Loretta's War Sickle
Loretta's War Sickle is a unique halberd dropped by Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree. It combines physical and magic damage, a broad slashing polearm moveset, and Loretta's Slash for an airborne multi-hit magical assault.
Key Takeaways
Loretta's War Sickle is a unique intelligence-oriented halberd tied to the Royal Knight Loretta encounter. Its fixed skill and mixed physical/magic damage distinguish it from more freely customizable halberds, but its attribute requirements and unchangeable weapon configuration narrow its build flexibility.
Unique halberd with a fixed skill
The weapon is a unique halberd whose weapon skill is Loretta's Slash. Because its skill is fixed, it cannot be treated like an ordinary infusable halberd with a freely selected Ash of War.
Requires Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence
Loretta's War Sickle requires 20 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 20 Intelligence. That combination makes it most relevant to characters willing to invest in Intelligence rather than to a purely physical halberd build.
Reward from Royal Knight Loretta
It is obtained by defeating Royal Knight Loretta at Caria Manor. The weapon is therefore tied to progress through that legacy dungeon rather than to a standard vendor inventory or ordinary enemy drop.
Mixed physical and magic damage
Its attack profile includes both physical and magic damage, giving Intelligence investment a direct role in its offensive identity. The mixed profile should be considered alongside its fixed skill and reinforcement path.
Somber reinforcement and limited customization
Loretta's War Sickle follows the unique-weapon reinforcement path, using Somber Smithing Stones and reaching the special weapon cap of +10. It cannot receive an affinity or replacement Ash of War.
A specialized alternative to flexible halberds
Compared with a standard halberd, it offers a distinctive Loretta-themed skill and Intelligence-based damage role, but gives up the affinity and skill customization available on compatible regular weapons.
Overview
Loretta's War Sickle is a unique reaper in Elden Ring, wielded by the Haligtree's guardian. Its built-in magic damage and Loretta's Slash skill give it a distinct hybrid role rather than the flexibility of a standard infusible reaper.
Loretta's War Sickle is a unique weapon from Elden Ring's base game, classified as a reaper and associated with Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree. It is obtained during the optional late-game progression through Miquella's Haligtree, so its role is primarily that of a distinctive endgame armament rather than an early replacement for a starting weapon. Its identity comes from the combination of reaper reach, innate magic damage, and a fixed weapon skill tied to Loretta.
The weapon's defining skill is Loretta's Slash. The attack raises the sickle before delivering a sweeping, magic-infused strike, giving the weapon a more deliberate burst option than the ordinary reaper moveset alone. This makes it useful for players who want a melee weapon with an Intelligence component without switching entirely to a staff. The skill is part of the weapon's fixed design, so the sickle is not treated like a normal reaper whose Ash of War and affinity can be freely replaced.
In practical terms, Loretta's War Sickle occupies a hybrid space between a conventional physical reaper and a magic-oriented sidearm. Its normal attacks retain the spacing and sweeping coverage expected from the class, while its unique skill rewards a committed opening or a punish window. The weapon therefore differs from ordinary infusible reapers less through a single headline statistic than through the way its innate damage profile and unchangeable skill shape its build and handling choices.
The weapon is separate from Loretta's Greatbow and Loretta's Mastery, which are spells rather than alternate forms of the sickle. It is also distinct from the earlier Royal Knight Loretta encounter and its associated rewards: Loretta's War Sickle belongs to the Haligtree encounter in the base game. Because it uses the Somber Smithing Stone upgrade path and cannot be customized like a standard reaper, it is best understood as a specialized named weapon whose value depends on accepting its fixed magic-and-skill package.
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.
- CategoryHalberds
- Damage TypeSlash/Pierce/Magic
- Primary ScalingDex C
- Weight8.5
- SkillLoretta's Slash
- Str Req10
- Dex Req20
- How to ObtainLoretta boss reward, Caria Manor / Haligtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar halberds
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loretta's War Sickle | 10 | 20 | 8.5 | Dex C |
| Spirit Glaive | 15 | 15 | 8.5 | Str D / Dex D |
| Pest's Glaive | 13 | 17 | 8.5 | Dex C |
| Banished Knight's Halberd | 15 | 13 | 8 | Str D / Dex D |
| 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
- Access to Caria Manor in Liurnia of the Lakes.
- Defeat Royal Knight Loretta at Caria Manor.
