Tarnished Forge

Weapons / Spears

Elden Ring Spears

Compare every Spear, find locations, discover spear-and-shield builds, and track your collection. 19 Spears total — 16 base-game and 3 from Shadow of the Erdtree.

Spears Index

19

All Spears

16

Base Game

3

DLC

Base Game16
Shadow of the Erdtree3
Direct locations8
Route guides11

All Elden Ring Spears

All Elden Ring Spears

Loading Spears…

Ranked by use case

Best Spears in Elden Ring

Ranked by use case, not by raw base damage. Cross-Naginata, Pike, and Bolt of Gransax sit near the front because they cover bleed, reach, and a unique skill — not because they automatically win every AR test. Affinity, upgrade level, and attributes still decide Attack Rating.

Best For · Bleed / Dexterity

Cross-Naginata

Smithing Spear with innate blood loss, DEX-leaning C scaling, and Impaling Thrust. Found on a body in Gael Tunnel (Caelid). Affinity freedom matters more here than unupgraded physical.

Pick for Dexterity or bleed-oriented Spear kits that still want Ash of War swaps. Skip if you need a lighter early Limgrave poke.

Compare with: Bloodfiend's Fork for a DLC Strength/Arcane bleed fork; Spiked Spear for a marionette-farm bleed alternative.

Requirements
STR 16 · DEX 20
Weight
8
Skill
Impaling Thrust
Upgrade
Smithing

Best For · Maximum Reach

Pike

Stormveil Castle Smithing Spear built around reach and Charge Forth. STR 20 / DEX 14. The long moveset is the reason to equip it — base damage on this page is not a reach ranking.

Pick when spacing and spear-and-shield pokes matter more than a unique Somber skill. Skip if you want innate status or a lighter DEX spear.

Compare with: Partisan for a similar shield-poke plan with a lower STR gate and multi-region farming.

Requirements
STR 20 · DEX 14
Weight
7.5
Skill
Charge Forth
Upgrade
Smithing

Best For · Long-range Weapon Skill

Bolt of Gransax

Somber Spear with physical + lightning damage and Ancient Lightning Spear. DEX 40 is the real gate. This skill is a Weapon Skill, not the Lightning Spear Incantation.

Pick when you can reach Leyndell and want a skill-led lightning Spear. Skip as an early weapon, and do not wait until after Maliketh — the pickup is missable this NG cycle.

Compare with: Death Ritual Spear if you want an Intelligence skill spear instead of lightning.

Requirements
STR 20 · DEX 40
Weight
8.5
Skill
Ancient Lightning Spear
Upgrade
Somber

Best For · Intelligence / Magic

Clayman's Harpoon

Smithing Spear with physical + magic damage and INT 12. Dropped by Claymen in Siofra River and Ainsel River. Affinity crafting stays open — base magic is a starting point, not final AR.

Pick for Intelligence spear kits that still want Smithing affinities. Skip pure Strength shield-poke runs that will not invest in INT.

Compare with: Death Ritual Spear for a Somber INT skill kit; Crystal Spear for a Sellia Hideaway Somber magic poke.

Requirements
STR 12 · DEX 10 · INT 12
Weight
5.5
Skill
Impaling Thrust
Upgrade
Smithing

Best For · Dexterity / Fast Attacks

Swift Spear

Shadow of the Erdtree Smithing Spear: 3 weight, DEX 26, Impaling Thrust, and a fast consecutive-thrust moveset. Looted on the Castle Front road, not a base-game drop.

Pick once you are in the Realm of Shadow and want a light Dexterity Spear. Skip if you are still finishing Limgrave or need innate bleed.

Compare with: Cross-Naginata for base-game Dexterity/bleed before the DLC.

Requirements
STR 10 · DEX 26
Weight
3
Skill
Impaling Thrust
Upgrade
Smithing

Best For · Intelligence Skill

Death Ritual Spear

Somber Spear with physical + magic damage and Spearcall Ritual. INT 18 / DEX 20. Guaranteed from a Death Rite Bird in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

Pick for an Intelligence skill spear after you can reach the Mountaintops. Skip as a Limgrave opener or if you need free affinity swaps.

Compare with: Clayman's Harpoon for a Smithing INT spear you can farm earlier underground.

Requirements
STR 14 · DEX 20 · INT 18
Weight
6.5
Skill
Spearcall Ritual
Upgrade
Somber

Best For · Early Game

Short Spear

Prophet starting Spear, also sold at Roundtable Hold. STR 10 / DEX 10, Smithing path, Impaling Thrust. The low gates matter more than the unupgraded physical column.

