Elden Ring, the latest masterpiece from FromSoftware, introduces players to an expansive open world with countless paths to explore. With over 300 weapons to choose from, selecting the best options for the new DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, can be overwhelming. To help navigate this vast arsenal, we've crafted a comprehensive guide focusing on the Top Best Secondary Weapons: Staffs, Seals, and Ranged Weapons for Elden Ring 2024 DLC Shadow of the Erdtree.
These are typically wielded in the left hand while your primary weapon is in the right, making them essential tools for diverse combat strategies in Elden Ring's latest DLC adventure.
Best Staffs For Elden Ring DLC
Lusat’s Glintstone Staff
Alright gamers, let's dive right in and start with an obvious pick: Lusat's Staff. You can snag this powerful weapon easily. Just head to Celia Town of Sorcery and defeat the Nox Swordstress and Nox Priest duo boss. Loot the chest they were guarding, and bam, you've got yourself Lusat's Staff.
On paper, it might not seem like much but don't be fooled. This is the most powerful staff in the game for one major reason: it boosts your FP consumption by 50%, but in return, it deals a ton of damage. If you want to maximize your damage output with your INT build, this staff is your go-to. However, keep in mind that you'll need a high FP build to make the most of it.
If you're okay with sacrificing a bit of damage to avoid burning through your FP too quickly, then the other three staves on this list might be a better fit for you.
Meteorite Staff
Next up in our best staff for Elden Ring DLC, let's flip the script and talk about the Meteorite Staff. This is hands down the easiest weapon to get in the game. You can grab it right from the start without killing a single enemy. Just head to the southwestern building in the Street of Sages Ruins, located in the Aeonian Swamp in Caelid. You'll find the staff on a corpse hanging over a ledge.
What makes the Meteorite Staff so powerful is that it starts with an S scaling in INT and high sorcery scaling, even though it can't be upgraded. This makes it the best staff for low levels of INT and base upgrade levels. It's perfect for hybrid builds that want to dabble in INT without investing too many points. You only need 18 INT to wield it, and that's enough to cast some pretty strong sorceries.
Additionally, this staff boosts the power of gravity sorceries by 30%. So, if you grab the Rock Sling spell in the same area, you'll be able to melt early-game bosses with ease.
However, the final two staves I'm going to talk about are more focused on dedicated spellcasting builds and will be significantly more powerful at higher levels.
Demihuman Queen Staff
Let's talk about the Demihuman Queen Staff. It's almost as easy to get as the Meteorite Staff. You just need to defeat the Demihuman Queen in the Weeping Peninsula, and it's yours.
This staff is the best all-rounder for low INT builds at a high upgrade level. Early on, the Meteorite Staff will outshine it. But once you hit around 30 INT and upgrade the Demihuman Queen Staff to +10, it becomes significantly more powerful than the Meteorite Staff.
It's perfect for hybrid builds where you’re willing to invest a bit more into INT, but still want to focus on strength or dexterity. This way, you get the best of both worlds without sacrificing too much in either area.
Prince of Death Staff
Finally, let's talk about the ultimate powerhouse: the Prince of Death's Staff. This can be the most powerful staff in the game, but it’s geared towards pure spellcasters or those with a very high character level. It scales with both INT and FAITH and if you get both stats up to 80, it will outshine every other staff by a mile.
In addition to its amazing scaling, this staff boosts the damage of Death Sorceries by 10%. There aren’t many Death Sorceries at the moment (only four), but hopefully, we'll see more in future DLC. One spell, in particular, Tibia's Summons, is often overlooked but can be extremely powerful if you heavily spec into an INT/FAITH build.
If you want to be a true wizard, mastering all schools of magic with maxed-out stats, this is the staff to grab. However, it’s more challenging to obtain than the other three. You can find it in the Deeproot Depths, near the Nameless Eternal City, Site of Grace.
So, if you're aiming for the absolute pinnacle of magical power, the Prince of Death's Staff is your ultimate goal.
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Best Seals for Elden Ring DLC
Erdtree Seal
Coming to the best seals part in our Best Secondary Weapons for Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree guide, we are going to talk about the Erdtree Seal. If you're after the most powerful seal that scales solely with FAITH, this is the right pick for you. You can find this gem on a corpse in a cell near the Omen Killer enemy in Volcano Manor, specifically in the town just below the Prison Town Church, Site of Grace.
This seal is perfect for hybrid builds because it only requires you to boost your FAITH stat for maximum efficiency. It's a favorite for meta strength/FAITH builds. However, keep in mind it requires 40 FAITH, so it’s not an early-game seal you can rush to get since you probably won’t have the stats to use it right away.
While it doesn’t offer any particular boosts, at high levels of FAITH, the Erdtree Seal is incredibly powerful on its own. If you’re committed to building up your FAITH, this seal will serve you well.
Golden Order Seal and Dragon Communion Seal
We’ve got a pair of seals that are neck-and-neck in terms of raw damage output: the Golden Order Seal and the Dragon Communion Seal. Both are the most powerful seals in the game, with their incantation scaling being within 1% of each other, and they outshine any other seal at high stat levels.
