FromSoftware’s Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion does more than expand the world and deepen the lore—it reinvents the way players approach combat by introducing a robust arsenal of new weapons. This DLC breathes fresh life into the Lands Between, offering weapons that redefine playstyles, synergize with new builds, and add flair to PvE and PvP encounters alike.
In this guide, we’ll dive into the most impactful new weapon types, their signature mechanics, standout examples, and how they integrate into the power curve of both early and late-game progression in Shadow of the Erdtree.
1. New Weapon Archetypes: Shifting the Meta
The expansion introduces eight entirely new weapon types, some of which are unlike anything seen before in Elden Ring or the Soulsborne franchise. These include:
Light Greatswords: Faster than traditional greatswords with elegant combos, offering a hybrid between dexterity and strength builds.
Beast Claws: Ferocious dual-wield melee weapons that favor speed, bleed buildup, and feral jumping attacks.
Great Katanas: Massive curved blades with high poise damage and powerful Ashes of War. They’re ideal for stagger-heavy strength/dex hybrids.
Perfume Bottles: A returning concept from Elden Ring’s niche perfumer items, now expanded into a full weapon class with AOE buffs, debuffs, and damage-over-time effects.
Thrusting Shields: Defensive tools turned offensive; these let players block and jab simultaneously.
Hand-to-Hand Martial Arts: A punch/kick-based style with stances and fast chaining, drawing inspiration from Eastern martial arts traditions.
Throwing Weapons: Refillable, long-range options ideal for hit-and-run tactics.
Reaper Cannons: Rare, bulky ranged weapons with high damage and slow mobility, best used in situational PvE.
Each of these weapon types is supported by unique movesets and specialized Ashes of War, ensuring that even longtime players will find something fresh to master.
2. Legendary New Additions: Must-Have Weapons
Some weapons have already emerged as instant favorites due to their power, style, or lore significance.
Death Knight’s Twinblade
A dual-ended greatsword with innate frost and bleed buildup. Its Ash of War, Grave Spiral, spins the blade in a whirling storm of death magic. This weapon scales with strength, dexterity, and intelligence, making it a perfect choice for hybrid spellblades.
Fume Reaper
This gigantic greathammer channels rot and ash. Though slower than most weapons, its massive AOE and hyperarmor on heavy swings make it ideal for crowd control in late-game zones and against spirit enemies.
Claws of the Beastren
These bestial claw weapons reward aggression. Fast, brutal slashes can be chained with dash attacks and aerial pounces. The Feral Roar weapon skill boosts your movement and attack speed for a limited time, emulating a werewolf-like berserker mode.
Golden Fan of Messmer
This fan-shaped faith weapon releases golden fire in wide arcs. Its unique skill, Radiant Bloom, acts like a flame whip explosion, perfect for mob-clearing and zoning in PvP. It's also imbued with Messmer’s flame, dealing fire and holy damage.
3. Scaling, Infusion, and Build Synergies
The new weapons in Shadow of the Erdtree don’t just look different—they synergize with both old and new builds in exciting ways.
Beast Claws and Martial Arts favor Arcane/Dexterity builds and are deadly when combined with status effects like bleed or poison.
Perfume Bottles scale off Intelligence and Faith, allowing hybrid mages or healers to maintain offensive presence.
Thrusting Shields combine best with Strength and Endurance, rewarding tanky setups with consistent counter-pressure.
Light Greatswords can flex into either Strength or Dexterity roles, especially deadly when infused with new ashes like Flashcut or Lion Dancer.
New Scadutree Fragments—Shadow Realm’s equivalent of Sacred Tears and Golden Seeds—further amplify the effectiveness of these weapons, especially when combined with Shadow Realm-exclusive buffs or talismans like the Flickering Fang, which increases light weapon speed and stagger chance.
4. PvP and Boss Fight Impact
The introduction of new movesets and weapon speeds significantly alters the PvP landscape. Fast, hard-hitting claw users now have tools to punish slow roll-catchers, while martial arts weapons allow for true combo strings. Meanwhile, Great Katanas have emerged as a boss-killing staple, especially when upgraded with Shadow-tempered Ashes of War that increase poise damage and armor penetration.
In PvE, many new enemies in the Shadow Realm are weak to specific damage types—holy, frost, and stagger in particular—making the new weapons essential for optimizing boss fights. For example:
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion is particularly vulnerable to stagger, making the Fume Reaper or a Light Greatsword with heavy infusion extremely effective.
Messmer the Impaler punishes slow weapons with flame AOE, but martial arts-style weapons with quick evasion and combo chains allow for safer damage uptime.
5. Ashes of War: Reinventing Customization
Shadow of the Erdtree comes with over 100 new Ashes of War, many of which are exclusive to new weapon types. A few notable examples include:
Sky Fang – A martial arts skill that launches you into a diving strike followed by a roundhouse kick, great for mid-range initiation.
Bloodwail Rend – Found on a Great Katana, this executes a rising slash followed by an explosion of blood, ideal for high Arcane builds.
Tempest Bloom – An Ash of War usable on Perfume Bottles that causes enemies to stagger within a fragrant cloud, synergizing with poison or rot setups.
6. Where to Find the New Weapons
Many new weapons are tied to optional bosses, hidden areas, or NPC questlines in the Shadow Realm. Here are a few farming tips:
Beast Claws are dropped by Beastren warriors near the Ravaged Lowlands.
Perfume Bottles can be crafted after obtaining the Perfumer's Lexicon from a hidden Altar in the Ancient Metropolis.
Light Greatswords are often found in the possession of Scadutree Guardians—mini-bosses that patrol key sites of grace.
Exploring every nook of the Shadow Realm and finishing questlines tied to characters like Redmane Freya and the Dancer of Morning will often yield powerful signature weapons.
Final Thoughts
The addition of new weapons in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reshapes the experience for both new and returning players. From wild martial arts to devastating great katanas, FromSoftware delivers not just variety, but mechanical depth. Whether you prefer lightning-fast claw strikes, elegant duels with curved blades, or the explosive power of magic-infused perfume bombs, there's a weapon here that will redefine how you fight, explore, and conquer the Shadow Realm.
As the meta continues to evolve, these new tools promise to be the centerpiece of countless builds, cosplay runs, and PvP highlights for months and years to come.
