Halberds have been a powerhouse weapon type in FromSoftware’s games for a long time, and Elden Ring doesn’t buck that trend. Their long reach, high damage, and powerful choices for Weapon Skills combine to make them among the best weapons in the game.
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Elden Ring’s batch of Halberds is also an extremely versatile group of weapons, with an option for almost any build. With so many viable choices, it can be difficult to determine which one is right for you. This list will show you the best Halberds in Elden Ring, helping you make that critically important decision.
11 Banished Knight’s Halberd
Stat
Requirement
Strength
14
Dexterity
12
If you started the game with the basic Halberd and just want a slightly better version of that, the Banished Knight's Halberd is perfect for you. The only thing that really distinguishes it from most other Halberds is that your basic attack motion is a thrust, but it has decent scaling in many areas and a solid overall range.
You can farm the weapon from the Banished Knights that wield it, although a much easier way to get your hands on one is by killing Edgar, the Revenger, who invades you at the Revenger’s Shack in Liurnia of the Lakes once you’ve progressed Irina’s questline. He drops a +8 version of the Banished Knight’s Halberd, which is a relatively high upgrade level for that point in the game.
10 Glaive
Stat
Requirement
Strength
18
Dexterity
15
There’s not a lot to say about the Glaive. It’s a fairly simple weapon, lacking a unique moveset or great scaling in any single stat. That said, it has some of the best damage among Halberds when given the Quality Affinity. It’s not exactly exciting, but the Glaive does the job well if that’s what you’re looking for.
It can be a hassle to get, though, as it only drops from Skeletons that wield it. If you’re inclined to put in an hour or so, one of the more conveniently located options spawns just east of the Church of Vows.
9 Loretta’s War Sickle
Stat
Requirement
Strength
20
Dexterity
15
Intelligence
20
Loretta's War Sickle is one of two Halberds with a unique, slashing moveset that hits much faster than your average weapon of the type. Its Weapon Skill, Loretta’s Slash, is a visually impressive move that has you leap into the air and slice the enemy with magic damage. Unfortunately, this Weapon Skill can be found elsewhere, and can be used on other weapons to greater effect.
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Part of the problem is that Loretta’s War Sickle is one of the latest Halberds you’ll find in Elden Ring. It drops form Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree in Miquella’s Haligtree, while the Ash of War drops from Royal Knight Loretta in Caria Manor. That being said, Lorretta’s War Sickle isn't a bad weapon. Its unique moveset still provides advantages, since it’s much longer than the other Halberd that shares it.
8 Gargoyle’s Halberd
Stat
Requirement
Strength
26
Dexterity
10
If you are looking into using a Strength-based Halberd in your next playthrough of Elden Ring, and all you care about is dealing the most damage possible, the Gargoyle's Halberd is the weapon for you. It gets S scaling when given the Heavy affinity. Unfortunately, it does have a significant range problem. In Elden Ring, differences in range within a weapon class are usually fairly minor, but the Gargoyle’s Halberd is so much shorter than every other Halberd that you are definitely going to notice.
Still, if all you want is to hit things very hard, the Gargoyle’s Halberd drops from the one in Leyndell, Royal Capital, between the West Capital Rampart Site of Grace and the roots leading to Godfrey, First Elden Lord. Be careful, though; you can’t get it if you’ve already burned the Erdtree.
7 Ripple Crescent Halberd
Stat
Requirement
Strength
12
Dexterity
12
Arcane
20
Despite lacking any innate status effects, the Ripple Crescent Halberd is one of the best weapons in the game at applying them. This is because of several unique qualities it possesses. It scales exclusively with Arcane, and does so exceptionally well, reaching S scaling by the time it’s upgraded to +8. And despite being unable to equip it with Ashes of War, the Ripple Crescent Halberd can still be buffed by Greases, notably Blood, Poison, and Soporific Greases which scale with Arcane. That's important because effect buildup only scales with your Arcane stat if the weapon you’re using has Arcane scaling. And only two other weapons with Arcane scaling can have Greases applied to them: Varre’s Bouquet and the Ripple Blade.
