarded by one of Messmer’s Black Knights. If you hold it in your left hand, you can power-stance it with Thrusting Swords (although not Heavy Thrusting Swords) rather than just Daggers.

This allows you to keep a strong parrying option in your left hand, without sacrificing the moveset. However, the problem with the Main-gauche is that, if used as intended, you can’t actually riposte with it, since you can only do so with weapons held in your main hand.

12 Blade Of Calling (Critical: 110)

The Blade of Calling often gets overlooked because it looks weak when compared to its sister weapon, the Black Knife, which outclasses it in most ways (although the Blade of Calling has better Faith scaling). Of course, the Black Knife is an excellent weapon, so being worse than it only means so much (and since they’re both daggers, you can always use both at the same time). The Blade of Calling has a strong Weapon Skill, Blade of Gold, that launches an arc of gold, causing significant knockback and Holy damage.

In theory, the Blade of Calling isn’t difficult to get, although it is quite well-hidden. Go to the Forbidden Lands Site of Grace, then turn around and take the elevator. About halfway through, leap onto a ledge. You can find the weapon behind a door at the end of the hallway.

11 Sacred Relic Sword (Critical: 110)

The primary playstyle when using the Sacred Relic Sword will involve standing back and launching the Weapon Skill, Wave of Gold, at your opponents repeatedly. However, it’s still a Greatsword, which means any time you actually hit an opponent with it, you have the chance to break their poise and open them up for a critical attack, especially if you're holding another Greatsword in your other hand.

And in that case, the extra Critical damage on the Sacred Relic Sword will come in handy. Of course, none of this is really going to be relevant until New Game Plus, since you acquire the Sacred Relic Sword by taking the Elden Remembrance you get from beating the final boss and trading it with Enia in the Roundtable Hold.

10 Black Knife (Critical: 110)

Hey look, it's the better version of the Blade of Calling. The two weapons are extremely similar in most respects, but the Black Knife's Weapon Skill, Blade of Death, is a substantial improvement. It deals less damage on hit, but applies a debuff that shreds the enemy's health, making it better in almost every scenario.

You can also get the Black Knife much earlier in the game than the Blade of Calling, as it drops from the Black Knife Assassin guarding the entrance to the Sainted Hero’s Grave in the Altus Plateau.

9 Morgott’s Cursed Sword (Critical: 110)

Morgott's Cursed Sword might be the coolest-looking weapon in Elden Ring, with its rainbow blade and flashy Weapon Skill, Cursed-Blood Slice, that creates wide arcs of fire. On top of all that, it also causes Bleed buildup. This weapon has so much going for it that the high Critical stat is really just a bonus, although you'll rarely find someone who complains about their weapon dealing extra damage.

Unsurprisingly, you get Morgott's sword by killing Morgott, the Omen King, then trading the Remembrance of the Omen King with Enia in the Roundtable Hold.

8 Claws Of Night (Critical: 110)

The Claw weapon type has always suffered from range issues to the point that your attacks will sometimes not reach enemies even if you are standing right next to them. The Claws of Night help solve this problem since the heavy attacks and Weapon Skill launch the claws at your enemies.

As a result, you can be effective from both close and medium range, and you’ll still be near enough to your enemies to deal those potent critical hits. This weapon is dropped by Swordhand of Night Anna, who invades you in the Finger Ruins of Miyr during Ymir’s quest line.

7 Death Ritual Spear (Critical: 110)

Looking purely at its basic attacks, the Death Ritual Spear appears to be a normal spear that happens to deal Magic damage. But the Weapon Skill, Spearcall Ritual, is spectacular at killing large bosses with magical spears that rain down from the sky.

The Weapon Skill actually deals surprisingly solid stance damage as well, which means you can use the high Critical damage of the weapon to your advantage, although you might not be close enough to actually land the attack. If you want this powerful weapon, it is dropped by a Death Rite Bird near Castle Sol.

6 Raptor Talons (Critical: 110)

The Raptor Talons are a Claw weapon with unique, powerful heavy attacks, causing you to leap forward and back in dramatic fashion. They can break enemy stances surprisingly easily for such a fast weapon, creating an opening for you to take advantage of their above-average Critical damage.

That, combined with the innate ability to cause Bleed, makes the Raptor Talons one of the best close-ranged options in the game. You can find them in the Sage’s Cave in Liurnia of the Lakes, where it is hidden behind one of the many illusory walls.

5 Reduvia (Critical: 110)

The Reduvia is definitely best known for its Weapon Skill, Reduvia Blood Blade, which allows you to cause significant Bleed buildup from a safe distance. That being said, if you do land a parry or a backstab, you’ll end up dealing fairly substantial damage.

You can get this weapon almost immediately in Limgrave by killing Bloody Finger Nerijus, who invades you in the ravine north of Agheel Lake. He shouldn’t be too difficult to defeat, since Bloody Finger Hunter Yura will arrive to help you soon after the invasion begins.

4 Executioner’s Greataxe (Critical: 115)

Probably the most surprising weapon on this list, the Executioner's Greataxe is easily the best Strength-based weapon for dealing critical hits. With the right setup, it can shred enemy poise and crush them for immense damage.

The only way to get the Executioner’s Greataxe is to farm the skeletons that wield it, which can take a while, although that does mean you can get two during a single playthrough if you put the time in. These skeletons also appear as early as Liurnia of the Lakes, so you can theoretically get two of this weapon almost immediately.

3 Dagger (Critical: 130)

You might think that the classic Dagger would rank higher on this list, and it does have one of the highest Critical stats in the game. The trouble is, if you want a dagger specifically for critical hits, there is a better option. That said, the Dagger does have some advantages. Although its base damage is unimpressive, it gets A scaling in both Dexterity and Occult when fully upgraded. More importantly, it has an extremely low Dexterity requirement — so low that it can be used by any of the starter classes, even if you don’t want to invest in Dexterity at all.

The Dagger can be bought from the Twin Maiden Husks in the Roundtable Hold, but it is also dropped by the Highwaymen equipped with Daggers in Murkwater Cave and the various types of Foot Soldier wielding it across the Lands Between. If you wanted, you could dual-wield Daggers without too much trouble, although it’s probably not an optimal strategy.

2 Rapier (Critical: 130)

In almost every way, the Rapier is outshone by another Thrusting Sword, the Estoc, with less reach and damage. However, if you want a Thrusting Sword that excels at dealing Critical damage, the Rapier is your best bet.

It also happens to be one of the easiest weapons in Elden Ring to get. You can buy it from the Twin Maiden Husks in the Roundtable Hold. Unfortunately, its ease of access comes with a drawback; you can only get one Rapier in a single run, so you'll need to wait until New Game Plus if you want to power stance the weapon.

1 Miséricorde (Critical: 140)

As it possesses the highest Critical stat of any weapon in Elden Ring, you're probably going to use the Miséricorde as the primary weapon in a build that's specifically designed to create opportunities for critical hits by breaking the enemy's poise. However, it can also work as a secondary weapon in almost any build. When a critical hit becomes available, you can switch to the Miséricorde and deal massive damage.

If you want to add this tool to your arsenal, you can find it in Stormveil Castle, outside the room with the Grafted Scion. It's locked behind an imp statue sea, so you'll need a Stonesword Key to get inside.