Jar Cannon
Jar Cannon is a unique ballista awarded for defeating Demi-Human Queen Margot in Volcano Cave. It fires greatbolts for enormous long-range impact and knockback, but every shot carries a slow load cycle, high weight, and ammunition cost.
Key Takeaways
Jar Cannon is a specialized ballista built around powerful, deliberate greatbolt shots rather than sustained ranged pressure.
Single-shot siege weapon
Each attack launches one Greatbolt and requires a reload, making timing and positioning more important than rapid follow-up fire.
Heavy impact, limited flexibility
Its projectile delivers strong impact at range, but the slow firing cycle and demanding handling make missed shots costly, especially at close quarters.
High Strength requirement
Jar Cannon has a substantial Strength requirement alongside its Dexterity requirement, so it is not an early universal pickup for every build.
Mt. Gelmir acquisition
The weapon is found in a chest at Hermit Village in Mt. Gelmir, rather than being tied to a random enemy drop.
Fixed upgrade path
Jar Cannon uses Somber Smithing Stones and does not support Ash of War or affinity customization, keeping its function deliberately specialized.
A heavier ballista choice
Compared with Hand Ballista, Jar Cannon is the choice for a more committed, high-impact ballista role rather than a broadly flexible ranged option.
Overview
Jar Cannon is Elden Ring’s distinctive ballista-class ranged weapon: a heavy, single-projectile cannon that trades ordinary bow handling for powerful Greatbolt shots and a very different ammunition economy.
The Jar Cannon is a unique ranged weapon from Elden Ring’s base game, not a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon or a conventional bow. Its defining feature is its use of Greatbolts, including specialized variants, which gives it access to projectile effects and damage profiles that ordinary arrows do not provide. It is therefore best understood as a situational heavy ranged option rather than a general-purpose replacement for bows or crossbows.
In combat, the Jar Cannon is built around deliberate shots. Its projectiles make it useful when the player has time to aim at a distant or exposed target, while its heavy handling makes missed shots and rushed follow-ups more costly than with lighter ranged weapons. The weapon’s identity comes less from a complicated skill system than from the reach, ammunition choices, and impact associated with the Ballista class.
The Jar Cannon also occupies a different progression niche from the more flexible ranged weapons. As a unique weapon, it follows the Somber Smithing Stone upgrade path and does not function like an ordinary infusible weapon whose Ash of War and affinity can be freely reshaped. That fixed identity makes ammunition selection and the player’s intended encounter more important than broad build customization.
Its acquisition is tied to an optional boss encounter in Volcano Cave on Mt. Gelmir, so it is encountered through exploration rather than as a standard early-game armament. The weapon is especially relevant to characters that already invest in the requirements for heavy ranged equipment or want a specialized answer for distance and burst impact. Players seeking rapid, repeatable fire or broad melee integration may find a bow, crossbow, or another Ballista a more practical alternative.
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.
- CategoryBallistas
- Damage TypeStandard/Fire
- Primary ScalingStr D
- Weight15
- Str Req30
- Dex Req10
- How to ObtainFound in the Jagged Peak area, Shadow of the Erdtree
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar ballistas
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jar Cannon | 30 | 10 | 15 | Str D |
| Hand Ballista | 45 | 15 | 14 | Str D |
| Rabbath's Cannon | 30 | 10 | 16 | Str D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Access to Mount Gelmir and Volcano Cave.
- Defeat Demi-Human Queen Margot at the end of Volcano Cave. This reward is available in the base game and is not a random enemy drop.
- The weapon is obtainable during the playthrough after the boss is defeated; no known missable quest state or alternate recovery route applies.
- 01Travel to Mount Gelmir and enter Volcano Cave, a small dungeon in the region. Progress through the cave to its fog gate and defeat the area boss, Demi-Human Queen Margot.
- 02Demi-Human Queen Margot awards the Jar Cannon when defeated. The reward is guaranteed; it is not purchased from a vendor and does not require a quest, DLC, or a separate key item beyond access to the dungeon.
Mechanics and Handling
The Jar Cannon uses the ballista weapon moveset rather than a conventional bow or crossbow pattern. Its shot has a pronounced firing and recovery sequence: the wielder must commit to the launch, then remains occupied while the weapon is readied for another projectile. This makes positioning and line of sight more important than maintaining continuous ranged pressure. Missing at close range is especially costly because the recovery leaves little opportunity to immediately change tactics.
