Ruins Greatsword
Ruins Greatsword is a legendary colossal sword rewarded by the Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight duo at Redmane Castle. Wave of Destruction sends a long gravity rupture through the ground.
Key Takeaways
Ruins Greatsword is a unique colossal sword built around Strength and gravity magic. Its defining feature is a weapon skill that sends a broad magical shockwave along the ground, giving a slow melee weapon a meaningful ranged option.
Gravity weapon with a ranged skill
The sword’s unique Wave of Destruction skill releases a gravity-based shockwave in front of the user. Its reach and area coverage distinguish it from colossal swords that rely almost entirely on contact attacks.
Requires both Strength and Intelligence
Ruins Greatsword requires 16 Strength and 16 Intelligence. Strength remains its primary physical investment, while Intelligence is needed to meet the weapon’s entry requirement and support its gravity-based identity.
Earned from a Redmane Castle boss encounter
The weapon is obtained by defeating the Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight encounter at Redmane Castle. The castle’s event state can affect when that encounter is available.
Powerful reach, substantial commitment
Its colossal-sword moveset and weight give it strong reach and impact, but attacks are slow and demand deliberate spacing. The weapon skill adds flexibility without removing those commitment costs.
Fixed unique weapon progression
Ruins Greatsword uses the Somber Smithing Stone upgrade path. Its unique skill cannot be replaced with an Ash of War, so its gravity shockwave is part of the weapon’s fixed progression rather than a customizable option.
A gravity-focused alternative to other colossal swords
Compared with other colossal swords, Ruins Greatsword is most distinctive when its built-in gravity skill and Strength-oriented requirements matter more than broad Ash of War customization.
Overview
Ruins Greatsword is a legendary Colossal Sword in Elden Ring, built around a rare combination of overwhelming melee attacks and gravity magic. Its defining skill, Wave of Destruction, sends a force of gravity along the ground, giving the weapon an area-control option that ordinary colossal swords do not share.
Ruins Greatsword occupies a distinctive role among Elden Ring’s heaviest weapons. It is a unique armament rather than an ordinary greatsword that can be freely infused, and its design supports a Strength-focused character who is also willing to invest in Intelligence. That combination makes it more specialized than colossal swords intended purely for physical damage, while still keeping close-range attacks at the centre of its use.
The weapon’s signature feature is Wave of Destruction. Rather than requiring the wielder to close distance before every attack, the skill projects a gravity-based shockwave across the ground. This gives Ruins Greatsword a way to pressure groups, punish space in front of the player, and contribute damage while enemies are not immediately within striking range. The skill is the main reason to choose it over a more conventional colossal sword with a simpler weapon skill.
Its normal attacks remain important because the weapon’s weight and class make positioning, timing, and recovery part of its identity. Ruins Greatsword is therefore not a lightweight spellcasting substitute: the gravity skill supplements a committed melee moveset rather than replacing it. The Intelligence requirement narrows its natural audience, but it also separates the weapon from physical-only alternatives and gives hybrid Strength/Intelligence characters a notable endgame option.
Ruins Greatsword belongs to Elden Ring’s base-game arsenal and is obtained through a named encounter associated with Redmane Castle; it is not a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon or a variant with separate DLC rules. Its acquisition arrives late enough to matter as a progression choice, but the weapon’s importance comes less from being a generic upgrade and more from its fixed identity: a colossal gravity weapon with a memorable area skill, a specialised attribute profile, and a clear place in hybrid heavy-weapon builds.
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.
- CategoryColossal Swords
- Damage TypeStandard
- Primary ScalingStr D
- Weight23
- SkillRuinous Ripple
- Str Req60
- Dex Req10
- How to ObtainRadahn boss reward area, Caelid
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar colossal swords
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruins Greatsword | 60 | 10 | 23 | Str D |
| Fallingstar Beast Jaw | 60 | 8 | 22 | Str D |
| Bastard's Stars | 17 | 12 | 22 | Str D / Arc C |
| Golem's Halberd | 50 | 10 | 25 | Str D |
| Watchdog's Greatsword | 44 | 8 | 20 | Str D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Access to Redmane Castle in Caelid.
- The Radahn Festival must not be blocking the encounter; if it is active, defeat Starscourge Radahn before attempting to obtain the weapon.
- This is a base-game weapon and does not require Shadow of the Erdtree or another DLC. It is available in regular New Game and is obtained once per playthrough; another copy requires a subsequent playthrough or New Game Plus.