If you want this interesting weapon, though, you’ll have to farm for it; it drops from the Second-Generation Albinaurics who wield it.
6 Dragon Halberd
Stat
Requirement
Strength
22
Dexterity
10
On the surface, the Dragon Halberd appears to be a low attack rating weapon with a boring Weapon Skill in Spinning Slash. But appearances can be deceiving. Spinning Slash might be shared by many other Halberds, but the Dragon Halberd’s version of the Weapon Skill is in a league of its own. Aside from being slightly faster than the regular version, it also buffs the weapon with Lightning damage and Frost buildup. The additional damage allows the Dragon Halberd to compete with some of the strongest weapons on this list.
Plus, it looks awesome. As an added bonus, you can get this weapon relatively early in the game, as it’s dropped by the Dragonkin Soldier in Sofria River.
5 Vulgar Militia Saw
Stat
Requirement
Strength
15
Dexterity
13
The Vulgar Militia Saw is the only Halberd with innate Bleed buildup. And since Bleed is the best status effect in the game, the weapon is extremely powerful despite middling scaling and relatively low range. You can also use a diverse range of Ashes of War, such as Seppuku or Blood Tax, to really push its power level.
If you want a change from more conventional Bleed weapons but aren’t ready to give up on the status effect entirely, the Vulgar Militia Saw is a great option. It drops from the Vulgar Militiamen wielding it near the Bestial Sanctum. The area can be accessed early in the game thanks to the waygate D, Hunter of the Dead points you toward, although farming there can be dangerous at low levels.
4 Golden Halberd
Stat
Requirement
Strength
30
Dexterity
14
Faith
12
If there’s only one thing you should know about the Golden Halberd, it’s this: it hits like an absolute truck. A relatively high base attack rating combined with Scaling in Strength, Faith, and Dexterity allows it to deal damage comparable to much heavier weapons types. It itself is the heaviest Halberd, but it’s still far lighter than most other weapons in its damage class.
The biggest flaw with the Golden Halberd is that you can’t change the Weapon Skill, Golden Vow. Those who have played a decent amount of Elden Ring will know that Golden Vow is also an Incantation; arguably the best one in the game. Unfortunately, the Weapon Skill version is basically just a worse version of the Incantation, and they don’t stack with each other. If you want to use this weapon optimally, you’ll essentially be playing without a Weapon Skill.
Still, its raw power shouldn’t be understated. If that piques your interest, you can get the Golden Halberd early in the game by killing the Tree Sentinel patrolling the path to the Church of Elleh in Limgrave, although you might want to wait until you’ve leveled up a bit.
3 Commander’s Standard
Stat
Requirement
Strength
24
Dexterity
14
On its own, the Commander's Standard isn’t particularly impressive. It has relatively high base damage, but it’s beaten by several other options on this list. In other words, it’s probably not a weapon you’ll want to use during regular gameplay. However, it has one of the most impactful Weapon Skills in Elden Ring, Rallying Standard. It boosts the damage and damage negation of yourself and your nearby allies by 20 percent for 30 seconds in PvE.
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The attack buff in particular is why you see the weapon as one of the many buffs in builds designed to one-shot bosses. If you want to deal the most damage possible, you can get the Commander’s Standard by killing Commander O’Neil in the Swamp of Aeonia, in Caelid.
2 Guardian’s Swordspear
Stat
Requirement
Strength
17
Dexterity
16
Like Loretta's War Sickle, the Guardian's Swordspear has a unique slashing moveset. What really sets it apart from other Halberds, though, is its Dexterity scaling when given the Keen Affinity. Despite being listed as A, it gets much higher damage than you might expect, making it one of the better Dexterity weapons in the game.
Getting this powerful weapon will take some work, as you need to farm the Erdtree Guardians that protect the Minor Erdtrees across the Lands Between, as well as the Erdtree itself.
