The Arcane stat in Elden Ring governs a few different mechanics, the most important of which are item discovery and how much status effect buildup weapons and spells do. Arcane affects all status buildups: Bleed, Frostbite, Scarlet Rot, Poison, and Madness. Both Bleed and Frostbite are incredibly strong in both PvE and PvP right now despite their mild nerf in patch 1.04, so using weapons that scale with Arcane is one of the most viable playstyles available.
Here are the best weapons that either require Arcane to wield or that, when infused with Arcane, deal silly amounts of damage.
Best Arcane weapons in Elden Ring
While many weapons have passive Bleed buildup as part of their intrinsic effects, there are only a few weapons that require you to have an investment in the stat to use. Of those, only two are worth using, no matter the content.
Rivers of Blood: While not the absolute best at anything, the Corpse Piler Ash of War unique to Rivers of Blood makes it usable in almost any situation. Many PvE enemies are at least vulnerable to bleed, ironically including Mohg, Lord of Blood. One or two uses of Corpse Piler suffice to bleed out 99% of bosses and mobs in Elden Ring. Bleed damage is also a flat percentage of the target’s total HP, so even un-upgraded Rivers of Blood will always do consistent damage. Check out someone beating Malenia with a DDR dance pad for a great example.
Bloody Helice: Heavy thrusting swords have one of the best movesets in the game, able to punish fleeing players in PvP and having an efficient attack recovery-to-damage in PvE. The Bloody Helice has all of that plus the Dynast’s Finesse unique Ash of War, which comes with a bevy of invincibility frames, additional Bleed buildup, and even greater damage than a charged R2, plus follow-up attacks. The main drawback is the massive Stamina cost of the second and third attacks on Dynast’s Finesse.
The Reduvia dagger is usable and doesn’t have the range or damage output compared to either of the above weapons. Morgott’s Cursed Sword is a fine choice if you want to make the stat investment, but it’s outdone by the Bloodhound Sword in almost every way. Eleonora’s Poleblade is also a fine weapon, but it’s better paired with another Bleed twinblade to occupy the same tier as Rivers or the Helice.
Best Weapons to Buff with Arcane in Elden Ring
There are several weapon classes in Elden Ring that, when dual-wielded and infused with either Bleed or Cold, go from being good to world-endingly effective.
Seppuku-buffed Dual-wielding Cross-Naginatas: Rivers of Blood is good, but it cannot compare to this weapon pairing. When buffed by the Seppuku Ash of War, one hit from the two Cross-Naginatas instantly causes bleedout. Their damage without Bleed isn’t anything to sneeze at either, but they will insta-gib 99% of builds in PvP and chunk bosses without much effort.
The Antspur Rapier and Frozen Needle: Scarlet Rot is one of Elden Ring’s terrifying new status effects, and the Antspur Rapier is one of only four weapons in the game that applies it. It’s also the fastest, though it does very little Poise/posture damage to players and bosses, respectively. Combine it with the Frozen Needle rapier to add significant Frostbite buildup, sapping enemy players Stamina regeneration and dealing a flat amount of damage to any enemy in the game. Together they do both burst and DoT damage that’s easy to apply and reapply.
Bleed and/or Cold infused Twinblades or Curved Swords: While not possessing the mind-melting effectiveness of the Cross-Naginatas, both of these combinations offer excellent chase down potential in PvP with jumping or running L1 attacks. Their status buildup is also high, so it will only take a few hits to bleed and freeze bosses.
Bleed and/or Infused Whips: Specifically, the Urumi and Hoslow’s Petal Whips can be used together or dual-wielded. You can even get two Hoslow’s Petal Whips in a single playthrough by following the Volcano Manor and Diallos’s questlines. Both types of whip come with innate Bleed buildup, and whips have a deceptive range that will catch many players off guard in PvP. They don’t have the same punch in PvE, but they are fast and do good status buildup, so don’t count them out.
The Star Fist and most Claw weapons: More fun than genuinely efficient, the Star Fist, Spiked Caestus, and most Claw weapons are effective at catching roll-spamming players in PvP and are more than fast enough to apply Bleed or Frostbite with minimal effort. If you build around either and add some Strength and Dexterity to the setup, Fist and Claw weapons can be surprisingly powerful.
