Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - All Claws, Ranked

As a seasoned adventurer with countless hours spent traversing the treacherous landscapes of Elden Ring, I can confidently say that the Venomous Fang is a weapon that truly stands out. With its unique ability to apply both hemorrhages and deadly poison, it’s like having two lethal weapons in one!

In Elden Ring, claws are among the game’s swiftest offensive tools. Despite having lower damage scores than other weapons, their speed makes them a formidable choice, often proving to be more effective than one might initially assume due to their rapid attack pace and being paired weapons.

These creatures are ideal for inflicting status effects on both bosses and regular opponents due to their swift attack pace and paired design. At present, there are five claws available in the game: , , , , and . Each of these weapons is a good option in its own right, but some offer greater overall potential.

5 Hookclaws

The Arms of Justice

In the game, Hookclaws are among the initial weapons players will stumble upon. These weapons can be discovered on a body at the starting level of the Stormveil Castle’s wine cellar. They prove useful during the early stages of gameplay due to their low status requirement and high base bleed build-up from the outset.

Among all the claws used in this game, Hookclaws boast the greatest range. They can be enhanced with various Ashes of War, making them quite adaptable. They deal the most damage when infused with Flame, Sacred, and Magic, although they build up a significant 105 units of Frost damage on a Cold-affinity build.

Stat Requirements
STR			8
DEX			14

Stat Scaling
Base		Upgraded
STR	E	STR	D
DEX	C	DEX	B

4 Claws of Night

Smithscript Claws

In the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC expansion, a fresh type of claw weapons called Claws of Night were added. Players can acquire these claws by vanquishing the NPC Invader, Swordhand of Night Anna, within the Finger Ruins beneath the Cathedraof Many Metyr after advancing Ymir’s quest. What sets these weapons apart is their trio of ranged abilities: a weapon skill, a guard counter, and a heavy attack.

The good thing is that the heavy attack works as a throwing attack even from horseback. The bad thing is that the throwing attack doesn’t deal a lot of damage. The deals good damage against large enemies and crowds, but it’s not good against small targets. The Bleed build up isn’t the best on this weapon either, but it has both Physical and Magic damage, even though it only scales with DEX.

Stat Requirements
STR			8
DEX			20

Stat Scaling
Base		Upgraded
DEX	C	DEX	B

3 Raptor Talons

Jump and Slash

As a gamer, I find the Raptor Talons among the most captivating claws within the game’s arsenal, catering to an intriguing build all its own. In the main adventure, you can acquire these formidable weapons from the Sage Cave nestled on Altus Plateau. The Talons predominantly scale with DEX, with a secondary emphasis on STR, and they boast a potent (60) bleed effect.

What sets this weapon apart is its ability to inflict 10% more damage during jump attacks. Moreover, it boasts a distinctive R2 action that propels the player forward for an attack, followed by a leap backward upon the second input. Its distinct moveset adds enjoyment to gameplay, and the boost to jumping attack power makes it an excellent choice for a jumping attack build when combined with the Claw Talisman and Raptor’s Black Feathers.

Stat Requirements
STR			6
DEX			14

Stat Scaling
Base		Upgraded
STR	E	STR	E
DEX	C	DEX	B

2 Bloodhound Claws

Ignore Shields, Smash Skulls

As a seasoned gamer exploring Volcano Manor, I stumbled upon some top-tier weapons hidden deep within – the Bloodhound Claws. These bad boys are dropped by a Lesser Bloodhound Knight lurking in the manor’s basement. What sets these claws apart is their exceptional scaling with Strength (STR), making them a formidable choice for any STR-heavy builds.

Moreover, Bloodhound Claws’ attacks can bypass shields to some degree, providing the Tarnished with an advantage when facing guarded adversaries. Furthermore, it grants a brief dodge opportunity, making the player momentarily invisible and able to traverse distances without fear of harm. This is a beneficial maneuver for navigating lava, and can also assist in sneakily backstabbing tenacious foes with relative ease.

Stat Requirements
STR			10
DEX			15

Stat Scaling
Base		Upgraded
STR	D	STR	C
DEX	D	DEX	D

1 Venomous Fang

Poisonous Bleed

The Venomous Fang is a powerful poison-applying weapon that players can get from an Abandoned Cave in Caelid. It scales equally with STR and DEX, and has minimal stat requirements, making it suitable for anyone, regardless of their build. This is one of the few weapons in the game that applies Deadly Poison, a modified version of the Poison status effect that does more damage, but for a lesser amount of time. This makes it perfect for the .

Initially, poison wasn’t as potent as bleed in terms of inflicting damage, due to its lower immediate output. But with the introduction of an Ash of War capable of exploding on poisoned enemies, it has significantly boosted its power in PvE combat.

The Fang of Venom boasts the smallest claws among all, yet it possesses an extraordinary ability to accumulate poison, making it ideal for a dual infusion that combines bleed and buildup in one stat. This feature will cause players to experience hemorrhages frequently after each attack, and also expose them to deadly poison. This poison can be triggered using the Poison Flower Blooms Twice Ash of War, enhancing its damage potential significantly with appropriate talismans.

Stat Requirements
STR			9
DEX			9

Stat Scaling
Base		Upgraded
STR	D	STR	D
DEX	D	DEX	C

2024-08-18 11:04

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – All Claws, Ranked