- 01Travel to Caria Manor in northwestern Liurnia of the Lakes and progress through the manor to the Royal Knight Loretta boss arena beyond the Manor Upper Level area. The weapon is not purchased or found in a chest; it comes from this boss encounter.
- 02Defeat Royal Knight Loretta. Loretta's War Sickle is a guaranteed reward from the boss, so no drop-rate farming is required. The reward is available in the base game and does not require a DLC, questline, or NG+ cycle.
- 03The acquisition is not tied to a missable quest decision. If the boss has already been defeated in the current playthrough, there is no second copy available through another base-game vendor or location; another copy requires obtaining the reward again in a later cycle such as NG+.
- 04After receiving the weapon, no separate hand-in, remembrance exchange, or vendor purchase is required. The relevant encounter is Royal Knight Loretta at Caria Manor, not Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree in the late-game area of Miquella's Haligtree.
Availability
Requires Defeat Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree, then exchange the remembrance with Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold.
The weapon is obtainable once per remembrance acquisition. The same exchange route is available in New Game Plus after earning the relevant remembrance again; no separate proficiency or progression-tier availability is established here.
Mechanics and Handling
Loretta's War Sickle uses the Elden Ring halberd moveset, but its handling is shaped by the weapon's broad sweeping attacks and its fixed Loretta's Slash skill. It is most effective when the wielder can maintain a little space from the target: the attacks cover a wider line than a straight sword, while their recovery makes careless point-blank trades risky. Its split physical and magic damage also means the weapon's performance depends on the target's defenses rather than on raw physical output alone.
Halberd moveset and spacing
The normal attacks are sweeping slashes suited to catching enemies beside or slightly in front of the wielder. This gives Loretta's War Sickle useful crowd-control coverage, especially against groups that approach on the same line, but the arcs are less convenient in narrow spaces where a wall or nearby object can interfere with the swing. The weapon's reach and sweep encourage deliberate spacing rather than repeated attacks directly against an enemy's model.
Its heavy attack follows the weapon's halberd-style commitment and should be treated as a punish window rather than a universally safe opener. Charged attacks increase that commitment in exchange for greater impact, so they are most practical after an enemy misses, during a stagger opportunity, or against a target whose movement can be predicted. Jumping and running attacks provide more direct gap-closing options, but they do not remove the need to account for recovery after the strike.
Loretta's Slash
Loretta's War Sickle has the unique weapon skill Loretta's Slash. The attack launches the wielder into a spinning leap before bringing the sickle down in a descending slash. A second skill input extends the sequence with an additional sweeping strike, making the follow-up important to the skill's area coverage and total commitment.
The skill is visually distinct from the ordinary halberd attacks and presents a larger, more dramatic attack arc. The initial leap can help the wielder pass over or approach some low attacks, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed evasive maneuver: the animation commits the character to a defined path, and a mistimed activation can leave the landing or follow-up vulnerable. The extra input is useful when the first hit connects or when the target remains within the sweep, but stopping after the first strike is safer when the enemy is about to retaliate.
Because the skill is fixed to this unique weapon, Loretta's War Sickle cannot be handled like an ordinary infusible halberd whose skill can be exchanged for another Ash of War. The skill therefore forms a major part of the weapon's identity and should be considered alongside its damage split and stat requirements when comparing it with other halberds.
Damage profile and status behaviour
The weapon deals both physical and magic damage rather than relying on a single damage type. That split can be useful against targets that resist one component less than the other, but it also means that each component is evaluated against the relevant defense. A displayed attack value should therefore not be read as a universal measure of how much every target will lose.
Loretta's War Sickle does not have a notable innate bleed, poison, frost, or scarlet-rot buildup effect. Its pressure comes from reach, sweeping attacks, split damage, and the unique skill rather than from repeatedly applying a status condition. The weapon also has no firearm-style ammunition, magazine, reload, or consumable attack resource; its special-skill use is governed by Elden Ring's FP system.
Handling limitations
The sickle's attack patterns are strongest when the wielder controls the engagement distance. Fast enemies that stay inside the sweep, cramped terrain, and opponents that punish long recoveries all reduce the value of committing to repeated heavy attacks or the full Loretta's Slash sequence. Two-handing can support a more aggressive melee approach, while using the weapon alongside a shield or another off-hand option changes the balance between reach, defense, and skill access; the choice is a playstyle decision rather than a requirement for the weapon to function.
