Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring are favored for their speed, versatility, and fluid combat mechanics. Players who prefer agility and quick strikes over brute strength often build around Dexterity (Dex), which governs the use of lighter, faster weapons such as katanas, daggers, and spears. In this comprehensive guide, we will detail the best Dex weapons in Elden Ring, explaining their unique features, how to acquire them, and why they stand out for players looking to maximize their Dexterity builds.
What Makes Dexterity Weapons Special?
Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring are not just about inflicting damage; they offer precision, speed, and versatility in combat. These weapons allow players to stay nimble, avoiding slow, heavy attacks in favor of quick, lethal strikes. They often include innate effects like bleed, making them highly effective against both regular enemies and bosses.
The Benefits of Dexterity Builds
- Faster Attack Speed: Dex-based weapons excel in delivering rapid strikes, allowing players to quickly hit and retreat.
- Versatility in Combat: With a wide range of weapons like katanas, daggers, spears, and curved swords, Dexterity users can tailor their playstyle to different scenarios.
- Scaling and Bleed Effects: Many Dex weapons scale well with stats and feature bleed damage, which causes massive burst damage when triggered.
The Best Dex Weapons in Elden Ring
1. Moonveil Katana
The Moonveil Katana is widely considered one of the best Dex weapons in Elden Ring due to its combination of bleed buildup and the Transient Moonlight Weapon Skill, which unleashes a powerful magic beam in either a horizontal or vertical slash.
- Strengths: Moonveil scales well with Dexterity and Intelligence, making it a prime choice for hybrid Dex/Int builds. The katana’s speed and range are complemented by the bleed effect, which deals a significant percentage of an enemy’s health when triggered.
- Weapon Skill: Transient Moonlight allows for both close-quarters combat and ranged magic attacks.
- Where to Find It: You can find Moonveil early on by defeating the Magma Wyrm boss in Gael Tunnel, Caelid.
2. Uchigatana
The Uchigatana is an ideal weapon for pure Dexterity builds, with great scaling in Dex and the potential to customize through Ashes of War. With its high bleed buildup and quick moveset, it remains a consistent favorite from start to finish.
- Strengths: Its versatility allows players to adapt the weapon to their preferred playstyle. The bleed damage makes it highly effective against enemies with large health pools.
- Customization: The Uchigatana can be infused with a wide range of Ashes of War, allowing you to modify it based on your specific needs.
- Where to Find It: Starting Samurai class players are given this weapon at the beginning of the game. Alternatively, it can be found in the Deathtouched Catacombs in Stormhill.
3. Bloodhound’s Fang
Although a curved greatsword, Bloodhound’s Fang is still a Dex weapon with C scaling in Dexterity, offering a heavier-hitting option for those who prefer a balance of power and speed. It also comes with innate bleed buildup, making it especially deadly in combat.
- Strengths: Bloodhound’s Fang excels at breaking enemy poise, allowing players to stagger even larger foes. Its Weapon Skill, Bloodhound’s Finesse, provides strong offensive and defensive capabilities.
- Weapon Skill: Bloodhound’s Finesse allows players to strike, retreat, and reposition in one fluid motion, perfect for agile Dex builds.
- Where to Find It: The Bloodhound Knight Darriwil in Limgrave’s Forlorn Hound Evergaol drops this powerful weapon upon defeat.
4. Reduvia Dagger
The Reduvia dagger is a sleeper pick for Dex builds, especially for players who dual wield. Known for its speed and bleed buildup, Reduvia also offers a ranged bleed option with its Weapon Skill, Reduvia Blood Blade.
- Strengths: Reduvia is incredibly fast and excels in close-quarters combat. Its bleed buildup, when dual-wielded, can quickly overwhelm enemies. The ability to use ranged attacks through the Blood Blade skill adds to its utility.
- Weapon Skill: Reduvia Blood Blade releases a spray of blood that turns into projectiles, dealing ranged damage and bleed buildup.
- Where to Find It: Found by defeating Bloody Finger Nerijus, an invader NPC located near the Murkwater Cave in Limgrave.
5. Morgott’s Cursed Sword
Morgott’s Cursed Sword is a late-game weapon that requires a significant investment in Dexterity and Arcane. However, its high bleed buildup and unique Cursed-Blood Slice Weapon Skill make it a formidable choice for experienced players.
- Strengths: With the highest bleed buildup of any weapon on this list, Morgott’s Cursed Sword is excellent for burst damage. Its Weapon Skill adds fire damage to its bleed effects, providing a devastating combo in combat.
- Weapon Skill: Cursed-Blood Slice lets you perform a powerful slash that leaves a trail of blood that ignites into flames, causing additional damage over time.
- Where to Find It: This weapon can be obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Omen King to Finger Reader Enia after defeating Morgott, the Omen King, at the end of Leyndell, Royal Capital.
6. Scythe
The Scythe is a Dex weapon for players who like to keep their distance while still dealing substantial damage. It has great reach and comes with a bleed buildup, making it deadly in the hands of skilled players.
- Strengths: The Scythe’s long reach allows for safe attacks while maintaining pressure on enemies. It scales well with Dexterity as you upgrade it, and the bleed damage adds extra lethality.
- Weapon Skill: Spinning Slash allows you to deal sweeping damage to multiple enemies at once, making it effective for crowd control.
- Where to Find It: Found in the Cliffbottom Catacombs after completing Stormveil Castle.
7. Wakizashi
The Wakizashi, a shorter version of the katana, pairs perfectly with a larger katana for dual-wielding builds. Its unique moveset and low stat requirements make it an excellent choice for Dexterity-based ninjas.
- Strengths: When paired with a katana, the Wakizashi unlocks a unique moveset that deals swift and deadly strikes. It’s a fast weapon with low stamina consumption and bleed damage to boot.
- Weapon Skill: Quickstep allows for rapid dodging and repositioning, essential for staying out of harm’s way in close combat.
- Where to Find It: You can acquire the Wakizashi in Gaol Cave, hidden behind a locked door inside Caelid.
8. Parrying Dagger
For Dexterity users who prefer a more defensive approach, the Parrying Dagger is designed for precise timing and counterattacks. While it doesn’t deal much damage itself, its main purpose is to parry incoming attacks, leaving enemies open to critical strikes.
- Strengths: The Parrying Dagger is highly effective when used alongside a main weapon, giving players the ability to deflect attacks and follow up with critical hits.
- Weapon Skill: Parry is the default skill for this weapon, allowing players to stagger enemies by countering their strikes at the perfect moment.
- Where to Find It: Sold by Patches after he becomes a merchant in Murkwater Cave.
9. Hookclaws
Inspired by the iconic Wolverine claws, Hookclaws are perfect for Dexterity users who value speed and style. They come with the highest bleed buildup of any weapon on this list, allowing you to trigger bleed faster than most other weapons.
- Strengths: Hookclaws are extremely fast and effective at building bleed. They come in pairs, so wielding them will unleash a flurry of quick attacks, perfect for taking down enemies with high health.
- Weapon Skill: Quickstep lets you dodge quickly around enemies while keeping up relentless pressure with your attacks.
- Where to Find It: The Hookclaws can be found in Stormveil Castle.
Conclusion
Dexterity weapons in Elden Ring provide a balance of speed, versatility, and devastating bleed effects. Whether you’re a fan of katanas, daggers, or curved swords, the Dex weapons outlined in this guide offer a range of options for every playstyle. Acquiring and mastering these weapons can make your journey through The Lands Between both thrilling and rewarding.