Choosing the right armament matters more in a Faith build than in almost any other setup, because your weapon and your sacred seal work together to determine both melee damage and incantation scaling. The elden ring best faith weapons list shifts dramatically in the Tarnished Edition, where new additions and balance changes have reshaped the meta. Whether you are planning a pure caster, a paladin-style hybrid, or a Strength/Faith powerhouse, the weapon you pick dictates your entire playstyle.
The official Bandai Namco page for the ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition highlights several standout options, including the Blasphemous Blade, the Sacred Relic Sword, and the Winged Scythe. These weapons define what a Faith build can achieve, but they are far from the only viable choices. This guide breaks down the top contenders, explains how sacred seals interact with your weapon choice, and provides a practical ranking system so you can make an informed decision before spending precious Somber Smithing Stones.
The Core Criteria for Ranking Faith Weapons
Evaluating the elden ring best faith weapons requires more than just looking at raw damage numbers, because a weapon that excels in one scenario might underperform in another. The Tarnished Edition introduces new mechanics and weapons that change how Faith builds operate, especially when you factor in the Tarnished Pack additions. To build a reliable tier list, we need to examine several key attributes that determine real-world effectiveness.
The first and most obvious factor is Faith scaling grade, which determines how much damage you gain from your Faith stat. Weapons with S-tier scaling will outperform those with C-tier scaling once you reach 60-80 Faith, so this stat matters enormously for dedicated casters. The second factor is weapon skill utility, because a powerful Ash of War can compensate for mediocre base damage. The Blasphemous Blade's Taker's Flames, for example, heals you while dealing fire damage, making it one of the best PvE tools in the game.
The third factor is damage type distribution, since some enemies resist holy damage while others are vulnerable to it. The Coded Sword deals pure holy damage, which shreds undead enemies but struggles against bosses with high holy resistance. Finally, we must consider stat requirements and weight, because a weapon that demands 40 Strength alongside 40 Faith might not fit every build. Below is a breakdown of the core attributes we use for ranking:
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Faith scaling grade (S through D) determines damage scaling efficiency
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Weapon skill utility measures how useful the Ash of War is in combat
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Damage type coverage evaluates physical, fire, holy, and lightning options
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Stat investment requirements determine build flexibility
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Weight and equipment load impact affects your roll speed and stamina management
These criteria form the foundation of our ranking system, and each weapon in the list below is evaluated against all five. The elden ring best faith weapons are not just the ones with the highest numbers; they are the ones that provide the most value across different combat scenarios and build types.
Top-Tier Faith Weapons in the Tarnished Edition
The Tarnished Edition has refined the Faith weapon pool, and several weapons stand head and shoulders above the rest. These are the weapons that experienced players gravitate toward because they offer exceptional damage, utility, or both. According to community reports and the official Bandai Namco page, the Blasphemous Blade, Sacred Relic Sword, and Winged Scythe represent the pinnacle of Faith weapon design.
Blasphemous Blade: The PvE King
The Blasphemous Blade remains the gold standard for Faith weapons because its Taker's Flames skill deals massive fire damage while healing you for a percentage of the damage dealt. This weapon requires 22 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 21 Faith, making it accessible for most hybrid builds. The weapon scales primarily with Strength and Faith, reaching B-tier scaling in both stats at maximum upgrade level. Players report that the healing effect can sustain you through entire boss fights without needing to chug flasks, which is why it dominates the elden ring best faith weapons rankings.
The weapon's fire damage type also gives it excellent coverage, since many late-game bosses are weak to fire. The Blasphemous Blade's skill has a surprisingly long range, allowing you to hit enemies from a safe distance while recovering health. This combination of offense and sustain makes it the top recommendation for players who want a reliable PvE weapon that can carry them through the entire game.
Sacred Relic Sword: The Wave of Gold Machine
The Sacred Relic Sword trades the healing utility of the Blasphemous Blade for raw holy damage and one of the best farming tools in the game. Its Wave of Gold skill sends a massive golden wave across the ground, instantly killing most regular enemies and dealing respectable damage to bosses. This weapon requires 14 Strength, 24 Dexterity, and 22 Faith, making it more Dexterity-focused than the Blasphemous Blade. The weapon scales with Dexterity and Faith, reaching B-tier in both stats at maximum upgrade.
Wave of Gold is not just a farming tool; it is also an excellent crowd-control option in boss fights with multiple enemies. The skill's range is enormous, covering a wide area in front of you, and it can be chained together for sustained pressure. The Sacred Relic Sword is the best choice for players who want to farm runes efficiently while maintaining a strong combat presence, and it earns its place among the elden ring best faith weapons through sheer versatility.
