Dane's Footwork
Dane's Footwork is a Shadow of the Erdtree hand-to-hand weapon recovered from Dryleaf Dane near the end of the expansion. Its kick-heavy martial-arts moveset, low weight, ordinary affinities, and compatible Ashes of War support physical, elemental, or status builds.
Key Takeaways
Dane's Footwork is a Shadow of the Erdtree hand-to-hand weapon built around close-range kicks rather than conventional fist strikes. Its value comes from its distinct moveset and chargeable Palm Blast skill, but its short reach demands deliberate spacing and commitment.
A kick-focused hand-to-hand weapon
Dane's Footwork belongs to Elden Ring's hand-to-hand weapon category and uses punches, kicks, jumps, and other unarmed-style attacks instead of a conventional blade or blunt weapon. Its moveset is the defining reason to choose it.
Palm Blast is its signature skill
Its default weapon skill, Palm Blast, releases a forceful burst from the palm and can be charged. The skill gives the weapon a way to create impact beyond its normal kick range, while still keeping it centered on close combat.
A late-DLC acquisition
Dane's Footwork is obtained from Dryleaf Dane during the final sequence of Shadow of the Erdtree, after the encounter involving Leda and her allies in Enir-Ilim. It is therefore unavailable in the base game and arrives late in a playthrough.
Strong when contact and pressure are reliable
The weapon suits players who can stay close to an enemy and maintain pressure through rapid hand-to-hand attacks. Its varied kicks can make it more than a simple reskin of ordinary fist weapons.
Short reach is the central limitation
Dane's Footwork requires close spacing, so enemies with long weapons, wide area attacks, or frequent retreats can make its attacks difficult to apply safely. It is less forgiving than a weapon that controls distance from outside melee range.
A distinct alternative to Dryleaf Arts
Dane's Footwork is closely related to Dryleaf Arts, but it should be treated as a separate weapon and moveset rather than merely an upgrade. The comparison is mainly about preferred hand-to-hand attack patterns and skill use, not a universal damage ranking.
Overview
Dane's Footwork is a Shadow of the Erdtree hand-to-hand armament that turns the Dryleaf martial-art style toward kicks, sweeping movement and spinning attacks. Its identity comes from its distinct moveset and the Dryleaf Whirlwind skill rather than from conventional weapon reach or a conventional blade profile.
Dane's Footwork is a unique Hand-to-Hand Arts weapon in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. It is associated with Dryleaf Dane and represents a specialized form of close-quarters combat in which the character fights without a conventional held blade, club or shield-facing weapon. The armament's normal attacks emphasize kicks and footwork, giving it a different visual rhythm and spacing pattern from the punch-focused Dryleaf Arts. That makes it a moveset choice first and a conventional sidegrade within the broader fist family second.
The weapon is built for players who want to stay directly beside an enemy and maintain pressure through chained martial-arts attacks. Its short effective range demands more deliberate positioning than a sword or spear, while its kick-centered sequences give it a distinct answer to the usual expectation that hand-to-hand weapons are primarily punch combinations. The practical question is therefore whether the player can consistently exploit close spacing and attack openings, not whether Dane's Footwork can substitute for a long-reach weapon in every encounter.
Its defining weapon skill is Dryleaf Whirlwind, a spinning kick technique that reinforces the weapon's identity instead of treating it as an ordinary fist with a different appearance. The skill gives the armament a recognizable area-and-movement option within its otherwise intimate range, but it does not remove the basic commitment of fighting at close quarters. The result is a weapon whose special appeal comes from how its attacks and skill work together as a martial-arts moveset.
Dane's Footwork is DLC equipment rather than a base-game weapon, and its place in progression is tied to the Shadow of the Erdtree content and Dryleaf Dane's storyline. It is most directly comparable with Dryleaf Arts, the other named hand-to-hand style introduced in the expansion: both occupy the same broad combat niche, but their attack emphasis differs. Dryleaf Arts foregrounds punches, whereas Dane's Footwork gives players a kick-led alternative with its own skill identity. That distinction is more meaningful than treating one as a universal replacement for the other.
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.
- CategoryTwinblades
- Damage TypeSlash
- Primary ScalingDex C
- Weight8.5
- SkillDane's Footwork Skill
- Str Req12
- Dex Req18
- How to ObtainFound in the Rauh Ancient Ruins, Shadow of the Erdtree
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar twinblades
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane's Footwork | 12 | 18 | 8.5 | Dex C |
| Rellana's Twinblade | 13 | 20 | 8.5 | Dex C / Fai D |
| Morgott's Cursed Sword | 13 | 20 | 8.5 | Dex C / Fai D |
| Godskin Stitcher | 13 | 17 | 8 | Str D / Dex D |
| Black Steel Twinblade | 14 | 17 | 9 | Str D / Dex D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree is required; the weapon is unavailable in the base game.
