5 Best Colossal Swords in Elden Ring, Ranked

Image: FromSoftware & Bandai Namco Entertainment via HGG

Human Made

Penned by Drew Swanson

Drew has been a fan of games since he could hold a GameCube controller. Nowadays, he plays everything from mobile and PC games, to PS5 and Switch.

Reviewed by Ashley Johnson

Unapologetically oversized, colossal swords are massive in both size and power. These Elden Ring weapons often overshadow the player themself with their size. If you want to use some of the hardest hitting weapons in the game, the best colossal swords are the weapons for you. Known as ultra greatswords in previous FromSoftware titles, colossal swords take the hard-hitting, slow-swinging style of greatswords and go one step further.

While they may be slow, they hit like a truck and can be some of the best weapons in the game. At the very least, they will make you feel like a true hero of the Lands Between. Today, we’re looking at the five best colossal swords in Elden Ring, where to find them, and how to use them.

Let’s get started!

Popular Destinations..

Elden Ring Waystone | Navigation Page

How Big is Elden Ring’s Map?

5 Best Colossal Swords in Elden Ring

Let’s jump into our list of the five best colossal swords in Elden Ring, ranked from pretty good to Elden Lord worthy.

5/5

Grafted Blade Greatsword

Have you ever wanted to use a sword made of other swords fused together? Then the Grafted Blade Greatsword is the weapon for you. 

Stats

Coming in with the second highest base Physical attack stat of any colossal sword at 162, the Grafted Blade Greatsword is sure to pack a punch. It does, however, come with a hefty cost. You will need a whopping 40 Strength and additional 14 Dexterity in order to wield it. This is a trend with colossal swords. A massive sword comes with a massive Strength requirement. In return, you get a weapon with great Strength damage scaling, having a base C grade that upgrades to a B grade once you reach upgrade +7. 

Where to Find It

Acquiring this colossal sword requires a trip to Castle Morne at the very southern point of Elden Ring’s map. Head south of Limgrave to the Weeping Peninsula. Continue south until you reach the Castle. Make your way through and you will eventually end up on the beach behind the castle. Here, you fight Leonine Misbegotten, the boss of the dungeon. Defeating it will net you the Grafted Blade Greatsword. Castle Morne can be accessed from pretty early in the game, but beware that Leonine Misbegotten is a fast and powerful boss. You may want to take some time to prepare before attempting to grab this sword, as you likely won’t have the stats to use it early in the game anyway.

How to Use the Grafted Blade Greatsword

With one of the highest raw Physical attack stats in the game, the Grafted Blade Greatsword is a force to be reckoned with. Using such a heavy weapon is going to require a lot of strength. This weapon is best used in a Strength-centric build, since you’ll want to put the majority of your levels into trying to reach that 40 Strength requirement. While it does swing slowly, its Weapon Skill, Oath of Vengeance, can help make up for your lack of mobility. This skill raises all attributes by 5 for thirty seconds when used. It also raises your poise slightly as well. This is a great all-around skill and is almost always useful. 

If you’re struggling with stamina consumption when using this (or any colossal sword), we recommend equipping the Green Turtle Talisman. This talisman raises stamina recovery speed and can be found pretty early on in the game. You can find it in Summonwater Village in the northeastern part of Limgrave. It is almost universally useful so be sure to grab it when you can.

4/5

Royal Greatsword

The signature weapon of Blaidd the Half-Wolf, the Royal Greatsword is excellent for a Strength/Intelligence hybrid build. You will need to follow a long questline to get it, but the wait is worth it.

Stats

With only a 116 base Physical attack stat, the Royal Greatsword may seem unimpressive at first glance. But that Physical attack stat is supplemented by a 134 base Magic attack stat. The combination of these two damage types makes the power potential of this weapon increase exponentially if you have the Strength and Intelligence to use it. You will need a spread of 26 Strength, 18 Dexterity, and 22 Intelligence. Damage scaling, unsurprisingly, is best with Strength and Intelligence, having a base D grade in both but reaching grade C by upgrade +7. 

