Weaponsupporting

Halberd

Halberd is the Vagabond class starting polearm and is also sold by a Limgrave Nomadic Merchant. Its balanced thrusts and chops, Charge Forth skill, long reach, and ordinary affinity freedom make it a reliable baseline for many melee builds.

Importance

supporting

Elden Ring · weapon

Key Takeaways

Halberd is a versatile Elden Ring polearm built around reach, sweeping attacks, and adaptable reinforcement rather than a fixed special effect.

Reach with broad coverage

Its halberd moveset gives it more space control than many ordinary melee weapons, with sweeping attacks that can catch nearby targets while maintaining polearm reach.

Fixed opening skill

The standard Halberd begins with Spinning Slash, a close-range area attack that can be replaced when the weapon’s Ash of War and affinity restrictions allow it.

Moderate attribute entry cost

It requires 14 Strength and 12 Dexterity, making it accessible to many early or mid-game physical builds without demanding a highly specialized attribute spread.

Merchant availability

The weapon can be obtained as a regular merchant purchase at Roundtable Hold, so acquiring it does not depend on a boss drop or a random enemy drop.

Flexible progression

Halberd follows the standard reinforcement path and supports Ashes of War and affinity customization, allowing its scaling and damage profile to follow a build.

A committed generalist

Its reach and area coverage are useful for spacing and groups, but its attacks require more commitment than faster short weapons and can be punished when mistimed.

Broader role than a dedicated spear

Compared with a spear, Halberd emphasizes sweeping coverage and general-purpose handling rather than relying primarily on repeated linear thrusts.

Overview

Halberd is a standard halberd-class melee weapon in Elden Ring, built around broad sweeping attacks, useful reach, and a moveset that mixes slashes with thrusts. It is a flexible base-game weapon rather than a unique or legendary armament.

The Halberd occupies a middle ground between shorter swords and more specialized polearms. Its attacks cover a wider area than many conventional weapons, while its shaft gives it spacing that can help keep ordinary enemies outside immediate melee range. That reach comes with more commitment than a fast sword, so positioning and attack timing matter.

Its default skill, Spinning Slash, gives the weapon a close-range area attack that complements the normal moveset. The Halberd is also compatible with Elden Ring’s Ash of War and affinity systems, allowing its skill and damage profile to be adapted to a character’s chosen attributes where the selected Ash of War permits it.

Compared with spears, the Halberd emphasizes sweeping coverage rather than relying primarily on repeated forward thrusts. Compared with lighter polearms, it generally feels more deliberate and better suited to controlling space with committed attacks. It can therefore serve characters that want reach without committing to the slowest heavy weapon classes.

As a standard weapon, the Halberd is mainly a progression and build-customization option rather than a fixed-effect signature armament. Its value depends on the player’s attributes, reinforcement and affinity choices, and preference for sweeping control versus faster or more specialized alternatives. Those variables should be evaluated separately from the weapon’s unmodified identity.

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
Halberds
Damage Type
Pierce/Slash
Primary Scaling
Str D / Dex D
Weight
10.5
Skill
Spinning Slash (var.)
Str Req
16
Dex Req
13
How to Obtain
Merchant, chest

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar halberds

Weapon	Str Req	Dex Req	Weight	Primary Scaling
Halberd	16	13	10.5	Str D / Dex D
Nightrider Glaive	16	17	11	Str D / Dex D
Ripple Crescent Halberd	14	18	10	Dex C
Smithscript Cirque	13	20	10	Dex C
Gargoyle's Halberd	18	15	9.5	Str D / Dex D

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

How to Obtain

Before you start

Vagabond starting class for the starting-equipment route.
Access to Roundtable Hold and sufficient Runes for the Twin Maiden Husks purchase route.

01Choose the Vagabond starting class during character creation to begin the game with a Halberd. This is a guaranteed starting-equipment route and does not require a boss, quest, DLC area, or random drop.
02After gaining access to Roundtable Hold, visit the Twin Maiden Husks. They offer the Halberd for purchase, providing a guaranteed alternate route if the weapon was not selected as starting equipment; no enemy farming or quest prerequisite is required. The weapon is not restricted to Shadow of the Erdtree or New Game Plus.

Mechanics and Handling

Sweeps and forward pressure

The Halberd’s standard attacks combine broad horizontal swings with more direct forward attacks. Its light sequence can cover space in front of the wielder, while its running and some stronger attacks are better suited to closing distance or punishing an opponent who commits. The weapon therefore rewards spacing: its reach lets the user threaten an approach, but missed swings carry enough commitment that attacking at point-blank range can be risky.