Winged Scythe: The Anti-Revival Specialist
The Winged Scythe offers a unique niche among Faith weapons because its Angel's Wings skill prevents enemies from reviving for a short period. This is particularly useful against undead enemies and certain bosses that have revival mechanics. The weapon requires 16 Strength, 16 Dexterity, and 24 Faith, with B-tier Faith scaling at maximum upgrade. While its base damage is lower than the Blasphemous Blade, the anti-revival effect provides tactical value that no other weapon can match.
The Winged Scythe also deals holy damage, which is effective against most undead and spectral enemies. Its moveset is a standard reaper moveset, offering good reach and sweeping attacks that are excellent for crowd control. Players who enjoy a more methodical playstyle will appreciate the Winged Scythe's utility, even if it does not hit as hard as the top-tier options.
Coded Sword: The Pure Holy Option
The Coded Sword is a unique weapon that deals pure holy damage with no physical component, making it completely immune to physical damage reduction. This weapon requires 20 Dexterity and 20 Faith, with S-tier Faith scaling at maximum upgrade. Its Unblockable Blade skill ignores shields entirely, making it devastating in PvP and against shield-wielding enemies. The Coded Sword's damage output is exceptional against enemies weak to holy, but it struggles against bosses with high holy resistance.
The weapon's lightweight design (2.5 units) makes it an excellent off-hand option for casters who want a reliable melee backup. Its pure holy damage also means it bypasses physical damage reduction entirely, which is a significant advantage against heavily armored enemies. The Coded Sword is a situational but powerful choice that earns its place in the elden ring best faith weapons conversation.
Comparing Faith Weapons Across Key Attributes
To help you make an informed decision, the table below compares the top Faith weapons across several key attributes. This comparison uses data from community testing and the official wiki, and it reflects the current state of the Tarnished Edition as of August 2026.
| Weapon | Stat Requirements | Faith Scaling | Damage Type | Weapon Skill | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blasphemous Blade | 22 Str, 15 Dex, 21 Fai | B (Str/Fai) | Physical + Fire | Taker's Flames (heal) | PvE sustain |
| Sacred Relic Sword | 14 Str, 24 Dex, 22 Fai | B (Dex/Fai) | Physical + Holy | Wave of Gold (AoE) | Farming + crowd control |
| Winged Scythe | 16 Str, 16 Dex, 24 Fai | B (Fai) | Physical + Holy | Angel's Wings (anti-revival) | Undead enemies |
| Coded Sword | 20 Dex, 20 Fai | S (Fai) | Pure Holy | Unblockable Blade | PvP + shield breakers |
| Golden Order Greatsword | 16 Str, 21 Dex, 21 Fai | B (Str/Dex/Fai) | Physical + Holy | Establish Order (AoE) | Hybrid builds |
This table highlights the trade-offs between each weapon. The Blasphemous Blade offers the best sustain, the Sacred Relic Sword provides unmatched farming efficiency, and the Coded Sword delivers the highest pure Faith scaling. Your choice ultimately depends on your playstyle and the content you plan to tackle.
How These Weapons Compare to Intelligence and Arcane Options
While this guide focuses on the elden ring best faith weapons, it is worth comparing them to the elden ring best intelligence weapons and the elden ring best arcane weapons to understand where Faith sits in the overall meta. Intelligence weapons like the Moonveil Katana and the Dark Moon Greatsword offer exceptional magic damage and weapon skills that scale with Intelligence. Arcane weapons, on the other hand, excel at status effect buildup, particularly bleed and poison.
Faith weapons generally offer the most utility in terms of healing and defensive buffs, while Intelligence weapons provide raw damage output and crowd control. Arcane weapons are the best choice for status effect builds, especially the elden ring best bleed weapons that dominate PvP. Faith builds are more versatile because they can heal, buff, and deal damage simultaneously, but they require more stat investment to reach their full potential.
The table below provides a quick comparison across the three stat categories:
| Stat Focus | Best Weapon Type | Key Advantage | Key Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faith | Blasphemous Blade, Sacred Relic Sword | Healing + utility | Split stat investment |
| Intelligence | Moonveil, Dark Moon Greatsword | High magic damage | Limited utility |
| Arcane | Rivers of Blood, Eleonora's Poleblade | Status effect buildup | Weak against immune enemies |
This comparison shows that Faith weapons occupy a unique niche in the meta, offering a balance of damage, utility, and survivability that neither Intelligence nor Arcane weapons can match. If you are considering a hybrid build, the faith build guide covers stat allocation strategies that work well with these weapons.
