Obsidian Lamina
Obsidian Lamina is a Shadow of the Erdtree reaper obtained through Sir Ansbach's late quest outcome. It combines long scythe reach, innate blood loss, and the fixed Dynastic Sickleplay skill for evasive, flowing follow-up attacks.
Key Takeaways
Obsidian Lamina is a Shadow of the Erdtree reaper built around blood loss, Arcane investment, and a mobile unique skill rather than interchangeable Ashes of War.
Bleed-focused reaper
Its defining combat identity is a reaper with innate blood-loss buildup, making it a natural fit for Dexterity/Arcane characters that want repeated close-range hits.
Ansbach’s weapon
The weapon is tied to Sir Ansbach’s Shadow of the Erdtree questline and is obtained through the post-Radahn quest reward route, rather than ordinary world pickup or vendor stock.
Unique mobility skill
Dynastic Sickleplay gives Obsidian Lamina a distinctive slashing sequence with evasive follow-up movement, helping it maintain pressure while creating space.
Build requirements matter
Its requirements and scaling emphasize Dexterity and Arcane, so it is less immediately suitable for strength-focused or low-Arcane characters.
Fixed weapon identity
As a unique weapon, it follows the Somber reinforcement path and does not offer the same Ash of War and affinity flexibility as an infusible reaper such as the Grave Scythe.
Strongest in sustained melee
Obsidian Lamina rewards staying engaged long enough to apply its bleed pressure, but its close-range commitment and fixed skill reduce its flexibility when a build needs a different damage type or weapon action.
Overview
Obsidian Lamina is a unique reaper introduced in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. It is the signature weapon of Ansbach, combining sweeping scythe attacks, innate blood loss buildup, and a fixed skill built around evasive slashes.
Obsidian Lamina occupies a late-DLC role rather than serving as an early replacement for a standard reaper. Its identity is tied to Ansbach and to the Shadow of the Erdtree progression, so obtaining it depends on that expansion and its associated character content. The weapon is a unique armament with its own skill, not a conventional reaper intended to be freely reshaped through the normal Ash of War system.
Its defining combat feature is Dynastic Sickleplay, a chained technique that mixes attacks with evasive movement. The skill can transition into different follow-up attacks depending on the input used, allowing the wielder to continue the sequence with either a spinning slash or a leaping slash. This gives the weapon a more deliberate, performance-like identity than a reaper whose main distinction is only reach or damage type.
The weapon also applies blood loss buildup and favors a character that can support that status effect. Its broad reaper swings make spacing important: the attacks can cover a useful area, but the weapon's value is not captured by a simple comparison of displayed attack power. Players choosing it are selecting a distinctive moveset and skill package as much as a physical weapon, with the fixed skill limiting the customization available on more ordinary reapers.
Compared with standard reapers, Obsidian Lamina is most notable for its specialized skill, its connection to Ansbach, and its role as a late Shadow of the Erdtree reward. It is therefore best understood as a character-linked sidegrade for players who want evasive, chained melee attacks and bleed pressure, rather than as a universal upgrade over every other reaper. Its unique presentation and progression context are part of the reason to use it.
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.
- CategoryGreat Spears
- Damage TypeStandard
- Primary ScalingStr D / Dex D
- Weight10.5
- SkillObsidian Lamina Skill
- Str Req18
- Dex Req15
- How to ObtainFound in the Rauh Ancient Ruins, Shadow of the Erdtree
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar great spears
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidian Lamina | 18 | 15 | 10.5 | Str D / Dex D |
| Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear | 18 | 15 | 10 | Arc C |
| Spear of the Impaler | 18 | 14 | 10 | Str D / Dex D |
| Bloodfiend's Sacred Spear | 18 | 15 | 10 | Fai D / Arc D |
| Siluria's Tree | 16 | 13 | 9.5 | Arc D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree access.
- Defeat Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, and obtain the Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
- Reach Enia at Roundtable Hold; the weapon requires a remembrance exchange and is normally limited by the available remembrance in that playthrough.
- 01Enter the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and defeat Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, in Midra’s Manse in the Abyssal Woods. The boss is required to obtain the Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame; this is a guaranteed remembrance reward rather than a random weapon drop.
- 02Take the Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame to Enia, the Finger Reader, at Roundtable Hold and exchange it for Obsidian Lamina. The exchange is the weapon’s standard acquisition route; it is not purchased from a vendor or found as a chest pickup.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion required
Obsidian Lamina is not part of the base-game weapon pool.
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and Remembrance of the Putrescent; remembrance exchange progression required
The weapon is DLC content and has no ordinary vendor price.
Mechanics and Handling
Reaper spacing and attack pattern
Obsidian Lamina uses the Reaper moveset, so its normal attacks sweep through arcs in front of the wielder rather than concentrating all of their coverage on a narrow point. That spread can catch enemies approaching from slightly different angles, but the weapon is easier to use when its spacing is managed deliberately: the outer edge of a swing can connect while leaving room to avoid a counterattack. Its attacks are committed enough that repeatedly trading at close range is less reliable than striking from the edge of the weapon’s reach, then repositioning before the next exchange.
