Weaponmajor

Dryleaf Arts

Dryleaf Arts is a Shadow of the Erdtree hand-to-hand weapon earned by challenging Dryleaf Dane at Moorth Ruins. It uses punches and kicks as a paired martial style, with ordinary affinities and compatible Ashes allowing physical, elemental, or status builds.

Importance

major

Elden Ring · weapon

Key Takeaways

Dryleaf Arts is a Shadow of the Erdtree hand-to-hand weapon built around close-range punches, kicks, and an Ash of War that rewards committing to melee distance.

A dedicated hand-to-hand moveset

Dryleaf Arts uses martial-arts attacks rather than the conventional animations of ordinary fist weapons. Its identity comes from chained punches and kicks, with spacing and attack commitment playing a larger role than with longer melee classes.

Palm Blast defines its special option

Its default skill, Palm Blast, delivers a forceful palm attack and can be charged for a stronger release. The skill gives the weapon a deliberate burst option alongside its normal close-range strings.

A Shadow of the Erdtree acquisition

Dryleaf Arts is DLC equipment obtained from Dryleaf Dane at Moorth Ruins. The encounter requires using the May the Best Win gesture to initiate the fight, after which defeating Dane provides the weapon.

Strong pressure at point-blank range

Its rapid martial-arts chains let it maintain pressure when the wielder can stay close, making it suitable for players who are comfortable attacking inside an enemy's threat range.

Reach is the central limitation

Dryleaf Arts has the short effective reach expected of a hand-to-hand weapon. Enemies that retreat, fly, or punish extended commitments can be harder to engage than targets vulnerable to longer weapons.

Regular weapon progression

Dryleaf Arts follows the regular reinforcement path rather than the Somber upgrade path, and its skill setup can be considered separately from its base martial-arts moveset when planning upgrades.

Its closest comparison is Dane's Footwork

Dane's Footwork is the most direct comparison because it is another hand-to-hand weapon associated with Dryleaf Dane. The choice between them is primarily about their distinct attack patterns and preferred close-range rhythm, not simply weapon class.

Overview

Dryleaf Arts is a Shadow of the Erdtree hand-to-hand weapon that turns close combat into a dedicated martial-arts moveset, combining rapid punches, kicks, and a weapon skill built around direct contact rather than conventional fist-weapon strikes.

Dryleaf Arts is a unique melee weapon introduced in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. It belongs to the Hand-to-Hand Arts category, a DLC weapon group distinct from the older Fist and Claw categories. Its attacks are performed through an unarmed martial-arts style: the moveset uses punches and kicks rather than presenting the weapon as a held blade, club, or conventional pair of fist weapons. That identity makes it one of the clearest examples of the expansion’s effort to broaden close-range combat without simply adding another ordinary weapon class.

The weapon’s defining feature is its dedicated hand-to-hand sequence. Its normal attacks keep the Tarnished close to the target and chain together strikes from both the hands and feet, while its heavier attacks and jumping options give the moveset more commitment and positional variety than a simple rapid-punch pattern. The result is a weapon that rewards spacing, attack timing, and staying within striking distance. It is not a ranged sidearm or a passive stat stick: its value comes primarily from how its attack animations and special skill let the player maintain pressure at close quarters.

Dryleaf Arts is closely associated with Dryleaf Dane, whose fighting style and training provide the weapon’s context within the expansion. Its acquisition occurs during the Shadow of the Erdtree progression rather than in the base game, so it is relevant to DLC characters, areas, and encounters but is not part of a new-game base-game roster. The weapon can therefore serve as both a mechanical choice for martial-arts builds and a progression reward for players following the expansion’s encounter with Dane, without requiring the page to treat it as a universal early-game option.

Compared with ordinary Fist weapons, Dryleaf Arts offers a more deliberately authored martial-arts identity and a moveset centered on kicks as well as punches. Compared with heavier melee classes, it trades the visual and mechanical profile of large weapon swings for mobility within a very short engagement distance. Its closest alternative in the DLC is Dane’s Footwork, another Hand-to-Hand Arts weapon rather than a conventional fist weapon; the meaningful distinction between them lies in their individual attack patterns and special weapon skills. Dryleaf Arts is consequently best understood as a style-defining DLC melee weapon, not merely as an upgraded version of an existing fist armament.

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
Hand-to-Hand Arts
Damage Type
Strike
Primary Scaling
Dex D
Weight
1
Skill
Dryleaf Whirlwind (var.)
Str Req
8
Dex Req
12
How to Obtain
Reward from Dryleaf Dane's questline, Shadow of the Erdtree
DLC
Shadow of the Erdtree

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

Shadow of the Erdtree access is required; Dryleaf Arts is not available in the base game.
Reach Scadu Altus and obtain the “May the Best Win” gesture from the Monk’s Missive near Highroad Cross before challenging Dane.
The weapon is a unique encounter reward and is normally limited to one acquisition per playthrough. Do not treat it as farmable.
The exact recovery route after advancing past the Dane encounter has not been established here; obtain it before progressing beyond the relevant DLC NPC sequence.