Sacred Seals and Incantation Scaling
Your weapon choice is only half of the equation; the sacred seal you equip determines your incantation scaling, which directly affects the damage of your offensive incantations and the potency of your buffs. The Erdtree Seal provides the highest incantation scaling at high Faith levels, making it the default choice for pure Faith builds. However, other seals offer unique bonuses that can be more valuable depending on your setup.
The Golden Order Seal is the best choice for hybrid builds that invest in both Faith and Intelligence, because it scales with both stats and provides a 1.15x multiplier to Golden Order incantations. The Finger Seal is the starting seal for the Prophet class and offers decent scaling for early-game builds, but it falls off compared to the Erdtree Seal at higher Faith levels. The Gravel Stone Seal boosts Dragon Cult incantations, making it the best choice for lightning-focused builds.
| Seal | Faith Requirement | Scaling Stats | Bonus Effect | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erdtree Seal | 40 Fai | S (Fai) | None | Pure Faith builds |
| Golden Order Seal | 17 Fai, 17 Int | B (Fai/Int) | 1.15x Golden Order incantations | Hybrid Fai/Int builds |
| Gravel Stone Seal | 18 Fai | B (Fai) | 1.15x Dragon Cult incantations | Lightning builds |
| Godslayer Seal | 27 Fai | B (Fai) | 1.15x Godslayer incantations | Black Flame builds |
| Finger Seal | 10 Fai | C (Fai) | None | Early game |
The seal you choose should complement your weapon and your incantation loadout. If you are using the Blasphemous Blade, the Erdtree Seal is the obvious choice because it maximizes your incantation damage with minimal stat investment. If you are running a hybrid build with the Golden Order Greatsword, the Golden Order Seal provides a significant damage boost to your Golden Order incantations.
Matching Seals to Weapon Skills
The interaction between your seal and weapon skill is often overlooked, but it can significantly impact your overall damage output. Some weapon skills scale with your incantation scaling, meaning that a higher-scaling seal will boost your weapon skill damage as well. This is particularly relevant for weapons like the Blasphemous Blade, where Taker's Flames damage is influenced by your Faith stat and incantation scaling.
Players report that pairing the Blasphemous Blade with the Erdtree Seal at 80 Faith results in Taker's Flames dealing over 2,000 damage per hit against most enemies. The same weapon with the Finger Seal at 40 Faith deals significantly less damage, demonstrating the importance of seal choice. When building your loadout, always consider how your seal affects both your incantations and your weapon skill.
Tarnished Pack Weapons and New Additions
The Tarnished Edition introduces new weapons that expand the Faith build options, and the elden ring tarnished pack weapons include some interesting additions. The Heavy Knight weapon is a notable new option that offers a unique blend of Strength and Faith scaling, making it an excellent choice for paladin-style builds. This weapon is part of the new Heavy Knight class, which is covered in detail in the Heavy Knight class guide.
The Heavy Knight weapon features a moveset that combines sweeping slashes with powerful thrust attacks, providing good crowd control and single-target damage. Its weapon skill, Sacred Vow, temporarily boosts your attack power and damage negation, making it an excellent tool for boss fights. The weapon requires 24 Strength and 18 Faith, with B-tier scaling in both stats at maximum upgrade.
| Tarnished Pack Weapon | Stat Requirements | Scaling | Weapon Skill | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Knight Greatsword | 24 Str, 18 Fai | B (Str/Fai) | Sacred Vow (buff) | Paladin builds |
| Idus Knight Halberd | 20 Str, 16 Dex, 16 Fai | C (Str/Fai) | Holy Ground (AoE) | Hybrid melee/caster |
| Tarnished Knight Sword | 14 Str, 18 Dex, 20 Fai | B (Dex/Fai) | Sacred Blade (holy buff) | Dexterity/Faith builds |
These new weapons provide additional options for players who want to explore the Tarnished Edition content. The Heavy Knight Greatsword is particularly strong for players who want a more defensive playstyle, while the Idus Knight Halberd offers a unique moveset that combines reach with holy damage. For more details on the Tarnished Pack weapon locations, check the Tarnished Pack armor and weapon locations guide.
Practical Build Recommendations and Upgrade Priorities
Now that we have covered the top weapons and seals, it is time to discuss practical build recommendations and upgrade priorities. The elden ring best faith weapons are only as good as the build that supports them, so you need to allocate your stats wisely and prioritize your upgrade materials.