First, let’s talk about the Golden Order Seal. This one is fantastic if you're using the Prince of Death's Staff and going for an INT/FAITH build since it scales with both INT and FAITH. With 80 INT and 80 FAITH, you can wield the most powerful staff and seal simultaneously, turning you into a magic powerhouse. Additionally, the Golden Order Seal boosts the damage of Golden Order incantations by 10%. Some of these, like the Triple Rings of Light, are already devastating, making this seal perfect for a pure spellcaster build.
On the other hand, we have the Dragon Communion Seal. This seal boosts the power of Dragon Communion incantations by 15%, making it incredibly potent. However, it scales with both FAITH and ARCANE, which is a more niche stat alignment and can be harder to fit into many builds.
Of the two, I personally prefer the Golden Order Seal due to its more straightforward stat requirements and synergy with INT/FAITH builds. But if you’re rocking a FAITH/ARCANE build, the Dragon Communion Seal is definitely the way to go.
Frenzied Flame Seal
Finally, let's talk about the Frenzied Flame Seal in our guide to Best Secondary Weapons for Elden Ring 2024 DLC. This seal boosts the damage of all Frenzied Flame incantations by 20% and scales with FAITH, INT, STR, and DEX. This means you can use it efficiently with almost any build. Plus, it has zero stat requirements, so any character, regardless of level, can use it.
Another great feature of the Frenzied Flame Seal is that it causes slight madness buildup, adding an extra layer of utility. This seal is absolutely top-tier and a must-have, even if you’re not planning on using it immediately because it can fit into any build in some way.
However, getting your hands on it is a bit more challenging than the other weapons we've listed. You need to complete Hyetta's questline, which involves giving up all the Shabriri Grapes and the Fingerprint Grape and making the tough journey down to the Three Fingers.
But trust me, the reward is well worth the effort. The Frenzied Flame Seal's versatility and power make it an excellent addition to any character’s arsenal.
Best Ranged Weapons For Elden Ring DLC
Pulley Crossbow
Now, let’s dive into our first ranged weapon: the Pulley Crossbow. I, like many others, initially overlooked this weapon. But what drew me back to give it a try was its unique feature of shooting three bolts at once. This makes it fantastic for applying status effects, but it turns out it's useful for much more.
The Pulley Crossbow has no weapon scaling, meaning its power comes entirely from the bolts and its upgrade level. As long as you meet the minimum stat requirements of 16 strength (or 12 if you two-hand it) and 16 DEX, you’re good to go. This allows the Pulley Crossbow to fit seamlessly into any build without losing out on damage.
For example, using explosive bolts combined with physics and talismans that boost fire damage, you can deal hundreds of damage per volley with no extra investment besides leveling up the weapon. This makes it incredibly effective against enemies that can’t block all your attacks, and the AOE from explosive bolts is great for taking out large groups.
While it does consume ammo quickly due to using three bolts per shot, the raw damage output and quick status effect application make the Pulley Crossbow a powerful, underrated weapon. It can easily slot into any build, offering enhanced ranged capabilities and allowing you to exploit enemy weaknesses from a safe distance.
You can grab the Pulley Crossbow next to the Site of Grace at the Craftsman's Shack.
Black Bow
Up next in our list of best-ranged weapons for Elden Ring DLC, we have the Black Bow. At first glance, its damage output seems low compared to other longbows, but that’s not why it made the list. The real draw is that it inherently has the Barrage skill, a feature typically reserved for short bows. Barrage allows for rapid status effect application, and having this on a longbow means you can do it from a greater distance and with more power.
The Black Bow also shares certain moves from the short bow move set, allowing for quick follow-up shots after jumping, rolling, or sprinting. Essentially, it combines the best aspects of both bow types. While it does have a slightly lower damage output than other longbows, its unique perks more than make up for it. When fully upgraded, it remains reasonably powerful.
You can find the Black Bow on a rooftop in the Leyndell Royal Capital. However, it's worth noting that, so far, ranged options in Elden Ring are generally less impressive compared to spells or melee weapons. Hopefully, future DLC will introduce more powerful ranged weapons.
Lion’s Great Bow
The final ranged weapon we’ll discuss in our list of best-ranged weapons for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is the Lion’s Great Bow. On paper, it may seem to have lower damage compared to other great bows, but it gets a significant 20% damage boost when using Radahn’s Arrows. What truly sets it apart is its unique skill, an enhanced version of Reign of Arrows. This skill is incredibly effective against large targets, ensuring most arrows hit their mark.
When you combine Radahn’s Great Bow with Radahn’s Arrows against large foes, it can deal immense damage from a safe distance, thanks to Radahn’s reputation as a formidable figure. Surprisingly, it has relatively low stat requirements, making it accessible for many builds. While acquiring a second copy typically requires a second playthrough due to the limitations of Remembrance duplication, wielding two Radahn’s Great Bows—especially with the dual two-handing trick—can further boost damage output by 40% (or possibly more, depending on the mechanics).
In essence, Radahn’s Great Bow is a powerhouse against large enemies, offering exceptional damage potential when used strategically with its unique arrows.
This completes our guide to the Best Secondary Weapons for Elden Ring DLC 2024 Shadow of the Erdtree. The list is divided into best staffs, seals, and ranged weapons that you would definitely want to take into the new DLC as your secondary weapon.