01Enter Shadow of the Erdtree and reach the Highroad Cross Site of Grace in Scadu Altus. Near the grace, collect the Monk’s Missive, which provides the “May the Best Win” gesture needed to challenge Dryleaf Dane.
02Travel to Moorth Ruins in Scadu Altus and locate Dryleaf Dane. Stand near him and perform the “May the Best Win” gesture; this starts the encounter rather than a conventional dialogue-led quest step.
03Defeat Dryleaf Dane at Moorth Ruins. The reward is Dryleaf Arts, awarded directly after the encounter. This is a guaranteed unique NPC reward, not a random enemy drop or vendor purchase.

Availability

Base game without Shadow of the ErdtreeUnavailable

Requires Shadow of the Erdtree is required.

Dryleaf Arts is DLC equipment and does not appear in the base-game weapon pool, vendor stock, or base-game progression.

Shadow of the ErdtreeAvailable

Requires Access to the Shadow Realm and progression to the Dryleaf Dane encounter at Moorth Ruins.

There is no purchase price or vendor-stock context; availability is tied to the DLC encounter rather than a shop, difficulty setting, or character-stat gate.

Mechanics and Handling

Dryleaf Arts is a close-range martial-arts weapon whose attacks are delivered through punches, kicks, and rapid combinations rather than a conventional blade or blunt weapon. Its handling is defined by short reach and quick attack transitions: it can maintain pressure against nearby targets, but spacing errors are punished because many strikes will miss enemies outside arm's length. The weapon's paired-hand presentation makes the moveset read as an unarmed technique, even though it occupies a weapon slot.

Punches, kicks, and spacing

The normal attack sequence chains together alternating hand strikes and martial-arts kicks. Its attacks cover a broader set of angles than a simple fist weapon, but the effective area remains compact, so the weapon performs best when the character stays close to the target's centre rather than circling at the edge of reach. The rapid sequence supports repeated hit confirmation, while its short range makes elevation changes, evasive enemies, and targets with large retreating hitboxes more difficult to track.

Heavy attacks add more committed kicks and stronger individual impacts to the otherwise fast pattern. Charged heavy attacks are slower and require the player to hold position through the wind-up, but they provide a more deliberate opening tool than repeatedly pressing the light-attack chain. Jumping, running, and backstep attacks preserve the weapon's emphasis on sudden close-range entry; their usefulness comes from changing approach timing rather than extending the weapon into a long-range option.

Palm Blast and skill handling

Dryleaf Arts has Palm Blast as its default weapon skill. The user draws back and releases a forceful palm strike that produces a short-range shockwave. The skill can be charged, allowing a delayed release in exchange for a longer commitment; the charged version is intended for a more decisive opening and has stronger impact than the uncharged use. Its shockwave can knock back susceptible enemies, making it useful for creating space or interrupting an enemy that has entered the weapon's limited striking distance.

Palm Blast is not a substitute for the normal attack chain. It has a more readable preparation and asks the player to predict when the target will remain in range, whereas the ordinary punches and kicks can be adjusted more readily once combat is already underway. If the weapon is given a different compatible Ash of War, Palm Blast is replaced rather than retained as an additional command. That choice changes the weapon's main special-action identity, so the default skill is particularly important to the unmodified moveset.

Defence, damage states, and resource behaviour

Dryleaf Arts has no innate passive status buildup. Its attacks deal physical damage by default, while an applicable affinity can change the weapon's damage and status behaviour under Elden Ring's normal infusion rules. The weapon does not provide a built-in shield, guard, or parry action; defence must come from movement, attack timing, a separate equipped tool, or the active skill rather than from the fists themselves. Its close-range impacts can pressure an enemy's stance, but the result depends on the individual attack, target, and combat situation rather than a universal stagger guarantee.

The weapon consumes FP when its weapon skill is used, while ordinary punches, kicks, charged attacks, and movement attacks do not use ammunition or a reload cycle. Dryleaf Arts also does not wear down through a durability system, so its handling does not change because of repeated use. The central trade-off is therefore positional: its quick, varied attack pattern and Palm Blast's knockback reward controlled entry, but its limited reach and lack of an intrinsic defensive guard make mistimed attacks easy to punish.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Its hand-to-hand moveset delivers rapid close-range strings, letting an aggressive player keep attacking during short openings rather than committing to the slower swings common to larger melee classes.
The weapon’s very low physical burden makes it easier to preserve equip-load room for armor or other equipment while retaining a dedicated melee option.
Palm Blast gives the moveset a deliberate burst tool: charging the skill trades immediacy for a stronger release, which can punish a predictable approach or a longer recovery.
Because it occupies the fist-style melee role, Dryleaf Arts supports a mobile, evasive play pattern instead of requiring the player to anchor themselves behind a large weapon’s reach or weight.

