Weaponsupporting

Claws of Night

Claws of Night are unique Shadow of the Erdtree claws obtained by defeating Swordhand of Night Anna during Count Ymir's quest. They mix rapid bleed attacks with thrown claw blades and the fixed Scattershot Throw skill for close-to-mid-range Dexterity pressure.

Importance

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Elden Ring · weapon

Key Takeaways

Claws of Night is a Shadow of the Erdtree claw weapon built around rapid paired attacks, innate blood loss and a distinctive projectile skill.

Paired claws with innate bleed

Its close-range moveset combines fast claw attacks with innate blood-loss buildup, making repeated contact more important than a single heavy hit.

Scattershot Throw adds reach

The unique Scattershot Throw skill launches a spread of spectral claws, giving this otherwise melee weapon a ranged option while preserving its distinctive identity.

DLC and quest availability

Claws of Night requires Shadow of the Erdtree and is tied to Count Ymir’s questline through the Swordhand of Night Anna encounter.

Fixed somber upgrade path

As a unique weapon, it follows the Somber Smithing Stone upgrade path rather than accepting ordinary Ashes of War or freely changeable affinities.

Strongest at sustained close range

Its fast paired attacks and bleed favor sustained pressure at claw range, while the throwing skill helps address enemies that cannot be reached safely.

Less customizable than standard claws

Compared with infusable claw weapons such as Hookclaws, Claws of Night trades affinity and skill flexibility for its built-in bleed and unique ranged attack.

Overview

Claws of Night is a unique Claw weapon from Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, built around close-range pressure and a ranged weapon skill that throws spectral claws.

Unlike ordinary Claw weapons, Claws of Night is defined by the way its dedicated skill extends its threat beyond arm’s reach. Scattershot Throw sends a spread of spectral claws toward targets, giving the weapon an option for punishing distance or creating an opening before returning to its fast paired-claw attacks. The skill is the weapon’s main point of distinction rather than a simple damage upgrade over the class.

The weapon belongs to the Shadow of the Erdtree roster and is associated with the expansion’s night-themed quest material. That context makes it a progression option for DLC characters rather than a choice available during a base-game-only run. Its identity is tied to a specific unique weapon rather than an ordinary Claw that can be freely reproduced through standard weapon customization.

In close combat, Claws of Night suits players who want repeated attacks, aggressive spacing and pressure at short range. Its claw moveset rewards staying near a target, while its weapon skill provides a different engagement pattern from the usual claw alternatives. The combination gives it a broader practical role than a claw that contributes only to point-blank attacks, without making it a universal replacement for every bleed, dexterity or status-focused option.

The weapon is therefore best understood as a specialized DLC sidegrade: its value comes from combining the paired-claw moveset with a signature projectile skill. Players comparing it with other Claws should consider whether they want that extra ranged tool and its fixed identity, or the greater flexibility offered by more conventional weapons with changeable Ashes of War and affinities.

Statistics

Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.

Category
Claws
Damage Type
Slash
Primary Scaling
Dex C
Weight
4.5
Skill
Twin Moon Blades (var.)
Str Req
10
Dex Req
22
How to Obtain
Dropped by Anna, Swordhand of Night, Shadow of the Erdtree
DLC
Shadow of the Erdtree

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar claws

Weapon	Str Req	Dex Req	Weight	Primary Scaling
Claws of Night	10	22	4.5	Dex C
Bloodhound Claws	10	20	4	Dex C
Red Bear's Claw	10	18	4	Dex C
Venomous Fang	10	16	4	Dex C
Raptor Talons	8	20	3.5	Dex C

Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

Shadow of the Erdtree access is required.
Advance Count Ymir’s quest far enough to activate the Swordhand of Night Anna encounter at Rabbath’s Rise.
The encounter is a unique NPC reward and should be claimed before progressing past the quest state that removes or changes it.

01Progress Count Ymir’s quest in Shadow of the Erdtree until Swordhand of Night Anna appears at Rabbath’s Rise in eastern Scadu Altus. Reach the encounter inside the tower and defeat Anna.
02Swordhand of Night Anna drops the Claws of Night as a guaranteed reward when defeated. There is no vendor purchase or alternate base-game acquisition route; the weapon is tied to this unique NPC encounter.