Where to Find It

You won’t be able to get this colossal sword until you finish Ranni the Witch’s questline. This is one of the longest questlines in the game, so you may need to be patient. After completing the quest, Blaidd can be found in front of Ranni’s Rise. Battle him here and he will drop his armor set along with the Royal Greatsword upon defeat. While this may be the end for our half-wolf friend, his parting gift is a pretty sweet weapon.

How to Use the Royal Greatsword

Magic damage is the real name of the game with this colossal sword. This sword thrives in a build that focuses on dealing magic damage from a melee weapon. Its Weapon Skill, Wolf’s Assault, supports this playstyle. This skill has a twofold effect. First, it infuses the sword with Frost and has the player perform a long, leaping somersault that ends by plunging the sword into the ground. This attack is devastating to the enemy it hits, but its secondary effect is equally as powerful. The player then pulls the sword from the ground, releasing a blast of Frost that damages all enemies in the area of effect. 

For being a colossal sword, the Royal Greatsword favors a more agile playstyle. To get even more juice out of Wolf’s Assault, consider equipping the Shard of Alexander talisman. This talisman gives a 15% damage boost to Weapon Skills. To get this talisman, you’ll have to complete another somewhat lengthy questline: Iron Fist Alexander’s questline. Combining these two quest rewards provides great synergy in your build, so it’s worth your while to complete both questlines.

3/5

Godslayer’s Greatsword

Breaking the mold for colossal swords, the Godslayer’s Greatsword is not a Strength-based behemoth like its counterparts. That doesn’t mean it lacks the punch of other colossal swords. This sword’s high Fire damage makes it an excellent choice for a Dexterity/Faith hybrid build.

Stats

With a base Physical damage stat of only 119, this colossal sword deals less overall damage than its peers. Even with the additional 77 base Fire damage, this sword is a weaker but faster option. It requires 20 Strength, 22 Dexterity, and 20 Faith to wield. While it appears balanced across the board, with a base D grade in those same three attributes, it scales best with Dexterity and Faith. Its Strength grade does not change with upgrades, whereas it reaches C in Faith and even B in Dexterity by max upgrade.

Where to Find It 

The Godslayer’s Greatsword is located in the Divine Tower of Caelid, one of the trickier areas to traverse. There aren’t that many enemies here, but there is a lot of tough platforming required that can take multiple attempts if you fall. You’ll have to scale the outside of the tower in order to find an entrance. Then, once inside, you’ll have to make your way down the inside of the tower, requiring a few leaps of faith. At the bottom, you’ll face off against the Godskin’s Apostle boss. Defeat the boss and there will be a chest behind the boss arena containing the Godslayer’s Greatsword.

How to Use the Godslayer’s Greatsword

Given its weaker overall stats than other colossal swords, you may be wondering what is so special about the Godslayer’s Greatsword. Aside from the faster attack speeds, its Weapon Skill, The Queen’s Black Flame, is incredibly useful. Using the skill causes the weapon to be engulfed with Black Flame, followed by a sweeping slash. A follow up attack allows for another wide-sweeping slash. This gives the sword a long reach and a wide range of attack. Enemies hit by the black flames will also continue to have their HP drained for a short period of time. 

If you’re looking to create a good Faith build that focuses on utilizing the Fire damage that Black Flame attacks deal, then pairing the Godslayer’s Greatsword with other Black Flame Incantations in your off hand is a great idea. Incantations like Black Flame and Black Flame Blade are great options. Black Flame has you cast a ball of Black Flames at your enemies. Black Flame Blade lets you imbue your right hand weapon with Black Flames, allowing the Godslayer Greatsword to deal Black Flame damage outside of The Queen’s Black Flame. Overall, the HP draining effects of Black Flame skills are definitely a worthwhile strategy to build a playstyle around.

2/5

Maliketh’s Blackblade

Another fantastic option for Faith-centric builds, this time with a dual Strength/Faith focus, is Maliketh’s Blackblade. This sword excels at dealing Holy damage and comes with one of the best Weapon Skills in the game. 