Weaknesses

Its fist-range attacks require close spacing. Enemies with long weapons, persistent area attacks, or dangerous point-blank effects can punish Dryleaf Arts before its short strings connect.
The rapid sequence encourages continued commitment; mistiming an attack near a strong enemy can leave the user inside the opponent’s threat range rather than safely disengaged.
Palm Blast is less useful when an enemy gives no time to charge or when the player needs immediate interruption rather than a prepared skill release.
The weapon’s strengths are concentrated in direct melee pressure, so it is a less convenient choice for encounters where distance, elevated targets, or frequent repositioning prevents sustained contact.

Best uses

Use it for aggressive PvE play against enemies that expose brief openings and can be kept within fist range.
Choose it when low equipment burden and a fast, evasive melee style matter more than reach or broad coverage.
Use Palm Blast to convert a read on an enemy’s recovery or approach into a charged punish, rather than treating it as a replacement for every normal attack.
It suits players who are comfortable staying close, varying attack-string commitment, and disengaging when an opponent’s spacing or area control makes contact unsafe.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Class and role	Distinctive moveset or skill	Build and upgrade considerations	Choose it when...
Dryleaf Arts	Unarmed-style punches and kicks, with Palm Blast as its signature skill	Supports the Hand-to-Hand playstyle while allowing more customization than Dane's Footwork; evaluate affinity and Ash of War choices alongside the rest of the build	You want a flexible martial-arts weapon whose basic attacks and skill can be tailored to a physical or status-oriented build	—
Dane's Footwork	Uses Dryleaf Whirlwind, a distinctive spinning kick skill, and emphasizes kicks more strongly than Dryleaf Arts	A more fixed weapon identity than Dryleaf Arts, making its unique moveset the main reason to choose it rather than customization	You specifically want the Dryleaf discipline's kick-focused weapon and prefer its built-in skill over broader Ash of War flexibility	—
Star Fist	Uses rapid fist attacks and has innate blood loss buildup; its default skill is Endure	A fist weapon suited to builds that can capitalize on repeated hits and blood loss; it occupies the same close-range space but does not provide the Dryleaf moveset	You want a conventional fist weapon with innate bleed rather than martial-arts kicks and hand-to-hand skills	—
Caestus	Uses a conventional fist moveset and can be customized through its compatible Ash of War options	A straightforward alternative when you want fist weapons without committing to the Hand-to-Hand weapon family or its specialized moveset	You want a simpler, customizable fist weapon for a close-range physical build	—

Used In

Dryleaf DaneDryleaf Dane carries Dryleaf Arts and is the opponent from whom the weapon is obtained in an unarmed duel at Moorth Ruins.
Moorth RuinsThe encounter that rewards Dryleaf Arts takes place at Moorth Ruins in the Shadow of the Erdtree content.
May the Best WinThis gesture initiates the encounter with Dryleaf Dane that leads to obtaining Dryleaf Arts.
Shadow of the ErdtreeDryleaf Arts is a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon associated with Dryleaf Dane's encounter.

Lore and Design

Dryleaf Arts is the hand-to-hand martial art associated with the Dryleaf sect, an ascetic tradition encountered in the Land of Shadow. Rather than being a conventional weapon, it represents disciplined combat through the body: its attacks use punches, kicks, flowing combinations, and evasive movement in place of a held blade or staff.

The technique is closely associated with Dryleaf Dane, the sect’s wandering master and one of Miquella’s followers. Dane’s presence at Moorth Ruins provides the clearest character connection for the style, although the weapon’s lore does not establish that he personally created the art. The association is instead presented through his mastery of, and role in teaching, Dryleaf combat.

The Dryleaf tradition’s significance is its rejection of conventional armament. Its practitioners pursue martial skill through physical discipline, making the body itself the means of attack. This gives Dryleaf Arts a distinct place among Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree weapons: it is not simply a fist variant, but the game’s formal representation of a named martial-arts school. The available item lore supports that connection to the Dryleaf sect and Dane; broader claims about the sect’s origins, real-world inspiration, or the developers’ design intentions should not be treated as established canon.

Trivia

Dryleaf Arts is one of the Shadow of the Erdtree weapons built around hand-to-hand combat rather than conventional fist weapons. Its weapon category gives it a dedicated martial-arts moveset, while the related Dane’s Footwork represents a separate leg-focused style.
The name refers to Dryleaf Dane, whose title is tied to the martial tradition described in the weapon’s item text. The weapon is therefore associated with Dane’s discipline rather than named after a material, faction, or geographic region.
Dryleaf Arts and Dane’s Footwork form a deliberately paired set in the DLC’s martial-arts weapon group: one emphasizes the Dryleaf combat tradition’s hand strikes, while the other presents Dane’s distinctive footwork as its defining identity.