Great Swords in Elden Ring — how to use them and where to find them

The “so you like Berserk but aren’t high level enough to wield Colossal Swords” weapon class in Elden Ring, Great Swords, offer slightly more versatility than their larger, Colossal counterparts. At their core, any good Great Sword is at its best two handed and striking at key openings since each slash is large and hulking enough to leave it’s user open before and after a strike.

That being said, Great Swords are also much more forgiving in their wind-up and post-slash recovery than other, larger weapons Elden Ring which is great for newcomers and players looking to have a shield to switch to in their left hand so they can tank some damage.

Of course, Great Swords typically scale off Strength, with a few exceptions, and are open to having nearly all Ashes of War equipped to them, again with some exceptions. Here are some of the Best Great Swords in Elden Ring:

• Dark Moon Greatsword: Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne players will appreciate the familiar face of the Dark Moon Greatsword making it’s return in Elden Ring. The Dark Moon Greatsword is unique for its high Intelligence scaling at 38 with only a 16 Strength and 11 Dexterity requirement, perfect for any Intelligence-based Sorcery build. Completing Ranni’s quest line will put the Dark Moon Greatsword in the hands an average Elden Ring player.
• Golden Order Greatsword: Looking for a way to put those pesky undead Skeletons in the ground once and for all, the Golden Order Greatsword and its holy damage might just be for you. Scaling with a 28 in Faith, 16 in Strength, and 21 in Dexterity, and it is perfect for Faith Builds in need of dealing some holy damage. This blade is dropped by the Misbegotten Crusader in the Cave of the Forlorn.
• Sacred Relic Sword: Another Holy Weapon in the form of a God’s skin warped into a blade, the Sacred Relic Sword is the Great Sword to get in Elden Ring for both lore and general Necronomicon-esque cool factor. The Sacred Relic Sword’s Ash of War, Wave of Gold, is one one of the harder hitting shockwave-AoE attacks in the game but no other Ash of War skill can be applied to the weapon. The Sacred Relic Sword is made available by turning in the Elden Remembrance to Erina at the Roundtable Hold and requires 14 Strength, 24 Dexterity, and 22 Faith to use.
• Sword of Milos: Despite mainly scaling off of Strength at 15 and Dexterity at 19, the Sword of Milos is really ideal for any casting building since it restores 5 FP whenever an enemy is killed, and is obtained by defeating the Loathsome Dung Eater.