Curseblade's Cirque
Curseblade's Cirque is a unique Shadow of the Erdtree backhand blade dropped by Curseblades. Its paired circular blades inflict blood loss and use Deadly Dance, a mobile multi-hit skill that spins through a target but demands careful control near ledges and counterattacks.
Key Takeaways
Curseblade's Cirque is a Shadow of the Erdtree Beast Claw built around rapid, sweeping close-range attacks and innate blood loss buildup.
Distinctive weapon class
Its Beast Claw moveset gives it unusually mobile, circular slashes rather than the grounded attack patterns of ordinary curved swords or fists.
Weapon skill
Deadly Dance turns the Cirque into a spinning attack sequence, making the skill central to its damage, crowd control, and approach pattern.
Arcane and Dexterity focus
The weapon is aimed at characters investing in Dexterity and Arcane, with its bleed-oriented role making those requirements more relevant than a strength-focused setup.
Strong close-range pressure
Fast attacks, broad coverage, and blood loss buildup let the Cirque pressure nearby targets while repositioning through its attack strings.
Limited reach and commitment
Its effectiveness drops against enemies that deny close range, and its acrobatic sequences can expose the wielder if attacks are started without a safe opening.
DLC drop with a fixed upgrade path
The Cirque is acquired from Curseblade enemies in Shadow of the Erdtree and follows the Somber Smithing Stone reinforcement path; its unique skill is not freely replaced with Ashes of War.
Overview
Curseblade's Cirque is a unique backhand blade introduced in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. It is built around mobile, circular slashing attacks and the aggressive spacing associated with the Curseblade enemies, giving it a distinct identity among the expansion's dexterity-oriented melee weapons.
Rather than functioning like a conventional straight sword or curved sword, Curseblade's Cirque uses the backhand-blade moveset: the weapon is held in a reverse grip, and its attacks carry the character around the target more readily than many ordinary one-handed weapons. That movement can help maintain pressure or slip around an enemy's guard, but it also makes positioning and recovery important when an attack misses.
Its defining feature is its weapon skill, Deadly Dance. The skill turns the Cirque's unusual handling into a committed spinning attack sequence, making it most relevant to players who want an active close-range weapon rather than a simple damage tool. The skill's value depends on finding a safe opening, since the animation places the wielder in the middle of the engagement rather than allowing completely risk-free attacks.
Curseblade's Cirque is a somber-reinforced unique weapon, so it occupies a different progression path from customizable standard weapons. That distinction matters when comparing it with the regular Backhand Blade: the two share the same broad weapon family and movement language, but the Cirque's fixed identity is tied to its unique skill and its Curseblade association rather than to freely changing Ashes of War.
The weapon is part of the Shadow of the Erdtree arsenal and is encountered through the expansion's Curseblade content rather than the base game's early weapon pool. It suits a dexterity-focused character who values mobility, bleed-oriented close combat, and an assertive melee rhythm; it is less immediately suitable for a player seeking a conventional, easily interrupted-safe moveset or extensive skill and affinity customization.
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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.
- CategoryBackhand Blades
- Damage TypeSlash/Blood
- Primary ScalingDex C
- Weight4.5
- SkillCursed-Blood Slice (var.)
- Str Req10
- Dex Req20
- How to ObtainFound in the Shadow Keep area, Shadow of the Erdtree
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar backhand blades
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curseblade's Cirque | 10 | 20 | 4.5 | Dex C |
| Ghiza's Wheel | 13 | 20 | 5.5 | Dex C |
| Backhand Blade | 9 | 18 | 3 | Dex C |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree access is required.
- Reach Scadu Altus and locate Bonny Gaol near Bonny Village.
- This is an optional boss reward and is not tied to a missable quest step; the weapon is a unique reward for the playthrough.
- 01Enter Bonny Gaol in southern Scadu Altus, reached from Bonny Village in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Progress through the optional dungeon until you reach its boss arena.
- 02Defeat Curseblade Labirith, the dungeon's boss. The boss reward includes Curseblade's Cirque, making this a guaranteed acquisition rather than an enemy-drop farm. Collect the reward after the fight.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion
Not available in the Elden Ring base game. No vendor price or separate proficiency gate is established for this weapon.
Mechanics and Handling
Curseblade's Cirque is a paired Backhand Blade whose identity comes from its reverse-grip attacks and returning thrown-blade motions rather than from conventional sword swings. It rewards staying close to a target: the weapon's quick arcs can maintain pressure, while its distinctive attacks let the wielder disengage or strike from an unexpected angle.
Reverse-grip moveset and spacing
The normal attacks use a compact, acrobatic pattern with alternating circular slashes. Their reach is limited compared with longer curved swords, so the Cirque performs best when the wielder is already inside an enemy's effective range. The movement built into several attacks helps reposition around a target, but it does not remove the need to manage spacing; whiffing at the edge of range can leave the wielder exposed. When two-handed, the weapon's paired nature is represented directly in the moveset rather than becoming an ordinary single-blade fighting style.
