Best Colossal Weapon in Elden Ring
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Elden Ring
Best Colossal Weapon in Elden Ring
Tips for Using Colossal Weapons
Colossal weapons are one of the strongest archetypes in Elden Ring for both PvE and PvP because of their stagger potential and hyper armor on charged attacks. The Greatsword is the safest starting point — it’s available as early as the first hour of the game if you ride into Caelid immediately, and it carries a Strength build comfortably to the final boss. Switch to the Giant-Crusher only once you hit 60 Strength late in the game for a noticeable damage increase.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
Top Colossal Weapons Ranked
The Giant-Crusher is the best colossal weapon for pure Strength builds — it has the highest base damage of any colossal weapon in the game. For a more versatile option, the Greatsword (the Berserk sword) is easier to obtain early and pairs well with the Strength build throughout the entire game.
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Giant-Crusher — best overall. Found in a chest on a carriage in Altus Plateau near the Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace. Requires 60 Strength, so it’s a late-game weapon — but at max upgrade it hits harder than anything else in the colossal category. Pair it with the Endure Ash of War for devastating poise trades.
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Greatsword — best early option. Found in a chest inside a carriage in Caelid, near the Rotview Balcony Site of Grace. Requires only 31 Strength and 12 Dexterity — accessible very early. It has excellent base damage and can be infused with any Ash of War, making it one of the most flexible colossal weapons in the game.
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Starscourge Greatsword — best for dual wielding. Obtained by trading the Remembrance of the Starscourge after defeating Radahn. You can obtain two by duplicating the remembrance at a Mausoleum. Dual wielding them creates a gravity slam AoE that staggers most enemies and bosses instantly.
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Maliketh’s Black Blade — best for Faith builds. Obtained from Maliketh’s Remembrance. It scales with Strength and Faith and comes with the Black Blade Ash of War — a projectile that reduces enemy max HP by 10% for several seconds, invaluable against endgame bosses like the Elden Beast.
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Two-hand your weapon: two-handing a colossal weapon multiplies your Strength by 1.5 for scaling purposes — meaning a 40 Strength character effectively has 60 for damage calculation. Always two-hand unless you specifically need a shield.
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Stack poise to trade hits: colossal weapons deal hyper-armor frames on charged attacks. Equip heavy armor like the Bull-Goat set to maximize poise and tank through enemy swings while charging your R2 — this is the core playstyle for these weapons.
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Use Heavy infusion: apply the Heavy Ash of War to any standard colossal weapon via a whetstone knife to switch its scaling to primarily Strength. This is essential for pure Strength builds to maximize damage output.
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Charged R2 staggers bosses: most bosses in the game can be stance-broken with two charged heavy attacks in a row from a colossal weapon. A staggered boss opens a critical hit window — this is the most reliable way to deal massive burst damage in boss fights.
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Upgrade to +25 as priority: colossal weapons gain massive damage from upgrades. Reach +25 (or +10 for somber weapons) before worrying about your stat investment — a +25 Greatsword with 40 Strength outperforms a +15 Giant-Crusher with 60 Strength at most points in the game.
What is the highest damage colossal weapon in Elden Ring?
The Giant-Crusher has the highest base physical damage of any colossal weapon at max upgrade. It requires 60 Strength to wield one-handed, but with two-handing you only need 40 Strength to meet the requirement.
Where do I find the Greatsword early in Elden Ring?
The Greatsword is inside a chest on a large carriage in northern Caelid, near the Rotview Balcony Site of Grace. You can grab it very early by riding Torrent directly from Limgrave into Caelid and sprinting past the enemies to the carriage.
Can you use colossal weapons without 60 Strength?
Most colossal weapons have lower requirements than the Giant-Crusher. The Greatsword only needs 31 Strength, and two-handing reduces the effective requirement further. Build to 40–50 Strength and two-hand for strong results without needing to hit 60.
Are colossal weapons good in Elden Ring PvP?
Yes — colossal weapons are strong in PvP because their charged R2 attacks deal high poise damage and can stagger players who don’t roll in time. The wide swings also make them difficult to dodge at close range. The main weakness is their slow swing speed, so spacing and timing are critical.