Best Halberds In Elden Ring

With 31 different categories of weapons, each including well over ten individual items, players have plenty to choose from when creating their next Elden Ring build. For those who are investing points in strength, there's a whole range of Greatswords and Greatshields to find; or for those specializing in dexterity, there are more than enough Twinblades and Katanas to go around. But for those looking to create quality builds, Halberds are a good choice.

As Halberds tend to level in both dexterity and strength, they're a good option for players investing an equal amount of points in those stats. While they may not be the most hard-hitting Elden Ring weapon type, they still pack quite a punch and are capable of putting some distance between the player and their opponent.

Updated May 9, 2024 by Vlad Mazanko: Elden Ring has so many playstyles to experiment with that players won't run out of things to do anytime soon. One weapon category some players may still have to try is the Halberd. This topic has expanded entries with more details about each weapon, rearranged several positions according to the game's latest rebalance updates, and updated formatting with new links and dedicated images for each halberd on the list.

S-Tier

Golden Halberd

Widely considered to be the best Halberd in the game, the Golden Halberd is reminiscent of Dark Souls' Black Knight Halberd in that it's an early weapon that can take players all the way to the finish line. Dropped by the Tree Sentinel at the start of the game, the Golden Halberd has excellent base physical and holy damage, which only gets better when the weapon is upgraded.

The only real downside to using this weapon is its weak Weapon Skill buff. With superb scaling in strength, an absurd damage output, and the ability to obtain this weapon at the very start of the game, the Golden Halberd has become a vital weapon for just about any Elden Ring playthrough.

Commander's Standard

Though it does less damage than the Golden Halberd, the Commander's Standard is still capable of dishing out some real pain. The biggest selling point of the Commander's Standard is its unique moveset. As opposed to the chopping style of other Halberds, the Commander's Standard uses thrust attacks like a Spear, making it very useful for those trying to attack from a distance. On top of this, the Commander's Standard also has a powerful Weapon Skill named "Rallying Standard" that buffs the player's damage output and physical defense by 20% for 30 seconds.

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The Commander's Standard also has an impressive strength scaling grade of B, once fully upgraded. Even after months of updates, the Commander's Standard is still one of the best Halberds, maybe even one of the best weapons overall in Elden Ring, and the fact that it can be obtained very early on by cheesing Commander O'Neil is the cherry on top.

A-Tier

Dragon Halberd

Its Weapon Skill is enough to put the Dragon Halberd in the A-tier. While it isn't in the item description, the Dragon Halberd's Spinning Slash Weapon Skill imbues the weapon with lightning and frost build-up for 20 seconds, turning an already powerful weapon into a lethal one.

On top of this, the Dragon Halberd also does an extra 10% damage to dragon enemies, and an extra 5% damage to ancient foes, which just happen to be some of Elden Ring's tougher enemies. The Dragon Halberd can also be obtained fairly early from the Siofra River.

Pest's Glaive

With exceptionally low strength and dexterity requirements, as well as surprisingly good damage, the Pest's Glaive is the perfect Halberd for just about any build - but especially for those who are investing points in one of the magic-related skills.

As an added bonus, the Pest's Glaive also raises elemental damage negation by 2%. While it may feel a bit slower to swing than initially presumed, it certainly looks very cool. Players can obtain this weapon from the Lesser Kindred of Rot (Pests), which can be found either in the Church of the Plague or inside the Grand Cloister.

Nightrider Glaive

While it may be one of the best-looking Halberds in Elden Ring, this stylish weapon doesn't have the stats to match. Requiring quite a bit of strength, the Nightrider Glaive doesn't have any stand-out features and its damage output is good, but not great. However, its strength scaling as well as its viability do keep it in the upper echelons.

Due to its size and length, this Halberd is particularly effective for combat on horseback. Players can obtain this weapon by defeating the Night's Cavalry on the road from East Raya Lucaria Gate to Bellum Church.

Gargoyle's Halberd

A similar case to the Nightrider Glaive, the Gargoyle's Halberd doesn't stand out from the crowd as a later-game weapon, but its physical damage output is pretty good, and its strength scaling can be impressive when upgraded. Best when wielded two-handed, this Halberd offers slightly more range than Greataxes with a similar swing speed and a more versatile moveset.

However, it's worth noting that the Gargoyle's Halberd can only be obtained before burning down the Erdtree toward the end of the game. It is dropped by Valiant Gargoyles near the West Capital Rampart site of Leyndell Royal Capital.

Guardian's Swordspear

One of the more dex-focused builds, the Guardian's Swordspear offers some great physical damage, especially considering that this weapon can be obtained within the first hour of the game by farming Erdtree Guardians, common enemies found in many regions of the world.

A unique moveset and the ability to infuse this weapon with an Ash of War puts the Guardian's Swordspear toward the top of the game. Just be sure to prioritize infusing it with the Keen ability, and keep in mind its somewhat average range compared to other halberds.

