Best Melee Weapons for Casters in Elden Ring: A Comprehensive Guide

Choosing the right melee weapon for a caster build in Elden Ring can significantly enhance your gameplay, allowing you to adapt to various combat situations and conserve your precious FP. While sorceries and incantations are powerful, sometimes you need to get up close and personal. So, what is the best melee weapon for a caster in Elden Ring?

The answer isn’t a single weapon but rather a selection of excellent choices tailored to different playstyles and stat investments. However, the Death Ritual Spear consistently stands out as a top contender for a melee-focused mage. This spear boasts excellent scaling with Intelligence, dealing both physical and magical damage, making it ideal for characters with high Intelligence looking to engage in melee combat. Its unique attacks and versatility allow mages to seamlessly transition between spellcasting and melee engagements, making it the best intelligence-based spear.

While the Death Ritual Spear may be the best spear for a mage, this article will explore several of the top melee weapons for a caster build, delving into their strengths, weaknesses, and how they can benefit your character.

Early Game Melee Options for Mages

Starting your journey as a mage in Elden Ring doesn’t mean you’re stuck with just spells. There are a few reliable early-game melee options to help you survive the Lands Between:

The Katana: A Reliable Early Choice

The katana found inside the Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhill is a great early find. It’s particularly effective for Dexterity and Intelligence builds aiming for a “battle-mage” style or a dedicated bleed build. The katana allows you to deal significant physical damage while still scaling with your Dexterity, complementing a hybrid character.

Why These Weapons Are Good Early

• Accessibility: These weapons are easily obtainable early in the game, meaning you don’t have to struggle with weak melee options for long.
• Stat Scaling: They have decent scaling for hybrid builds, allowing you to use your magic and physical attacks effectively.
• Versatility: These are well-rounded melee weapons that can handle a variety of early-game enemies and situations.

Greatswords and Beyond for Caster Builds

As you progress in Elden Ring, you’ll gain access to more powerful melee options, and certain greatswords stand out for caster builds.

The Dark Moon Greatsword: A Mage’s Dream

The Dark Moon Greatsword is arguably the best greatsword for mage builds. This legendary weapon scales primarily with Intelligence, delivering substantial damage even before you utilize its weapon skill, Moonlight Greatsword. Coating the blade in a magical blue glow amplifies its damage and adds a ranged beam attack, perfectly complementing a mage playstyle. It is a legendary armanent and you obtain it by finishing the Ranni questline.

Other Notable Swords

While the Dark Moon Greatsword is top tier, other greatswords can work for specific builds. Consider these for melee hybrid builds:

• Godslayer Greatsword: While scaling primarily with Dexterity and Faith, it is a solid choice for inflicting fire-based damage and can be effective for hybrid caster builds that also invest in Faith.
• Sword of Night and Flame: A unique weapon with Intelligence scaling; a mix of magic and physical attacks with a great design.

Other Weapon Types

It is not just greatswords that are viable for mages; it is beneficial to be able to adapt to different situations:

• Glaives: Glaives are nimble, hard-hitting weapons with the leverage that is useful for mages. They can provide a good mix of reach and damage.
• Spears: Spears can offer a good balance between range and speed. The Death Ritual Spear is great for Intelligence scaling, but there are other options.

Weapons to Avoid as a Caster

Not all melee weapons are created equal, and some are outright unsuitable for caster builds:

Lazuli Glintstone Sword

While seemingly designed for mages, the Lazuli Glintstone Sword primarily scales with Strength, making it generally less effective for pure mage builds. It simply doesn’t measure up to other swords in terms of damage when used by a primarily Intelligence build.

Weapons with Low Scaling

Avoid weapons that have minimal scaling with Intelligence, Faith, or Dexterity if you are heavily invested in Intelligence. This usually leads to lower overall damage output. For example, most strength-scaling weapons will not be the best option for mages unless you build a hybrid character.

Weak Weapons

Some weapons are objectively weak and should be avoided, even for a challenge run. These weapons include, but are not limited to, the Clinging Bone, Hand Axe, Dagger, Weathered Straight Sword, Cipher Pata, Torch, and using Bare Fists. These lack the damage and utility needed to be viable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is it viable to play a melee mage in Elden Ring?

Yes, absolutely! Elden Ring supports diverse builds, and a melee mage can be incredibly effective. Combining melee attacks with powerful spells provides versatility and options in combat.

2. Which is better for a mage build: a katana or a straight sword?

For a mage focused on Intelligence, a katana with Intelligence or Dexterity scaling is usually better. Straight swords are more balanced for Strength and Dexterity builds.

3. What is the best early game staff for mages in Elden Ring?

The Meteorite Staff is arguably the best early-game staff. Its S-ranking intellect scaling provides impressive sorcery power early in the game.

4. What is the best second weapon for a Moonveil Katana?

Another katana for Powerstancing is generally the best secondary weapon when using the Moonveil. It lets you unlock unique movesets.

5. Which is better, a Glaive or a Greatsword?

It depends on your playstyle. Glaives are nimble with good leverage, while greatswords are generally more powerful. Glaives are above greatswords due to their leverage.

6. Is the Academy Glintstone Staff good?

The Academy Glintstone Staff is good for the specific intelligence range of 41-68, where it can deal more damage than other staffs at that level.

7. What is the most overpowered sword in Elden Ring?

The Dark Moon Greatsword is considered one of the most overpowered swords in Elden Ring due to its powerful attacks and unique skill.

8. What is the highest damage-potential weapon in Elden Ring?

The Heavy Giant-Crusher has the highest attack rating among Strength weapons but may not be best for mages.

9. What weapon has the best design in Elden Ring?

Design is subjective, but weapons like the Wing Of Astel, Godslayer’s Greatsword, Golden Order Greatsword, and Sword Of Night And Flame often receive praise for their unique and elegant designs.

10. What is the most useless weapon in Elden Ring?

According to tier lists, the Clawmark and Erdtree Seals are considered the least effective weapons, even if they are used for enhancing incantations.

11. What is the strongest magic type in Elden Ring?

The Comet Azur sorcery is one of the most powerful, known for defeating bosses in a single casting in some circumstances.

12. Which is the easiest: Mage or Melee in Elden Ring?

Magic can make certain areas easier, but there is no reason melee builds can’t handle them. It is more about playstyle preference.

13. What is the best weapon against Maliketh?

Equip a weapon with the highest physical damage for melee builds. Sorcerers can use Rock Sling. High-Faith builds can use Lightning Spear.

14. Why is the Godslayer Greatsword a good weapon?

The Godslayer Greatsword scales primarily with Dexterity and Faith, offering fire-based damage. It is useful for hybrid builds using Faith.

15. Is the Bloodtainted Greatsword good?

The Bloodtainted Greatsword is a 3-star Genshin Impact weapon. It is not applicable in Elden Ring.

Conclusion

Selecting the right melee weapon is crucial for any caster build in Elden Ring. While spells form the foundation of your build, having a reliable melee option enhances versatility and survivability. The Death Ritual Spear stands out as a prime choice for Intelligence-focused characters. The Dark Moon Greatsword remains a top option for its damage and versatility. Exploring the options above can drastically change your game play experience. Choose what is best for your stats and enjoy the Lands Between.