Smithscript Greathammer
Smithscript Greathammer is a colossal throwing hammer found in Taylew’s Ruined Forge. Charged strong attacks launch its immense runic head without ammunition, while ordinary upgrades and affinities let a committed build shape its melee and ranged damage.
Key Takeaways
Smithscript Greathammer combines a conventional greathammer moveset with the Smithscript weapons’ built-in throwing attacks, making it a close-range weapon with a limited ranged option.
A DLC greathammer with a throwing identity
This weapon is part of Shadow of the Erdtree and belongs to the greathammer class. Its heavy attacks can throw the weapon, extending its reach without requiring ammunition.
The throw is tied to heavy attacks
The throwing behavior is part of the weapon’s attack handling rather than a separate ranged weapon system. Players must account for the timing and commitment of heavy attacks when using it at distance.
Availability is DLC-gated
Smithscript Greathammer requires access to Shadow of the Erdtree; its acquisition route is separate from the base-game greathammer roster.
Its main advantage is flexible spacing
The weapon can pressure targets from outside ordinary greathammer range, then return to heavy close-range attacks when an opening appears.
It trades simplicity for utility
Compared with a conventional greathammer, Smithscript Greathammer offers a ranged attack option but asks the player to learn an additional attack pattern and manage its heavier attack timing.
It follows a special upgrade path
As a unique Smithscript weapon, it uses Somber Smithing Stones rather than the standard weapon reinforcement route.
Overview
Smithscript Greathammer is a Shadow of the Erdtree colossal weapon that extends heavy-hammer combat with a distinctive thrown attack. It suits players who want heavy stagger pressure without giving up a limited ranged option.
Smithscript Greathammer belongs to Elden Ring’s Smithscript weapon family, introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Its defining feature is that attacks can send the weapon outward before it returns, giving a normally close-range colossal weapon a way to pressure targets at a distance. That behaviour is central to its identity rather than a separate piece of ammunition or a temporary buff.
In ordinary melee, it occupies the slow, committed role associated with colossal weapons: attacks demand spacing and timing, but can reward deliberate openings with substantial impact. The thrown attack changes how those openings can be approached. A player can test distance, punish movement, or continue applying pressure when closing in would be unsafe, although the weapon remains a heavy melee choice rather than a replacement for a dedicated ranged weapon.
The weapon is especially distinct from conventional colossal hammers because its reach is not limited to the contact area of its normal swings. It also differs from dedicated throwing weapons because its main role remains heavy melee combat, with the returning throw integrated into its moveset. This makes it a hybrid option for characters already committed to the weight, requirements, and slower rhythm of colossal weapons.
As downloadable-content equipment, Smithscript Greathammer belongs to the later Shadow of the Erdtree progression rather than the base-game starting roster. Its appeal is therefore less about being a universal early replacement and more about adding tactical flexibility to an established heavy-weapon setup. The rest of the page should distinguish its base weapon behaviour from any reinforcement, affinity, attribute, or skill configuration applied to 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 Hammers
- Damage TypeStandard
- Primary ScalingStr C
- Weight13
- SkillSmithscript Greathammer Skill
- Str Req28
- Dex Req10
- How to ObtainFound in the Belurat area, Shadow of the Erdtree
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar great hammers
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithscript Greathammer | 28 | 10 | 13 | Str C |
| Great Mace | 24 | 8 | 13 | Str D |
| Flowerstone Gavel | 30 | 10 | 13 | Str C |
| Black Steel Greathammer | 34 | 10 | 13 | Str C |
| Envoy's Long Horn | 15 | 10 | 13 | Arc C |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree is required.
- Reach Taylew's Ruined Forge in Rauh Base; no specific quest, boss defeat, or NPC prerequisite is required.
- 01In Shadow of the Erdtree, travel to Taylew's Ruined Forge in the Rauh Base region. Enter the forge and progress through the dungeon to its later section, where the Smithscript Greathammer is placed on a corpse.
- 02Loot the corpse to receive the Smithscript Greathammer. This is a fixed pickup, not a vendor purchase, enemy drop, boss reward, or quest reward; no drop-rate farming is required.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree access
DLC-exclusive weapon; availability is tied to the expansion rather than the base-game campaign.
Not obtainable in the base-game content.
Mechanics and Handling
The Smithscript Greathammer retains the deliberate close-range rhythm of the Great Hammer class while adding a returning throwing attack. Its normal attacks are committed swings with broad contact space, so spacing and recovery matter more than rapid hit-confirming. The weapon’s distinctive option is its strong attack: the character throws the greathammer, after which it returns to the wielder rather than being permanently consumed.