Reach, spacing, and commitment

The Halberd is most comfortable when the opponent is kept near the end of its attack range rather than allowed to stand directly beside the wielder. Wide swings can catch lateral movement and groups, but they are not a substitute for precise positioning in narrow spaces. Two-handing improves the weapon’s handling through the normal Elden Ring two-hand rules; it does not give the Halberd a separate weapon-specific stance or alternate moveset.

Charge Forth

The Halberd’s default weapon skill is Charge Forth. It lowers the weapon and drives the wielder forward in a committed rush, turning the skill into a gap-closing attack rather than a stationary damage option. The forward movement can help begin an engagement or catch an enemy backing away, but the linear approach is predictable and can carry the user into a punish if activated without enough space. Charge Forth is therefore most useful when its movement and timing matter, not simply as a replacement for the regular attack chain.

Mounted and defensive handling

The Halberd can be used while mounted, giving its long attacks a different approach angle and making spacing against ground enemies easier to manage. It is still primarily an offensive polearm: holding it defensively does not turn it into a shield, and blocking consumes stamina under the game’s normal weapon-blocking rules. Its attacks also do not provide an inherent parry action; parrying requires the appropriate separate equipment or skill.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Long polearm reach lets Halberd users control spacing and attack many ordinary enemies before they enter short-weapon range.
Its mixed slashing and thrusting attacks give it more flexible coverage than a weapon restricted to one attack profile.
Halberd is a standard, infusible weapon, so its Ash of War and affinity can be adapted to different stat distributions and status plans.
Its broad attacks can catch groups, while its forward attacks remain useful against a single target in open space.

Weaknesses

The weapon's committed swings are less forgiving than faster swords or spears, especially when an enemy can interrupt or punish recovery.
Its longer attacks are awkward in narrow corridors, around clutter, or against enemies that stay directly inside the weapon's effective arc.
Meeting its physical-stat requirements and carrying a polearm may compete with lighter options in builds that prioritize low equipment weight.
Its default Spinning Slash skill is useful for surrounding targets but consumes FP and may be less valuable than a specialized replacement Ash of War.

Best uses

General PvE exploration where reach, adaptable Ashes of War, and coverage against groups are more valuable than the fastest possible attack cycle.
Open-area fights against humanoids or ordinary enemies that can be kept at the end of the Halberd's striking distance.
Strength, Dexterity, or quality-oriented builds that want a customizable polearm rather than a fixed unique weapon.
Mounted encounters and other situations where a long weapon can maintain pressure without committing to close-range positioning.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Class / role	Distinctive comparison	Best reason to choose
Lucerne	Emphasizes piercing attacks and uses Charge Forth rather than Halberd’s default Spinning Slash.	A natural alternative for players who prefer thrust damage and a forward-driving skill.	—
Guardian’s Swordspear	Uses a notably faster, more swordlike moveset, giving it a different rhythm from the standard Halberd moveset.	Choose it for mobile Dexterity play that values attack speed and fluid recovery.	—
Banished Knight’s Halberd	Shares the class’s general handling and can be customized with Ashes of War, making it a close progression alternative rather than a wholly different weapon.	Useful when comparing standard halberds by scaling, affinity, or preferred Ash of War.	—
Commander's Standard	Its Rallying Standard skill provides a temporary party buff, giving it a utility role that ordinary infusable halberds do not replicate.	Prefer it when a reusable attack-and-defense buff matters more than flexible skill selection.	—

Used In

Twin Maiden HusksSell the standard Halberd as a recurring weapon purchase at the Roundtable Hold after their shop becomes available.
VagabondThe Halberd is included among the Vagabond starting equipment.

Lore and Design

Halberd’s item text presents it primarily as a practical polearm: a broad axe blade mounted on a long shaft, combining sweeping cuts with thrusting attacks. The description explains the weapon’s form and battlefield function rather than assigning it to a named character, faction, or historical event. It therefore has limited standalone story significance compared with Elden Ring’s named or relic weapons. No documented developer commentary or official design statement is established here to support a real-world inspiration or a specific cultural source. Its most distinctive design idea is the deliberate combination of two attack roles within one weapon: broad swings for managing nearby targets and thrusts for more focused spacing. Any stronger claim about its intended symbolism, origin, or relationship to the Lands Between would go beyond the documented item-text material.