Stats

This colossal sword has a base 127 Physical attack stat as well as a base 82 Holy attack stat. These two damage types combine for an impressive dual damage threat. This sword will take some heavy investments in order to use. It needs 34 Strength, 12 Dexterity, and 20 Faith to wield. Damage scaling follows that same spread with a base D grade in Strength, E in Dexterity, and D in Faith. This weapon scales best with Strength and Faith, however, reaching a grade of B in both by max upgrade. 

Where to Find It

Maliketh’s Blackblade is the signature weapon of the Shardbearer Maliketh, The Black Blade. Maliketh is a late game boss that you fight in Crumbing Farum Azula. This area is required to reach the end of the game and is only accessible after the events on the Mountaintop of the Giants. As such, Maliketh is a required boss. So while you won’t be able to acquire his blade until very late in the game, at least you can’t miss it. Once you defeat him, take the Remembrance of the Black Blade to Enia at Roundtable Hold and exchange it for Maliketh’s Blackblade.

How to Use Maliketh’s Blackblade

If you found the fight against Maliketh annoying, it was probably because of his ability to reduce your max HP with certain attacks. The good news is now you can use that skill for yourself! The Weapon Skill of Maliketh’s Blackblade, Destined Death, is what makes this such a useful weapon, especially in the late game. Destined Death allows the player to use a large area of effect attack that summons several slashing blades to slice enemies in range. It also reduces the max HP of enemies hit by the attack and drains their HP continuously for a short period of time. This is a fantastic ability and can help make late game enemies with their large HP pools much more manageable. 

1/5

Starscourge Greatsword

The weapon of General Starscourge Radahn himself, one of the most infamous bosses in the game, is our pick for the best colossal sword. The Starscourge Greatsword boasts excellent Strength and Intelligence damage potential, as well as a unique moveset ideal for efficiently dishing out heavy damage.

Stats

A weapon worthy of a general, it has a base Physical attack stat of 129 with an additional base Magic attack stat of 83. This is another colossal sword that requires quite the Strength investment. It needs 38 Strength, 12 Dexterity, and 15 Intelligence in order to wield. While it has a base D grade scaling in both Strength and Dexterity, and an E in Intelligence, it ends up scaling best with Strength reaching B grade by max upgrade. Perfect for a Strength build with just a touch of Intelligence and Dexterity thrown in.

Where to Find It

Like most Shardbearer boss weapons, you’ll need to defeat Radahn and take the Remembrance of the Starscourge to Enia at Roundtable Hold and exchange it for the Starscourge Greatsword. To fight Radahn, you’ll need to make your way through Caelid until you reach Redmane Castle in the farthest south reaches of the rotten land. Once you reach Redmane Castle, you’ll get to take part in the Radahn Festival. It’s a unique type of boss battle that takes place in a vast open desert where you can summon several NPCs to assist you. This is a notoriously tough fight, so definitely summon those NPCs. Typically, you’ll want to wait until around mid game (Level 50–60) to take on this boss. Defeating the General nets you his awesome weapon!

How to Use the Starscourge Greatsword

There are a lot of benefits to using the Starscourge Greatsword. The first is the high Strength and Magic damage potential. The Weapon Skill, Starcaller Cry, deals massive Magic damage by first drawing in enemies with a gravitational wave before slamming the sword down creating a pulse of gravitational magic damaging all enemies in the area of effect. As a bonus, this sword deals an additional 30% damage to Gravity type enemies. 

The other benefit that puts this weapon above all other colossal swords is that switching to the two-handed stance creates a second sword in your left hand. This essentially allows you to dual-wield two colossal swords without the weight and Strength costs. Dual-wielding this weapon gives it a unique moveset that deals more damage than two-handing other colossal swords typically would. Getting two for the price of one makes this a top tier weapon!

Join the High Ground

What did you think of our list of the five best colossal swords in Elden Ring? Do you agree? What are your experiences with colossal swords? Let us know in the comments down below, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with all things Elden Ring!

Happy gaming!

Related Reading

How to Power Stance in Elden Ring

Best Curved Greatswords

How to Two-Hand Weapons in Elden Ring

Best Straight Swords