Availability

Base gameUnavailable

Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion required.

Claws of Night is DLC content and does not appear in the base-game weapon pool.

Shadow of the ErdtreeAvailable

Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion required.

No separate Story, Online, difficulty, or vendor-price variation is established for this weapon.

Mechanics and Handling

Claws of Night follows the fast, close-range handling expected of a claw weapon, but its defining feature is that it can project its claws through its unique weapon skill. In ordinary combat, it rewards staying close enough to maintain pressure rather than trading blows at the edge of an opponent's reach.

Close-range claw moveset

Its standard attacks use quick slashing sequences with limited reach. The short striking distance makes spacing important: attacks that connect reliably against a large target may fall short against smaller or retreating enemies. The rapid sequence is useful for exploiting brief openings, but repeated attacks still leave the wielder committed if an enemy's recovery window ends first.

Claws of Night also retains the claw class's paired-weapon behaviour when two-handed. This increases its close-range attack presence, while one-handed use leaves the other hand available for a shield, seal, staff, or another off-hand tool. Jumping attacks are particularly suited to closing distance and applying burst pressure, but they do not remove the weapon's basic reach limitation.

Scattershot Throw

The weapon's distinctive skill, Scattershot Throw, gives Claws of Night an option beyond its normal melee range by sending a spread of claw-like projectiles toward the target. It is best treated as a spacing and finishing tool rather than as a replacement for a dedicated ranged weapon: the spread and travel distance make close or moderately spaced targets more dependable than distant, mobile ones.

Because the skill changes how the weapon approaches an opening, it can punish an enemy that disengages immediately after creating distance. It does not eliminate the need to manage positioning, timing, or resource consumption, and the weapon remains primarily a melee choice when the skill is unavailable or unsuitable for the encounter.

Handling considerations

The weapon is most comfortable against enemies that can be pressured safely at close range or that present a large, predictable target. Its short reach is a meaningful weakness against enemies with longer weapons, wide area attacks, or frequent retreats. Claws of Night therefore suits an aggressive player who can recognise short punish windows and use Scattershot Throw selectively, rather than someone looking for a low-commitment weapon that controls space from a distance.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Rapid paired-claw attacks create repeated hit opportunities at close range and can build the weapon's innate bleed through sustained contact.
Scattershot Throw gives the weapon a ranged option that its ordinary claw moveset lacks; the charged version throws more blades, extending its burst potential when the target is positioned within the spread.
Its quick attack pattern is well suited to exploiting openings against targets that can be safely pressured without committing to slower heavy weapons.

Weaknesses

The standard claw attacks have short effective reach, making spacing and approach more demanding than with spears, greatswords, or other long-reach weapons.
Scattershot Throw distributes its blades across a spread, so its results are less reliable when only part of the spread connects or when the target is too far away.
Sustained bleed pressure requires repeated successful hits; highly mobile, resistant, or strongly armoured enemies can deny the close-range contact the weapon depends on.
The weapon's specialized ranged skill consumes FP, so frequent use competes with sorceries, incantations, weapon buffs, and other FP-dependent tools.

Best uses

Close-range PvE pressure against enemies that allow repeated claw hits and can be exposed to bleed buildup.
A Dexterity-oriented setup that wants a fast paired weapon but also needs a weapon skill capable of threatening targets outside ordinary claw range.
Short punish windows where a charged Scattershot Throw can be prepared safely and several projectiles can connect.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Class and role	Distinctive mechanic	Best fit / tradeoff
Claws of Night	Fixed Scattershot Throw launches claw-shaped projectiles; innate blood loss	For Dexterity-focused players who want close-range pressure with a ranged weapon skill; less flexible than infusible claws	—
Hookclaws	Infusible and compatible with changeable Ashes of War	A flexible alternative for bleed setups; lacks Claws of Night's dedicated projectile skill	—
Bloodhound Claws	Bloodhound Step provides evasive movement and repositioning	Better suited to mobile melee play; does not provide Claws of Night's projectile pressure	—
Venomous Fang	Innate poison buildup and infusible weapon customization	For poison-oriented builds; trades Claws of Night's bleed emphasis and unique throwing attack for flexibility	—