eXputer
Weaponminor

Spread Crossbow

Spread Crossbow is a Shadow of the Erdtree crossbow found at Fog Rift Fort. It releases a horizontal spread of bolts, giving it close-range multi-projectile pressure at the cost of accuracy, reload safety, and rapid ammunition consumption.

Importance
minor
SC
Elden Ring · weapon
01

Key Takeaways

01

Three-bolt spread

Spread Crossbow fires a three-bolt volley rather than a single straight projectile, giving it a distinct close-range area attack.

02

DLC weapon

It is a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon, so obtaining it requires access to the expansion’s content.

03

Bolt economy

Its volley uses multiple bolts per shot, making ammunition management more important than with an ordinary single-bolt crossbow.

04

Strength and limitation

The spread can help against nearby or clustered targets, but the wider pattern makes precise attacks at longer distances less reliable.

05

Standard reinforcement

Spread Crossbow follows the regular Smithing Stone reinforcement path rather than a Somber Smithing Stone path.

06

Compared with ordinary crossbows

Its defining trade-off is simultaneous multi-projectile coverage instead of the tighter single-projectile pattern of standard crossbows.

02

Overview

Spread Crossbow is an Elden Ring crossbow built around a wide, close-range bolt spread rather than precision fire.

As a standard ranged weapon in the base game, it offers a distinct alternative to conventional crossbows. Its defining attack releases multiple bolts in a fan-shaped pattern, making it more forgiving against nearby targets but less dependable when enemies are farther away.

The spread gives the weapon a short-range utility role. A shot can connect with more than one part of a large enemy, or compensate for imperfect aim against a close target, but the pattern also makes consistent single-target damage harder at distance.

Spread Crossbow uses ordinary bolts and is separate from Elden Ring’s ballista-class weapons. It is therefore best understood as a situational sidearm rather than a replacement for a precision crossbow or a long-range heavy projectile weapon.

Its placement in the Mountaintops of the Giants makes it a later-acquired option, while its fixed crossbow behavior keeps the weapon’s identity focused on ammunition choice, positioning, and managing the cost of firing several bolts together.

03

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.

  • Category
    Crossbows
  • Damage Type
    Pierce
  • Primary Scaling
    Dex D
  • Weight
    6.5
  • Str Req
    10
  • Dex Req
    10
  • How to Obtain
    Found in Mt. Gelmir / Volcano Manor area

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

04

Compared to similar crossbows

WeaponStr ReqDex ReqWeightPrimary Scaling
Spread Crossbow10106.5Dex D
Arbalest1187No scaling
Crossbow985.5No scaling
Soldier's Crossbow985.5No scaling
Pulley Crossbow8155Dex D

Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

05

How to Obtain

  1. 01Travel to Redmane Castle in southern Caelid and search the castle’s interior for the chest containing the Spread Crossbow. The weapon is obtained directly from this chest; it is not a vendor purchase, enemy drop, quest reward, or boss reward, and the chest provides a guaranteed acquisition in the base game.
06

Availability

Base gameunavailable

Spread Crossbow is not part of the base-game weapon pool.

Shadow of the Erdtreeavailable

Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion

This weapon is DLC-exclusive; availability is otherwise tied to the expansion's standard progression rather than a separate mode or vendor rotation.

07

Mechanics and Handling

The Spread Crossbow replaces the normal single-bolt shot with a simultaneous spread of three bolts. It does not use a charge or draw mechanic: press the attack input to fire, then allow the weapon to reload before firing again. Because one attack consumes multiple bolts, its ammunition demand is higher than that of an ordinary crossbow.

Spread pattern and shot timing

The three projectiles separate as they travel, making the weapon most useful at close to moderate range, where more of the spread can connect with the same target. The pattern also makes individual-bolt precision less reliable at longer distances. Its attack is not a piercing beam or a sustained volley; each trigger press produces one discrete spread, followed by the crossbow's normal reload cycle.

Bolts and weapon skill

Each projectile uses the currently equipped bolt type, so special bolts can give the spread utility beyond ordinary physical damage. Their consumption should be considered when using status- or element-focused ammunition, since a single attack spends three bolts. The Spread Crossbow's skill is Kick, a short-range physical attack that can interrupt nearby enemies and create space, but it does not extend the crossbow's projectile range or alter the three-bolt firing pattern.

08

Upgrades and Variants

09

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

  • Its spread fires multiple bolts in one attack, allowing several projectiles to connect against broad or nearby targets.
  • The projectile pattern can cover a short horizontal area, making it more forgiving when a target moves laterally at close range.

Weaknesses

  • The spread reduces precision and makes the weapon less reliable against small, distant, or partially exposed targets.
  • Like other crossbows, its firing cycle includes a reload, limiting follow-up pressure if the first volley misses.
  • Its projectiles are harder to concentrate on a single small weak point than those of a more precise crossbow.

Best uses

  • Close-range PvE against large enemies or targets whose bodies can intercept several bolts.
  • Punishing brief openings when the target is close enough for much of the spread to connect.
  • Situations where short-range area coverage matters more than precise ranged damage.
10

Compared With Similar Weapons

WeaponProjectile behaviorSkill / roleCompared with Spread Crossbow
Spread CrossbowKick; short-range multi-projectile pressureFires three bolts at once, making it suited to close targets or large hitboxes—
Pulley CrossbowKick; sustained crossbow fireMore suited to repeated shots than a simultaneous spread—
Repeating CrossbowRepeating Fire; aggressive sustained pressureProvides faster repeated fire, while Spread Crossbow concentrates its output into one volley—
ArbalestKick; heavier single-projectile damage profileOffers a simpler single-target option without Spread Crossbow's multi-bolt pattern—
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