Thrown-blade attacks
The Cirque's heavy attacks are the main departure from a standard Backhand Blade. They can send the circular blade outward before it returns to the wielder, giving the weapon a limited ranged option without turning it into a conventional projectile weapon. The returning path can connect with an enemy again when positioning permits, but the attack still requires deliberate spacing and timing; it should not be treated as guaranteed extra damage against every target.
Deadly Dance
Its weapon skill, Deadly Dance, commits the wielder to a rapid spinning assault around the target. The skill combines evasive movement with repeated close-range strikes, making it most useful for exploiting an opening or maintaining pressure on an enemy that can be safely approached. Because the animation commits the character to a sequence, using it blindly against an unpoised enemy or during a dangerous counterattack can be costly. The skill consumes FP and is separate from the Cirque's ordinary attack chain.
Handling considerations
Curseblade's Cirque has no shield, parry, ammunition, reload, or durability mechanic that defines its use. Its practical strengths are attack mobility, unusual approach angles, and the option to alternate between close slashes and returning-blade attacks. Its limitations are shorter conventional reach and the commitment of its more elaborate animations, so jumping in without an opening is less reliable than using its movement to circle, punish recovery, or leave danger after a brief attack sequence.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- The backhand-blade moveset supports mobile close-range pressure, letting the wielder attack while maintaining a more evasive fighting rhythm than many conventional curved weapons.
- Its innate Blood Loss buildup gives repeated hits an additional status threat, particularly against enemies vulnerable to hemorrhage.
- Deadly Dance supplies a weapon-specific spinning attack that can convert a brief opening into several close-range hits rather than relying only on the normal chain.
- As a Somber weapon with a fixed identity and skill, it offers a focused progression path for players who want a dedicated aggressive sidearm.
Weaknesses
- Its advantages depend on staying within melee range; enemies that consistently retreat, fly, or punish prolonged contact reduce the value of its rapid attack pattern.
- The weapon's status pressure requires repeated connections, so a single missed approach gives up more of its distinct advantage than a slower weapon's isolated strike.
- Deadly Dance commits the user to a close-range sequence, making poor timing more costly against enemies with wide counterattacks or delayed hit timing.
- Its fixed weapon skill limits experimentation compared with an infusible weapon that can freely adopt different Ashes of War.
Best uses
- Use it for aggressive PvE encounters where evasive spacing and repeated hits can maintain pressure.
- Bring it against bleed-susceptible enemies when a mobile melee weapon is preferred over a stationary status setup.
- Use Deadly Dance during a confirmed recovery window rather than starting it into an enemy with a broad, immediate counterattack.
- Choose it as a focused Dexterity-oriented close-range option when its distinctive moveset matters more than broad Ash of War customization.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Distinctive skill or mechanic | Best comparison point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dancing Blade of Ranah | Blade Dance supports a committed spinning attack sequence | A more conventional dance-style light greatsword; Curseblade's Cirque is distinguished by its circular blade and returning throw mechanic | — |
| Milady | Wing Stance provides separate follow-up attacks from a stance | More adaptable for players who want a standard moveset and changeable Ashes of War rather than a fixed signature skill | — |
| Leda's Sword | Needle Piercer is a fixed thrusting skill with a distinct attack profile | Better suited to a direct, targeted skill; Curseblade's Cirque favors mobile spinning attacks and its returning projectile behavior | — |
Used In
- Curseblade LabirithDefeating this boss in Bonny Gaol rewards Curseblade's Cirque.
- Bonny GaolThe Shadow of the Erdtree dungeon where Curseblade Labirith is found and the weapon is obtained.
Lore and Design
Curseblade’s Cirque is associated with the curseblades, ascetic warriors whose pursuit of martial skill is framed through deliberate self-torment. Its circular form and returning-throw behavior reinforce that identity: the weapon is not presented merely as a conventional blade, but as part of the curseblades’ distinctive combat discipline.
The available item lore establishes the curseblades as the weapon’s wielders and connects their prowess with self-inflicted hardship. It does not, by itself, establish a deeper canonical relationship to a named character, faction leader, or real-world weapon tradition. No documented developer commentary or design-history source is being asserted here.
Trivia
- Curseblade's Cirque is one of the three Backhand Blade weapons introduced in Shadow of the Erdtree, alongside Backhand Blade and Smithscript Cirque. This makes it part of a small weapon family rather than simply a curved sword variant.
- Its weapon skill, Blind Spot, is shared with Backhand Blade. Smithscript Cirque instead uses Scattershot Throw, making Curseblade's Cirque the skill-based member of the family rather than its projectile-focused counterpart.