Pick as a first spear-and-shield poke. Replace later once Pike, Cross-Naginata, or a Somber unique matches the build.

Compare with: Spear (the named weapon) if you would rather farm soldier drops than buy the Short Spear.

Requirements
STR 10 · DEX 10
Weight
4
Skill
Impaling Thrust
Upgrade
Smithing

Best For · Scarlet Rot

Rotten Crystal Spear

Somber Spear with physical + magic damage and innate scarlet rot buildup (55). Dropped in Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree. Charge Forth is the default skill.

Pick when scarlet rot on a Spear moveset is the plan. Skip if you need an early or affinity-flexible main.

Compare with: Crystal Spear for a Caelid Somber magic spear without rot.

Requirements
STR 10 · DEX 16 · INT 16
Weight
5.5
Skill
Charge Forth
Upgrade
Somber

Acquisition routes

Elden Ring Spear Locations

Full table for all 19 Spears. Methods separate chest loot, enemy drops, boss drops, starting gear and purchases. Fixed loot links open its location; shops and enemy drops use route guides instead.

8 Spears link directly to their pickup location, including DLC locations in the Realm of Shadow. 11 more use a nearby grace, shop, or farm as a starting point.

Each map link states whether it opens a direct location or a route guide.

SpearMethodLocation / how to getMap
Bloodfiend's Fork

Shadow of the Erdtree · Popular route

Enemy Drop

Bloodfiend enemies — Gravesite Plain / Rauh Base (DLC)

Random drop from Bloodfiends who actually wield the fork — not a guaranteed chest. The map landmark is Rivermouth Cave as a farm approach, not a corpse coordinate.

Other locations (4)
  • Prospect Town
  • Rivermouth Cave
  • Stone Coffin Fissure
  • Rauh Base
Bolt of Gransax

Base Game · Missable · Popular route

Chest / Loot

Leyndell, Royal Capital — climb the giant spear west of the Erdtree Sanctuary

Missable this NG cycle after Maliketh. Once Leyndell becomes the Ashen Capital, the original lodged-spear pickup is gone. Ancient Lightning Spear is a Weapon Skill, not the Lightning Spear Incantation.

Celebrant's Rib-Rake

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Dominula, Windmill Village dancers — northern Altus Plateau

Farm Celebrants / Dominula dancers who wield the rake. Source location text records a very low drop — treat it as a farm, not a chest. The map landmark is Windmill Village, not a pickup pin.

Clayman's Harpoon

Base Game · Popular route

Enemy Drop

Claymen — Siofra River / Ainsel River

Enemy drop from Claymen in the underground rivers. The map landmark is Siofra River Bank as a farm approach — there is no single exact chest pin.

Other locations (2)
  • Siofra River
  • Ainsel River
Cleanrot Spear

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Spear-wielding Cleanrot Knights — Swamp of Aeonia and later

Only Cleanrot Knights that actually carry a spear can drop it. Early farm is the swamp south of Heart of Aeonia. The map landmark is that grace, not a chest.

Other locations (4)
  • Swamp of Aeonia — near Heart of Aeonia / Commander O'Neil
  • War-Dead Catacombs
  • The Shaded Castle
  • Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree
Cross-Naginata

Base Game · Popular route

Chest / Loot

Gael Tunnel — body in the mine (Caelid)

Fixed body loot inside Gael Tunnel, on the Limgrave / Caelid border mine — not a Magma Wyrm reward (that boss drops Moonveil).

Crystal Spear

Base Game

Chest / Loot

Sellia Hideaway — chest behind an illusory wall (Caelid)

Fixed chest in Sellia Hideaway after the illusory wall, not an enemy farm.

Death Ritual Spear

Base Game · Popular route

Boss Drop

Mountaintops of the Giants — Death Rite Bird

Guaranteed from a Death Rite Bird in the Mountaintops of the Giants. Night spawn — not a chest in Castle Sol.

Inquisitor's Girandole

Base Game

Boss Drop

Subterranean Inquisition Chamber — Abductor Virgin duo (Volcano Manor)

Guaranteed from the Abductor Virgin duo at the end of the Subterranean Inquisition Chamber. An early path is letting a waterwheel Abductor Virgin grab you at Raya Lucaria. The map pin is the Manor chamber, not a Limgrave chest.