Loretta's War Sickle has no special break-state or durability mechanic that changes its moveset during ordinary Elden Ring play. Its practical handling remains consistent across encounters, with reinforcement and the wielder's attributes affecting output rather than replacing the underlying attack pattern.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Halberd reach lets the wielder attack from farther away than most straight swords, curved swords, and other shorter melee classes, which helps maintain spacing against ordinary PvE enemies.
- Loretta's Slash combines a forward leap with a magic-infused sweeping attack and a follow-up slash. The skill can close distance while covering a broad area, giving the weapon a useful burst option against groups or a stationary target.
- Its physical-and-magic damage profile gives an Intelligence-oriented melee build a weapon that still uses conventional halberd attacks rather than relying entirely on sorceries.
- The halberd moveset supplies sweeping attacks that can catch multiple nearby enemies, while the weapon's reach makes mounted and open-area combat more manageable than with many short weapons.
Weaknesses
- The weapon's fixed Loretta's Slash cannot be replaced with an Ash of War, so players cannot adapt its skill to a preferred affinity, buff, projectile, or defensive option.
- The skill's leap and follow-up animation commit the player to a visible sequence. Missing the opening attack or using it against a mobile enemy can leave the wielder exposed before control returns.
- Its physical-and-magic damage split is less straightforward than a single-damage-type weapon: defenses for either component can reduce part of the attack, and the weapon competes for investment across physical attributes and Intelligence.
- It has no innate bleed, frost, or other status buildup, so it does not provide the rapid status-based pressure available from specialized weapons.
- The halberd's longer attack animations and spacing requirements make it less forgiving in tight rooms or against enemies that stay inside the weapon's preferred range.
Best uses
- A hybrid melee-and-sorcery PvE build that wants a reachable halberd with an Intelligence-linked damage profile and a distinctive gap-closing skill.
- Open-area encounters and groups of ordinary enemies, where the weapon's reach, sweeping attacks, and broad Loretta's Slash follow-up can control space.
- Players who prefer committing to a recognizable weapon skill and physical attacks instead of selecting Ashes of War for frequent build-by-build customization.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and damage profile | Skill / flexibility | Build fit | Upgrade path |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loretta's War Sickle | Loretta's Slash; fixed skill and fixed affinity | Strength/Dexterity/Intelligence hybrid | Somber reinforcement; limited customization, but a direct fit for its unique skill | — |
| Guardian's Swordspear | Compatible with Ashes of War and affinities | Dexterity-focused physical builds | Regular reinforcement; broad skill and affinity flexibility | — |
| Banished Knight's Halberd | Compatible with Ashes of War and affinities | Strength/Dexterity physical builds | Regular reinforcement; more customizable than Loretta's War Sickle | — |
| Dragon Halberd | Dragon Halberd skill; fixed skill and affinity | Strength/Dexterity builds seeking elemental damage | Somber reinforcement; unique skill limits customization | — |
| Commander's Standard | Rallying Standard; fixed skill and affinity | Strength/Dexterity builds that value a party-oriented buff | Somber reinforcement; specialized rather than Ash-of-War flexible | — |
Used In
- Loretta, Knight of the HaligtreeDefeating this Haligtree boss awards the Remembrance of the Haligtree, which can be exchanged for Loretta's War Sickle.
- Remembrance of the HaligtreeThis remembrance is the required exchange item for obtaining Loretta's War Sickle.
- EniaEnia at the Roundtable Hold exchanges the Remembrance of the Haligtree for Loretta's War Sickle.
Lore and Design
Loretta's War Sickle is explicitly associated with Loretta, Knight of the Haligtree. Its item identity places the weapon within the Haligtree’s military and symbolic sphere rather than presenting it as an ordinary battlefield armament. The association is significant because Loretta is one of the few named knights directly connected to the Haligtree and its defenders, making the sickle a tangible link between her personal story and Miquella’s hidden refuge.
Loretta’s broader story gives that association additional context. She was formerly a royal knight of Caria before leaving that service in search of a safe haven for the Albinaurics. Her presence at the Haligtree therefore connects Carian knightly tradition, the Albinaurics’ persecution, and the Haligtree’s role as a place of refuge. The weapon confirms Loretta’s allegiance through its name and attribution, but the available lore does not establish a separate history for the sickle or identify a documented real-world inspiration for its design.