In past Souls games, weapons that could thrust were some of the most sought after. This was in large part due to the smaller corridors and rooms that your weapon could get caught up on in the middle of an attack. Due to the much more open nature of Elden Ring, this is not nearly as common a problem. Even after losing much of their utility, thrusting swords are still very good in Elden Ring, in large part to their quick attacking speed, effectiveness at parrying, having ways around their weak range, and the ability to feint mid-attack and avoid trouble.
With there only being 4 Heavy Thrusting Swords and 7 regular Thrusting Swords in the game, this list will combine and rank both types together. Heavy Thrusting Swords have the higher damage output between the two, but are naturally slower and harder to fit into builds given their weight and being most effective when two-handed. Heavy Thrusting Swords naturally gain more from their ability to feint attacks by either back-stepping or rolling out to quickly cancel your attack animation. Heavy Thrusting Swords don’t come with the mobility or quick attack speed of their lighter category, but their higher damage and minimal travel distance between swing and attack may be the bigger factor for you when deciding between the two.
11 Great Epee
The Great Epee is one of the earliest available Heavy Thrusting Swords in Elden Ring. Its lighter requirements and good base damage and scaling make it a solid option to run through the early game with. The Great Epee boasts a strong heavy attack that, when charged most of the way, can stagger a majority of enemies in the game.
Its 15 Strength requirement and scaling make it the best Heavy Thrusting Sword for Strength builds. The Great Epee can be found on a hill east of the Agheel Lake South site of grace.
10 Godskin Stitcher
The other of the more ‘base’ Heavy Thrusting Swords, the Godskin Stitcher boasts a unique heavy attack and solid piercing damage, which is optimal when facing foes with shields or generally high poise. While the Great Epee scales better with Strength, the Godskin Stitcher does the same for Dexterity builds.
While not found nearly as early as the Great Epee can be, the Godskin Stitcher functions very similarly to the Great Epee, with the only substantial difference being which stat you prefer to scale with. The Godskin Stitcher can be found the optional Godskin Noble boss in Volcano Manor.
9 Rapier
The base Rapier is one of the earliest obtainable weapons in Elden Ring, and with it come light requirements for use, stat-wise. The Rapier has fairly pedestrian stats, but it has one of the highest critical hit rates with 130. This makes it an ideal early game weapon to practice more advanced combat mechanics like parrying and backstabs.
The ability to cancel out thrusts with a backstep, while not exactly universal to other weapon classes, is also worth practicing early on if you plan on using any of the other thrusting swords in the game. The Rapier can be purchased from the Twin Maiden Husks in the Roundtable Hold.
8 Noble’s Estoc
The Noble’s Estoc has a lot in common with the regular Estoc. It features the same heavy attack that deals slashing damage rather than the usual thrust damage. It has a longer reach than the Estoc but also deals less damage. Its biggest feature of note is it is one of the most difficult weapons to find in the entire game.
The Noble’s Estoc can be found from Wandering Nobles throughout the game. With a drop rate of about 1 in 200, the biggest reason to run this weapon is just to show that you actually managed to find one.
7 Estoc
The far more obtainable Estoc is one of the strongest and fastest attacking thrusting swords in Elden Ring. Its heavy attack, like the Noble’s Estoc, deals slashing damage. Its damage and speed are really only comparable to other thrusting swords. If you are looking for pure dps out of this weapon class, it is worth considering, but there are far better options if that’s all you care about.
The Estoc’s requirements are also quite light for the early game, so that may be a deciding factor for you as well. The Estoc is the starting weapon for the Prisoner character class, and it can be purchased from either a merchant in Liurnia of the Lakes or Patches at the Scenic Isle site of grace.
6 Cleanrot’s Knight Sword
The Cleanrot’s Knight Sword is the longest thrusting weapon in Elden Ring. If you are somebody who wants to use a thrusting sword from behind a shield and simply poke at enemies from a distance, this one is for you. It lacks any real noteworthy abilities or even a unique heavy attack like many of the other thrusting sword class weapons have, limiting its moveset quite heavily in most situations.
That being said, its range may be the only important factor for some people, in which case it has its use cases. The Cleanrot’s Knight Sword drops from the Lesser Cleanrot Knight enemy type.
5 Antspur Rapier
The Antspur Rapier has one of the highest requirements of all the thrusting swords, requiring a 10 Strength and a 20 Dexterity in order to wield. This is offset by its natural ability to inflict rot on enemies. Its native Impaling Thrust ability gives it a long ranging attack that can pierce through shields.
The Antspur Rapier’s rot ability also allows it to have other damage types applied to it, with the potential to inflict rot, blood loss, and poison at once. The Antspur Rapier can be found after defeating Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan, a hostile NPC west of the Atlus Plateau.
4 Bloody Helice
The Bloody Helice’s biggest traits are its additional scaling with Arcane, its potential to cause the bleeding effect on enemies, and a special weapon art that gives you a great dodge that can be followed up quickly with a stabbing attack.
While the lighter Thrusting Swords are generally better for inflicting status conditions given their mobility and attack speed, the Bloody Helice’s higher damage and scaling with three stats make it different enough to warrant consideration. The Bloody Helice can be found in the Writheblood Ruins after defeating an optional boss.
3 Dragon King’s Cragblade
The Dragon King’s Cragblade, while requiring a much higher stat total (18 Strength and 37 Dexterity), also offers a similarly stellar performance compared to the other Heavy Thrusting Swords. It shares a heavy attack animation with the Bloody Helice, being a long horizontal swipe. It also has a sizable 30% damage boost against dragon type enemies and a 15% boost against ancient dragon type enemies.
The Dragon King’s Cragblade’s real advantage is its unique weapon skill, Thundercloud Form, which turns the player character into a cloud that travels a far distance based on the duration of button held length and deals a significant amount of damage at that.
Its ability to be held for longer distances or shorter for either a closer enemy or to quickly cancel the animation gives you a lot of mobility options for a heavy weapon. The Dragon King’s Cragblade can be obtained by trading a Rememberance of the Dragonlord with Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold.
2 Frozen Needle
The Frozen Needle has similar requirements to the Antspur Rapier, requiring 11 Strength and 18 Dexterity. Like the Antspur Rapier, the Frozen Needle inflicts frost buildup rather than rot. The Frozen Needle’s major advantage is its unique heavy attack, which pushes out a frost attack at distance.
The Frozen Needle itself struggles at range, but it can be countered quite easily with its long ranging heavy attack. It can also be found much earlier than the Antspur Rapier. The Frozen Needle can be found in a chest in the Kingsrealm Ruins after defeating the optional Royal Revenant boss.
1 Rogier’s Rapier
Rogier’s Rapier is a thrusting sword that can be obtained very early on, after meeting Sorcerer Rogier and having the choice to have him aid you in the boss fight against Margit, the Fell Omen. While his Rapier technically has the lowest damage of all the thrusting swords in the game, it is given to you at a +8, meaning it ends up being the strongest at the time you acquire it.
It features a great heavy attack that strikes twice in quick succession, and it shares a similar crit rate to the regular rapier at 110. Rogier’s Rapier can be found by progressing Sorcerer Rogier’s questline in the Roundtable Hold by checking in with him periodically.