Other locations (2)
  • Raya Lucaria waterwheel — Abductor Virgin grab (early teleport in)
  • Temple of Eiglay drop route into the same chamber
Iron Spear

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Fallen Hawk Soldiers — Nokron, Eternal City

Random drop from spear-wielding Fallen Hawk Soldiers. The usual farm is the plaza by the Nokron, Eternal City grace. The map landmark is that grace — not a weapon chest.

Other locations (2)
  • Nokron, Eternal City plaza
  • Siofra Aqueduct
Partisan

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Godrick Knight — Gatefront Ruins, then later knight types

Not sold by a merchant. Early farm is the Godrick Knight east of the Gatefront grace. Later Cuckoo / Redmane / Leyndell knights who wield a Partisan can also drop it. The map landmark is Gatefront, not a chest.

Other locations (6)
  • Gatefront Ruins (Limgrave)
  • Liurnia of the Lakes
  • Caelid
  • Mt. Gelmir
  • Leyndell, Royal Capital
  • Deeproot Depths
Pike

Base Game · Popular route

Chest / Loot

Stormveil Castle — Limgrave

Fixed Stormveil Castle loot. Reach pick for spear-and-shield spacing — the map pin is the pickup, not a soldier farm.

Rotten Crystal Spear

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Putrid Crystalians — Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree

Late Haligtree enemy drop, not the Crystal Spear chest in Sellia Hideaway and not the Rotten Crystal Sword chest. The map landmark is Elphael Inner Wall as a farm approach.

Short Spear

Base Game · Popular route

Starting Equipment

Prophet starting gear, or Roundtable Hold purchase

Non-Prophet characters can buy it from Twin Maiden Husks. Roundtable Hold is a shop desk, not a corpse pickup. The map landmark is the Twin Maiden Husks NPC.

Other locations (2)
  • Prophet class starting equipment
  • Roundtable Hold — Twin Maiden Husks
Smithscript Spear

Shadow of the Erdtree · Popular route

Chest / Loot

Ruined Forge of Starfall Past — body on the main floor (DLC)

Shadow of the Erdtree loot. Some Ashes of War that work on ordinary Spears do not apply here — do not assume full Ash compatibility.

Spear

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Soldier drops — Stormveil Castle and later regions

The weapon named Spear is this class's generic soldier drop. Winged Spear was the Closed Network Test name for the same arm — it is not a second collectible. The map landmark is Stormveil Main Gate as a farm approach.

Other locations (6)
  • Stormveil Castle (Limgrave)
  • Murkwater Cave (Limgrave)
  • Liurnia of the Lakes
  • Mt. Gelmir
  • Volcano Manor (Mt. Gelmir)
  • The Shaded Castle
Spiked Spear

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Spear-wielding Marionette Soldiers — Raya Lucaria

Farm marionettes that actually wield the spear (Church of the Cuckoo graveyard is the usual academy farm). Innate blood loss. The map landmark is that grace, not a chest.

Swift Spear

Shadow of the Erdtree · Popular route

Chest / Loot

Castle Front road — corpse guarded by Messmer Soldiers (DLC)

Shadow of the Erdtree only. Southeast of the Castle Front site of grace, on a corpse guarded by three Messmer Soldiers.

Torchpole

Base Game

Enemy Drop

Exile Soldiers — Stormveil Castle

Dropped by Exile Soldiers in Stormveil who wield the torchpole (physical + fire). Not a unique boss reward and not the Pike pickup. The map landmark is Rampart Tower as a farm approach.

Comparison fields

Elden Ring Spear Stats and Scaling

Actual Attack Rating depends on character attributes, upgrade level and affinity. Base damage and scaling grades alone do not determine the strongest Spear. This class currently splits into 13 Smithing Spears (affinity freedom to +25) and 6 Somber Spears (unique kits to +10).

Versus Great Spears, Spears usually cost less equip-load budget and recover faster between thrusts — that is why Pike-style kits stay useful even when a Great Spear lists higher unupgraded physical.

Base damage is not AR

Physical, magic, fire, lightning and holy columns are unupgraded bases. Do not simply add damage types together or rank Spears by those numbers alone.

Smithing vs Somber

Smithing Spears (13) can take Heavy, Keen, Quality, Magic and other affinities. Somber Spears (6) keep a fixed kit — Bolt of Gransax and Death Ritual Spear live here.

Scaling grades

S through E show which attributes the weapon rewards as you upgrade. A C in Dexterity is a tendency, not a fixed damage bonus on the character sheet.