Vulgar Militia Saw

A great option for bleed builds, the Vulgar Militia Saw doesn't offer the best physical damage of its category, but it does deliver 55 points of blood loss build-up per hit. If the player is willing to equip some bleed-related Talismans and armor, then the Vulgar Militia Saw is capable of taking down Elden Ring's hardest bosses fairly quickly.

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The quickest way to obtain this Halberd is to farm enemies wielding it near the Bestial Sanctum in Greyoll's Dragonbarrow (but be cautious of the mighty Gargoyle boss nearby). Its unique appearance also resembles the Saw Cleaver from Bloodborne.

B-Tier

Vulgar Militia Shotel

The Vulgar Militia Shotel has one key selling point: its ability to ignore 40% of damage negation from an opponent's block. Though it hasn't been fully proven, some players believe this even scales when the weapon is upgraded, becoming a great counter to an opponent who refuses to lower their guard.

However, unlike the rest of the Halberds, the Vulgar Militia Shotel doesn't have any chance of scoring a critical hit, and with its unique moveset it almost feels more like a Scythe. It's farmable from Militia enemies on the road between the Farum Greatbridge and the Bestial Sanctum.

Ripple Crescent Halberd

A bit of an odd one, the Ripple Crescent Halberd is extremely difficult to farm, with a drop rate of only 2% from certain Albinaurics enemies, and sits in a very unique spot. With a low physical base damage of 86, the Ripple Crescent Halberd is much weaker than most of its peers. This is likely because it's the only Halberd that scales solely with Arcane, making it viable only for dedicated Arcane builds.

Being buffable, this Halberd is a great choice for melee users who prefer different greases (especially Sleep Grease) to deal extra damage or induce various status effects. The Ripple Crescent Halberd also boasts good poise damage and a versatile moveset, along with impressive reach.

Lucerne

Before the 1.06 patch, the Lucerne suffered from a bug, lacking any piercing attacks and functioning like a weaker version of other Halberds in Elden Ring. However, after the update, the Lucerne returns as a potent weapon with powerful poking attacks and counter damage, known by fans of other FromSoft games.

It also boasts the lowest weight of any Halberd, tied with the Pest's Glaive. Additionally, it is one of the easiest weapons to obtain, found on the battlefield between phantoms and knights in eastern Liurnia of the Lakes. All of that makes the Lucerne almost as strong as any other Halberd, and a great choice for various melee builds.

Banished Knight's Halberd

Though it takes some farming to acquire, the Banished Knight's Halberd is a pretty good early weapon available in Stormveil Castle, one with very low requirements and strong scaling. With upgrades, this Halberd has the potential to take players quite far, and some even claim it has the best scaling at +25 among all Halberds.

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It's also worth noting that players can obtain a +8 version of this weapon with a special spinning attack from Edgar the Revenger shortly after Stormveil Castle, instantly making it a pretty viable option for clearing Liurnia of the Lakes.

C-Tier

Gargoyle's Black Halberd

The Gargoyle's Black Halberd has a solid base physical damage output of 103 but shines with its 123 holy damage output. While this will destroy most of Elden Ring's bosses, many late-game enemies are resistant to holy damage, making the Gargoyle's Black Halberd much worse than some other options, including the standard Gargoyle's Halberd.

It's also unlikely for players to obtain this weapon early on, as it is wielded by one of the toughest bosses, the Black Blade Kindred, at the Bestial Sanctum. Overall, this Halberd is rather disappointing and almost not worth the trouble.

Glaive

The standard Glaive has some good damage output and scales well with strength and dexterity, but its rarity can lead to some frustrating farming sessions, with the pay-off not necessarily worth the effort. It is only dropped by several Skeleton enemies in the game, which can take players hours to farm.

As for the weapon itself, there's nothing particularly special to note, aside from this Glaive having an impressive range and a nice moveset. Its design is simple and classy, somewhat reminiscent of 20th-century Coupe-marc weapons.

Loretta's War Sickle

Despite offering a solid base damage output of 110 physical and 71 magic, Loretta's War Sickle ends up being one of the weaker Halberds due to some noticeable scaling issues. This Halberd requires 20 Intelligence to wield, along with a hefty amount of strength and dexterity. Once Loretta's War Sickle is fully upgraded, it pales in comparison to other Halberds.

Even after several rounds of buffs, Loretta's War Sickle is still a disappointing weapon. Though its unique moveset can knock some PvP players off-guard, and its Weapon Skill is impressive, Loretta's War Sickle is far from being Elden Ring's best weapon, especially when players can't even find it until the endgame.

Halberd

The standard Halberd offers fine scaling in both dexterity and strength and packs a fairly decent punch, making it a solid starting weapon (and a default weapon for the Vagabond class) players can purchase right from the Nomadic Merchant in North Limgrave.

However, it lands in lower tiers by default, being beaten out quickly by most other Halberds in the game. Nevertheless, carrying even the standard Halberd can prove useful in certain situations for melee builds, and this easy addition to every arsenal shouldn't be overlooked.

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Elden Ring

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Released

February 25, 2022

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