The weapon’s attack pattern is most useful against targets that can be pressured by repeated slashes or that give the player room to circle. Against very mobile enemies, the broad swings do not remove the need to aim and time each attack; a missed sweep still leaves the wielder committed to its recovery. Jumping and charged attacks remain situational tools for punishing openings, while the normal chain is the more dependable way to apply pressure when the target is already within range.
Blood loss and target pressure
Obsidian Lamina has innate blood loss buildup. This gives otherwise ordinary successful hits an additional threat against enemies susceptible to Hemorrhage, but the buildup is not a guaranteed substitute for good spacing or attack timing. Resistant or immune targets reduce the value of this property, and the weapon does not turn every encounter into a status-focused matchup. Its most natural role is therefore a Reaper that combines sweeping physical attacks with recurring bleed pressure, rather than a tool whose effectiveness depends only on the status effect.
Dynastic Sickleplay
The defining handling feature is the weapon’s unique skill, Dynastic Sickleplay. The opening action combines a backward step with a sickle slash, creating separation while still attacking; the skill can then continue into a follow-up spinning attack, with a further input allowing its additional attack sequence. This makes the skill more than a stationary damage button: the retreating first motion can help evade a response, while the follow-ups reward using it when the enemy is committed or recovering. The sequence still has timing and recovery commitments, so it should not be treated as a universal escape or used indiscriminately into an enemy’s active attack.
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Innate blood loss gives repeated melee hits a status-pressure role without requiring a blood affinity or an Ash of War change.
- Dynastic Sickleplay combines offensive sweeping attacks with a retreating somersault and follow-up movement, giving the weapon a built-in spacing tool rather than only a stationary attack sequence.
- Its scythe moveset can threaten groups with broad swings while retaining the close-range pressure expected from a melee weapon.
Weaknesses
- The weapon's fixed skill and unique upgrade path limit customization compared with infusible scythes that can change Ashes of War and affinities.
- Its Dexterity-and-Arcane focus makes it a poor fit for strength-focused or low-Arcane characters, even when those builds otherwise want a scythe.
- The retreating portion of Dynastic Sickleplay can create distance when the player wants uninterrupted pressure, so the skill requires deliberate spacing and timing.
Best uses
- Use it in bleed-oriented melee builds that can support its Dexterity and Arcane requirements and keep landing attacks.
- Choose it for encounters where a weapon skill that attacks while repositioning helps punish openings without committing the player to the original position.
- Use its broad scythe attacks against clustered PvE enemies, while reserving the skill's movement component for spacing around dangerous counterattacks.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Skill and customization | Useful distinction from Obsidian Lamina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halo Scythe | Unique Miquella's Ring skill; cannot use a different Ash of War or affinity | A stronger fit when the skill's ranged holy attack matters more than Obsidian Lamina's evasive close-range sequence | — |
| Grave Scythe | Can be infused and assigned compatible Ashes of War | Better for tailoring affinity and skill to a specific build; Obsidian Lamina offers a fixed weapon identity instead | — |
| Winged Scythe | Unique Angel's Wings skill; cannot be freely infused or given another Ash of War | More naturally suited to a Faith-centered setup, while Obsidian Lamina emphasizes its own bleed-oriented skill and scaling profile | — |
| Scythe | Can use compatible Ashes of War and affinities | A practical blank-slate alternative for experimenting with moveset-compatible skills rather than committing to Obsidian Lamina's fixed skill | — |
Used In
- Sir AnsbachObsidian Lamina is Sir Ansbach’s signature weapon and is associated with his questline in Shadow of the Erdtree.
- Ansbach’s QuestlineCompleting Ansbach’s questline can lead to obtaining Obsidian Lamina, depending on the quest progression and final outcome.
- Enir-IlimThe weapon’s acquisition is tied to Ansbach’s role during the events in Enir-Ilim.
Lore and Design
Obsidian Lamina is a remembrance weapon associated with Midra, Lord of Frenzied Flame, the major-boss figure encountered in Midra’s Manse. Its black, curved form and reaper classification distinguish it from Midra’s other remembrance armament, the Greatsword of Damnation. The weapon therefore functions as a direct material link to Midra’s story rather than as an ordinary armament found in the Realm of Shadow.
Its significance is primarily contextual: the Lamina represents the Lord of Frenzied Flame’s identity and combat style in weapon form, while its remembrance origin places it among the rewards tied to the game’s major-boss cycle. No official development commentary or documented real-world design source is established here, so visual resemblance alone should not be treated as evidence of inspiration. Interpretations connecting the weapon to broader Frenzied Flame symbolism remain interpretive unless explicitly supported by the item text or game narrative.