Greatsword
Greatsword is the iconic colossal sword found in a guarded Caelid carriage. Its immense reach, wide sweeps, thrusting options, heavy Strength scaling under affinity, and full Ash customization make it a benchmark colossal weapon.
Key Takeaways
Colossal sword with heavy commitment
Greatsword is a Colossal Sword built around long reach, high physical pressure, and deliberate attacks. Its weight and strength-focused requirements make positioning and recovery more important than with lighter greatswords or straight swords.
Jump and crouch attacks define its pressure
Its large attack animations give it strong stagger potential, while jump attacks and the low forward thrust available from crouching or rolling help it threaten targets at different spacing. These options complement rather than replace careful timing.
Found in Caelid rather than bought
The weapon is obtained as a fixed chest pickup in Caelid's Dragonbarrow area, making it available through exploration without relying on an enemy drop, vendor stock, or quest reward.
Flexible standard reinforcement
Greatsword uses the regular Smithing Stone upgrade path and can accept compatible Ashes of War and affinities. Its original Stamp (Upward Cut) skill is therefore not a permanent limitation for builds that want a different weapon skill.
Its main cost is weight and requirements
The weapon's reach and impact come with a substantial equipment burden and demanding attribute requirements. That makes it a more natural fit for strength-oriented setups than for lightly equipped or low-investment characters.
Heavier alternative to the Zweihander
Compared with the Zweihander, Greatsword offers a heavier Colossal Sword option with a different moveset and handling profile. The Zweihander is the more forgiving comparison when lower weight or different attack timing matters more than maximum commitment.
Overview
Greatsword is a standard Colossal Sword in Elden Ring: a physically imposing, highly demanding melee weapon built around reach, committed swings, and heavy stance pressure rather than rapid attacks.
The Greatsword is the base-game weapon whose name also identifies its weapon class in many other fantasy games, but in Elden Ring it belongs specifically to the Colossal Sword category. It is a conventional, upgradeable weapon rather than a unique or legendary armament, and it can be used without Shadow of the Erdtree. Its identity comes from large attack arcs, substantial reach, and the need to commit to each swing.
In combat, the Greatsword rewards deliberate spacing. Its normal attacks cover a broad area and can catch enemies that would be difficult to reach with shorter heavy weapons, while its slower animations make mistimed attacks costly. Two-handing it supports the strength-focused play pattern commonly associated with colossal weapons, but the weapon remains a significant investment in equipment load, attributes, and attack timing.
The weapon is also more adaptable than its imposing appearance suggests. It follows the standard reinforcement path, accepts Ashes of War, and can be configured around different physical affinities rather than being locked to one special weapon skill. Its default skill, Stamp (Upward Cut), gives it a close-range answer for lifting or countering an opponent, while changing the skill lets the same weapon fit different approaches.
The Greatsword therefore occupies a useful middle ground among heavy melee choices: it offers the reach and impact expected from a Colossal Sword while retaining the customization of a regular weapon. It is a natural option for players who want a strength-oriented, high-commitment moveset, but it is less suitable for builds that depend on rapid attacks, low equipment burden, or frequent repositioning. Its comparison set is other Colossal Swords and heavy weapons with similar attribute demands, not every large sword in the game.
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.
- CategoryGreatswords
- Damage TypeStandard/Pierce
- Primary ScalingStr D
- Weight10.5
- SkillStamp (Upward Cut)
- Str Req18
- Dex Req10
- How to ObtainWarrior Jar Alexander gift
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar greatswords
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatsword | 18 | 10 | 10.5 | Str D |
| Helphen's Steeple | 17 | 10 | 10.5 | Str D / Arc D |
| Horned Warrior's Greatsword | 20 | 13 | 10.5 | Str D / Fai D |
| Blasphemous Blade | 18 | 13 | 11 | Str D / Dex E / Fai D |
| Dark Moon Greatsword | 10 | 18 | 10 | Int D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- 01Travel to northwestern Caelid and locate the abandoned carriage on the road northwest of Caelem Ruins. The Greatsword is in a chest at the rear of this carriage.
- 02Open the carriage chest to collect the Greatsword. This is a guaranteed world pickup; it is not a boss drop, vendor purchase, quest reward, or random enemy drop.
- 03No quest, boss defeat, key item, or DLC access is required. The chest remains available until looted, so the weapon is not missable through normal progression; the pickup is one per playthrough and returns in NG+.
Availability
Requires 31 Strength and 12 Dexterity to meet the weapon's attribute requirements.
The Greatsword is not DLC-exclusive and has no vendor, price, quest, or major story-progression gate. It remains obtainable in subsequent playthroughs; its availability is tied to a fixed world pickup rather than rotating stock or a boss reward.
Mechanics and Handling
The Greatsword is handled as a committed colossal weapon rather than a fast, reaction-based sword. Its standard attacks use broad, deliberate swings that cover useful space in front of the player, but their recovery leaves less room for correction than lighter weapon classes. Spacing matters: the weapon performs best when an attack is started outside an enemy’s immediate retaliation range, then followed through rather than cancelled into another action.