- Reach Enir-Ilim and unlock access to the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom. This requires progressing the DLC story to its late-game final area.
- Defeat the Needle Knight Leda encounter and its participating allies before looting Dryleaf Dane's body. The weapon is a unique pickup associated with this battle, not a vendor item or repeatable farm.
- 01Enter Shadow of the Erdtree and progress through Enir-Ilim until reaching the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom Site of Grace. The weapon is not purchased from a vendor and does not come from a conventional enemy-drop table.
- 02At the Cleansing Chamber Anteroom, complete the NPC battle involving Needle Knight Leda and her summoned allies. Dryleaf Dane is among the combatants in this encounter; after the battle, search Dryleaf Dane's body in the arena.
- 03Loot Dane's Footwork from Dryleaf Dane's corpse. The pickup is a guaranteed reward from this encounter rather than a random drop, and it is separate from Dryleaf Arts, the hand-to-hand weapon obtained earlier from Dane near Moorth Ruins.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree is required.
Dane's Footwork is DLC content and has no base-game vendor or acquisition route.
Requires Reach the Enir-Ilim NPC battle involving Needle Knight Leda and defeat Dryleaf Dane.
The weapon is obtained from that encounter rather than purchased from a vendor or received as a random enemy drop.
Requires Repeat the Shadow of the Erdtree progression until the Enir-Ilim encounter and defeat Dryleaf Dane again.
There is no separate NG+ price or difficulty gate; its availability follows the DLC progression for that journey.
Mechanics and Handling
Dane's Footwork is a close-range hand-to-hand weapon whose attacks are built around kicks rather than conventional punches or weapon swings. Its short reach makes spacing important: the weapon needs the user to stay close to the target, but its rapid martial-arts sequences can maintain pressure once an opening has been created. The moveset is most effective when attacks are chosen around an enemy's recovery or stagger window, rather than initiated from outside normal melee distance. Because its attacks commit the character to forward-moving strikes and recovery animations, repeatedly attacking without regard for an enemy's retaliation can leave the user exposed.
Kicks, spacing, and attack commitment
Dane's Footwork's normal attacks form a kick-focused sequence, giving it a distinctly different feel from the punch-oriented Dryleaf Arts. The attacks can cover a small amount of space as the character advances, but they do not turn the weapon into a long-reach option. Light attacks are therefore best used after entering range or after an enemy has committed to an animation. Jumping and running attacks are useful for closing distance or starting pressure, while heavy attacks provide a more deliberate interruption tool and require better timing because their commitment is greater.
The weapon's value comes from combining repeated contact with positioning rather than relying on a single wide hit. Its attacks can strike rapidly enough to punish recovery animations and keep some humanoid enemies under pressure, but the short range remains a constant limitation. Against enemies with broad sweeps, area attacks, or strong hyperarmor, staying close can be more dangerous than the weapon's attack speed suggests. A cautious approach is to land one sequence, disengage during the opponent's recovery, and re-enter instead of treating every opening as permission to continue attacking.
Dane's Footwork weapon skill
Dane's Footwork has the unique weapon skill Dryleaf Whirlwind. The skill performs a spinning kick sequence, giving the weapon a dedicated offensive option that differs from its ordinary attack chain. Its area of contact is useful against targets within immediate melee range, but it is not a substitute for a ranged attack or a way to ignore the weapon's spacing requirement. The follow-up input can extend the skill with an additional kick, so the user must decide whether the extra commitment is justified by the enemy's current recovery or stagger state.
Dryleaf Whirlwind is most reliable after an enemy has been interrupted, is recovering from a missed attack, or is large enough that the spinning sequence can connect consistently. Used against an opponent that is free to retaliate, the extended animation can become a liability. The skill's identity is therefore pressure and burst contact at close range, not safe damage from neutral. Its behaviour should also be kept separate from Palm Blast, the skill associated with the related Dryleaf Arts; the two weapons do not share the same defining weapon-skill presentation.
Status, blocking, and weapon limitations
Dane's Footwork does not have a distinctive innate passive buildup that defines its attacks. Its mechanical identity instead comes from the physical kick moveset and Dryleaf Whirlwind. The weapon is not a shield and does not provide a meaningful blocking or parrying role, so defensive play must come from movement, spacing, dodging, or a separate off-hand option. It is consequently poorly suited to a plan built around absorbing attacks behind guard and answering with guard counters.
As a unique Shadow of the Erdtree weapon, Dane's Footwork uses its own special reinforcement path rather than functioning as a freely infusable weapon. The available weapon skill and its associated attack pattern should be treated as part of the weapon's identity, not as interchangeable Ash of War options. No durability or break-state behaviour is central to its handling in Elden Ring's standard combat model, and it does not use ammunition, a magazine, or a reload resource.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Fast hand-to-hand attacks let Dane's Footwork maintain pressure during short openings instead of committing to the slower swings common to heavier melee classes.