Pure Faith Caster Build
For players who want to focus entirely on incantations, the pure Faith caster build is the most straightforward option. This build prioritizes Faith up to 80, with enough Mind to sustain your FP pool and enough Vigor to survive boss hits. The Blasphemous Blade serves as your melee backup, while the Erdtree Seal maximizes your incantation damage. Your primary incantations should include Lightning Spear for ranged damage, Black Flame for sustained DPS, and Golden Vow for a damage buff.
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Vigor: 40-50 for survivability
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Mind: 30-35 for FP sustainability
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Endurance: 20-25 for equipment load
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Faith: 60-80 for maximum damage
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Strength/Dexterity: minimum requirements for your weapon
This build excels in PvE content, where the combination of healing incantations and high damage output makes you nearly unkillable. The Blasphemous Blade's Taker's Flames provides additional sustain, allowing you to conserve FP for offensive incantations.
Strength/Faith Paladin Build
The Strength/Faith paladin build is the best choice for players who want a more melee-focused approach. This build invests heavily in Strength and Faith, allowing you to wield the Heavy Knight Greatsword or the Blasphemous Blade effectively. Your incantations focus on buffs and defensive utility, including Golden Vow, Blessing of the Erdtree, and Lord's Divine Fortification.
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Vigor: 50-60 for maximum survivability
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Mind: 20-25 for buff upkeep
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Endurance: 30-35 for heavy armor
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Strength: 40-50 for weapon damage
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Faith: 40-50 for incantation scaling
This build is exceptionally tanky, allowing you to trade blows with bosses while your healing incantations keep you alive. The Heavy Knight Greatsword's Sacred Vow skill provides a significant damage boost, making it an excellent choice for boss fights. Players who prefer a more aggressive playstyle should consider the Dexterity build guide for alternative options.
Upgrade Priority and Resource Management
Upgrading your weapon and seal requires Somber Smithing Stones and regular Smithing Stones, respectively. The Blasphemous Blade, Sacred Relic Sword, and other unique weapons require Somber Smithing Stones, which are rarer and more limited than regular Smithing Stones. Your seal, on the other hand, uses regular Smithing Stones, which are more abundant.
| Upgrade Material | Weapon Type | Availability | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somber Smithing Stones | Unique weapons (Blasphemous Blade, etc.) | Limited per playthrough | High priority for main weapon |
| Smithing Stones | Regular weapons and seals | Abundant | Medium priority for seal |
| Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones | Max upgrade for unique weapons | Very limited | Save for your best weapon |
Community reports suggest that you should prioritize upgrading your main weapon to +9 or +10 before investing in your seal, because weapon damage scales more significantly with upgrade level than incantation scaling. However, once your weapon is maxed out, upgrading your seal to +25 provides a significant boost to your incantation damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best faith weapon in ELDEN RING Tarnished Edition?
The Blasphemous Blade is widely considered the best faith weapon because its Taker's Flames skill deals massive fire damage while healing you. It requires 22 Strength, 15 Dexterity, and 21 Faith, making it accessible for most builds. The weapon's B-tier Faith scaling ensures strong damage at high Faith levels.
How do sacred seals affect my faith weapon damage?
Sacred seals determine your incantation scaling, which affects both your offensive incantations and some weapon skills. The Erdtree Seal provides the highest incantation scaling at high Faith, while the Golden Order Seal is better for hybrid builds. Pairing the right seal with your weapon can significantly boost your overall damage output.
Are faith weapons viable for PvP in the Tarnished Edition?
Yes, faith weapons are viable in PvP, especially the Coded Sword with its Unblockable Blade skill that ignores shields. The Blasphemous Blade's healing effect also provides a significant advantage in prolonged duels. However, you need to manage your FP carefully, since weapon skills consume FP that could be used for incantations.
What are the best faith weapons for early game?
The Winged Scythe is an excellent early-game faith weapon because it can be obtained relatively early and offers B-tier Faith scaling. The Coded Sword is another strong option, though it requires more Dexterity investment. Both weapons can carry you through the mid-game until you obtain the Blasphemous Blade or Sacred Relic Sword.
Should I invest in Strength or Dexterity for a faith build?
It depends on your weapon choice. The Blasphemous Blade scales primarily with Strength and Faith, so prioritize Strength. Conversely, the Sacred Relic Sword and Winged Scythe scale with Dexterity and Faith, making Dexterity the better investment. Choose your weapon first, then allocate stats accordingly to maximize damage output.