- 01Travel to Redmane Castle in southern Caelid and reach the castle plaza boss arena. The weapon is awarded for defeating the paired bosses Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight there; it is not obtained from Starscourge Radahn.
- 02Defeat Misbegotten Warrior and Crucible Knight in the same encounter. The reward is guaranteed upon victory, rather than being a random enemy drop or a vendor purchase.
- 03If the Radahn Festival is active and the boss encounter is unavailable, defeat Starscourge Radahn first, then return to Redmane Castle after the festival state has ended and reload or revisit the castle so the normal enemies and boss access are restored. The duo can then be challenged in the plaza.
Availability
Requires Requires access to Redmane Castle and 50 Strength and 16 Intelligence to meet the weapon's attribute requirements.
Ruins Greatsword is part of the base-game weapon roster and does not require Shadow of the Erdtree or another DLC. It is not a vendor-stock item and has no purchase price.
The relevant castle encounter is displaced while the festival is active. Availability returns after the festival state is resolved and the castle encounter is restored.
Requires The restored Redmane Castle encounter must be completed; the weapon is a guaranteed reward rather than a random enemy drop.
The weapon can be obtained once per playthrough. A further copy requires another game cycle, such as NG+.
The weapon is available in the base game and is not DLC-exclusive.
Mechanics and Handling
Ruins Greatsword is handled as a deliberate, commitment-heavy colossal sword rather than a fast trading weapon. Its ordinary attacks cover a broad area in front of the wielder, but their recovery gives enemies time to punish a mistimed swing. The weapon is most effective when its reach and heavy stagger potential are used to control approach lanes, punish recovery animations, or finish an opening created by another attack.
Charged heavy attacks create a second threat
The charged heavy attack is the weapon’s most distinctive regular attack. In addition to the close-range sword strike, it releases a gravity projectile along the ground toward the target. This gives Ruins Greatsword useful reach beyond the normal colossal-sword swing and lets the wielder pressure enemies that are outside immediate melee range. The projectile is still part of a committed heavy attack: charging in front of an active enemy is unsafe, and the attack should generally be prepared during a recovery window, after creating distance, or against a target already focused elsewhere.
The projectile is especially useful for catching enemies that retreat from a melee exchange. It does not turn the weapon into a ranged substitute, however. Ruins Greatsword remains dependent on close-range attacks for much of its pressure, and the charged heavy’s timing makes it a poor choice when an enemy can immediately interrupt the wind-up. At point-blank range, the sword portion can also connect, so the attack is not limited to targets at projectile distance.
Wave of Destruction
Wave of Destruction is Ruins Greatsword’s fixed weapon skill. The wielder raises the sword and drives it into the ground, releasing a broad wave of gravitational force in front of the weapon. The skill combines a close impact with a forward-moving attack, allowing it to punish grouped enemies or catch targets that are aligned in the weapon’s approach. Its area coverage is one of the main reasons to choose Ruins Greatsword over a more conventional colossal sword.
The skill has a noticeable startup and recovery, so it is strongest when used against a committed attack, a staggered enemy, or a group that cannot easily separate. Using it at the edge of an opponent’s attack range can leave the wielder exposed if the wave misses. The skill is not a passive effect: it must be deliberately activated, and its resource cost means repeated use is constrained by the character’s available FP. Because the weapon has a fixed skill, this gravitational attack is part of the weapon’s identity rather than a property that can be replaced through Ashes of War.
Spacing, stagger and attack commitment
Ruins Greatsword rewards spacing that keeps the blade’s broad forward coverage between the wielder and the target. Light attacks are suitable for exploiting a short opening, while heavy and charged attacks ask for more commitment in exchange for stronger pressure and the gravity projectile. Jumping and running attacks can help close distance or punish an enemy that has already committed, but they should not be treated as risk-free approaches; the weapon’s size makes missed attacks expensive.
Its physical-and-magic damage profile and gravity attacks give it options against targets that do not remain directly in front of the wielder. The weapon does not need a status buildup to create pressure: its identity comes from reach, stagger-oriented colossal-sword attacks, the charged projectile, and Wave of Destruction. It can be used two-handed for a more offensive handling style, while a shield or off-hand tool changes the openings available and makes the weapon’s long recovery more manageable only when the player can safely create those openings.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Wave of Destruction gives a normally close-range colossal sword a forward-projecting gravity shockwave, allowing the weapon to pressure enemies before they enter normal melee distance and to catch multiple targets when they are aligned.
