Elden Ring allows for a variety of playstyles, but what weapons should you use if you favor brute force? Here are the best early-game Strength weapons for those who want to hit the hardest.
If your playstyle involves big swings and heavy hits, you’ll need a strong arsenal to see you through FromSoftware’s latest ‘souls-like’ installment.
Levelling up your Strength (STR) stat effects your character in several ways.
First and foremost, heavy weapons require a certain Strength stat simply to be wielded at all. This stat also influences how effective Strength-scaling weapons will be.
The Strength level also affects your basic physical defense. This is essentially how strong your character is at withstanding physical attacks.
Check out our in-depth guide to Strength and all other Elden Ring attributes here! With your Tarnished adequately leveled in the Strength department, let’s dive into the best STR weapons that Elden Ring has to offer!
What Does Strength Do in Elden Ring?
Strength is one of the governing Attributes for your character in Elden Ring. It directly affects physical defense and is required to wield heavy weapons and shields.
Additionally, it boosts the attack power of weapons that benefit from strength scaling.
Good Strength Weapon Options in Elden Ring
Strength-focused Tarnished? Here are the armaments you should seek out across the Lands Between.
Greataxe
The Greataxe falls into the category of – yes, you guessed it… greataxes. Its simplistic moniker should leave no doubt that this weapon is nothing fancy, at least aesthetically.
About as basic as you can get, the Greataxe can deal crippling damage, but be warned – this weapon requires a lofty 30 Strength to wield. The Dexterity requirement of 8 is much more reasonable, however.
Plus, Strength scaling will improve its worth as you level up!
It may not deal any additional damage types, but when it hits this hard, it doesn’t need to. The Greataxe can be looted from the back of the moving wagon in Limgrave, east of the lake. Just be sure to deal with the guards first!
Brick Hammer
Another extremely heavy weapon, now: the Brick Hammer. This one looks even more primitive than the Axe, literally comprised of a huge brick on a pole.
And whilst its damage statistic may be slightly lower than the Greataxe, its Strength scaling is superior. Therefore, as you get stronger… so does the Brick Hammer.
Obtaining the Brick Hammer requires you to get the Rusty Key from Stormveil Castle and unlock the respective door, then climb the ladder to the Wine Cellar’s top floor.
From here, jump to the platform running along the castle’s exterior wall and slay the two guards. Continue back inside and you’ll find the hammer on a lootable corpse.
A word of warning, Tarnished… This area can only be accessed once Margit, the Fell Omen is defeated. He’s tough, so here’s our guide on how to take him down!
Axe of Godrick
Speaking of tough bosses, here’s a reward for killing another. The Axe of Godrick is a fierce Greataxe wielded by Godrick the Grafted during your epic battle at the end of Stormveil Castle.
This one requires 34 STR and 22 DEX to wield, so it’s maybe suited to those exclusively angling towards melee attacks. It also features a unique weapon skill, named ‘I Command Thee, Kneel’ after Godrick’s order pitifully ignored by the Tarnished.
Our guide for defeating Godrick will help you obtain the Remembrance of the Grafted item, which you’ll need to trade with Enia at the newly-unlocked room within the Roundtable Hold. She will reward you with Godrick’s Axe.
Claiming the Axe of Godrick is a little more complicated, but it’s worth the hassle for heavy-hitting Strength builds.
Morning Star
Tired of having to slaughter insanely difficult bosses to get your hands on a good Strength weapon? Then go for the Morning Star instead. It’s not as big or impressive as the Hammer or Axes above, but it’s deadly in its own right.
Achievable requirements of 12 STR & 8 DEX mean the Morning Star is accessible to you early on in Elden Ring. In fact, the weapon is obtainable right from the start!
You’ll need to head south of Limgrave Lake and across the bridge into the Weeping Pennisula. Watch out for the Ballista, then rest at the Site of Grace once you’re across.
Continue down the path and you’ll see a wagon, minus a wheel. In the trunk, you’ll find the Morning Star. Several enemies are nearby, including dogs and a huge troll. But, many of them seem to be sleeping and won’t react.
What the Morning Star lacks in size and damage, it makes up for with its Passive Effect. The spikes attached to the metal ball cause blood loss for your foes, so make the most of this against creatures with high HP!
Now that you’re equipped for battle, it’s time to track down some Great Runes! Here’s every Great Rune you’ll find throughout the Lands Between and how you can use them all to become the Elden Lord!
Or, if you need runes to meet the Strength requirements above, here’s the best rune farming method Elden Ring has to offer!
Perhaps you just want a place to rest after a hard day of slaying? Here are all of Elden Ring’s Sites of Grace, with a handy map!