Best Claw in Elden Ring – Ranking All 4 Claws

In this Elden Ring Best Claw and Ranking Guide, we’ll be taking a look at the 4 Claws in Elden Ring and discuss why you might use them in combat. We’ll take a look at attack power, damage type, length, Weapon Skills, and other factors such as how long it takes you to acquire them, to determine if they are best suited for you. We are doing a guide for all Weapon types in Elden Ring, and these will be updated to reflect those added with Shadow of the Erdtree as well.

Claws in Elden Ring:

1. Bloodhound Claws
2. Hookclaws
3. Venomous Fang
4. Raptor Talons

Best Claw in Elden Ring – Ranked

Claws are one of the 31 Weapon types in Elden Ring, soon to be 39 when Shadow of the Erdtree releases on June 21st. Daggers have very fast Attack Speed compared to most weapons in Elden Ring, and they are one of two classes of weapons that always come “paired”, with the other being Fists. This means you can ‘dual wield’ them without having to equip two, which helps with weight management and upgrade materials. All Claws also have native status effect build up, and 3 of the 4 have 110 Crit Rating.

However, they have lower Attack Rating than just about every other weapon type, and dual wielding to set status effects is not nearly as strong as it used to be. Additionally, their short reach can make you miss many attacks, especially when dual wielding.

PROS

• Fast Attack Speed
• Always ‘Paired”
• Light Weight
• Good Dual Wield Moveset
• Good Crit Rating
• Native Status Effects

CONS

• Low Attack Rating
• Dual Wield Status Effects were nerfed
• Short reach

Raptor Talons – #4 Best Claw in Elden Ring

The Raptor Talons have a unique heavy attack that jumps, then deals Physical Damage. It is the lightest Claw in Elden Ring, weighing 1.5, and requires 6 Strength and 14 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

Attack Rating:

• Fire/Lightning – 518
• Magic – 511
• Sacred/Flame Art – 478
• Keen – 469
• Cold – 463
• Heavy – 444
• Occult – 416
• Blood/Poison – 397

Conclusion: The Raptor Talons are the only Claws with an alternate moveset, and their Jump Attack damage is 10% higher than other Claws, assuming the Attack Ratings are the same. They also have native bleed build up like other Claws, but they have the lowest Attack Rating of all Claws in Elden Ring.

Infusion-wise Fire/Lightning comes in first at 518, with Magic in second at 511 and Sacred/Flame Art at 478 Attack Rating. Keen outperforms Heavy 469 to 444, and Cold is just under Keen.

I like to use these weapons in a Jump Attack build to take advantage of the unique properties of the weapon, not unlike my Cold-Blooded Raptor Build, where you use the Claw Talisman, Raptor’s Black Feathers and Royal Knight’s Resolve to buff Jump Attacks. You can also use the Sacrificial Axe in your off-hand to refund FP when you kill enemies if you want.

Venomous Fang – #3 Best Claw in Elden Ring

The Venomous Fang shares the default moveset of most other Claws, and deals Physical Damage. It is the second heaviest Claw in Elden Ring, weighing 2.5, and requires 9 Strength and 9 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

Attack Rating:

• Magic – 576
• Fire/Lightning – 575
• Sacred/Flame Art – 545
• Keen – 504
• Cold – 504
• Heavy – 498
• Occult – 471
• Blood/Poison – 417

Conclusion: The Venomous Fang might seem great at first glance. It has native Deadly Poison build up, which ticks for more damage than regular poison, but over a much shorter duration. It has the lowest requirements of all Claws and the highest Attack Rating of all Claws. However, they are also the shortest Claws by a lot, and they have the lowest Crit Rating of all Claws. And you really feel the short reach of this weapon compared to others, it is very noticeable.

Infusion-wise Magic and Fire/Lightning are virtually tied at 576/575, with Sacred/Flame Art coming in second at 545. Keen outperforms Heavy 504 to 498, with Cold also at 504 and Occult at 471.

I like to play this weapon with the Blood Infusion, since the Arcane scaling will also impact the Poison Build up on the weapon, and Bleed is typically more useful than Poison, even if it is the deadly variant. Use Endure to tank hits and continue to spam attacks on Bosses setting both Status Effects, and use Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Lord of Blood’s Exultation and Kindred of Rot’s Exultation for increased Attack Power.

Hookclaws – #2 Best Claw in Elden Ring

The Hookclaws shares the default moveset of most other Claws, and deals Physical Damage. It is one of the lightest Claws in Elden Ring, weighing 2, and requires 8 Strength and 14 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

Attack Rating:

• Fire/Lightning – 532
• Magic – 527
• Sacred/Flame Art – 505
• Keen – 477
• Cold – 476
• Heavy – 456
• Occult – 435
• Blood/Poison – 406

Conclusion: The Hookclaws have a lot of things going for them. They are the longest Claws in Elden Ring, they are the second lightest, they have native bleed build up on hit, and you can find them pretty early on in Stormveil Castle. Their only downside is that they deal less damage than all but the Raptor Talons.

Infusion-wise Fire/Lightning comes in first at 532 Attack Rating, with Magic just behind at 527 and Sacred/Flame Art pulling up third at 505. Keen outperforms Heavy, with Cold being virtually tied with Keen.

I like to use this weapon with Flaming Strike set to Flame Art in order to buff both weapons with Fire, further boosting their Attack Rating. This also allows you to cast Incantations effectively due to high Faith, and you can reach 1k+ Attack Power when fully buffed with this setup. The Bleed is just a bonus. Use Talismans like Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, Fire Scorpion Charm and Shard of Alexander to further boost damage. Make sure you have 51 Poise so you can trade damage without interruption.

Bloodhound Claws – #1 Best Claw in Elden Ring

The Bloodhound Claws shares the default moveset of most other Claws, and deals Physical Damage. It is the heaviest Claw in Elden Ring, weighing 3, and requires 10 Strength and 15 Dexterity in order to use effectively.

Attack Rating:

• Fire/Lightning – 549
• Magic – 549
• Sacred/Flame Art – 528
• Cold – 485
• Heavy – 481
• Keen – 480
• Occult – 450
• Blood/Poison – 400

Conclusion: The Bloodhound Claws are the go-to option for those wanting to play a Strength-based Claws Build with native Bleed build up on hit. Some of their damage slips through Shields, and they have the second highest Attack Rating of all Claws. However, they are the second shortest Claws, and you cannot get them until Volcano Manor, which can take awhile.

Infusion-wise Fire/Lightning and Magic are tied for first at 549, with Sacred/Flame Art coming in second at 528. Heavy outperforms Keen by a point, and Cold is ahead of both of them. Occult is also not bad at 450.

I like to play this weapon with the Heavy Infusion, leaning into its decent STR scaling, and buff with Bloodflame Blade to apply extra bleed build up to each Claw. If you use something like Endure, you can tank through hits while swinging rapidly triggering Hemorrhage easily and stacking up Attack Rating through Talismans like Lord of Blood’s Exultation & Rotten Winged Sword Insignia, while also using the Thorny Cracked Tear.

If you enjoyed this Claws Ranked Guide, be sure to check out our other Weapon Guides, and also our article on how to Prepare for Shadow of the Erdtree!