Its weight and attack commitment make interrupted swings a real risk against agile enemies. Conversely, successful heavy attacks, jumping attacks, and other charged or committed strikes can apply substantial stance pressure, especially when aimed at an enemy’s vulnerable opening. This is a practical combat property rather than a guarantee of an immediate stagger; enemy poise, attack choice, and timing still determine the result.
Crouch, jump, and charged attacks
The Greatsword’s crouch or roll attack is a forward thrust rather than another wide sweep. That gives the weapon a more direct option for narrow openings and helps compensate for the slower neutral pattern. Jumping attacks are useful for closing a short gap while bringing the weapon down from above, and they can pressure stance effectively when the target is reachable. Charged heavy attacks demand more time, so they are most reliable after a whiff, stagger, or other opening rather than during an enemy’s active offense.
Default skill and Ash of War flexibility
The weapon’s default skill is Stamp (Upward Cut). Stamp briefly lowers the wielder’s posture before an upward follow-up, making it a deliberate counterattack tool rather than a quick damage button. The Greatsword can use Ashes of War, so the skill and affinity can be adapted to the build when the selected Ash allows that weapon class. Changing the skill changes how the weapon creates openings; it does not remove the underlying slow, high-commitment moveset.
Two-handing and fight selection
Two-handing the Greatsword makes its handling more natural for a strength-oriented playstyle and leaves the off-hand free only when the player is prepared to give up a shield or another off-hand tool. The weapon is strongest when its reach, sweeping coverage, and stance pressure can be brought to bear on predictable targets. Tight arenas, highly mobile enemies, and fights that punish long recovery windows call for more deliberate spacing or a faster alternative.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its Colossal Sword moveset gives it long melee reach, letting a user space many ordinary enemies and punish openings without standing directly against the target.
- Heavy attacks, charged attacks, jumping attacks, and repeated hits against large targets can apply substantial stance pressure, creating opportunities for critical hits when the enemy’s stance breaks.
- It can be wielded with two hands, allowing a Strength-focused character to meet its demanding requirements more efficiently and gain the practical benefits of two-handing.
- Its broad swings can cover groups in front of the user, making it useful when several enemies approach together.
Weaknesses
- The Colossal Sword attack animations commit the player for longer than lighter sword classes, so missed swings leave a larger recovery window against fast enemies and aggressive bosses.
- Its weight and attribute requirements restrict equipment-load flexibility and can make a fast-roll setup harder without investment in carrying capacity or related bonuses.
- The weapon’s close-range attacks require deliberate spacing; enemies that stay mobile, attack from range, or punish slow wind-ups can be difficult to pressure safely.
- Its standard moveset does not provide innate status buildup, so a build seeking bleed, frost, or another status effect must obtain that utility through a compatible affinity or external setup.
Best uses
- PvE Strength-oriented play where reach, charged attacks, and jumping attacks are used to pressure enemy stance.
- Large enemies and predictable bosses with openings long enough to accommodate committed attacks.
- Crowd control at close range, provided the player maintains spacing and avoids being surrounded.
- A physical greatsword role for players who prefer decisive single swings and stance breaks over rapid hit-confirming attacks.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Skill and customization | Build distinction | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zweihander | Infusible and compatible with changeable Ashes of War | More emphasis on reach and lower equipment burden than Greatsword | You want a more mobile or spacing-focused colossal-sword setup | — |
| Watchdog's Greatsword | Infusible, allowing affinity and Ash of War adjustment | Leans toward Strength investment and a heavier weapon profile | You prefer a heavier conventional colossal sword with customizable skills | — |
| Grafted Blade Greatsword | Fixed weapon skill and no Ash of War customization | Uses a Strength/Dexterity-oriented build and offers a temporary all-attribute buff through Oath of Vengeance | You want a unique skill and buff rather than Greatsword's flexible customization | — |
| Ruins Greatsword | Fixed skill, with its identity centered on gravitational magic | Requires Intelligence investment and adds a ranged magical attack to its melee role | You want a colossal sword that supports a Strength/Intelligence build | — |
Used In
- Caelem RuinsA chest inside an abandoned carriage near Caelem Ruins contains the Greatsword.
- CaelidThe Greatsword is obtained in Caelid, in the area surrounding Caelem Ruins.
Lore and Design
The Greatsword’s item description presents it as a massive, coarse-iron ultra greatsword and notes that its form was modeled after a weapon wielded by a famed hero from a distant land. The description provides that narrative association without identifying the hero by name or establishing a broader relationship to an Elden Ring faction or character.
No documented developer commentary or in-game text is established here beyond that item-description detail. Its resemblance to weapons from outside the game should not be treated as confirmed inspiration.
Trivia
- The Greatsword’s oversized, slab-like silhouette is widely recognized by players as a visual homage to Guts’ Dragonslayer from Berserk. That resemblance is an attributed design reference, not a canonical connection between Elden Ring and the Berserk setting.
- Despite its name, Greatsword belongs to Elden Ring’s Colossal Sword weapon class. “Greatsword” is the weapon’s individual name rather than the class label used by the game’s equipment system.