Requirements and weight

STR/DEX/INT/FAI/ARC gates decide whether the moveset works at full power. Bolt of Gransax's DEX 40 is a real gate. Weight still counts toward light/medium/heavy rolls when you add a shield.

Skills and passives

Ash of War / unique skills often decide Pike vs Cross-Naginata vs a Somber unique. Innate blood loss and scarlet rot are listed beside damage so they are not buried. Skill lightning is not innate status.

When to open the calculator

When two Spears need the same level, attributes and upgrade path, use Calculate AR with the weapon pre-selected — for example Cross-Naginata AR.

SpearFocusUpgradeAR
Clayman's HarpoonPhysical + Magic

Smithing affinities

SmithingCalculate AR
Bolt of GransaxPhysical + Lightning

DEX 40 · Somber

SomberCalculate AR
Cross-NaginataPhysical · Blood Loss

Smithing

SmithingCalculate AR
Rotten Crystal SpearPhysical + Magic · Scarlet Rot

Somber

SomberCalculate AR
Bloodfiend's ForkSTR / ARC · Blood Loss

Smithing · DLC

SmithingCalculate AR
Swift SpearLow weight · DEX

Smithing · DLC

SmithingCalculate AR

Playstyles

Best Spear Builds in Elden Ring

Spear and Shield sits first because compatible Spears can thrust while blocking. These cards are starting kits, not a single best build.

Block + poke

Spear and Shield

Keep a shield up and use thrusting attacks. Pike is the reach pick from Stormveil; Partisan is the multi-region farm with a milder STR 15 gate. Endurance pays for both the shield and a medium roll.

Recommended Spear
Pike / Partisan
Primary Stats
STR · DEX · END
Suggested Affinity
Standard, Heavy, or Quality on Smithing Spears — keep a medium shield you can actually raise.
Talisman
Spear Talisman boosts qualifying Pierce Counter Hits. It is not a blanket Spear damage talisman, and it is not automatic Guard Counter damage.
Shield Compatibility
Compatible Spears can poke while blocking. Heavy Greatshields can push you into Heavy Load — check Equip Load before locking the kit.

Keen / tempo

Dexterity Spear

Dexterity Spears trade some two-hand Strength for faster pokes and spacing. Cross-Naginata adds bleed in the base game; Swift Spear is the DLC light, consecutive-thrust option.

Recommended Spear
Cross-Naginata / Swift Spear
Primary Stats
DEX
Suggested Affinity
Keen on Smithing Spears (Cross-Naginata, Swift Spear). Somber uniques keep a fixed kit.
Talisman
Spear Talisman still only helps qualifying pierce counters — not every thrust.
Shield Compatibility
Works with a light or medium shield if you stay at medium load. Swift Spear's 3 weight leaves more budget for armor than Pike.

Magic damage

Intelligence Spear

Clayman's Harpoon is the flexible Intelligence Spear: innate magic, Smithing affinities, Claymen drops in Siofra and Ainsel. Pair it with enough STR/DEX to meet the 12/10 gates.

Recommended Spear
Clayman's Harpoon
Primary Stats
INT · enough STR/DEX to wield
Suggested Affinity
Magic or Cold on Clayman's Harpoon (Smithing). Death Ritual Spear is Somber and stays unique.
Talisman
Spellblade-style kits still want real AR checks — scaling grades on this page are tendencies only.
Shield Compatibility
A small or medium shield is enough for the poke. Do not assume every Intelligence Spear wants a Greatshield.

Blood Loss

Bleed Spear

Cross-Naginata is the base-game bleed Spear with affinity freedom. Bloodfiend's Fork is the DLC STR/ARC fork with blood loss (30) as a Bloodfiend drop — not a guaranteed chest.

Recommended Spear
Cross-Naginata / Bloodfiend's Fork
Primary Stats
DEX or ARC, depending on the Spear
Suggested Affinity
Blood or Occult on Smithing bleed Spears. Bloodfiend's Fork already leans STR/ARC.
Talisman
Status kits live on buildup plus hits — Spear Talisman still only covers pierce counters.
Shield Compatibility
One-hand with a medium shield if you want the block-poke. Dual status plans need Equip Load checked separately.

Ancient Lightning Spear

Lightning Spear Weapon Build

Bolt of Gransax is a Weapon Skill lightning Spear, not a Faith incantation setup. DEX 40 is the gate. Grab it in Leyndell before Maliketh or you miss it this playthrough.