- Its physical-and-magic damage profile gives strength-focused characters a second damage type, which can remain useful against targets that are less resistant to physical attacks. The result depends on the wielder's attributes, reinforcement state and the target's defenses rather than on a fixed universal damage value.
- The colossal-sword moveset and Ruins Greatsword's heavy attacks provide committed strikes suited to punishing openings, especially against large enemies or bosses that leave enough time for a full attack.
- The weapon's distinctive skill can create a different engagement pattern from ordinary colossal swords: the player can reserve close-range swings for confirmed openings and use the gravity wave when spacing or groups make direct contact less safe.
Weaknesses
- Its colossal-sword speed and recovery demand deliberate positioning. Missed swings leave the player committed longer than a faster greatsword, curved sword or straight sword would.
- The weapon requires a substantial Strength investment as well as Intelligence, so it is a poor fit for characters that want to remain purely Dexterity-, Faith- or low-level Intelligence-focused.
- Wave of Destruction consumes FP and is tied to the weapon's fixed skill. Ruins Greatsword therefore cannot replace that skill with an Ash of War chosen for a particular build or encounter.
- Its mixed physical-and-magic profile can lose efficiency against enemies with strong magic defenses, while its weight and high attribute demands compete with armor, a shield or other equipment slots.
- The shockwave is directional and depends on spacing and enemy position; it is not a substitute for reliable area coverage when targets surround the player or move unpredictably.
Best uses
- Strength/Intelligence PvE characters that want colossal-sword stagger potential together with a gravity-based ranged option.
- Openings against large enemies, grouped foes or approaching targets where Wave of Destruction can connect without requiring immediate melee contact.
- Players who prefer a fixed, identity-defining weapon skill and are willing to build around its FP use, weight, attribute requirements and slower attack commitment.
- Encounters where alternating the gravity shockwave with charged or heavy melee attacks is safer than repeatedly forcing point-blank swings.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and build lean | Damage profile | Unique skill | Main distinction from Ruins Greatsword |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruins Greatsword | Physical and magic damage; fixed unique weapon | Wave of Destruction | Reference weapon: a fixed gravity-themed skill and a Strength/Intelligence profile, without Ash of War or affinity customization. | — |
| Starscourge Greatsword | Physical and magic damage; fixed unique weapon | Starcaller Cry | The paired swords change its attack patterns and give it a distinct dual-wielding identity, while Ruins Greatsword is used as a single colossal sword. | — |
| Royal Greatsword | Physical and magic damage; fixed unique weapon | Wolf's Assault | A closer alternative for Strength/Intelligence characters who want a large physical-and-magic sword, but its skill is a leaping attack rather than Ruins Greatsword's ranged gravity wave. | — |
| Fallingstar Beast Jaw | Physical and magic damage; fixed unique weapon | Gravity Bolt | The closest adjacent gravity-themed alternative, with a ranged skill that calls down a projectile-like strike; it is a Colossal Weapon rather than a Colossal Sword and favors a broader attribute spread. | — |
| Grafted Blade Greatsword | Physical damage; fixed unique weapon | Oath of Vengeance | A physical-damage alternative for Strength-focused builds that does not require Intelligence, but it lacks Ruins Greatsword's magic damage and gravity skill. | — |
Lore and Design
Ruins Greatsword’s item description identifies it as a greatsword forged from blue-white meteoric ore. It also associates the weapon with a lone Ruins Golem that came to the Lands Between seeking a master. This is the weapon’s clearest documented story connection; the description does not identify the Golem’s former master or establish a broader faction history for the sword.
The weapon’s unusual gravity-based skill reinforces its meteoric identity. Ruins Greatsword uses the sword to drive a gravitational wave into the ground, making gravity an explicit part of both its combat function and its visual concept. Its Intelligence requirement likewise distinguishes it from a purely conventional colossal sword, although the game does not provide a stated design explanation for that requirement.
The weapon is encountered in the orbit of Redmane Castle’s martial and military setting, but its item description does not establish that it was forged for General Radahn, the castle’s soldiers, or any named character. Those associations should therefore remain contextual rather than being presented as confirmed ownership or origin. No official development commentary or documented real-world design reference is established here.
Trivia
- The Ruins Greatsword’s item description identifies it as a greatsword fashioned from a ruin that fell from the sky, with the ruin described as a fragment of a meteorite.
- The same description associates the weapon with a lone hero who was granted a vision of the Elden Ring. It does not identify that hero by name, so the weapon’s owner should not be assigned to a specific character as established canon.