Ballista ammunition and projectile behaviour
The weapon consumes compatible ballista ammunition, including Ballista Bolts and the specialised Explosive Greatbolt. These ammunition choices are not interchangeable in practical use: ordinary bolts provide the standard projectile, while explosive ammunition adds its own impact effect. The Jar Cannon therefore has no intrinsic universal explosion that should be treated as part of every shot; the projectile's properties depend on the ammunition selected. Ammunition must be supplied separately, and each launch consumes one compatible projectile.
Commitment, recoil, and spacing
A fired shot has substantial commitment and recoil compared with ordinary ranged weapons. The Jar Cannon is best used from prepared positions, after an enemy has begun an attack, or against a target whose movement is predictable. Its projectile travels in a direct line rather than behaving like a light thrown weapon, but terrain, elevation, and an enemy's movement can still make the long firing sequence difficult to use at close quarters. The weapon's force can stagger or knock back suitable targets, although this should not be treated as a guaranteed interruption against every enemy or boss.
Weapon skill: Kick
The Jar Cannon's default skill is Kick. It is a close-range defensive action that drives a foot into an opponent and is particularly useful against an enemy relying on a shield. Kick does not replace the cannon's ranged role: it creates a limited answer to immediate pressure when firing would be unsafe, rather than adding a second projectile attack. The skill's value is consequently greatest when the wielder is caught inside the cannon's preferred spacing and needs to open a guarded target or make room before returning to ranged attacks.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Delivers a powerful single projectile, making a carefully timed opening shot useful against large or slow targets.
- Its ballista-class ammunition supports both standard and explosive greatbolts, letting the weapon switch between focused impact and area damage without changing the weapon itself.
- Greatbolt impacts can stagger or knock back suitable enemies, creating opportunities near ledges or interrupting exposed attacks.
- Its projectile reach makes it useful for engaging targets before they enter ordinary melee range.
Weaknesses
- The firing and reload cycle is slow, so a missed shot leaves the user vulnerable and limits sustained damage.
- Its substantial Strength requirement and weight compete with armor, stamina, or other equipment choices.
- Jar Cannon has no conventional attribute-scaling payoff, so investing beyond its requirements does not improve it like a normally scaling ranged weapon.
- Ballista ammunition is less convenient to carry and replenish than ordinary arrows or bolts, which restricts extended use.
- The slow handling and limited close-range responsiveness make it a poor emergency weapon when enemies are already in melee range.
Best uses
- Use it as a long-range opener against large, predictable, or stationary PvE targets, then change weapons while the target closes.
- Choose standard greatbolts for deliberate single-target shots and explosive greatbolts when clustered enemies or an area impact matters more than ammunition efficiency.
- Bring it for encounters with ledges, narrow approaches, or exposed firing lanes where knockback and projectile reach have clear tactical value.
- Treat it as a situational siege tool rather than a primary sustained-damage weapon: fire from a safe position, reposition during the reload cycle, and avoid relying on it in crowded close combat.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Ammo | Distinctive trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jar Cannon | Ballista Bolts and compatible special ballista ammunition | Strong impact-oriented option, but its heavy handling and reload commitment punish missed shots | — |
| Hand Ballista | Ballista Bolts and compatible special ballista ammunition | More practical for repeated use when the Jar Cannon's heavier handling is unnecessary | — |
| Rabbath's Cannon | Ballista Bolts and compatible special ballista ammunition | A DLC ballista with a different weapon skill, offering a distinct skill-focused option rather than a direct Jar Cannon duplicate | — |
| Golem Greatbow | Great Arrows | A realistic alternative for heavy ranged attacks when greatbow ammunition, reach, and greatbow skills fit the build better than ballista ammunition | — |
Used In
- Demi-Human Queen MargotDefeating this boss rewards the Jar Cannon.
- Volcano CaveThe cave contains the boss encounter that rewards the Jar Cannon.
- GreatboltGreatbolts are the ammunition used by the Jar Cannon and other ballista-class weapons.
Lore and Design
Item-text significance
The Jar Cannon’s item text describes it as a cannon fashioned from a great jar and reinforced with iron, with the unusual capacity to fire greatbolts. This establishes its deliberately improvised, jar-based construction and distinguishes it from Elden Ring’s conventional ballistae without requiring a real-world identification or design attribution.
Beyond that construction detail, the available item-text significance is limited. The description does not, by itself, establish a documented relationship to a named character, faction, historical event, or developer-stated inspiration. Claims that the weapon represents a specific real-world cannon or reflects a confirmed cultural influence should therefore be treated as speculation rather than canon.