Recommended Spear
Bolt of Gransax
Primary Stats
High DEX, enough STR 20
Suggested Affinity
None — Bolt of Gransax is Somber. Do not confuse the skill with Lightning Spear (Incantation).
Talisman
Skill-oriented talismans (Shard of Alexander) support Ancient Lightning Spear. Spear Talisman is still only pierce counters.
Shield Compatibility
You can still one-hand it, but the kit is the skill more than a shield poke. Weight 8.5 plus a Greatshield needs an Equip Load check.

Spear and Shield Builds

Compatible Spears can attack while blocking. Pike and Partisan are the straightforward pairing. A very heavy Greatshield can still dump you into Heavy Load — use the Equip Load Calculator.

Spear Talisman boosts qualifying Pierce Counter Hits. It does not raise all Spear damage, and it does not automatically buff every Guard Counter.

Smithscript Spear has extra Ash of War limits. Do not assume every Ash that works on Pike or Cross-Naginata also works there. Browse shields from the Shields hub.

Spears vs Great Spears

Great Spears are a different weapon class, so they are not included in the list above. Browse the Weapons hub to compare Great Spears.

SpearsGreat Spears
19 listed here (16 base + 3 DLC)10 in the Weapons hub
Usually lighter, more flexible thrustingUsually heavier, different recovery and moveset
Pike, Cross-NaginataLance, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear
This pageBrowse the Weapons hub for Great Spears

Collection tracker

Elden Ring Spear Checklist

Mark Spears as collected in the list above. Your progress is saved in this browser and shared with the Weapons hub and 100% Checklist. Older Winged Spear checkmarks count as Spear.

Are Spears Good in Elden Ring?

Yes, when you want reach, thrusting, and the option to poke behind a shield. They are not automatically the highest AR class. Pick Pike or Partisan for spacing, Cross-Naginata or Bloodfiend's Fork for bleed, Clayman's Harpoon or Death Ritual Spear for Intelligence, and Bolt of Gransax when you specifically want Ancient Lightning Spear as a Weapon Skill. Compare real AR in the calculator instead of ranking unupgraded physical.

Spear FAQ

How many Spears are in Elden Ring?+

There are 19 Spears listed here: 16 base-game weapons and 3 from Shadow of the Erdtree (Bloodfiend's Fork, Smithscript Spear, Swift Spear). That count covers the Spears weapon class only — Great Spears such as Lance and Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear are excluded. Winged Spear was the name used for Spear in the Closed Network Test, not a separate weapon.

What are the best Spears in Elden Ring?+

It depends on the build. Common use-case picks are Cross-Naginata (bleed/Dexterity), Pike (reach and shield pokes), Bolt of Gransax (Ancient Lightning Spear skill), Clayman's Harpoon (Intelligence/magic), Swift Spear (DLC Dexterity), Death Ritual Spear (Spearcall Ritual), Short Spear (early), and Rotten Crystal Spear (scarlet rot). Base damage on this page is not a final DPS ranking.

Where can I find all Spears?+

Use the Spear Locations table on this page. Early options include Short Spear (Prophet start or Roundtable Hold) and Pike in Stormveil Castle. Cross-Naginata is a body in Gael Tunnel. Bolt of Gransax is in Leyndell and is missable after Maliketh. DLC adds Swift Spear, Smithscript Spear, and Bloodfiend's Fork.

Which Spear has the longest reach?+

Pike is the usual reach answer in the Spears class — that is why it sits in Best Spears for spacing, not because its unupgraded physical is highest. Great Spears are a different class with their own movesets and are not mixed into this list.

What is the best Spear for Bleed?+

Cross-Naginata is the usual base-game bleed Spear (innate blood loss, Smithing affinities). Bloodfiend's Fork is the DLC Strength/Arcane fork with blood loss (30). Spiked Spear is a marionette-farm alternative.

Can you attack with a Spear while blocking?+

Yes, compatible Spears can poke while a shield is raised — that is the spear-and-shield plan behind Pike and Partisan. Heavy Greatshields can still push you into Heavy Load; check the Equip Load Calculator. Spear Talisman only boosts qualifying Pierce Counter Hits, not every thrust and not every Guard Counter.

Are Spears and Great Spears the same?+

No. They are separate weapon classes. This page lists Spears only (Pike, Cross-Naginata, Bolt of Gransax, and so on). Lance, Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear, and other Great Spears can be found in the Weapons hub.

Can I track the Spears I've collected?+

Yes. Use Collect on each row in the list above. Your progress is saved in this browser and shared with the Weapons hub and 100% Checklist. Older Winged Spear checkmarks count toward Spear. Track all 19 Spears here.