- Its kick-focused moveset gives it a distinct way to attack around close-range spacing and makes shielded enemies more relevant targets than they would be for a purely punch-based moveset.
- Palm Blast provides a weapon-specific option for creating space or interrupting an approaching enemy, giving the weapon more control than its basic range suggests.
- The weapon's compact moveset and low-profile attacks suit players who prefer staying close, circling targets and punishing recovery windows rather than trading at the edge of melee range.
Weaknesses
- Its attacks are still fundamentally short-ranged. Enemies that retreat, fly, use long weapons or control the ground around them can force Dane's Footwork to spend more time closing distance.
- The aggressive attack speed does not remove commitment: continuing a sequence after an enemy's opening has ended can leave the user inside the opponent's threat range.
- The weapon's value depends heavily on reading spacing and openings. Players who prefer safe single hits, broad crowd coverage or long-reach thrusts may find its close-quarters demands restrictive.
- Palm Blast is a utility tool rather than a replacement for genuine ranged coverage; it does not make Dane's Footwork a dependable answer to enemies that remain outside hand-to-hand range.
Best uses
- Use it for aggressive PvE pressure against grounded enemies that can be reached consistently, especially when their attack recoveries leave room for several quick hits.
- Choose it for a kick-oriented hand-to-hand playstyle rather than as a general-purpose weapon for every range or matchup.
- Use the kick attacks and Palm Blast to disrupt close encounters, then return to the normal sequence when the target is within striking distance.
- In PvP or other human-matchup situations, it is best suited to players comfortable managing spacing manually and recognizing when to disengage instead of forcing a full combo.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Moveset distinction | Build or skill distinction | Choose it when… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dane's Footwork | Kick-focused attacks and martial-arts chaining give it a more unorthodox neutral game than conventional fist weapons | Uses the Palm Blast skill and supports the same broad physical and elemental build approaches as other infusible weapons | You want a hand-to-hand weapon whose attacks emphasize kicks, spacing disruption, and aggressive combinations | — |
| Dryleaf Arts | Punch-oriented moveset with a more conventional hand-to-hand rhythm than Dane's Footwork | Shares the martial-arts weapon family and is a practical alternative for builds that prefer its attack flow | You want the same general weapon concept with punches rather than Dane's Footwork's kick emphasis | — |
| Pata | Feels closer to a short blade than a pure unarmed martial-arts weapon, with a different reach and attack cadence | Works with fist-weapon build requirements but offers a more conventional weapon-skill approach than the hand-to-hand arts | You want a fist-class weapon with a bladed profile and a less specialized martial-arts moveset | — |
| Beast Claw | Uses sweeping claw attacks and forward pressure rather than the hand-to-hand arts' kicks and punches | Its identity is tied to rapid claw attacks and bleed-oriented build potential, rather than Dane's Footwork's martial-arts skill set | You prefer relentless claw pressure and status-oriented melee play over kick-based spacing | — |
Used In
- Dryleaf DaneDane's Footwork is associated with Dryleaf Dane and is obtained by defeating him during the Shadow of the Erdtree NPC encounter in Enir-Ilim.
- Enir-IlimThe weapon is acquired from the encounter with Dryleaf Dane in this late-game Shadow of the Erdtree location.
- Needle Knight LedaThe Dryleaf Dane encounter is part of the NPC conflict connected to Needle Knight Leda's questline in Enir-Ilim.
Lore and Design
Dane's Footwork is the weapon associated with Dryleaf Dane, the reserved martial artist encountered in Shadow of the Erdtree. Its identity is therefore tied directly to the Dryleaf tradition rather than to a named smith, royal armory, or conventional battlefield faction. The weapon represents a fighting style in which the wielder's hands and feet serve as the primary means of attack, making its lore significance inseparable from Dane's role as the tradition's practitioner and demonstrator.
The weapon's presentation supports a broader theme in the expansion: mastery is expressed through disciplined movement rather than through an elaborate manufactured armament. That reading is grounded in the weapon's association with Dane and the Dryleaf Arts, but it should remain an interpretation of the game's framing rather than a claim about an unstated philosophy or real-world inspiration. No reliable developer commentary or documented development history is established here, so the weapon should not be described as based on a particular historical martial art or as evidence of a specific design intention.
Connection to Dryleaf Dane
The name establishes Dane as the weapon's defining association, while the Dryleaf designation places it within the martial tradition represented in the expansion. Its importance is primarily character- and style-based: it gives the player a direct mechanical connection to the techniques demonstrated by Dryleaf Dane without requiring the weapon to be treated as a relic with a separate historical lineage.