5 Best Spears in Elden Ring, Ranked

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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

With their long reach and light weight, spears are excellent for keeping enemies at a distance while dishing out consistent damage. Although typically wielded with both hands, spears are also great to pair with a shield to block incoming damage while you poke at enemies.

Elden Ring certainly has no shortage of spears to choose from, many of which offer unique skills and a variety of damage types. This can make it difficult to decide which spears are worth using and which ones can be skipped. That’s why today, we’re breaking down the five best spears in Elden Ring, where to find them, and how to use them on your build of choice!

5 Best Spears in Elden Ring

Let’s get right into our list of the five best spears in Elden Ring, ranked from sturdy to stupendous!

5/5

5) Cross-Naginata

First up on our list of the best spears in Elden Ring is one that works with a balanced play style that keeps enemies at a distance with long-reaching attacks. The Cross-Naginata is a well-rounded weapon that can be tailored to fit your preferred build.

Stats

The Cross-Naginata has one of the highest base Physical attacks among spears, sitting at 122. This is a great starting point, as you can deal reliable damage without worrying about elemental damage scaling. It requires 16 Strength and 20 Dexterity to wield.

As such, it works best on a Dexterity-focused build. Damage scales best with Dexterity, with a base C grade that reaches a B by max upgrade. Scaling in Strength is reduced, with only a D grade that remains constant throughout upgrades.

Where to Find It

You can find the Cross-Naginata inside of Gael Tunnel, located on the border of Limgrave and Caelid. However, this tunnel can only be accessed initially from the Caelid side. Within the tunnel, look for a room with a Giant Land Octopus hanging from the ceiling. The Cross-Naginata can be found on a corpse in this room. Successfully dodge or defeat the Land Octopus and grab the weapon.

How to Use the Cross-Naginata

Compared to other spears, the Cross-Naginata has a unique moveset. It can perform both thrust and slash attacks, allowing for a wide variety of movement options and versatility when taking on enemies. It also passively inflicts Blood Loss on foes with each hit. With Blood Loss being one of the best status conditions in the game, this is an excellent ability to have.

The default Weapon Skill on the Cross-Naginata is Impaling Thrust, a common skill on spears. A better option is to infuse it with the Sword Dance ash of war. This ash of war is great for two reasons.

First, it imbues the Cross-Naginata with the Keen affinity, which changes its Dexterity scaling from a B to an A. Second, it allows you to perform the Sword Dance skill, which involves a series of spinning slashes. It’s a very complimentary skill for a quick, wide-sweeping weapon like the Cross-Naginata.

To take full advantage of the passive Blood Loss build-up of the Cross-Naginata, try using the Lord of Blood’s Exultation talisman. It increases your attack power when Blood Loss occurs in the user’s vicinity. The combination of these skills makes the Cross-Naginata a solid choice for any Dexterity build!

4/5

4) Inquisitor’s Girandole

An excellent Faith-centered alternative to the Cross-Naginata, the Inquisitor’s Girandole offers the same passive Blood Loss build-up, but with the added bonus of Fire damage. While it has a shorter reach than the Cross-Naginata, it makes up for it with its elemental damage!

Stats

The base damage for the Inquisitor’s Girandole is split between 102 Physical attack and 66 Fire attack. It takes 18 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 16 Faith to wield. Overall, it has very good damage scaling, but it shines with investments in Faith. It has a base D grade in Strength, Dexterity, and Faith. Strength and Dexterity reach a C grade by upgrade +9, but Faith reaches a B grade by max upgrade.

Where to Find It

This weapon is dropped by the Abductor Virgins field boss, located in the underground portion of Volcano Manor. You can access the boss by falling down near the Subterranean Inquisition site of grace.

However, an easier method of reaching the boss is to be abducted by an Iron Maiden enemy at the bottom of the water wheel in Raya Lucaria. This will teleport you to the room right before the boss. Defeating the boss will net you the Inquisitor’s Girandole.

How to Use the Inquisitor’s Girandole

This weapon has several tools in its arsenal that are worth taking advantage of. The first is its ability to deal passive Blood Loss build up. Much like the Cross-Naginata, the Inquisitor’s Girandole will deal Blood Loss build up on each hit. Unlike the Cross-Naginata, it also has the added bonus of dealing Fire damage in addition to Physical damage. This lets us utilize equipment that boosts both Fire damage and Blood Loss build up.

The Inquisitor’s Girandole also has the Weapon Skill: Charge Forth. This skill has the user run forward and perform a stab with the spear. Unfortunately, it cannot be infused with other ashes of war, so this is our only option for a skill.

For talismans, we recommend using the Lord of Blood’s Exultation with this build as well to take advantage of the Blood Loss you will be inflicting. Other good options include the Two Fingers Heirloom for the increased Faith it provides and the Fire Scorpion Charm to increase your Fire damage.

Consider using the Godfrey Icon as well, since Charge Forth is a chargeable skill, and therefore gains a 15% power up from this talisman.

3/5

3) Clayman’s Harpoon

Upon first glance this weapon may look unassuming. However, it possesses the unique trait of being one of the few weapons to deal both Physical and Magic damage while being infusible with ashes of war.

Stats

The Clayman’s Harpoon has base damage split between 99 Physical attack and 64 Magic attack. This is an excellent weapon for a melee-oriented Intelligence build. It requires 12 Strength, 10 Dexterity, and 12 Intelligence to wield, making it very accessible regardless of your build.

Damage scaling is split across those three stats, with a base D in Strength that reaches a C by max upgrade, as well as base E in Dexterity and a base D in Intelligence that both don’ change with upgrades.