Returning Throw
The strong attack gives the weapon a short-to-mid-range pressure tool without requiring separate ammunition. The throw has a visible wind-up and recovery, making it less suitable as an emergency response than a prepared spacing option. It is most useful when an enemy is outside immediate melee range, briefly disengaging, or vulnerable during an approach. Charged heavy attacks preserve the same throwing concept while increasing the commitment before release, so they should be used when the target’s movement is predictable or it is already staggered.
Great Hammer Moveset
At close range, the Smithscript Greathammer uses the weighty, high-commitment attack pattern expected of a Great Hammer. Its swings can control space in front of the character, but missed attacks leave a meaningful recovery window. The throwing heavy attack does not replace the ordinary moveset: light attacks and other standard melee options remain the practical choice when the target is already within reliable striking distance. Jumping attacks and charged melee attacks likewise preserve the class’s emphasis on committing to a hit rather than repeatedly attacking at low risk.
Endure Skill
The weapon’s skill is Endure. Activating it temporarily improves the user’s ability to withstand incoming attacks and resist interruption, allowing a deliberate swing or throw to be attempted under pressure. Endure does not turn the greathammer into a fast weapon or remove the need to manage stamina; its value is creating a short window in which the wielder can commit to the weapon’s heavy attacks.
Handling Considerations
The Smithscript Greathammer has no conventional ammunition or reload cycle: its ranged option is part of the weapon’s attack set and the weapon returns after the throw. This makes it more flexible than a conventional heavy melee weapon, but the throw still carries the weapon class’s commitment and should not be treated as a risk-free projectile. Its strongest handling pattern is to alternate between ordinary swings when close and deliberate throws when spacing makes a melee follow-up awkward.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its heavy attack throws the greathammer, giving a colossal weapon a way to pressure targets outside normal melee distance without changing weapons.
- As an infusable Smithscript weapon, it can be adapted with an Ash of War and affinity to suit different attribute distributions rather than locking the user into one scaling setup.
- The weapon retains the commitment and impact expected from the colossal-weapon class, making close-range hits useful when an opening allows a deliberate attack.
Weaknesses
- The throwing heavy attack does not remove the weapon's colossal-weapon commitment: missed throws and recovery animations can leave the wielder vulnerable.
- Its close-range attacks are slower and less flexible than those of great hammers, axes, or other faster weapon classes, making reactive play more difficult.
- Building around the weapon's throw can reduce the value of its melee moveset when enemies stay mobile, fight in confined spaces, or punish long attack recoveries.
Best uses
- Use it as a strength-oriented melee weapon with an occasional ranged heavy attack for pulling enemies, checking movement, or punishing openings that are unsafe to approach directly.
- It suits players who want colossal-weapon stagger pressure while retaining more spacing options than a conventional colossal weapon.
- Infuse it to support the character's chosen physical or elemental attribute setup, then use the throw as a tactical supplement rather than treating it as a replacement for close-range attacks.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon class and role | Distinct mechanic | Build profile | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Stars | Innate bleed buildup and health restoration on successful hits | Strength-focused, with flexible affinity options | More forgiving sustained melee damage, but lacks the Smithscript Greathammer’s thrown heavy attack |
| Great Mace | Conventional heavy-weapon moveset without a built-in ranged attack | Strength-focused and compatible with customizable affinities | Simpler and more consistent at point-blank range, but offers less spacing flexibility |
| Prelate's Inferno Crozier | Fixed skill and fire-oriented identity | Heavily favors Strength and close-range power | Stronger specialization for committed melee attacks, while the Smithscript Greathammer is more adaptable through its throwing attacks and customizable skill options |
| Giant-Crusher | Large reach and heavy stagger potential through conventional attacks | Very high Strength investment and substantial equip burden | A stronger fit for direct melee impact, whereas the Smithscript Greathammer better suits players who want a heavy weapon with a ranged option |
Lore and Design
The item description places the Smithscript Greathammer within the tradition of the ancient smiths and identifies it as a weapon wielded by the smithing monks of the Rauh Ruins. It describes smithscript as a technique for imbuing weapons with magic, tying the hammer to the distinctive smithing culture encountered in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. This establishes a direct association with the Rauh Ruins and its smithing monks, rather than merely suggesting one from the weapon’s appearance or mechanics.
Trivia
- “Smithscript” identifies a family of weapons tied to an ancient smithing tradition described in Shadow of the Erdtree’s item lore, rather than a personal name or faction rank.
- The Smithscript Greathammer is unusual among Elden Ring greathammers because its heavy attack can throw the weapon. This is a weapon-family feature, not an ammunition system, and helps explain why the weapon’s name emphasizes smithing technique rather than a named wielder.