Foul tarnished in Elden Ring who leveled up Dex and told everyone about it must now face the consequences of their actions. It's a little too late for Dex builds to realize that Bleed weapons thrive off Arcane and not Dexterity. But it's not the end of the world. Because those who commit to leveling up Dex can still find solace in Keen weapons.
These weapons or weapon prefixes are specifically made for those who prefer to be more nimble than stronger. As a result, the best Keen weapons in Elden Ring are usually the light, thin, and fast ones. Sadly, they don't scale with their favored stat as well as Strength or Heavy weapons do. But these Keen weapons that scale mostly off Dexterity might just prove otherwise.
8 Hand Of Malenia
- Weapon class: Katana
- Weight: 7.0
- Max scaling: B
- Max damage: 286
For a weapon that's only obtainable so late in the game, the Hand of Malenia can be disappointing. It's not as game-changing as Rivers of Blood or as versatile as earlier katanas. Still, it can be a good weapon for those who love to blitz down small bosses and trigger Bleed with just one usage of weapon skill.
It also has one of the longest ranges among the katanas in the game, so it's a safe weapon for many Dex builds. The weapon can prove to be more than a novelty in the right hands, but don't expect it to perform well against its own boss.
7 Morgott's Cursed Sword
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- Weapon class: Curved Greatsword
- Weight: 7.5
- Max scaling: B
- Max damage: 294
Defeating Morgott yields quite a price as Morgott's Cursed Sword is essentially his oversized CS:GO knife. It's not just for show or a trophy, however. Morgott's Cursed Sword is a live and functioning one thanks to the balance changes in the game. It's very much a viable Dex-Bleed hybrid weapon, but it mostly scales off Dexterity with a B-rating.
It does have D in Arcane and Strength, but leveling those up might result in lower damage compared to just going all in on Dex and putting the spare points to Arcane for a faster Bleed buildup. The weapon skill here is its most valuable asset as it deals both Fire and Bleed damage.
6 Rogier's Rapier
- Weapon class: Thrusting Sword
- Weight: 3.5
- Max scaling: A
- Max damage: 195
Rogier's parting gift to the players is a good one. He gives his rapier to the players with a +8 upgrade, signifying just how much of a bro and a benevolent soul he is in Elden Ring. Dex builds or even magic builds will also do well not to ignore this weapon.
It's a fast weapon that takes full advantage of its range since it's a Thrusting Sword. Moreover, it's completely customizable and can be infused with greases or spells that cause Bleed or Frostbite buildup. Paired with the fast attacks, this weapon makes for a decent Keen stabber.
5 Hook Claws
- Weapon class: Claws
- Weight: 2.0
- Max scaling: A
- Max damage: 187
It's a Keen weapon with a little Bleed, but the sad truth is, this thing would have fared better in an Arcane Bleed build. Still, the Hook Claws are viable for pure Dex builds. Hook Claws have enough Bleed buildup to allow players to forego the Blood prefix.
It actually scales well with Dexterity (A-rating). As always with Claw weapons in Elden Ring or other Souls games, this one has problems with range, but it makes up for it with rapid attacks and a negligible weight. Plus, it also looks great on edgelord cosplayers.
4 Dragon King's Cragblade
- Weapon class: Heavy Thrusting Sword
- Weight: 8.0
- Max scaling: B
- Max damage: 225+144
Dragon King's Cragblade is the "cooler" Bolt of Gransax for Dex builds because it has a lower requirement and has better Dexterity scaling. Whereas Bolt of Gransax is somewhat a Quality weapon, Dragon King's Cragblade goes all in for Dex, making it Keen by definition.
In any case, this Heavy Thrusting Sword has one of the most amazing weapon skills in the game. It turns players into a storm cloud and lands them down in a lightning strike that deals area damage. That alone makes it one of the most impressive dragon slayer weapons in the game.
3 Scythe
- Weapon class: Reaper
- Weight: 7.5
- Max scaling: A
- Max damage: 264
It's just Scythe, nothing else. This Reaper weapon might have been given a plain name and appearance, but it's no pushover. It's one of the most stylish Bleed weapons in the game that isn't a katana. The Scythe also has a deceptively long range coupled with relatively fast attacks.
The Bleed buildup is 55, which is decent and allows players to focus on Dex by turning the weapon Keen. Paired with fast or spinning weapon skills that hit multiple times, this might just be one of the most reliable scythes in the game for Dex-Bleed hybrids.
2 Godskin Peeler
- Weapon class: Twinblade
- Weight: 8.0
- Max scaling: A
- Max damage: 255
Players can forget about any other Twinblade in the game once they've obtained the Godskin Peeler; it's quite hard to match in many aspects. For starters, it has one of the best Twinblade weapon skills in Elden Ring, called Black Flame Tornado.
It's a reliable killing machine even against fast bosses like Malenia. Two of these Twinblades also make for an awesome and highly-efficient Bleed build; but if players really want to go full Keen, then this weapon is still a solid choice. Bloodflame infusions are a thing, after all.
1 Nagakiba
- Weapon class: Katana
- Weight: 7.0
- Max scaling: A
- Max damage: 242
The Uchigatana is effortlessly one of the best weapons in the game. Its only problem is the short range. Nagakiba addresses that problem, making it an undeniable upgrade over its shorter brother. It also comes with an innate Bleed buildup and is more suited for Dex than the default Quality scaling of Uchigatana.
Hence, players don't have to worry too much about making this weapon Keen, as they won't lose out too much on the Bleed. Infusions can easily address the Nagakiba's status application. In any case, there are just not many complaints one can think of when using this weapon. It's a must-have and is a better choice compared to the Hand of Malenia.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.