Where to Find It

This weapon is dropped by the Claymen enemies that wield it. They can be found in several underground locations, including Siofra River, Ainsel River, and Uhl Palace Ruins. It only has a 2% drop rate, so it may take some time farming them before you’ll find it.

You can find a group of Claymen in the ruins close to the Siofra River Well Depths site of grace when you first enter Siofra River. This is a good place to farm, since the site of grace is close by and the Claymen here are relatively easy to defeat.

How to Use the Clayman’s Harpoon

Despite it scaling best with Strength by default, the Clayman’s Harpoon actually is at its strongest on an Intelligence build. In order to achieve the power we are looking for, it’s important to set it to the Magic affinity. This grants it a B grade in Intelligence scaling.

Since this is one of the few weapons that can be infused with ashes of war despite it having split attack types, we are going to want to take advantage of this and infuse it with our ash of war of choice. We recommend infusing it with the Ice Spear ash of war.

Doing so provides us with the Ice Spear skill, which allows the user to fire a projectile of ice from the spear that deals both Magic damage and Frost build up. The combination of this skill on this weapon gives it fantastic versatility as a ranged and melee weapon that can deal significant amounts of Magic damage.

To help further boost your Magic damage output, we recommend equipping the Magic Scorpion Charm talisman to increase your Magic damage by 10%. Another important talisman to use is the Carian Filligreed Crest, which reduces the FP consumed by skills so you can use Ice Spear more frequently.

2/5

2) Death Ritual Spear

If you’re looking for a good Dexterity weapon with Magic damage capabilities, the Death Ritual Spear is for you. Couple its great Dexterity scaling with a unique Weapon Skill, and you’ve got yourself a stylish and strong spear!

Stats

Much like the Clayman’s Harpoon, the Death Ritual Spear has its base attack stats split between 99 Physical and 64 Magic. Unlike the Clayman’s Harpoon, it has an increased Crit stat of 110.

It also focuses on Dexterity as its primary damaging stat, needing 14 Strength, 20 Dexterity, and 18 Intelligence to wield.

As for damage scaling, it has a base E grade in Strength that reaches a D by upgrade +2, a base D in Intelligence that does not change with upgrades, and a base D in Dexterity that reaches a B by upgrade +9.

Where to Find It

The Death Ritual Spear is dropped by the Death Rite Bird field boss located in the Mountaintops of the Giants. This boss can be found along the path down toward Castle Sol in the very northern portion of the region. The boss is weak to Holy damage, so consider using that attack type if you’re having trouble beating it. Once defeated, it drops the Death Ritual Spear.

How to Use the Death Ritual Spear

There is a lot going for the Death Ritual Spear that make it a great weapon. Its fantastic Dexterity scaling makes it a prime candidate for a Dexterity build. Throw an awesome Magic based Weapon Skill in the form of Spearcall Ritual, and the versatility on this weapon increases twofold.

Spearcall Ritual is a powerful ranged skill that has the user summon spectral spears that rain down on enemies, dealing massive damage in the area of effect. The spear’s boosted Crit stat is just the icing on the cake of this deliciously deadly weapon.

To get the most out of this weapon, we recommend using the Magic Scorpion Charm and Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom talismans. The Magic Scorpion Charm raises the Magic damage done by basic attacks and Spearcall Ritual, while the Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom raises your Dexterity by 5, allowing you to take full advantage of the B grade Dexterity scaling.

1/5

1) Cleanrot Spear

Now for the top pick on our list of the best spears in Elden Ring! If you’re looking for a balanced spear topped with Holy damage, then the Cleanrot Spear is the weapon for you. This spear shines in a Strength/Dexterity Hybrid build that invests additional points in Faith in order to deal solid Holy damage with its unique Weapon Skill.

Stats

The base attack stats of the Cleanrot Spear are divided between 102 Physical attack and 66 Holy attack. To wield it, you will need 16 Strength, 16 Dexterity, and 14 Faith.

Overall, it is reasonably balanced and has modest requirements to wield. In terms of damage scaling, it has base D grades across those three stats. However, while the D in Faith remains constant, Strength and Dexterity reach C grade by upgrade +9.

Where to Find It

For as powerful as this spear is, it can be tricky to find. It has a chance to drop from Lesser Cleanrot Knight enemies. However, the drop rate is quite low.

You can find these enemies in a variety of locations including the Aeonia Swamp and War-Dead Catacombs in Caelid, as well as in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. You will likely need to spend time farming them before one finally drops the Cleanrot Spear.

How to Use the Cleanrot Spear

Aside from its great base stats and damage scaling, the Cleanrot Spear also has a fantastic, unique Weapon Skill: Sacred Phalanx. This skill has the user slash the spear along the ground, following up with a flurry of golden spears shooting up from the ground in front of the user.

This attack has a wide area of effect and deals Holy damage, making it ideal for taking on groups of enemies. Additionally, equipping the Cleanrot Spear boosts your Immunity by 50.

Since this spear benefits from Strength, Dexterity, and Faith, there are a variety of good talismans to pair with it depending on your preferred play style. However, one talisman you will definitely want to use is the Sacred Scorpion Charm, since its boost to Holy damage benefits standard attacks as well as Sacred Phalanx.

Beyond that, the Two Fingers Heirloom is great if you want to increase your Faith, but other options like the Starscourge Heirloom or Prosthesis-Wearer Heirloom for raising Strength or Dexterity work well, too.

Join the High Ground

Do you agree with our list of the five best spears in Elden Ring? Let us know in the comments down below, and feel free to share any tips you might have for builds as well. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you can stay up to date with all things Elden Ring!

Happy gaming!

Related Reading: Elden Ring Weapons Guide